PSEA Assistant

Job Description

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 IOM PSEA Assistant 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. 
Under the overall supervision of the Chief of Mission, the direct supervision of the PSEA Project Officer and technical support from the PSEAH Unit and other experts, the incumbent will be responsible for supporting and facilitating the technical monitoring and day-to-day management of IOM’s prevention of and response to sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA) activities in the country. 

The IOM PSEA Assistant will need to support implementation of PSEA activities in direct close coordination with the Project Officer (PSEA), both internally and as an active member of the interagency PSEA Network. While the incumbent will support the PSEA agenda within country, accountability for PSEA remains with the Chief of Mission. 

Responsibilities

PSEA COORDINATION:

• Support the implementation of an operational PSEA Work Plan, in line with IOM’s PSEA Strategy, the IASC’s PSEA Minimum Operating Standards (MOS), and the 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; support reviewing that 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;
• Support the inclusion of PSEA activities in the transit camp, including, programming, risk mitigation and management, reporting, monitoring and evaluation and budgeting;;
• Contribute to the implementation of PSEA Network in the community as well as actively participate within IOM internal and other interagency PSEA communication and coordination initiatives;
• Support PSEA Officer across unit, teams, and members of the community 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:

• Support the PSEA Officer in SEA risk assessment to identify areas with high SEA risk; support appropriate mitigation and response strategies within IOM programming and operations;
• Participate in the delivery of PSEA trainings for IOM staff and related personnel, implementing partners[1], key institutional stakeholders; Support the work of identified PSEA focal points within Country to deliver key messaging and trainings as appropriate;
• Translate communication and awareness-raising material 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. 

RESPONSE:

• Support the development and contribute to reporting on PSEA and communication to highlight IOM’s PSEA work within programming; 
• Support the  implementation  of victim assistance pathways and/or existing IOM programmes to refer victims for assistance and other support services;
• Support the review and assessment of 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; 
• Perform any other duties as may be assigned. 

Qualifications

EDUCATION

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Law, International Relations, Psychology, Social Sciences, Development Studies and Planning or a related field from an accredited academic institution with three years of relevant professional experience; or,
• High School Degree/Certificate in the above fields with five years of relevant professional experience.

EXPERIENCE

• 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 experience supporting coordination activities 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 behaviour change; 
• Experience supporting  PSEA risk assessments, in coordination with communities, partners, and UN and other key stakeholders; 
• 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; 
• Experience in policy and proposal development and the creation of standard operating procedures and tools; and,
• 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.

SKILLS

• Knowledge and understanding of IOM’s institutional approach on PSEA and related strategies, policies, rules and regulations
• Knowledge of the UN system and architecture;
• Ability to work with and maintain strict confidentiality, when necessary.

SECTION 5

Languages 

REQUIRED

For all applicants, fluency in English is required (oral and written). Both Dari and Pashto are required (Oral and written). A written and oral test will be done during the interview.

DESIRABLE 

Working knowledge of Arabic, French or Spanish an advantage. 

SECTION 6

Competencies[1]

The incumbent is expected to demonstrate the following values and competencies:

VALUES - All IOM staff members must abide by and demonstrate these five values:

 

Inclusion and respect for diversity: Respects and promotes individual and cultural differences. Encourages diversity and inclusion.

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.

Courage: Demonstrates willingness to take a stand on issues of importance.

Empathy: Shows compassion for others, makes people feel safe, respected and fairly treated.

 

CORE COMPETENCIES - Behavioural indicators –  Level 1

 

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 actions and delegated work.

Communication: Encourages and contributes to clear and open communication. Explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring and motivational way.

Notes

1. Any offer made to the candidate in relation to this vacancy notice is subject to funding confirmation.
2. This selection process may be used to staff similar positions in various duty stations. Recommended candidates will remain eligible to be appointed in a similar position for a period of 24 months.
3. Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, verification of residency, visa, and authorizations by the concerned Government, where applicable. Vaccination against COVID-19 will be required for IOM personnel who are hired or otherwise engaged by IOM. As part of the mandatory medical entry on duty clearance, candidates will be requested to provide evidence of full vaccination.
4. IOM does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, processing, training or other fee). IOM does not request any information related to bank accounts.
5. IOM only accepts duly completed applications submitted through the IOM online recruitment system. The online tool also allows candidates to track the status of their application.