Coordination and Engagement Officer, UNOPS IICA-2 or LICA-10, Copenhagen At UN High Commissioner for Refugees

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is recruiting a Coordination and Engagement Officer – UNOPS IICA-2 position within the Private Partnerships and Philanthropy Section, Private Sector Partnerships Service.

UNHCR is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people. Every year, millions of men, women and children are forced to flee their homes to escape conflict and persecution. We are in over 130 countries, using our expertise to protect and care for millions. UNHCR is almost entirely funded by voluntary contributions from governments and private donors.

• Title: Coordination and Engagement Officer
• Duty Station: Copenhagen
• Duration: 01 December – 31 December 2022 (position budgeted for next year)
• Contract Type: UNOPS International Specialist, Level IICA – 2 (UNOPS Local ICA Specialist, Level LICA-10**)**
• Closing date: 1^stNovember 2021

Organizational Context

Based at UN City in Copenhagen, UNHCR’s Private Sector Partnership Service (PSP) supports the Agency’s global collaboration with the private sector through its network of fundraisers and national associations in almost 30 operations in the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East and Gulf region. The ambitious new PSP Global Strategy 2018-2025 has the vision to grow PSP into a service capable of generating $1bn annually. In this context, high-level events and global forums and platforms for private-public engagement are prioritized areas of work due to their potential to help increase UNHCR’s visibility, attract new donors, strengthen partnerships and eventually raise significant income for under-funded areas of work.

Purpose and Scope

The Coordination and Engagement Officer is a critical cross-functional position working closely with the Senior Strategic Planning Officer and the heads of unit within Private Partnerships and Philanthropy. The purpose of this assignment is to establish a substantive and constructive working relationship with international organizations acting as global platforms for public-private engagement, including by identifying synergies and potential joint projects that can leverage UNHCR’s mandate vis-à-vis the private sector.

The incumbent will moreover assist in the effective planning and execution of UNHCR’s representation in high-level global platforms and events which are key to private sector engagement and for UNHCR’s positioning in the humanitarian and development arena. This will contribute to the achievement of PSP/PPH’s objectives as it will imply leveraging the capacities of events, networks and platforms with the aim of supporting the acquisition and the strengthening of long-lasting relationships with the private sector. The incumbent will also be expected to support the supervisor in developing and implementing strategies for engagement with different key organizations, acting as the point of contact with platforms for public-private partnerships.

In particular, the incumbent will assist on the following:

Duties and responsibilities

1. High-level global platforms

• Act as coordinating lead focal point for key private sector platforms such as – but not limited to – the World Economic Forum (WEF), and Concordia.
• Develop a strategic framework for UNHCR, and specifically PSP, relationship with the abovementioned platforms, including identify synergies, and concrete projects that potentially can be co-developed. This could involve liasion with other parts of the Division of External Relations as well as ensure close coordination with other UN agencies when required.
• Under the supervision of the Snr Strategic Planning and Coordination officer, lead the preparations for key high-level events or other initiatives being organized by such entities or co-organized with them;
• Ensure that opportunities are leveraged for UNHCR’s visibility and private sector engagement in high-level platforms, including working to guarantee that UNHCR senior leadership and the topic of forced displacement feature prominently in relevant agendas and conversations.
• Support the planning and coordination of UNHCR’s participation in key events such as the Annual Meeting of the WEF in Davos, and the UN General Assembly, which are key to private sector engagement and donor cultivation and stewardship.
• Liaise with private sector partners as deemed relevant for their engagement in similar platforms or events to ensure that approaches are coordinated and that partnerships receive due visibility.
• Ensure that all logistical details for UNHCR’s participations in high-level events are effectively planned and executed, including drafting preparatory and background documents, presentations and talking points, coordinating on outreach and invitations, overseeing event budgets, assessing the success through final surveys and evaluations, and finally compiling results as part of a final report.

2. Support to strategic planning and strategy development:

• Working closely with the supervisor, the incumbent will support on the development of strategic plans for engagement with key stakeholders in support of PPH’s objectives. This will include co-developing strategic plans for UNHCR’s engagement at key events and with key organizations such as the WEF, and Concordia.

Essential minimum qualifications and professional experience required

The ideal candidate will possess the following qualifications.

Education:

Bachelor university degree in business administration, political science/international relations, finance or a related discipline.

Work Experience:

• Minimum 6 years of relevant experience (and 5 years for masters degree holders) in project management, strategic planning, coordination or related functions experience.
• Experience in partnership management and/or in coordinating multiple stakeholders for the achievement of particular goals
• Experience with international organizations or NGOs. UN experience will be highly appreciated.
• Experience in coordinating large-scale events involving with multiple internal and external stakeholders
• Knowledge of internal communications and proven practice of driving internal coordination mechanisms and plans
• Private sector experience will be highly appreciated

Key Competencies

Required competencies:

• Ability to effectively manage a team and drive people towards a goal
• Strong analytical and financial oversight skills.
• Planning and organizing competencies in order to both multi-task and prioritize workload.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines.
• Excellent knowledge of English; working knowledge of another UN language is appreciated.
• Exposure to UN system highly appreciated

Location

The successful candidate will be based in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Conditions

This position is initially up to the end of the year with possibility of extension. It is a full-time role starting from 8.30am to 5pm Monday to Friday (40 hours per week).