External Relations Officer

Before submitting an application, UNHCR staff members intending to apply to this Job Opening are requested to consult the Recruitment and Assignments Policy (RAP, UNHCR/HCP/2017/2 and the Recruitment and Assignments Administrative Instruction (RAAI), UNHCR/AI/2017/7 OF 15 August 2017.

External Relations Officer

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT
Direct supervision is normally exercised by the Senior 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.

FUNCTIONAL STATEMENT
Accountability
- UNHCR Country Offices can provide the necessary inputs (proposals, reports, etc.) for fund raising purposes to DER in Headquarters.
- External partners are informed regularly on all aspects of the protection and well-being of persons of concern and the status of UNHCR operations.
- Missions from Headquarters, donors, the press and media are well received and briefed.

Responsibility
- 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.

Authority
- 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.

ESSENTIAL MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
- Undergraduate degree (equivalent of a BA/BS) in Political or Social Sciences, International Relations, Journalism or other related fields plus minimum 6 years of previous work experience relevant to the function desirably of which minimum of 2 years in international capacity. Graduate degree (equivalent of a Master's) plus 5 years or Doctorate degree (equivalent of a PhD) plus 4 years of previous relevant work experience may also be accepted.
- Highly developed drafting ability in working language of duty station.
- Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.

***For National Officer positions, very good knowledge of local language and local institutions is essential.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS & COMPETENCIES
- Good knowledge of UNHCR operations both at Headquarters and in the Field.
- Knowledge of additional UN languages.

This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR External Relations Officer positions. 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. C001L3 - Accountability Level 3
C002L3 - Teamwork & Collaboration Level 3
C003L3 - Communication Level 3
C004L3 - Commitment to Continuous Learning Level 3
C005L3 - Client & Result Orientation Level 3
C006L3 - Organizational Awareness Level 3
M002L3 - Managing Performance Level 3
M005L3 - Leadership Level 3
X001L3 - Analytical Thinking Level 3
X004L3 - Negotiation and Conflict Resolution Level 3
X007L3 - Political Awareness Level 3 <p>The UNHCR workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages and opinions. UNHCR seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. Applications are encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on grounds of race, colour, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity.</p>
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See below for this postion's Operational Context
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For those people applying for High Risk Duty Stations, we strongly encourage colleagues to read the country specific security and welfare profiles which can be found on the Intranet under Support Services - Duty of Care (https://intranet.unhcr.org/en/support-services/duty-of-care.html). These profiles have been specifically designed to answer some of the key questions (on security conditions, medical provisions, staff welfare, living and working conditions) potential applicants might have before deciding to apply. Ensuring staff are better informed is part of the increased attention UNHCR is paying to Duty of Care. This project is still in the pilot phase, and as such some of the information leaflets are being produced as we speak and might not be available yet. They will be soon, so keep checking. 

The incumbent needs to have excellent writing and communications skills in both English and French, to represent UNHCR in a credible and authoritative manner. Ideally the candidate should have advocacy and media work skills which requires further solid analytical capacities, strong political judgement as well as being able to synthesize information.
In particular the incumbent should be able to respond fast and in a credible manner on TV at peak hours on a variety of potentially politically sensitive issues - this requires credible `presence¿ and experience in addressing. Since the beginning of the so called ¿European refugee crisis¿  in 2015 France has also seen a rise of asylum seekers triggering  considerable and much increased  media and public  interest in UNHCR¿s work and the situation of refugees and  asylum  seekers in France, Europe and other countries.
Against this background the UNHCR Paris office and in particular External Relations officer /section   has developed new partnerships with NGO¿s and foundations ready to  cooperate with UNHCR to engage the public and seek new ways to engage and influence  the public discourse with regard to the reception and protection of asylum seekers and refugees .
One example is the ¿Refugee Food Festival¿ which was started in Paris by an NGO but with the support of the UNHCR Paris office. This event is now replicated across France and other European countries offering an opportunity to inform also a public which normally is not that open to the issue of refugees and asylum seekers. Other examples include a new partnership with the national train company (SNCF), film festivals, photo exhibitions, and events with local and regional authorities, various professional organizations, NGO¿s
Paris is also a hub for many international organizations such as UNESCO and OECD, think tanks organizing throughout the year conferences where UNHCR is regularly invited to provide briefings on refugee issues in France and elsewhere. 
The recent elections in France has resulted in a parliament with many new members who are very receptive to UNHCR advocacy and information activities. 
Considering the above the engagement with external partners and the potential of its benefits have significantly increased. -Paris is a modern capital city with all necessary communications and good living conditions. However like other Capital City in Europe, accommodation is expensive.
- Paris is a major European city which hold a full range of health and educational facilities and availability of goods and services;
-Public transport network is good, as well as air connections to all over the world;
-Commuting times to and from the office may be lengthy, depending on where accommodation is; - Security is not a major concern. Although the city is classified as category H family duty station, Paris has been periodically exposed to different terrorist attacks since Nov 2014, state of emergency has been maintained by the government in the country since then and terrorist threat level has been constantly kept at the elevated/higher level
- The security and political situation in France is stable and calm; Nothing special to highlight

Please note that the closing date for all vacancies in the Add.4 to March 2018 Compendium is Wednesday 5 Septembe 2018 (midnight Geneva time).