Senior Livelihood 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.

Senior Livelihood Officer

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT
As of 29 February 2016, Dollo Ado is hosting more than 210,000 Somali refugees in the region.

Severe drought in the Horn of Africa, regarded as the worst in 60 years, has had disastrous consequences particularly in central and south Somalia, already suffering from a high level of insecurity, active conflict and restrictions imposed especially by the Al Shabaab militia and administration. Therefore, the situation in Somalia is characterized by a grave humanitarian situation caused by draught, famine and generalized insecurity, the effect of which is exacerbated by continued widespread violations of humanitarian and human rights law. This has caused a major influx into eastern Ethiopia from the beginning of 2011. The influx reached its peak in the month of June, which saw 24,000 new arrivals. The current total is 197,474 refugees (as of July 2013).

Ethiopia is state party to both the 1951 Refugee Convention and 1969 OAU Convention and has ratified key international and regional human rights instruments. The Ethiopian Government is accepting Somali refugees on a prima facie basis. UNHCR issued Eligibility Guidelines for Assessing the International Protection Needs of Asylum-seekers from Somalia in May 2010, and it is UNHCRs evaluation that conditions in Somalia have remained the same since then.

The refugee population arriving to Ethiopia consists overwhelmingly of women and children. Children comprise two thirds of the total population. While there are about as many girls as boys under 18, among the adult population two thirds are women. It is predominantly a population of agro-pastoralists, living mainly off agriculture and some livestock. Most refugees have not followed any formal education and are thus illiterate. Border monitoring missions are conducted on a regular basis to identify possible indications of increasing forced displacement into Ethiopia.

UNHCR and its implementing partners have started to promote livelihoods interventions in Dollo Ado, Ethiopia to reduce dependency and encourage self-reliance among the refugees. Five implementing partners have formally signed on with the Ethiopian Administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs (ARRA) to conduct livelihood activities, and seven additional IPs are now working in this area.

Under the direct supervision of Head of SO and in cooperation with Senior Programme Officer and in collaboration with the Senior Project Coordinator, the Senior Livelihood Officer will supervise livelihood activities in two camps, Kobe and Hilaweyn funded by IKEA Foundation, under the framework of the approved multi-year strategic plan for livelihood support for Dollo Ado camps, develop implementation arrangements and oversee the design and implementation of the four components of the strategic plan, including: youth skills and entrepreneurship; vocational/technical and entrepreneurship skills for employment/self-employment; poverty reduction; small enterprise/cooperatives for commodities and agri-business; and agriculture and livestock value-chain.

In this respect, the post requires a mix of training, strategic planning skills in addition to innovation and creativity. Excellent skills in report writing, preparing proposal, planning and evaluating programmes and field monitoring are essential. The incumbent must also possess good management skills within this complex and demanding environment, the dynamic team in Dollo Ado, needs strong guidance and support in this field.

FUNCTIONAL STATEMENT
Accountability
- Annual operation plan and budget is defined through consultation with national government, implementing partners, and UNHCR representative, within the framework of the approved strategy.
- Activities and outputs of operation plan are resourced, implemented and coordinated amongst implementing and operational partners.
- Targeted livelihoods projects are designed under the framework of the multi-year strategy and operational plan; and sub-agreements are prepared with implementing partners.
- UNHCR and partner staff are trained on appropriate livelihoods frameworks, planning and targeted interventions based on changing socio-economic environments and innovative approaches.
- Local and refugee communities participate in decision making around project design and implementation modalities;
- Socio-economic assessments and surveys are designed and implemented, and utilised to inform project design and, as necessary, to readjust objectives, activities and targets of the operational plan and of specific project documents;
- A monitoring and evaluation framework is defined and implemented.
- Lessons learnt from assessments, and monitoring and evaluation exercises are incorporated and fed-back into the multi-year strategy and yearly operational plans.
- Consultancies are fielded and supervised.
- Quality reports from IPs are produced, and utilised for the IKEA Foundation and other reporting needs.

Responsibility 
- Under the framework of the approved multi-year strategic plan for livelihood support for Dollo Ado camps, develop implementation arrangements and oversee the design and implementation of the four components of the strategic plan, including: youth skills and entrepreneurship; vocational/technical and entrepreneurship skills for employment/self-employment; poverty reduction; small enterprise/cooperatives for commodities and agri-business; and agriculture and livestock value-chain.
- Provide technical assistance to the development of UNHCR¿s and partner¿s livelihoods projects within the framework of the multi-year strategic plan for livelihood support for Dollo Ado camps, in line with the UNHCR Global Strategy for Livelihoods and the Minimum Criteria for Livelihoods Programming.
- Commission consultancies and guide/supervise consultants as required.
- Lead and/or participate in assessments and surveys; utilising findings to improve project design and targeting and to adjust the Livelihood Strategy as necessary.
- Facilitate the coordination of all livelihood-related activities and projects implemented by operational and partners working in Dollo Ado, from private, public and NGO sectors, and UN agencies.
- Establish a community of good practices/standards, knowledge management and sharing.
- Organize and manage workshops, group discussions, and participatory processes to ensure refugee and host community ownership and decision making in planning and implementing livelihood interventions and in full coordination with community services.
- Consult with the Livelihood Unit / OSTS in UNHCR Headquarters and other technical units (Environment, Education, UNHR Innovation) to access technical guidance, strategic support, networking opportunities, and to contribute to knowledge sharing between Dollo Ado and other UNHCR operations.
- Establish and maintain linkages with national/local authorities as main partner to ensure coordination and the contribution of the UNHCR livelihood strategy to local development plans including possible establishment and capacity building of local livelihoods-related for a.
- Participate in developing a monitoring and evaluation system (including results measurement and reporting) for the livelihoods programmes, working closely with the Programme unit, other technical sectors and implementing partners.
- Provide reporting templates and guidance on reporting for partners implementing livelihoods interventions, to improve reporting efficiency and quality and harmonise reporting efforts.
- Supervise the National Agriculture Officer.
- Perform any other functions deemed necessary or as delegated by the supervisor in order to meet the level of services in the organization.

Authority
- Decide when and how to orient livelihoods in i) conducting socio economic assessments, ii) developing comprehensive multiyear strategic plans, iii) implementing coherent programmes through suitable partners, iv) designing and implementing specific livelihood-support interventions, and expanding or halting pilot initiatives, and v) defining phase-out and hand-over strategies.
- Make judgments on the quality of project proposals coming from implementing partners, on the quality of CVs screened when fielding expert deployments, on the quality of material/outputs submitted by consultants.
- Set standard on what resources are required for livelihoods operations to do the above, in terms of technical expertise, staffing capacity, partner capacity, technical tools/guidelines, time and budgets, and ensure that critical resource requirements are communicated to managers as appropriate.
- Make decisions with regards to the allocation of resources (funds, staffing, and partners) needed meet the livelihoods objectives of the sub-office.

ESSENTIAL MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
- Undergraduate degree (equivalent of a BA/BS) in Economics, Socio-Economic Development, Rural Development, Business Management or other related fields.
- Minimum of 9 years (8 years with graduate degree (equivalent of a Master¿s) of relevant professional job experience.
- Proven experience in planning, implementing, and monitoring livelihoods programmes (and managing multiple projects) in developing countries.
- Experience in working effectively with international and national NGOs and UN organisations, and with government authorities at national level.
- Knowledge about latest development in the livelihoods sector, and in-depth knowledge of at least 2 technical sub-sectors in livelihoods (e.g. value-chain upgrading, microfinance, vocational training and technical education, entrepreneurship building, cash assistance, labour based infrastructure approaches through community contracting, employment services, natural resource management).
- Familiarity with standards for project design and results measurement and reporting.
- Excellent command of oral and written English is required.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS & COMPETENCIES
- Excellent networking skills with private and public sector institutions.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills, including listening, facilitating and influencing skills.
- Excellent computer skills, including excel, word and power point.
- Experience in: (i) the application/adaption of local development models embracing the various livelihood sector as relevant to transforming marginalized rural economies and, (ii) capacity building of local livelihoods-related fora.
- Previous experience from working in Africa and/or livelihood development in rural reconstruction and recovery. C001L3 - Accountability Level 3
C003L3 - Communication Level 3
C004L3 - Commitment to Continuous Learning Level 3
C005L3 - Client & Result Orientation Level 3
C006L3 - Organizational Awareness Level 3
M001L3 - Empowering and Building Trust Level 3
M002L3 - Managing Performance Level 3
M006L3 - Managing Resources Level 3
M004L3 - Strategic Planning and Vision Level 3
M003L3 - Judgement and Decision Making Level 3
X001L3 - Analytical Thinking Level 3
X002L3 - Innovation and Creativity Level 3
X009L3 - Change Capability and Adaptability 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 them – before deciding to apply- to read the country specific security and welfare country 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). Ensuring staff are better informed is part of the increased attention UNHCR is paying to Duty of Care.

 

Staff after having applied to High Risk Duty Stations will have access to country specific information webinars with Field Safety Section (FSS) and Staff Welfare Section (SWS) colleagues and provided with a tool to test their psychological preparedness for serving in High Risk Duty Stations. Applicants who applied for a position in a High Risk country will receive, after the deadline for applications has expired, a joint invitation from the Staff Welfare Section (SWS) and the Field Safety Section (FSS) to participate in these webinars. During the Webinars, latest updates on security and well-being will be provided, and FSS and SWS will address questions raised by participants. Applicants are highly encouraged to benefit, when applicable, from all measures as they provide most up-to-date security and well-being information helpful to assess staff’s readiness to serve in a High Risk Duty Station. A Staff Welfare Officer will also be available, if and when required, to discuss with interested applicants the results of the psychological preparedness tool as well as readiness for assignment in High Risk Duty Stations.

 

The incumbent of the position of Senior Livelihoods Officer should have previous experience working with refugee livelihoods in emergency and protracted settings and this in a CRRF context.  He/she will be expected to operate in a sensitive political context, coordinate multi-agency affairs and collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders including development partners. Knowledge of the work of WB, IFC, private sector, development agencies, ILO is required as is previous experience in coordinating large scale livelihoods interventions with development actors and private sector. Should have the ability to lead diverse teams to coordinate country specific strategies such as the nine pledges of the Ethiopian Government within the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) in Ethiopia.
He/she must have the ability to come up with innovative and creative solutions to operational challenges and strong analytical skills in conducting research and developing policy and concept papers. Highly developed expertise in socio-economic assessments, market analysis, value chain analysis and livelihood strategy development especially related to rural populations, is required. Experience in agriculture, livestock and small and medium enterprise development is highly demanded. Excellent English communication skills and well-grounded teambuilding and cultural sensitivity. Ethiopia is host to the second largest refugee population in Africa, based on UNHCR statistics, reaching 917,000 as of 31 August 2018. Refugee influxes in Ethiopia are primarily results of ongoing political and civil unrest as well as recurring natural disasters in neighboring countries.   Ethiopia hosts a large population of refugees from many African countries including South Sudan, Somalia, Sudan, Eritrea, Rwanda, Burundi, Angola, Liberia, Djibouti, Uganda, South Africa, and also from Yemen. Refugees from South Sudan, Somalia, and Eritrea make up the majority.    Refugees are hosted in 26 camps as well as in additional settlements and urban areas such as Addis Ababa where nearly 27,000 of them live. Ethiopia is a pilot country for the CRRF and works closely with Government and partners to improve the lives of refugees and host communities. The government of Ethiopia has made 9 pledges to provide more opportunities to refugees in the country such as employment, documentation and enhanced access to basic services.  . UNHCR works with 50 NGO partners and key donors including private donors like IKEA Foundation.  UNHCR is Protection Cluster lead for IDPs numbering 2.7 million including climate and conflict induced IDPs as of 31 August 2018. UNHCR presence in Ethiopia is made of 1 Branch Office, 1 Liaison Office for Representation to the Africa Union and Economic Commission for Africa (RAUECA) 5 Sub Offices, 4 Field Offices and 18 Field Units which make a total of 29 locations with about 700 total workforce. Addis Ababa is the capital of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.  The population is estimated at about 4 million.  It is located in the Ethiopian highlands at an altitude of 2,500-2,700 meters.  The climate is sunny and temperate, but it can be very cold at night, with freezing temperature at times.  There are two rainy seasons: February-March and July-September, during which there may be heavy rainfalls. 
Addis Ababa is the headquarters for the UN Economic Commission for Africa as well as the African Union (ex-OAU). The local language is Amharic, and English is the working foreign language.  Housing is readily available and the rents are, on average, reasonable. Most foodstuffs, beverages, household goods, furniture and clothing, mostly imported from the Middle/Far East, South Africa and Europe, or local brands, can be found, although they can be expensive. There are a number of private schools, offering up to secondary education in French, English and other languages.
The basic infrastructure ¿ roads, utilities, and telecommunications ¿ are of average standards, as are medical facilities, which are still largely inadequate, although a few private clinics and hospitals provide reasonably good routine care.  There is a UN Clinic, but for major illnesses or surgery, United Nations staffs are normally evacuated to South Africa or Kenya. Vaccinations recommended by Medical Service.  Malaria prophylaxis is recommended for trips outside of Addis Ababa.
Although Ethiopia as a whole is designated by the UN Security Coordinator as a high-risk area, there are no major or special security concerns within Addis Ababa city. Addis Ababa is classified as Level 2
Addis Ababa is a generally stable and safe family duty station. However similar precautions as in other metropolitan cities should be followed at all times.
UNHCR staff assigned to Addis Ababa are advised to contact the Senior Field Safety Advisor to receive periodic security updates.
United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) conduct security briefings regularly on Monday and Thursday from 9:00am ¿ 10:00am. Administration will arrange a booking for all staff arriving in Addis to attend the briefing as per the UNDSS schedule. ¿ Ability to support the operation in designing trainings and capacity building;
¿ Demonstrated ability to manage a large team and coordinate with other Sections at Sub Office level;
¿ Ability to coordinate with various units within the Sub Office and to provide on-the-job coaching and mentoring; Demonstrated excellent drafting skills in English;
¿ Ability to come up with innovative and creative solutions to operational challenges; Change management, as required.
¿ He/she must have the ability to come up with innovative and creative solutions to operational challenges and strong analytical skills in conducting research and developing policy and concept papers. Highly developed expertise in socio-economic assessments, market analysis, value chain analysis and livelihood strategy development especially related to rural populations, is required. Experience in agriculture, livestock and small and medium enterprise development is highly demanded. Excellent English communication skills and well-grounded teambuilding and cultural sensitivity.

Please note that the closing date for all vacancies in the September 2018 Compendium is Thursday 18 October  2018 (midnight Geneva time).