Refugee Field Assistant

Volunteering Admin

Overview

Assist in supporting refugees and enhancing community engagement.

You have:

• At least 3 years of professional work experience in working with vulnerable people, refugees or IDPs.
• Excellent oral and written skills for drafting and reporting.
• Fluency in Ukrainian and/or Russian, and English; Romanian is considered an advantage.
• Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in MS Office applications.
• Strong knowledge of social media platforms used by Ukrainian communities.
• Ability to work in a challenging and potentially hazardous environment.
• Self-motivated with the ability to work with minimum supervision.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work collaboratively.

Contract

This is a UNV Refugee contract. More about UNV Refugee contracts.

The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was created in 1950, during the aftermath of the Second World War, to help millions of Europeans who had fled or lost their homes. We had three years to complete our work and then disband.

Today, over 70 years later, our organization is still hard at work, protecting and assisting refugees around the world.

Since 24 February 2022, Romania has received almost 7 million refugees fleeing directly from Ukraine or coming from Moldova. While many refuge are passing through Romania as a transit country on their way to Poland, Germany, Bulgaria, or other countries, over 170,000 have received temporary protection status in Romania. Moreover, Romania hosts more than 4,800 beneficiaries of international protection and has had more than 2,050 asylum requests lodged in 2024. Romania’s status as both a transit and a destination country necessitates a response premised on three key directions: first, providing immediate, urgently needed protection and assistance arrivals to Romania; second, ensuring information about and access to legal statuses to which arrivals to Romania may apply, alongside non-discriminatory access to rights and services provided by the government and humanitarian actors, and third, ensure accountability and effective two-way communication with the refugee population.

Within the delegated authority and under the overall supervision of the Head of Constanta Field Office or his/her designated mandated representative(s), and under the direct supervision of the Field Associate in Constanta, the UNV Field Assistant will:

• Contribute to the strengthening of the field team’s engagement with local stakeholders, civil society, and refugee communities, as well as identify opportunities for collaboration; • Engage the refugee communities through two-way communication to provide feedback on needs and assistance; • Assist on conducting area based, site and needs assessments and support with data collection; • Support with the distribution of non-food items and post-distribution monitoring in close coordination with the relevant actors; • Support with interpretation in the exchange of routine information, and contribute to related liaison activities; • Support with the planning of meetings, events, and field missions with participation as needed; • In collaboration with protection staff, support to ongoing service mapping, updating the active tools; • Support on protection monitoring in diverse spaces including Border crossing points, collective shelters, and reception centers; • Support the needs and risks identification in the Area of Responsibility (AoR), raising risks, issues and concerns to the supervisor accordingly; • Administrative tasks as required such as drafting reports, routine correspondence and meeting minutes; • Contribute to age, gender, and diversity mainstreaming in all field activities; • Perform other related tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor.

• Professionalism: demonstrated understanding of operations relevant to; technical capabilities or knowledge relevant or transferrable to UNHCR procedures and rules; discretion, political sensitivity, diplomacy and tact to deal with clients; ability to apply good judgement; ability to liaise and coordinate with a range of different actors, especially in senior positions; where appropriate, high degree of autonomy, personal initiative and ability to take ownership; resourcefulness and willingness to accept wide responsibilities and ability to work independently under established procedures; ability to manage information objectively, accurately and confidentially; responsive and client-oriented; • Integrity: demonstrate the values and ethical standards of the UN and UNHCR in daily activities and behaviours while acting without consideration of personal gains; resist undue political pressure in decision-making; stand by decisions that are in the organization’s interest even if they are unpopular; take prompt action in cases of unprofessional or unethical behaviour; does not abuse power or authority; • Teamwork and respect for diversity: ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries; excellent interpersonal skills; ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and harmonious working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, mixed-gender environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity; sensitivity and adaptability to culture, gender, religion, nationality and age; commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of UN operations; ability to achieve common goals and provide guidance or training to colleagues; • Commitment to continuous learning: initiative and willingness to learn new skills and stay abreast of new developments in area of expertise; ability to adapt to changes in work environment. • Planning and organizing: effective organizational and problem-solving skills and ability to manage a large volume of work in an efficient and timely manner; ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor (own) work; ability to work under pressure, with conflicting deadlines, and to handle multiple concurrent projects/activities; • Communication: proven interpersonal skills; good spoken and written communication skills, including ability to prepare clear and concise reports; ability to conduct presentations, articulate options and positions concisely; ability to make and defend recommendations; ability to communicate and empathize with staff (including national staff), military personnel, volunteers, counterparts and local interlocutors coming from very diverse backgrounds; capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups; • Flexibility: adaptability and ability to live and work in potentially hazardous and remote conditions, involving physical hardship and little comfort; to operate independently in austere environments for protracted periods; willingness to travel within the area of operations and to transfer to other duty stations within the area of operations as necessary; • Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-reliance; and commitment towards UNHCR’s mission and vision, as well as to the UN Core Values.

•At least 3 years of professional work experience, or demonstrated ad hoc experience at the national and/or international level in working with vulnerable people, refugees or IDPs, or other relevant programmes; experience with Community Based Organizations and participatory methods is an asset, as is experience with humanitarian work and experience working in the UN or other international development organization; •Excellent oral and written skills; excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills and editing skills for diverse social media channels; •Excellent writing and editing skills in Ukrainian and/or Russian, and English; Romanian is considered an advantage; •Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including grassroots community members, religious and youth organizations, and authorities at different levels; familiarity with tools and approaches of communications for development; •Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment; ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel; •Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various MS Office applications (Excel, Word, etc.) and email/internet; familiarity with database management; and office technology equipment; •Strong knowledge of social media platforms used by Ukrainian communities, including Telegram, Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok is an asset; •Self-motivated, ability to work with minimum supervision; ability to work with tight deadlines; •Sound security awareness; •Have affinity with or interest in enabling access to services to vulnerable refugees with constant aim to assist in providing durable solutions, volunteerism as a mechanism for durable development, and the UN System; •Willingness to work in remote field locations and to conduct field based work much of the time.

Location: Constanta is located on the Black Sea coast in southeastern Romania, making it a coastal city in Europe.

Population: Approximately 320,000 people

Nearest Border: Constanta is close to the border with Bulgaria, located to the south of the city.

Family Duty Station: Constanta is classified as a family duty station with H classification.

Official Language: Romanian is the official language, and English is the official UN working language.

Climate: Constanta has a humid subtropical climate with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters, typical of coastal areas.

Transportation: The city has a well-developed transportation system, including buses and trams, making it convenient to travel within the city.

Accommodation: The UNV position is based in the UNHCR Field Office in Constanta where the incumbent is expected to take residence. Constanta offers various accommodation options, including seaside apartments and houses, catering to different preferences and budgets.

Useful Information: Constanta is known for the seaside lifestyle, historic landmarks, and a growing tourism industry. Understanding the local culture and social norms is important for a smooth transition.

As this is a Refugee UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials.

The contract lasts for the period indicated above with the possibility of extensions subject to the availability of funding, operational necessity, and satisfactory performance. However, there is no expectation of renewal of the assignment.

Volunteer Living Allowance Refugee UNV modality (monthly payment): RON 7004.08 Entry lump sum (one-time payment) USD 400 Exit allowance (for each month served, paid on completion of contract): RON 583.67 Please note that the amounts can vary according to fluctuations in exchange rates.

The purpose of the allowances and entitlements paid to UN Volunteers is to enable UN Volunteers to sustain a secure standard of living at the duty stations in line with United Nations standards without incurring personal costs. The allowances are in no way to be understood as compensation, reward, or salary in exchange for the UN Volunteer’s service. Contingent on specific eligibility criteria, location of the volunteer assignment, and contractual type and category, the payment of allowances will begin from the date of Commencement of Service.

Medical and life insurance: • Medical insurance: The UN Volunteer and eligible PFU dependents will receive UNV-provided medical insurance coverage. Coverage for UN Volunteers begins from the commencement of service and normally ceases one month after the last day of the UN Volunteer contract date. • Life Insurance: UN Volunteers are covered by life insurance for the duration of the UN Volunteer assignment.

Leave entitlements: • Annual Leave:  UN Volunteers accrue an entitlement to 2.5 days of Annual Leave per completed month of the UN Volunteer assignment. Unused accrued Annual Leave up to a maximum of 30 days is carried over in case of a contract extension within the same UN Volunteer assignment. • Learning Leave: Subject to supervisor approval and exigencies of service, UN Volunteers may request up to ten working days of Learning Leave per consecutive 12 months of the UN Volunteer assignment, starting with the Commencement of Service date, provided the Learning Leave is used within the contract period. • Certified Sick Leave: UN Volunteers are entitled to up to 30 days of certified sick leave based on a 12-month cycle. This amount is reset every 12-month cycle. • Uncertified Sick Leave: UN Volunteers receive 7 days of uncertified sick leave working days in a calendar year. • Maternity Leave: 16 weeks • Paternity Leave: 10 days

Selected candidates for certain occupational groups may be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) in line with the applicable Host Entity’s policy

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Potential interview questions

Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unv.org