Senior Regional 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.

Senior Regional External Relations Officer

ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The Senior Regional External Relations Officer normally reports to the Regional Representative or Deputy Regional Representative. The incumbent has direct supervisory responsibility for External Relations staff.

External contacts are predominantly with partners, media, government, embassies and other international organizations in the country on matters of importance to the organization.

FUNCTIONAL STATEMENT

Accountability

- UNHCR country Offices in the region provide necessary inputs (proposals, reports, etc.) for fund-raising purposes.
- UNHCR has a regional communications strategy that generates support for UNHCR's operations from external partners.
- 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.
- Through a consultative process with UNHCR colleagues (Programme, Protection, etc.) with external actors and partners, develop and implement protection and assistance strategy, with clearly articulated objectives, timelines and outputs.
- Implement 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).
- Articulate all issues pertaining to the needs of the populations of concern and the strategies in place to respond to their needs.
- Ensure that the UNHCR priorities are given adequate weight in the documentation of the UN Country Team.
- Maintain a close dialogue with and provide accurate information to donors by organizing regular briefings, bilateral meetings and donor missions. Prepare reports as appropriate.
- In accordance with the operational context and in close cooperation with headquarters, access 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 operations in the region.
- Participate 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 regional communication strategies and initiatives.
- Manage the information flow 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 in the region and identify appropriate messages for campaigns and appeals.
- Coordinate the drafting of, and/or draft, situation reports, briefing notes, background material, talking points, fact sheets, press releases and articles.
- Develop targeted communications strategies and media packages for situations and/or activities that require focused attention.
- Identify and target major events and initiatives (e.g. commercial, cultural, political and sports) to promote the work of UNHCR.
- Manage media relations by, inter alia, responding to direct queries, publishing press releases and organizing regular briefings and visits to country operations in the region.

Authority

- Approve fund-raising messages.
- Approve any relevant expenditure for the implementation of fund-raising activities.
- Decide which donors to approach and which operations or activities to prioritize for special fundraising appeals.
- Approve the communications strategy.
- Approve budgets and expenditures for communications activities.
- Clear external relations/communication products and tools.
- Represent UNHCR fund-raising and communication priorities in inter-agency initiatives and fora.

ESSENTIAL MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

- Graduate degree (equivalent of Master's) in Political or Social Sciences, International Relations, Journalism or other related fields plus minimum 8 years of previous work experience relevant to the function of which minimum of 5 years in International capacity. 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.
- Highly developed drafting ability in working language of duty station.
- Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS & COMPETENCIES

- Communication skills.
- 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 Senior Regional 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
M004L3 - Strategic Planning and Vision Level 3
M005L3 - Leadership Level 3
X001L3 - Analytical Thinking 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 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 candidate must possess highly developed drafting ability both in the French and English languages. 

S/he must possess excellent communication skills to participate in inter-agency cooperation and communication strategies that generate support for UNHCR¿s operations from external partners (e.g. the general public, governments, partners, the media, academia and persons of concern). 

S/he must possess a good knowledge of UNHCR Operations both at Headquarters and in the Field. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) hosts 536.271 refugees as of 31 August 2018 countrywide (including 217.766 Rwandan refugees, 176.654 CAR refugees, 46.512 Burundian refugees and 93.995 South Sudanese refugees). 
DRC also hosts more than 4 million IDPs mainly located as follows: 1.4 million in Kasai provinces, 1.1 million in North Kivu province, 545,273 in South Kivu province, 603,000 in Tanganyika province, 210,000 in Ituri province, 147,000 in Maniema province, 96,000 in Haut-Katanga province, 64,000 in Haut-Lomami province and 16,000 in Lualaba province. As lead Protection Cluster, UNHCR continues to play a key role supporting the DRC Government in implementing a durable solutions strategy in order to help end the circle of protracted displacement in the country.  
In April 2018, the United Nations system-wide Level 3 emergency declaration for the Kasai region and the provinces of South Kivu and Tanganyika was de-activated. At the same time, security and humanitarian conditions in the provinces of Ituri and North Kivu have deteriorated sharply.  In Ituri, on-going violence has seen a rise in the number of internally displaced persons to almost 350,000. A further 92,000 have fled to Uganda, creating a refugee emergency for which an internal Level 2 emergency was declared. In North Kivu, 500,000 people have been displaced since the beginning of the year, bringing the total number of IDPs in the province to 1.45 million.
Both situations have witnessed, among others, forced recruitment, sexual and gender based violence and kidnapping. The recent outbreak of an Ebola epidemic has compounded matters. Along with other humanitarian actors, and working pursuant to its coordination roles for protection, CCCM and emergency shelter, UNHCR is distributing emergency relief items, meeting other essential needs through cash transfers and implementing shelter programmes for returning IDPs in both provinces. The Office is undertaking protection activities, strengthening the capacity of local communities and authorities at all stages of the displacement cycle, fostering peaceful co-existence and dialogue and promoting participation of youth and women in decision-making and promoting dialogue all with a view to addressing critical protection risks and advancing solutions.
At the same time of addressing the dictates of responding to the ever-changing demands of the IDP emergencies, UNHCR is called to be present to deliver assistance under its mandate to refugee caseloads scattered in various locations throughout the vast DRC territory.
Political tensions are very high in Kinshasa and it is feared that the Presidential elections, which are now planned in December 2018 after having been postponed several times, will bring a lot of insecurity in the big towns of Kinshasa, Goma, Lubumbashi, Kalemie, etc¿ where UNHCR is present.
The Regional Office in Kinshasa supervises and provides support to 5 sub-offices and 13 field offices/units within the Country. The Regional Office also oversees operations in Gabon, Sao & Principe and the Republic of Congo which provides support to more than 55,000 people of concern.
The Senior Regional External Relations Officer will function under direct supervision of the Regional Representative.  External contacts are predominantly with partners, media, government, embassies and other international organizations in the country on matters of importance to the organization The Democratic Republic of Congo is the third largest country in Africa, and as a result is quite diverse.  Living conditions therefore vary between UNHCR duty stations, with all usual amenities present in the capital Kinshasa, but only very basic conditions in remote duty stations in the provinces, where, for instance, there may be no guarantee of public power supply nor running water.  Accommodation is very expensive in Kinshasa. There are several Supermarkets in town but consumer items are generally very expensive (as everything is imported). For food, local markets offer a much cheaper alternative.  Kinshasa is considered family duty station effective 1 January 2015, despite the fact that most facilities and amenities are still basic.

The unit of currency is the Congolese Franc. The US dollar is the other preferred currency. It may be impossible to exchange traveller¿s checks away from the capital city. Credit cards are usually accepted in major hotels only in Kinshasa. In larger towns and cities (e.g. Kinshasa, Goma, Bukavu, Kisangani), it is recommended to open US Dollar bank accounts, while in other places, banks may be absent (including ATMs) and payments will be processed in cash.

In addition to French, there are four major spoken languages in DRC, namely Lingala, Kikongo, Tshiluba and Swahili. Kinshasa is a security level 2 duty station. Security threats in Kinshasa are mainly from crime and potential civil unrest.  UN personnel are not specifically targeted but criminals focus attacks on those perceived to have money and valuaables.  Crimes are primarily committed by street children locally called ¿Shegues¿, more organized gangs and unemployed youth called ¿Kulunas¿ and sometimes uncontrolled elements of the national security forces (police, soldiers, etc.) Female candidates are encouraged to apply.

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