Head of Liaison Office

H (no hardship)FamilyFamilyPR4Professional

Reason

Regular > Regular AssignmentNo2023-03-02-08:00March 16, 2023Head of Liaison Office Organizational Setting and Work Relationships The Head of Liaison Office normally reports to the Deputy Director in the Bureau. S/he will plan activities and strategies with and receive day-to-day supervision from the supervisor. S/he will also work in collaboration with offices and Multi Country Offices under the Bureau¿s coverage, to ensure they are informed and advised regarding the policies and activities as they affect UNHCR¿s work at national and regional level. The Head of Liaison Office undertakes extensive liaison with other organizations. The incumbent works with the different UNHCR Bureaux and Divisions. All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR¿s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity. Duties - Maintain regular and day-to-day liaison and coordination with UN Agencies, working to build and maintain good working relationships with its management and personnel at all levels, in order to promote UNHCR¿s goals and its comprehensive security approach. - Follow closely the developments of the UN Agencies, their structure and personnel, including decisions of the Chairmanship and other senior management, staff/unit heads and any sub-groups established, to work in connection with their activities. - Provide information and analysis regarding the UN Agencies and their activities to interested UNHCR offices and units. - Provide recommendations and advice to the Bureaux and concerned UNHCR country and regional offices concerning developments related to UN Agencies. - Seek to influence and provide focused input on UNHCR¿s goals and positions on how to address displacement, statelessness and trafficking in human beings, and to actively support the counterparts with UNHCR expertise. - Provide support in revitalizing, updating and strengthening politically binding commitments relating to migration, statelessness, refugees, and internal displacement. - Build trust for UNHCR¿s interaction with UN Agencies, and build support for a strong protection orientation on their part towards implementation of UNHCR's strategies. - Work closely with NGOs, individual Member States, other EU institutions and others to promote UNHCR¿s goals and positions. - Perform other related duties as required. Minimum Qualifications Education & Professional Work Experience Years of Experience / Degree Level For P4/NOD - 9 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 8 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 7 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree Field(s) of Education Law; International Relations; Politics; or other relevant field. (Field(s) of Education marked with an asterisk* are essential) Certificates and/or Licenses Not specified. Relevant Job Experience Essential: Minimum 9 years of professional experience in a relevant field. Knowledge and/or experience of European and international refugee and/or human rights policies and law. Experience in dealing with multiple actors in the international diplomatic circuit. Desirable: Experience in liaison functions at a high political level. Experience in UNHCR advocacy, particularly in conflict settings. Functional Skills MG-Country/Regional Office Representation MG-Diplomacy PR-International Humanitarian Law SO-Advocacy (Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential) Language Requirements For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English. For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language. For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English. All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination and abuse of power. As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise. This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. 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.Previous experience in the geographically vast area of OSCE; Awareness of political and cultural sensitivities as well as extensive knowledge of all PoC situations in the same area. Experience in liaison and representative functions at high political level, with demonstrated ability to coordinate with other Field Offices, Regional Offices, and different units at HQ; Demonstrated diplomatic and effective facilitation; In-depth knowledge in all aspects of UNHCR mandate and its application within the context of the OSCE and its comprehensive security approach; experience in UNHCR advocacy, particularly in conflict settings and along all phases of the conflict cycle; Thorough understanding of the role of OSCE ability to work collaboratively with all OSCE delegations and government representatives in order to integrate forced displacement/humanitarian issues in OSCE discussions at its HQ in Vienna and day today activities in its field missions. Demonstrated excellent drafting skills in English, including writing of official statements to be delivered at OSCE meetings; ability in training and capacity building of implementing and governmental partners; Strong experience in dealing with multiple actors in the international diplomatic circuit and good diplomatic skills are essential to fulfil this function; Strong analytical skills in developing policy and concept papers; Ability to come up with innovative and creative solutions to operational challenges in politically sensitive settings; Ability to work with minimum (at a distance) supervision. Ability to produce high quality output with desirable results sometimes on short notice. Good communicator with strong interpersonal and negotiation skills to deal with persons of different cultural and educational backgrounds at a high political/ambassadorial level. An outgoing personality and a strong team player capable of on-the-job coaching and mentoring of national staff.

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Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

Nature of Position:

The Liaison Office to the OSCE and Vienna-based UN Agencies (LOV) is a small office with liaison functions covering mainly the OSCE, but also Vienna-based UN agencies such as UNODC, IOM, UNIDO, and other international organizations such as ICMPD and others.

The incumbent reports  to the Deputy Director of the Regional Bureau for Europe based in Geneva. The Office closely collaborates with the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR, based in Warsaw), the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM, based in The Hague), and the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre (CPC, based in Vienna), jointly implementing multi-phase projects; The Office has become more operational in the past years due to capacity-building projects with the OSCE on protection, statelessness, and CTHB; it has intensified its specific liaison functions to the OSCE Secretariat, the Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on the conflict dealt with by the OSCE Minsk Conference. The Head of Office is responsible for continuing UNHCR’s sensitive and highly politically charged role as Co-Moderator of WG II on Humanitarian Issues in the Geneva International Discussions (GID), including regular missions to Geneva, Georgia (including South Ossetia and Abkhazia) and Moscow. Georgia/Abkhazia/South Ossetia at a minimum of four times a year.

The office focuses on keeping forced displacement issues high on the OSCE agenda and advising OSCE counterparts on how best address them in different fora; The Liaison Office advises the respective OSCE Chairmanships, the Chairs of the three OSCE Committees, and the Chairs of the Contact Groups with the Asian and Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation on how best include issues of concern to UNHCR and provide UNHCR speakers at high-level and other relevant events; Focus is on assisting the OSCE in revitalizing, updating and strengthening politically binding OSCE commitments relating to migration, statelessness, refugees, and internal displacement; In particular, focus is on advising and supporting the annual OSCE Chairpersonship through i.e. offering UNHCR expertise and submitting a Strategic Input Paper at the beginning of the year. This is a key post for implementation of UNHCR's strategies in North America, Europe, South Caucasus, and Central Asia, in particular in conflict settings such as Ukraine, Georgia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Transnistria. OSCE is a key regional partner for UNHCR on issues related to security, protection, addressing statelessness, border management, anti-human trafficking, tolerance and non-discrimination, and integration and climate change. Forced displacement issues are addressed as much from a political as from an economic and environmental and human rights perspective.

The position also requires extensive liaison with other UNHCR regional and country offices as well as other Vienna-based organizations such as UNODC, UNIDO, IOM, ICMPD etc. The incumbent works with the different UNHCR Bureaux of the OSCE region, including MENA and Asia and the Pacific, as well as DIP, DER and UNHCR office in New York.

Living and Working Conditions:

Vienna is a major European city with a full range of health and educational facilities and availability of goods and services; There is a good public transport network, as well as excellent train and flight connections.

The current situation is as follows: UNHCR in Vienna is composed of three entities:  The Liaison Office to the OSCE and Vienna-based UN Agencies (LOV); The National Office for Austria in Vienna (NOV); A small PSP Unit. All three entities share common office premises located in the Vienna International Centre (VIC) and work closely together.

 

Additional Qualifications

Skills

Certifications

Competencies

Accountability, Analytical thinking, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Empowering & building trust, Leadership, Managing performance, Managing resource, Organizational awareness, Political awareness, Stakeholder management, Strategic planning & visions, Teamwork & collaboration

https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales

Compendium

Add. 3 to Bi-annual Compendium 2022 - Part B

Additional Information

This position doesn't require a functional clearance

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