External Relations Officer, P3, Yerevan At UN High Commissioner for Refugees

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships

Direct supervision is normally exercised by a Snr External Relations Officer of Representative who provides guidance on the applicable procedures. Advice may also be provided by relevant functional units at HQ. The incumbent may supervise some support staff. External contacts are predominantly with Partners, media, government embassies and other international organizations on matters of importance to the Organization.

All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR¿s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.

Duties

– Stay abreast of the challenges posed by the political context, the UN and humanitarian reform, and institutional developments in the area of forced displacement and humanitarian operations.

– Assist in the planning of a consultative process with UNHCR colleagues (Programme, Protection, etc.) with external actors and partners, so as to develop and implement protection and assistance strategy, with clearly articulated objectives, timelines and outputs.

– Assist the implementation of a communications strategy that generates support for UNHCR s operations from external partners (e.g. the general public, governments, partners, the media, academia and persons of concern).

– Assist in the articulation of all issues pertaining to the needs of the populations of concern and the strategies in place to respond to their needs.

– Inform the UNHCR Country Team on the UNHCR priorities so as to ensure that they are given adequate weight in the publications and documentation of the UN Country Team.

– Assist in the dialogue with donors and embassies and provide accurate information by organizing regular briefings, bilateral meetings and missions. Prepare reports as appropriate.

– In accordance with the operational context and in close cooperation with headquarters, propose new and non-traditional funding sources, as appropriate, including private sector and humanitarian pooled/basket funds (e.g. Central Emergency Response Fund, Human Security Fund).

– Through a consultative process with headquarters, disseminate information on UNHCR¿s global funding situation and mobilize additional funds to implement special projects aimed at enhancing the quality of protection for persons of concern in the country operation.

– Participate on behalf of the Representative and other supervisors in inter-agency cooperation and communication strategies, initiatives and tools.

– Support senior management in representing UNHCR in the UN Country Team and other UN coordination fora.

– Support, and participate in, local UN integrated missions, Inter-Agency Standing Committee, Emergency Relief Coordinator and Cluster communication strategies and initiatives.

– Assist in the management of information flows within the country operations by identifying priority matters, securing, analyzing and disseminating documentation and information to support country operations and corporate communication processes and priorities.

– Consolidate information on UNHCR¿s country operations and identify appropriate messages for campaigns and appeals.

– Assist in the coordination of the drafting of, situation reports, briefing notes, background material, talking points, fact sheets, press releases and articles.

– Assist in the development of targeted communications strategies and media packages for situations and/or activities that require focused attention.

– Propose events and initiatives (e.g. commercial, cultural, political and sports) to promote the work of UNHCR and take action as appropriate.

– Support the management of media relations by, inter alia, responding to direct queries, publishing press releases and organizing regular briefings and visits to country operations.

– On behalf of the Representative, approve fundraising messages.

– On behalf of the Representative, approve any relevant expenditure for the implementation of fundraising activities.

– Propose which donors to approach and which operations or activities to prioritize for special fundraising appeals.

– Implement all aspects of a communications strategy.

– Approve budgets and expenditures for communications activities.

– Clear external relations/communication products and tools as appropriate.

– Represent UNHCR on behalf of senior management in fund-raising and communication priorities in inter-agency initiatives and fora.

– Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Education & Professional Work Experience Years of Experience / Degree Level For P3/NOC – 6 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 5 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 4 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree Field(s) of Education Political Sciences, Social Sciences, International Relations, Journalism, or other relevant field. (Field(s) of Education marked with an asterisk* are essential) Certificates and/or Licenses Not specified

Relevant Job Experience

Essential Experience in humanitarian operations in a field environment. Excellent knowledge of local institution, politics and culture. Desirable Good knowledge of UNHCR operations both at Headquarters and in the Field. Fund-raising and programming/programme management experience. Experience of working with social media.

Functional Skills

IT-Web Content Management

IT-Computer Literacy

CO-Drafting and Documentation

ER-Inter-Agency External Relations (Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Language Requirements For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English. For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language. For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English.

All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination and abuse of power. As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise. This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates.

Desired Candidate Profile

Desired Candidate Profile

The candidate should have previous experience in External Relations, Public Information, Reporting, and Inter-Agency Coordination. Should be able to work effectively with multiple state and non-state partners with emphasis on sensitive character of relations within UN and with non-UN entities. Have skills to operate in the politically complex and challenging environments and be able to maintain positive working relations in stressful situations with wide variety of stakeholders. Negotiations skills and positive team management and supervision experience will be required to lead the team of three staff and more. The applicant should have ability to produce high quality written documentation within limited timeline, including donor reports, proposals, talking points, factsheets, minutes of the meetings, etc. UNHCR field experience in complex protection environments will be desired, especially, in the fields of external relations, public information, reporting, and protection.

Required languages (expected Overall ability is at least B2 level):

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Desired languages

Russian

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Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit this link:

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel

Nature of Position:

The External Relations Officer (ERO) will work under the direct supervision of the Representative and will be responsible to produce both internal and external information products for a wide range of audiences for UNHCR HQs, the Regional Bureau for Europe, the UN country team, the general domestic and international public, the local and regional medias, local and international partners and donors). In preparing/finalising these products , the ERO will coordinate with RBE and benefit from advice provided by relevant functional units in the Bureau. The ERO will also take the lead on national fund raising activities, including writing donor proposals and reports.
The incumbent will play a key role under the direct supervision and guidance of the Representative in developing a network of contacts, including within the government and civil society organizations (including diasporas organisations and the private sector), proactively seizing media opportunities and organizing events in order to advance the UNHCR/refugee agenda in Armenia. Therefore, a strong expertise in communications is also required. Furthermore, the incumbent is required to stay abreast of the fast-changing situations, maintain contact with relevant actors, including UN Agencies (and particularly the UN communication group) and other partners in the country and keep oneself abreast of the UNHCR program and the progress of its implementation. The incumbent is expected to maintain a close contact and dialogue with donors and embassies and respond to regular request for information.
The incumbent will lead and guide the External Relations team consisted of the national external relations and reporting staff, and will closely liaise with the RBE External Engagement Section.

The incumbent would demonstrate the following knowledge and experience:
– Substantial previous knowledge in the area of external relations, including reporting and donor engagement
– Organizing multilateral events and meetings (virtual events desirable)
– Developing and implementing communications strategies and content
– Understanding of UNHCR ‘s mandate and key relevant internal processes
– Relevant field experience
– High degree of strategic thinking, organization, and judgment

Living and Working Conditions:

Yerevan is safe city with occasional public unrest related to the current situation. The climate is continental, with hot and dry summers, cold and snowy winters. The air pollution high during winter time months. The city offers a huge variety of restaurants, cafes, clubs, and other possibilities of diversion. Usually culturally highly active, all over the year one can enjoy on-going programmes of theatre (also international), classic and modern music, ballet, concerts, at everyone ‘s average. Art expositions are organized quite often, and spring and autumn programmes of international cinema are shown at the National Gallery. Water and electricity are mostly available everywhere in the city, and shops offer all kind of goods (though mostly of local production). Health facilities are good though were overloaded at the time of covid-19 situation.

Additional Qualifications

Skills

Education

BA: International Relations (Required), BA: Journalism (Required), BA: Political Science (Required), BA: Social Science (Required)

Certifications

Work Experience

Annual Budget OL in Operation/Office, Number of Persons of Concern Served, Number of Workforce in Operation/Work Setting, Workforce to Supervise, Working with Persons of Concern: Asylum Seekers, Working with Persons of Concern: Others of Concern, Working with Persons of Concern: Refugees, Working with Persons of Concern: Stateless

Competencies

Accountability, Analytical thinking, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Empowering & building trust, Innovation & creativity, Judgement & decision making, Managing performance, Managing resource, Organizational awareness, Political awareness, Teamwork & collaboration

UNHCR Salary Calculator

https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales

Compendium

Add.2 to Bi-annual Compendium 2022 – Part B

Functional clearance

This position doesn’t require a functional clearance