PSEA Programme Officer At International Organization for Migration

Position Title: PSEA Programme Officer

Duty Station: San Salvador, El Salvador

Classification: Professional Staff, Grade UG

Type of Appointment: Special short-term ungraded, nine months with possibility of extension

Estimated Start Date: As soon as possible

Closing Date: 14 December 2022

Established in 1951, IOM is a Related Organization of the United Nations, and as the leading UN agency in the field of migration, works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It does so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants.

Context:

Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) by aid workers is a violation of human rights and IOM is committed to combat any kind of SEA by its staff related personnel and partners. IOM’s zero tolerance policy not only applies to IOM staff but also extends to IOM third party contracted staff, suppliers, service providers and implementing partners. With over 16,000 staff and over 6,000 related personnel, operating in 450 Offices, and 165 countries throughout the world, the impact of SEA on victims and within IOM’s operating environments, and the reputational risk it poses for the Organization needs to be addressed and remains a key priority.

The protection against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), including the prevention of and response to SEA, continues to gain momentum not only within the United Nations (UN) and Interagency Standing Committee (IASC) common systems but also amongst governments, institutional partners, media, and the general public.

Over the past decade, IOM has increasingly been seen as a strong player supporting the prevention and response to SEA and Sexual Harassment within the UN, IASC, and amongst the humanitarian community. While significant progress has been made to prevent and respond to SEA within the Organization such as through the development of innovative PSEA trainings, the development of a misconduct platform to report SEA, and extensive interagency collaboration on PSEA, more needs to be done within country and at the programmatic level and the PSEA Officer will support these efforts.

In 2021, IOM developed its strategic approach toward the prevention of and response to SEA and sexual harassment focusing on five priority areas: 1) Leadership and Organizational Culture; 2) Institutional Accountability and Transparency; 3) Capacity-Development, Training, and Communication; 4) Quality and Accessible Victim Assistance; 5) Partnership and Coordination.

Migration has historically placed a central role in the public agenda of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, otherwise known as the Northern Countries of Central America (NCCA). These countries have experienced similar socio-economic challenges which have translated into sustained outflows of migrants. In the last five years, IOM offices in the NCCA have significantly expanded, diversifying their activities in each country, with substantially increased funding, staff, and programmatic activities. As this process of growth is likely to continue in the months to come, reinforcing IOM’s capacity to prevent SEA and act upon it is of primary importance.

Under the direct supervision of IOM Sub-Regional Coordinator for the NCCA in El Salvador, and in close coordination with the Chief of Mission/Head of Office for IOM Guatemala and IOM Honduras, the PSEA Programme Officer will be responsible for supporting and facilitating the technical oversight and day-to-day management of IOM’s prevention of and response to sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA) activities in the NCCA. As the technical PSEA Focal Point in Country, the PSEA Programme Officer will need to support the aspects of implementation of PSEA activities, both internally and as an active member of the interagency PSEA Network. While the incumbent will support the PSEA agenda within the Country Offices and will contribute technical inputs to PSEA within programming (special emphasis on but not limited to resettlement and health assessment programming), the accountability for PSEA remains with the Sub-Regional Coordinator for the NCCA.

Core Functions / Responsibilities:

PSEA COORDINATION:

• Facilitate the development of an operational PSEA Work Plan for IOM in the NCCA, in line with IOM’s PSEA Strategy, the IASC’s PSEA Minimum Operating Standards (MOS), and the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) country level framework and work plan, through strategic workshops with IOM Heads of Units and other senior management at the country and programmatic levels; ensure the resulting work plan is detailed and operational with clear actions, roles and responsibilities to deliver on the actions, timeframes, technical and resource requirements, and internal reporting requirements;
• Facilitate the inclusion of PSEA within IOM Country Office Strategy, programming, risk mitigation and management, planning, reporting, monitoring and evaluation and budgeting; develop PSEA programming and liaise with relevant donors as required;
• Actively contribute to the in-country interagency PSEA Network (support in the development of the collective PSEA workplan, risk management plan, PSEA Strategies, etc.), as well as actively participate within IOM internal and other interagency PSEA communication and coordination initiatives;
• Support the PSEA Network to develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), and establish an inter-agency Community-Based Complaint Mechanism, incorporating existing IOM complaint and feedback mechanisms (CFM) and in line with PSEA and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) good practice ;
• Facilitate and participate in the establishment of an inter-agency community-based complaints mechanism (in coordination with the Accountability to Affected Populations Unit in HQ), in coordination with the interagency PSEA Network, programme managers and relevant IOM units, as well as with communities and implementing partners as appropriate;
• In coordination with relevant colleagues, work closely with Focal Points at the IOM Regional Office in San Jose, Costa Rica, and HQ to ensure IOM NCCA prevention, mitigation and response mechanisms are in line with IOM’s global PSEA Strategy;
• Support IOM Teams, programmes, and units to ensure the mitigation of SEA risks are developed, embedded, and strengthened within all IOM programming and within HR practices; and,
• At all possible opportunities (during relevant trainings, in staff and programme meetings, through newsletters, in email messages, etc) continually share key messages on PSEA, including mandatory reporting requirements within the country office and programming, in coordination with relevant colleagues.

PREVENTION:

• Undertake a Country-wide SEA risk assessment to identify locations and programmes with the highest SEA risk; ensure appropriate mitigation and response strategies within IOM programming and operations;
• Participate in the development of a training plan and coordinate the delivery and organization of PSEA trainings for IOM staff and related personnel, implementing partners, key institutional stakeholders; Support the work of identified PSEA focal points within Country to deliver key messaging and trainings as appropriate;
• On a yearly basis, provide an update on the number of staff, non-staff trained, contractors, implementing partners, and service providers trained in the mission on PSEA, in an effort to track compliance and facilitate the management of training delivery and refresher courses, in coordination with HR. Support the registration of all participants (staff and non-staff) within the IOM system and the delivery of certificates;
• Develop communication and awareness-raising strategies and tools to ensure appropriate PSEA messaging and knowledge on prohibited behaviours as well as how to report allegations of misconduct, including SEA within communities and amongst beneficiaries; ensure localization of SEA messaging; and,
• Map existing community engagement projects in [Organization] and work with project leads to insert PSEA messages and/or gather community input where appropriate.

RESPONSE:

• Participate and support the development of PSEA proposals and ensure the mainstreaming ofPSEA within IOM programming; coordinate closely with institutional partners, governments, donors, and communities on PSEA needs and responses;
• Support the development and contribute to reporting on PSEA and communication to highlight IOM’s PSEA work within programming;
• Support the development and mapping of Country-specific interagency victim assistance pathways and/or existing IOM programmes to refer victims for assistance and other support services;
• Coordinate referrals for victim assistance in coordination with gender-based violence and/or protection colleagues and support the strengthening of victim services within country and/or programming;
• Undertake duty travel as required; and,
• Perform any other duties as may be assigned.

Required Qualifications and Experience:

Education

• Master’s degree in Law, International Relations, Psychology, Social Sciences, Development Studies and Planning or a related field from an accredited academic institution with two years of relevant professional experience; or,
• University degree in the above fields with four of relevant professional experience.

Experience

• Professional experience in the fields of sexual exploitation and abuse, protection, child protection, gender-based violence, accountability to affected populations (AAP), gender mainstreaming and/or humanitarian affairs;
• Strong coordination experience within the UN system and amongst interagency partners, including governments, NGOs, and communities;
• Experience in developing and facilitating PSEA trainings, in particular capacity-building, and communication materials to promote behavior change;
• Experience undertaking PSEA risk assessments, in coordination with communities, partners, and UN and other key stakeholders;
• Experience in policy and proposal development and the creation of standard operating procedures and tools.

Skills

• Demonstrated ability to work across a wide variety of sectors/teams on cross-cutting themes;
• Good written and oral communication skills, effective in representation and liaison with external partners;
• Ability to organize work, work independently and prioritize work under pressure, coordinate multiple tasks, maintain attention to detail, and coordination with a variety of stakeholders;
• Knowledge and understanding of IOM’s institutional approach on PSEA and related strategies, policies, rules and regulations;
• Knowledge of the UN system and architecture;
• In depth knowledge of mainstreaming best practices and partnership models to ensure coordination of the same across a diversified range of actors; and,
• Ability to work with and maintain strict confidentiality, when necessary.

Languages

IOM’s official languages are English, French and Spanish.

External applicants for all positions in the Professional category are required to be proficient in English and have at least a working knowledge of one additional UN Language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, or Spanish).

For all applicants, fluency in English and Spanish is required (oral and written). Working knowledge in Arabic or French is an advantage.

Proficiency of language(s) required will be specifically evaluated during the selection process, which may include written and/or oral assessments.

Notes

Accredited Universities are the ones listed in the UNESCO World Higher Education Database (https://whed.net/home.php).

Required Competencies:

Values – all IOM staff members must abide by and demonstrate these three values:

• Inclusion and respect for diversity: respects and promotes individual and cultural differences; encourages diversity and inclusion wherever possible.
• Integrity and transparency: maintains high ethical standards and acts in a manner consistent with organizational principles/rules and standards of conduct.
• Professionalism: demonstrates ability to work in a composed, competent and committed manner and exercises careful judgment in meeting day-to-day challenges.

Core Competencies – behavioural indicators

• Teamwork: develops and promotes effective collaboration within and across units to achieve shared goals and optimize results.
• Delivering results: produces and delivers quality results in a service-oriented and timely manner; is action oriented and committed to achieving agreed outcomes.
• Managing and sharing knowledge: continuously seeks to learn, share knowledge and innovate.
• Accountability: takes ownership for achieving the Organization’s priorities and assumes responsibility for own action and delegated work.
• Communication: encourages and contributes to clear and open communication; explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring and motivational way.

Managerial Competencies – behavioural indicators

• Leadership: provides a clear sense of direction, leads by example and demonstrates the ability to carry out the organization’s vision; assists others to realize and develop their potential.
• Empowering others & building trust: creates an atmosphere of trust and an enabling environment where staff can contribute their best and develop their potential.
• Strategic thinking and vision: works strategically to realize the Organization’s goals and communicates a clear strategic direction.

IOM’s competency framework can be found at this link.

https://www.iom.int/sites/default/files/about-iom/iom_revised_competency_framework_external.pdf

Competencies will be assessed during a competency-based interview.

Other:

Internationally recruited professional staff are required to be mobile. Any offer made to the candidate in relation to this vacancy notice is subject to funding confirmation.

For this staff category, candidates who are nationals of the duty station’s country cannot be considered eligible.

Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances. Subject to certain exemptions, vaccination against COVID-19 will in principle be required for individuals hired on or after 15 November 2021. This will be verified as part of the medical clearance process.

Vacancies close at 23:59 local time Geneva, Switzerland on the respective closing date. No late applications will be accepted.