Program Officer, Third Country Solutions – Central America

Title of Position:

Supervisor:

Location:

Duration:

Program Officer, Third Country Solutions – Central America

TBD, RefugePoint HQ

Preferred: Guatemala City, Guatemala, with regional travel in Central America

5-6 months, beginning approx. March, 2022

Mission & Vision Statement

RefugePoint was founded in 2005 to advance lasting solutions for at-risk refugees and to support the humanitarian community to do the same. RefugePoint envisions an inclusive world where refugees are supported to rebuild their lives, reach their full potential and contribute to their communities.

Project Background

Displacement from Central America and efforts to develop regional solutions have strengthened momentum to increase the active participation of civil society in resettlement and other third country solutions (3CS). In the United States, for example, President Biden’s Comprehensive Regional Framework to Address the Causes of Migration signals a willingness to explore legal migration pathways from the region. Several other countries, most notably Canada, have developed or are in the process of developing programs that would allow refugees and other forcibly displaced people to enter and remain in the country through safe legal means for purposes of employment, education, family reunion or private/community sponsorship.

In 2022, RefugePoint began a partnership with Open Society Foundations and the Avina Foundation with the goals of: assessing viable third country solutions pathways from the Central American region; building and strengthening the capacities of local partners to identify and refer suitable refugees and migrants into these pathways; and recommending a path forward for starting and scaling referral programs.

The Avina Foundation brings great strengths in terms of regional credibility, extensive networks and deep relationships with civil society organizations as well as INGOs, government agencies, and multilateral agencies in Central America. It also has extensive programmatic experience in migration issues, with a particular focus on labor migration and workers’ rights. Further, it has the capacity to lead consultative processes, workshops and trainings, and to develop training curricula and tools. RefugePoint’s role in this project is to bring expertise in resettlement and other third country solutions pathways (criteria, processes, identification and referral models, best practices) and in-depth knowledge of how to set up and run referral programs with appropriate safeguards resulting in quality submissions.

Purpose of the Position

The position of Program Officer, Third Country Solutions – Central America (or ‘PO’ for short), is the primary position responsible for advancing RefugePoint’s goals and objectives associated with this project, namely: 1) to better understand the availability, viability and challenges of various 3CS pathways from Central America; 2) to establish a partnership with a reputable organization in Central America (the Avina Foundation) that has the reach, relationships and expertise to convene a set of strategic local stakeholders interested in engaging in 3CS pathways; 3) to build and strengthen the capacities of strategic stakeholders in Central America to identify refugees and other forcibly displaced persons suitable for various third-country solutions and make referrals into these pathways; and 4) to co-develop (with local partners) and recommend an operating model for a future, larger-scale referral program from Central America into 3CS pathways.

The PO will report to staff (TBD) at RefugePoint’s headquarters and will perform the majority of work on-site embedded within the Avina Foundation’s office in Guatemala City, Guatemala, with regional travel in Central America. The PO will work closely with the Avina Foundation’s designated lead for this project (to be hired).

Essential Duties

The activities below will be carried out in conjunction with the Avina Foundation’s project lead. Precise division of labor between these two positions is to be determined.

Analysis of existing 3CS programs and forming a Steering Committee for the project

• Comparative analysis of 3CS program options such as direct-to-government resettlement referrals, EMPP-Canada, the Canadian Human Rights Defenders Program, the US Sponsorship Program (in the design phase), Central American Minors Program, Protection Transfer Arrangement, etc. in order to determine where the greatest opportunities lie.
• Mapping of potential allies and stakeholders along with their competencies and capacities to refer refugees and other forcibly displaced people through official channels.
• Identification of opportunities and challenges from the perspective of Central American civil society.
• Formation of a Steering Committee for the next stages of the project. The committee will have approximately 3-5 members. In addition to representatives from Avina and RefugePoint, it will include representatives from local civil society organizations, international advocates, and others.

Training and Empowerment of Local Stakeholders

• Design of a capacity-building program for strategic stakeholders to participate in a future referral program for the resettlement of refugees and other forcibly displaced people, including the drafting of tools, guides and manuals.
• Implementation of a capacity-building program for strategic stakeholders to participate in a future referral program for the resettlement of refugees and other forcibly displaced people.
• Coordination with RefugePoint’s Kenya office to exchange learning and best practices of NGO referrals into various pathways, ideally exchanging in-person visits to observe and learn.

Recommendations and Advocacy

• Compilation of a report with recommendations on an operating model for a future, larger-scale referral program to connect refugees and other forcibly displaced people with 3CS.
• Dissemination of the recommendations and advocacy for their implementation.

Liaising and Representation

• The PO will liaise with a broad array of partners in the course of implementing this project, including the donor (OSF), local and regional CBOs, INGOs, government representatives, UNHCR and IOM officials, members of the target population, and others.
• The PO may be asked to represent the project and RefugePoint in international refugee coordination fora, board meetings, staff meetings, etc.

Deliverables

In conjunction with Avina project lead:

· First report: Detailed work plan

· Second report: Coordination activities, stakeholder mapping, and creation of the Steering Committee

· Third report: Capacity building program designed; capacity building program implemented

· Final report: Recommendations for a future operating model and a dissemination and advocacy plan. The recommended operating model should detail relevant geographical locations, strategic counterparts, services to be offered, service delivery modalities, strategic partnerships, and other elements.

· In between formal reports, interim progress reports may be requested by RefugePoint.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

· Extensive experience in and knowledge of refugee resettlement and other third country solutions pathways;

· Experience with civil society (NGO) engagement in identification and referrals for third country solutions.

· Knowledge of the broad refugee policy landscape and that of Central America in particular;

· Strong presentation and training skills and experience;

· Experience in systems and project design;

· Excellent refugee interviewing and counseling skills;

· Strong writing and analytical skills;

· Strong interpersonal and diplomacy skills; ability to work effectively with partners at all levels and cross-cultural teams;

· Strong computer skills, including Microsoft Office, database platforms, and the ability to learn computer programs quickly;

· Ability to work and travel in Central America;

· Ability to adhere to RefugePoint’s Code of Conduct and to uphold the highest professional and ethical standards;

· A commitment to upholding programmatic integrity by guarding against fraud, misrepresentation and misconduct;

· Demonstrated ability to work well under pressure, maintaining flexibility and attention-to-detail under challenging circumstances.

Qualifications

Education: Experience in a relevant field (e.g. international affairs, human rights and humanitarian affairs, law, public health, social work, anthropology, etc.).

Language ability: Fluency in both English and Spanish, both written and oral, required