Snr Development 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 Development Officer

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT
UNHCR's mandated responsibility for finding solutions to refugee situations has long required stronger cooperation with development partners and the inclusion of refugees within national development programmes. Notwithstanding the Office¿s efforts over many decades, the proportion of refugees and internally displaced persons in protracted displacement situations remains high. Moreover, the diminishing number of people who have found durable solutions constitutes a worrying trend that has persisted in recent years. In addition, the increasing scale of irregular migration, large scale refugee movements, and the costs of responding to humanitarian situations have also placed forced displacement high on the global agenda. These elements have further driven the realization that humanitarian support alone is insufficient to lift displaced populations out of poverty, enable solutions to their situations or assist them to realize their development potential.

Among the most significant humanitarian-development cooperation partnerships strengthened in recent years has been between the World Bank and UNHCR on forced displacement.  In the eighteenth replenishment (2017-2019) of the World Bank¿s International Development Association (IDA) financing programme for least developed countries, an amount of US$ 2 billion has been included for those states receiving large numbers of refugees. The IDA 18 allocation follows the operationalization of a global concessional financing facility for Middle Income Countries (MICs) affected by large numbers of refugees. In addition, UNHCR has enhanced cooperation with the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Within the context outlined above, the role of the Senior Development Officer is to steer and direct UNHCR's engagement and cooperation with development agencies implementing medium term programmes assisting local communities and refugees in countries with significant refugee populations. It is anticipated that these programmes will grow in significance in future years due to the greater importance attached to addressing protracted displacement situations by donor governments. The role will be pivotal to ensuring complementarity between UNHCR's protection work and the economic and social development objectives pursued by development partners and their government counterparts. It will therefore be important that the Senior Development Officer coordinates closely with UNHCR senior management within the local Country and Sub and Field Offices. For that reason, he/she will work under the overall supervision of the UNHCR Representative or his/her Deputy to ensure that (i) policy, operational and programme priorities are properly aligned between humanitarian and development agencies, and (ii) that reporting and information exchanges on key developments are established and maintained among all interested stakeholders.

FUNCTIONAL STATEMENT
Accountability
-  National/local partnerships with development cooperation agencies and their government counterparts established to ensure policy dialogue and programming for refugees and local communities is informed by protection concerns and objectives from the outset;
- Medium term economic and social development programmes addressing forced displacement incorporate protection and solutions perspectives for refugees during their planning, preparation and implementation;
- Agreed monitoring mechanism established with development partners to track the progress of medium-term development programmes addressing forced displacement towards improved economic and social outcomes for local communities and refugees.

Responsibility
- Provide technical leadership and support for relationship building with development co-operation agencies through the different stages of policy and programme identification, preparation, implementation and review.
- Develop partnerships and networks with development cooperation actors to influence the policy dialogue with governments on institutional arrangements sectors, locations and programme content of consequence to UNHCR and persons of concern. This would, in particular, focus on supporting the coordination of the in-country relationship with the World Bank and the implementation of the IDA 18 financing for the refugee and local communities sub-window.
- Cooperate with development partners to assist them in incorporating the concerns of refugees, returnees and others of concern to UNHCR into the design and implementation arrangements of projects and interventions in a manner that impacts positively on protection circumstances.
- Identify, commission and/or contribute to studies and analytical activities that build the conceptual framework and evidence base for comprehensive, development-oriented responses, including preparedness work, to forced displacement.
- Engage with governments, development partners (both multilateral and bilateral), and with the private sector and civil society (as appropriate) to identify opportunities for UNHCR to contribute to the design and implementation of monitoring systems to track progress towards agreed outcomes.
- Facilitate coordination and collaboration and the sharing of knowledge and experience sharing between UNHCR and development actors and across UNHCR operations globally by documenting and disseminating good practices.
- Support local training activities aimed at the capacity building of UNHCR and partner agency staff to achieve greater coordination, effectiveness and synergies between humanitarian and development interventions.

Authority
- Reflect UNHCR's positions on policy and programming issues as they relate to the protection and solutions of refugees with medium-term economic and social development programmes;
- Represent UNHCR in meetings and fora related to the functions of the post and present positions to development and government counterparts that incorporate the protection and solutions and perspectives of refugees;

ESSENTIAL MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
- Graduate degree (equivalent of Master's) in Law/International Law, Political Science, Social Science, Development, Economics, International Relations or related field plus minimum 8 years of previous work experience relevant to the function. Undergraduate degree (equivalent of a BA/BS) plus 9 years or Doctorate degree (equivalent of a PhD) plus 7 years of previous relevant work experience may also be accepted.
- Minimum 8 years of relevant professional experience;
- At least six (6) years of direct working experience with an international agency/organisation implementing development programmes, of which at least two (2) years in field operations,  preferably with knowledge of, or experience in, local or area based economic development;
- Experience in primary data collection, quantitative research methods and results-based management;
- Proven coordination and or networking skills engaging both development and humanitarian actors, familiarity with development and humanitarian processes;
- Excellent policy and development programming skills and familiarity with results based management;
- Solid understanding of development context and related operational challenges as they relate to refugees, including institutional arrangements;
- Excellent communication skills including ability to communicate and disseminate information effectively to a broad background of stakeholders;
- Excellent analytical skills, and good research capabilities.
- Drafting skills.
- Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS & COMPETENCIES
- Strong and up-to-date knowledge of development, state-building and peace-building in fragile and conflict-affected situations.
- Solid understanding of humanitarian operations, principles and coordination structures.
- Good grasp of refugee protection.
- Knowledge of additional UN languages.

This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR Senior Development 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
M001L3 - Empowering and Building Trust Level 3
M005L3 - Leadership Level 3
M004L3 - Strategic Planning and Vision Level 3
M003L3 - Judgement and Decision Making Level 3
X007L3 - Political Awareness Level 3
X005L3 - Planning and Organizing Level 3
X001L3 - Analytical Thinking Level 3
X008L3 - Stakeholder Management 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 will lead UNHCR's engagement and cooperation with development agencies implementing or planning to implement developmental programmes for providing lasting solutions to the refugees and their local host communities in Rwanda.

The Senior Development Officer (SDO) will steer the roll-out of Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF), facilitate policy dialogue with development partners including the World Bank, other UN agencies, private sector, NGOs, think tanks.  The role will be pivotal to ensuring complementarity between UNHCR's protection work and the economic and social development objectives pursued by the government counterparts. It will therefore be important that the SDO coordinates closely with UNHCR senior management within the Country and Sub and Field Offices. For that reason, he/she will work under the overall supervision of the UNHCR Representative or his Deputy to ensure that policy, operational and programme priorities are properly aligned between humanitarian and development agencies.

The Senior Development Officer will be providing evidence based policy analysis to UNHCR Senior Management as well as the counterpart government to help implement the CRRF roadmap, development of strategic plans by closely working with the UNHCR Livelihoods, CRRF and Solution Team based in the country and regional office/HQ.

As the SDO, the incumbent will supervise a core team of 3-4 national and international staff. The SDO will be required to have a current knowledge and understanding of the operational context of Rwanda and the refugee situation. Political awareness is key. She/he should be capable of leading and mentoring the staff. The SDO will be required to have excellent interpersonal and communication skills, excellent negotiation skills and diplomacy as well as proven management skills. 
The official working language in Rwanda is English, all official meetings are conducted in English. Knowledge of French is an advantage. Towards a More Comprehensive Refugee Response

The Rwandan context offers an enabling environment for innovative responses and approaches for refugees based on its national policies and economic growth ambitions. At the Leaders¿ Summit on Refugees in 2016, following the adoption of the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants and its Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) the day before, the Government of Rwanda pledged to: Foster the self-reliance of refugees through the joint MIDIMAR-UNHCR Strategy for Economic Inclusion of Refugees, focused on graduating 18,000 camp-based refugees out of assistance programs such as food and cash-for-food, and increasing formal access to employment for 60,000 refugees by mid-2018. Furthermore, the Government planned to allow 58,000 refugees to enjoy banking services by mid-2018. Further promote refugee inclusion by: Issuing identity cards and 1951 Convention travel documents to 160,000 refugees by the end of 2017, which would significantly improve employability and freedom of movement. Providing 30,000 urban refugees with the opportunity to buy into the national health insurance system[2]. Improve refugees¿ access to the national education system by including 35,000 refugee students in secondary schools and 18,000 in primary schools.

The Development Partner Coordination Group (DPCG) and the National Development Sector Working Groups (SWGs) serve as important fora with regard to advocacy for the inclusion of refugees in Rwanda¿s National and District Development Plans, and the UN Development Assistance Plan II (2018-2023) and, in turn, to foster the inclusion of refugees in national or area-based programming by development partners. The Government has also decided to apply to access the World Bank¿s IDA-18 sub-window for refugees and host communities. The UNHCR Representation Office in Rwanda principally consists of a refugee population (mainly refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo who have been on the Rwandan territory since 1996 and Burundian refugees who have been arriving in the country further to the volatile situation in Burundi since April 2015) as well as a significant returnee population of Rwandan refugees returning after many years in exile. It is composed of the Branch Office in Kigali, Field Offices in Butare, Byumba, Cyangugu, Gisenyi, Kibuye and a Sub-Office in Kirehe. It hosts approximately 166,195 refugees in three protracted refugee camps, namely Nyabiheke and Gihembe (managed by Byumba Office) as well as Kiziba (managed by Kibuye Office), three new refugee camps, namely Kigeme and Mugombwa (managed by Butare Office) as well as Mahama (managed by Kirehe Office), and urban settings (Kigali and Huye). Since April 2015, UNHCR has reception centers in Bugesera, Gatore and Nyanza for Burundian refugees and transit centres in Kijote and Nyarushishi for returnees from DRC. The  reception centre in Nyanza also serves as a transit center for Rwandan returnees from DRC. The Republic of Rwanda is a small landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of east-central Africa, bordered by Uganda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania. UNHCR enjoys cordial working relations with Government Officials, other UN Agencies and Partners. Basic health facilities are available with a UN Dispensary that can provide 1st Aid assistance and guidance. Domestic supplies are available on the market. Housing conditions in the capital Kigali are of good standard and rents are reasonable. There are good international schools existing in Kigali at the primary and secondary levels. The main airport in Kigali has several international flights with easy connections to the region. The UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) is charged with overall UN agency and staff security. The general security situation in Rwanda remains cautiously calm. The Security level for Rwanda is SL1. Knowledge of French would be an asset.

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