Senior Development Officer (Socio-Economic)

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 (Socio-Economic)

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 (GCFF) for Middle Income Countries 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), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and more recently, the Private Sector.

Within the context outlined above, the role of the Senior Development Officer (Socio-economic) is to steer and direct UNHCR's engagement and cooperation with strategic partners such as: the Private Sector, International Finance Institutions, and Development Agencies in exploring opportunities for leveraging their support to actively participate in tackling the problem of forced displacement especially protracted situations. It is envisioned that such partnerships will unlock potential for investments that in return translate into opportunities for creation of jobs, incomes and linkages for refugees and local communities. It is also anticipated that such partnerships 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 also be critical in identifying the best vehicles for engaging the private sector and being able to attract their interest into the humanitarian space. It is therefore important that the Senior Development Officer coordinates closely with UNHCR senior management within the Country (Sub and Field Offices). For that reason, he/she will work under the overall supervision of the Assistant Representative (Programme) to ensure that (i) policy, operational and programme priorities are properly aligned between humanitarian and development agencies; there is an explicit engagement strategy for engaging the private sector; 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 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 processes.
- Private Sector investments enabled by government¿s policy commitments to enabling economic opportunities.
- Model public-private partnerships are explicitly defined including their value propositions as well as the barriers, risks and challenges of engaging in such partnership as well as mitigation measures that are applicable and contextualised to address potential protection concerns.
- Agreed monitoring mechanism established with development partners to track the progress towards improved economic and social outcomes for local communities and refugees.

Responsibility
- Identify potential strategic partnerships that can be leveraged to substantially contribute to development of durable solutions to protracted forced displacement situations.
- Provide technical leadership and support for development co-operation agencies and private enterprise (international, national, and local including refugees) 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 affecting economic and enterprise development opportunities for refugees and local communities.
- Cooperate with development partners and private enterprise 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, and applicable solutions 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.
- Facilitate collaboration between UNHCR and the Private Sector by identifying bottlenecks affecting private sector development in the areas where there is refugee presence; leveraging these to formulate policy dialogue between UNHCR, the Private Sector and Governments in identifying durable solutions to forced displacement (protracted situations). 
- 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.
- Support local policy dialogue aimed at increasing awareness of the role of the Private Sector in significantly contributing to prolonged humanitarian situations that have spill over effects on local communities. Suggest pragmatic solutions that will contribute to achieving greater coordination, synergies and effective delivery.

Authority
- Reflect UNHCR's positions on policy and programming issues as they relate to building economic and private enterprise opportunities for refugees and local communities within 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 economic inclusion and private enterprise;
- Actively participate in policy discussions and efforts to promote investment opportunities on behalf of refugees and local communities to international, national and local businesses and enterprises.

ESSENTIAL MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
- Graduate Degree (equivalent of a Master's) in Economics, Development, 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.
- At least six (6) years of direct working experience with an international agency/organisation implementing development programmes, of which at least two (2) years were in field operations,  preferably with knowledge of, or experience in, local or area based economic development.
- Knowledge of primary data collection, quantitative research methods and results-based management preferably related to development policy, research and analysis.
- Proven collaboration and or networking skills engaging development actors, preferably with familiarity of these translate into development programs.
- 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.
- A clear understanding of the Private Sector, challenges to growth of the sector as well as the role it can play in developing durable solutions to protracted forced displacement situations.
- Demonstrable experience in working with the Private Sector to contribute to country development initiatives preferably with knowledge of, or experience in intra-regional, inter-regional and international market activities that advance economic inclusion.
- Knowledge of cross-cutting issues prioritised by development actors in supporting local communities such as: gender, climate change, job creation and inclusion, which usually used to design impact driven initiatives.
- Adeptness in quickly comprehending political-economy issues and how they can contribute or affect development initiatives and desired impact.
- Solid understanding of the relationship between development actors and governments particularly in relation to alignment of support to country development plans and delivery mechanisms used to achieve results and visible impact.
- Excellent communication skills including ability to communicate and disseminate information effectively to a broad background of stakeholders.
- Excellent analytical and report writing skills. 
- Excellent English language skills, including drafting skills.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS & COMPETENCIES
- Strong and up-to-date knowledge of development, state-building and peace-building in fragile and conflict-affected situations.
- Good grasp of refugee protection.
- Fluency in second UN language is an added advantage. 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
M003L3 - Judgement and Decision Making Level 3
M005L3 - Leadership Level 3
M004L3 - Strategic Planning and Vision Level 3
X001L3 - Analytical Thinking Level 3
X005L3 - Planning and Organizing Level 3
X007L3 - Political Awareness Level 3
X006L3 - Policy Development & Research 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>
========================================================================================================
See below for this postion's Operational Context
========================================================================================================

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.

On 19 September 2016, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the New York Declaration on Refugees and Migrants, calling for greater burden sharing by the international community to support the world's largest refugee hosting states. The New York Declaration called on UNHCR to develop and initiate the application of the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) in close coordination with relevant states and in collaboration with relevant UN agencies, applying a multi-stakeholder approach. The objectives of implementing the CRRF are to: (i) ease pressure on host countries, (ii) enhance refugee self-reliance, (iii) expand access to third-country solutions and (iv) support conditions in countries of origin for return in safety and dignity.

UNHCR, together with partners and with the lead of host country governments, has been applying CRRF in a number of roll-out countries since 2017. The aim was to measure initial progress and extract lessons learnt to inform preparations for the Global Compact for Refugees in the 1st half of 2018.
The roll-out of the CRRF requires intensive efforts throughout pilot countries, including consultations with a broad range of internal and external interlocutors at national, regional and district levels .
The Comprehensive Refugee Response (CRR) Officer is critical in supporting the development and implementation of a comprehensive response at national, regional and district levels.  The incumbent will have extensive contacts with both internal and external counterparts and partners. Within UNHCR, the Officer will establish close working relations with the relevant staff working in the community services, protection, program and field sectors.

The incumbent will normally work under direct supervision of the Snr CRR Coordinator. Ethiopia operation is currently responding to multiple emergencies with large influx of refugees and IDP situation since June 2018.  Transition from emergency situation  has been delayed due to the new refugee/IDP situation.

The emergencies have led to constitution of a Protection Cluster that is responding to the situation.The displacement has also led to the  creation of two field units, Bule Hora and Dilla where ERT personnel have been  deployed. Addis Ababa is a family duty station, the medical facilities are moderately available with the main services being offered at the UN operated clinic which is available to all staff members and their dependants.  Transportation outside the country is readily available as major airlines operate from Addis Ababa.  There are schools to accommodate international students.  Hotels are of international standards with recreational facilities available within the city. Addis Ababa has good working and living conditions. Addis Ababa is a category B duty station in UN security Level 1 with relatively calm environment with minimal reported crimes within the city.  However, a sense of vigilance and alertness is required especially in view of the current situation in the country.  Applicants are requested to adhere to security advisory before travelling to the country. Although of English is the only essential language, knowledge of the additional UN language would be an asset;
As the incumbent will be supervising possibility of staff members at the P3 and P2 levels, a candidate previously at the P4 level would be desirable;

Please note that the closing date for vancancies in the Addendum 2 is Sunday 16 December 2018 (midnight Geneva time)