Snr Reg Cash Based Intervs Off

Senior Regional CBI Officer

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT
While cash-based interventions (CBIs) have been used in UNHCR operations for many years, the Agency has made a renewed institutional commitment to scale up and institutionalize CBIs across its operations and institutional structure. The Senior Management, in line with the High Commissioner¿s call for the systematic and expanded use of CBIs, recently approved a framework laying out the foundations for the ¿UNHCR Cash-based Interventions Institutionalization Plan 2016-2020¿. The organization now seeks to ensure that CBIs are mainstreamed across its operational structures so that the tools, systems, processes and procedures are able to accommodate and manage CBIs at par with in-kind. The Plan sets out to achieve the institutionalisation of CBIs over a five year period. It builds upon three interdependent work streams with the following objectives:

1) Systematise and expand the use of CBIs across all operations, which focusses on building the capacity in the field to consider and deliver CBIs.
2) Mainstream CBIs across UNHCR¿s Divisions and Bureaux, which focusses on the necessary transformations within the UNHCR institutional structures and processes so that they are able to embrace CBIs.
3) Develop a portfolio of well-defined cash delivery arrangements, in collaboration with partners including the private sector.

The Senior Regional CBI Officer in the Director¿s Office in Amman (DOIA) assists with the implementation of the CBI Plan, particularly in relation to the systematic and expanded use of CBIs in UNHCR Syria and Iraq situation operations.  S/he will promote quality of CBIs in field operations, ensure multi-functional teams are active, create momentum around CBI in RSC across different technical and functional areas, and provide support for technical development in line with the Institutionalisation Plan. S/he will work in collaboration with the Senior CBI Officers in Geneva (Institutionalisation and Technical Support). The incumbent also manages and supervises staff and consultants. S/he will also conduct missions to support operations with CBIs, including for technical issues, assessments, reviews and evaluations. S/he will represent UNHCR at key meetings both internally and amongst global partners at regional level, and ensures UNHCR involvement in external technical partnerships and networks.

The Senior Regional CBI Officer will receive overall guidance and direction from, and reports to the Senior Regional CBI Coordinator in DOIA. The UNHCR Operational Guidelines on the use of CBIs in Displacement Settings, the UNHCR Manual, and relevant UN and UNHCR programme and financial/budgetary rules and regulations will guide the work of the Senior Regional CBI Officer. S/he is also expected to stay abreast of new developments and challenges related to CBIs that arise at different levels of the organization and within the broader cash community in the region in order to feed these into in-house capacity-building, systems adaptation, strategy and guidance.

FUNCTIONAL STATEMENT
Accountability
- UNHCR has a regional strategy in line with already existing CBI Programmes and respective governmental policies and restrictions, which will allow Country Operations to adjust their programmes and technical ways of delivering assistance.
- Coherent and coordinated technical field support provided by the CBI section to ongoing and new CBI programmes in UNHCR operations with a particularly emphasis on Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey.
- UNHCR CBIs are designed and rolled out following high quality technical standards.
- Technical guidance and tools for CBIs in UNHCR operations operationalised.
- Partnerships with key stakeholders in the region (cash community of practice including NGOs and UN agencies) developed and maintained to ensure UNHCR's programmes are informed by latest lessons learned and best practice, and make use of possible synergies with other programmes.
- The roll-out of CBI Institutionalization Plan is promoted, and internal communication is established and maintained to ensure reach within the CBI section, and between Headquarters and Branch Offices.

Responsibility
- Contribute to the institutionalisation of CBIs in the Middle-East, in line with the CBI Plan, and the development of organization-wide capacity in the DOIA and the region for expanded use of CBIs across all operations.
- Support the roll-out of the CBI Plan.
- Contribute to the development and establishment of a regional CBIs action plan, which identifies opportunities and a concrete, realistic way forward for: a) starting new CBIs; and b) scaling-up existing CBIs over time.
- Facilitate and participate in Regional and Country level technical meetings, trainings and workshops with the objectives of increasing awareness and capacity building for CBIs and ensuring stakeholder input.
- Provide support to country operations to assess, design, implement, monitor and evaluate CBIs in line with the CBI Plan.
- Provide direct support to field operations through desk-based backstopping and field missions. 
- Collect and share experiences and lessons learned across countries, and ensure these are reflected in technical development and fed into HQ-led initiatives.
- Advise countries on and support the set-up of coordination arrangements for CBIs, in line with UNHCR policy.
- Support operations in incorporating CBIs in to preparedness.
- Ensure tracking of CBIs in country operations.
- Support technical development related to CBI in UNHCR
- In collaboration with different sectors, identify sector-specific needs for technical development, particularly based on needs identified in the region.
- In line with CBIS work plan, support technical development and undertake targeted studies in the region relevant to improving CBIs in displacement settings, in collaboration with external and internal stakeholders.
- Working closely with the Senior CBI Officers (Institutionalisation and Technical Support) in HQ, ensure linkages with complementary initiatives in-house, e.g. the use of biometrics, one-card approaches, vulnerability assessments and improved targeting, operational implications of multipurpose grants, preparedness, cash and protection, etc.
- Provide requested support, advice and capacity building to technical sectors (e.g. shelter, WASH, food security, nutrition, protection, livelihoods, education) in collaboration with the CBI Officers in the country operations.
- Develop and maintain technical partnership and networks.
- Maintain and help develop partnerships for technical development, capacity building and field support through existing and new partners in the region.
- Provide support and guidance on country operations' design and implementation of CBIs.

Authority
- Represent the DOIA in communication and meetings with internal and external stakeholders, particularly regarding technical partnerships and networks in the Middle-East.
- Represent UNHCR on issues related to CBIs and participate in activities of the broader CBI community of practice in the Middle-East, such as Cash Learning Partnership (CaLP).
- Make judgments on the quality of project proposals coming from operations, on the quality of candidates screened for deployments and on the quality of material/outputs submitted by staff and consultants supervised.
- Enforce compliance with UNHCR¿s global strategies, protocols and guidelines.

ESSENTIAL MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
- Advanced university degree (Master¿s or equivalent) in Economics, Social Sciences, Political Science or other relevant field.
- Minimum 10 years of relevant work experience, including field experience, and a minimum of 5 years of international experience in CBIs with a UN Agency and/or an INGO.
- Knowledge of cash-based interventions in displacement settings and humanitarian situations.
- Demonstrated experience in technical development, field support, and training/capacity building related to CBIs.
- Previous experience in international networking, preferably related to CBIs (incl. external partnerships, high level meetings and networks).
- Excellent knowledge of English.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS & COMPETENCIES
- Work experience in sectoral cash-based interventions (shelter, health, nutrition, food security, WASH, livelihoods, education, etc.).
- Knowledge of UNHCR programme.
- Previous work experience with UNHCR.
- Knowledge of inter-agency environment.
- Good knowledge of French.