Associate External Relations Officer

Hardship Level

C

Family Type

Family

Residential location (if applicable)

Grade

PR2

Staff Member / Affiliate Type

Professional

• Staff members will not normally serve in International Professional positions in the country of their nationality. In addition, in case of a first appointment upon recruitment, the assignment must be outside the staff member’s country of nationality.

In practical terms this means that you are not eligible to apply for International Professional vacancies advertised in the country where you are national of.

Reason

Regular > Regular Assignment

Remote work accepted

No

Target Start Date

2023-11-30

Job Posting End Date

December 21, 2023

Standard Job Description

Associate External Relations Officer

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships

Direct supervision is normally exercised by a (Snr) External Relations Officer or Representative who provides guidance on the applicable procedures. Advice may also be provided by relevant functional units at HQ. External contacts are with a broad range of partners and stakeholders, including inter alia, government, media, embassies, donors, UN agencies, NGOs and other national and international organizations, as well as general public 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 the implementation of a communications strategy that generates support for UNHCR¿s operations from external partners (e.g. the general public, governments, partners, media, academia, NGOs, private sector and persons of concern).
• Assist in the dialogue with donors and embassies and provide relevant information on UNHCR operations and financial requirements by organizing regular briefings, bilateral meetings and missions and responding to donors¿ requests for information on ad hoc basis.
• Through a consultative process with headquarters, disseminate information on UNHCR¿s global funding situation and mobilize additional funds to implement programmes and projects aimed at enhancing the quality of protection for persons of concern in the country operation.
• Assist in the coordination of the drafting of, situation reports, briefing notes, background material, talking points, fact sheets, press releases and articles.
• Draft narrative and financial reports on contributions in compliance with specific donor requirements.
• Monitor earmarking level of funding for UNHCR Country operation and ensure appropriate visibility for donor contributions in compliance with UNHCR guidelines and specific donor requirements.
• Participate on behalf of the Representative and other supervisors in inter-agency cooperation and communication strategies, initiatives and tools.
• 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.
• 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, handling interview requests and organizing regular briefings and visits to country operations.
• Promote visibility of UNHCR¿s work and advocate for support for the people of concern through providing inputs for social media and other web content.
• Organize missions to the field and press briefings for external parties as required.
• Implement all aspects of a communications strategy.
• Represent UNHCR on behalf of senior management in fundraising and communication priorities in inter-agency initiatives and fora.
• Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility. Ensure decision making in risk based in the functional area of work. Raise risks, issues and concerns to a supervisor or to relevant functional colleague(s).
• Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Education & Professional Work Experience

Years of Experience / Degree Level

For P2/NOB – 3 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 2 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 1 year relevant experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education

Political Sciences, Social Sciences, International Relations, Journalism, Communications

or other relevant field.

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

Fund-raising and programming/programme management experience.

Experience of working with social media.

Functional Skills

CO-Drafting and Documentation

PS-Fundraising (incl. operations, programmes)

PG-Programme Management (programme cycles and reporting standards)

IT-Computer Literacy

IT-Web Content Management

(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

The Associate External Relations Officer (AERO) will look beyond optimising funding from UNHCR’s traditional donor supporters and seek to develop the potential of new donor countries and pursue new funding sources, including in the private sector, and leverage development funding streams to address refugee needs.

The AERO should bring strategic vision, experience and expertise with government fundraising, familiarity with private sector and development finance and the skills and creativity needed to revamp UNHCR’s approach to communication in Zimbabwe.

The AERO must have excellent communications skills, conceptual, analytical and drafting abilities as well as the capacity to think and plan strategically and work independently, coupled with the political awareness required to work in a complex and sensitive political and interagency environment.

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

,

,

Desired languages

,

,

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 Associate External Relations Officer (AERO) position in Zimbabwe has been created to strengthen communications, public outreach and donor relations strategy and building a capable, creative and integrated external relations team in Harare and Tongogara that works seamlessly with the Regional Bureau and Headquarters. The AERO will lead the team in developing and delivering strategy for building public understanding and support for refugees and UNHCR ‘s work in Zimbabwe, drawing upon global good practice, including the effective use of social media. UNHCR ‘s operations in Zimbabwe have started making progress through engagements with financial institutions and other non-traditional donors in line with the Global Compact on Refugees. Despite the effort made, donor support in Zimbabwe remains low for the refugees with a risk of the operation funding becoming unsustainable. In this challenging environment, the AERO will lead the external relations and communications team and work with the Inter-Sector Coordination Group and UN as well as NGO partners in developing a creative and effective resource mobilisation strategy that maintains and broadens support for UNHCR, consistent with UNHCR ‘s coordination leadership role. Therefore, previous experience in this area is essential for this position. The AERO will look beyond optimising funding from UNHCR ‘s traditional government supporters and seek to develop the potential of new donor countries and pursue new funding sources, including in the private sector, and leverage development funding streams to address refugee needs. The AERO should bring strategic vision, experience and expertise with government fundraising, familiarity with private sector and development finance and the skills and creativity needed to revamp UNHCR ‘s approach to communication in Zimbabwe. For these reasons, the AERO must have excellent communications skills, conceptual, analytical and drafting abilities as well as the capacity to think and plan strategically and work independently, also the political awareness needed to work in a complex and sensitive political and interagency environment.

Living and Working Conditions:

The Associate External Relations Officer is based in Harare, the capital city of Zimbabwe, which is the centre of national government, trade and culture and home to over 1,5 million people. The climate in Zimbabwe is markedly varied by attitude. There is dry season, including a short cool season during the period May to September when the whole country has very little rain. The rainy season is typically a time of heavy rainfall from November to March. Daily temperature ranges are about 7 ¿22 °C (45 ¿72 °F) in July (the coldest month), about 15 ¿29 °C (59 ¿84 °F) in October (the hottest month) and about 16 ¿26 °C (61 ¿79 °F) in January (mid-summer). Harare is a C category duty station with 3 years of Standard Assignment Length. It is a family duty station, and educational facilities from primary to secondary school are available in Harare. There are some private hospitals in Harare which address simple sicknesses. There are no compulsory vaccinations for entering Zimbabwe; however, vaccination against Yellow Fever is compulsory before entering from or having been in transit through for more than 12 hours an area where the disease is endemic. Leisure and recreational facilities are available. UNDSS-cleared hotels are available, with the rates differing depending on the availability and season. MOSS compliant apartments are available, UNDSS recommends that international staff reside in the diplomatic area of Harare, where the UNHCR office is also located. Banks and ATM machines are also available in Harare. However, access to cash is limited and international staff members are encouraged to use the ATM implant within the office compound. Most major credit and debit cards are accepted in hotels, restaurants and larger shops. F The current operational circumstances require frequently long working hours. This is a stressful work context, making a capacity for self-care critical. The Security Level in Harare is classified as Low (Level 2) as per the UN security management system in Zimbabwe. There are no major security challenges to UN operations in Harare. However, individuals must be on the alert as crime, mainly robberies, house break-ins and smash & grab thefts from motor vehicles at traffic lights and road accidents are some of the increasing risks to the UN in Zimbabwe.

Skills

Additional Qualifications

Education

Bachelor of Arts (BA): Communication, Bachelor of Arts (BA): International Relations, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Journalism, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Political Science, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Social Science

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: Internally Displaced Persons, Working with Persons of Concern: Others of Concern, Working with Persons of Concern: Refugees, Working with Persons of Concern: Returned Refugees, Working with Persons of Concern: Stateless

Competencies

Accountability, Analytical thinking, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Innovation & creativity, 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 2023 – Part B

Additional Information

Functional clearance

This position doesn’t require a functional clearance