External Relations Associate At UN High Commissioner for Refugees

Eligible Applicants

This position is advertised open to internal and external applicants.

Procedures and Eligibility

Interested applicants should consult the Administrative Instruction on Recruitment and Assignment of Locally Recruited Staff (RALS).

Duties and Qualifications

External Relations Associate
Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The External Relations Associate is normally supervised by the External Relations Officer or another professional staff depending on the staffing structure of the Office. The incumbent receives regular guidance and advice from the supervisor. Advice and operational support may also be received from other senior staff and support units at the Country Office/HQ.
External contacts are generally with a broad range of officials from national and international institutions, media or general public involving the exchange of a wide range of information.
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

• Provide background briefings to local and international media.
• Keep track of evolving issues concerning persons of concern to be able to suggest stories and topics for the media to cover.
• Provide daily briefings on local developments to the Head of Office and ensure that briefing materials from other offices are available.
• Accompany visits of foreign delegations and the media to refugee sites in the region, giving appropriate briefings, commentaries and prepare briefing material for visitors.
• Establish contacts with local organisations to promote general interest and understanding of refugee issues
• Ensure that the office is kept informed of local developments which may have a political or operational impact on the office’s activities.
• May be required to compile information and SitReps received from the Field Offices and/or sections within the Office and consolidate into weekly/monthly/quarterly report.
• Advise the Head of Office of local aspects of external relations policies.
• Liaise with external partners and local organizations on behalf of UNHCR.
• Produce reports and briefings for internal and external partners.
• Perform other related duties as required.
  Minimum Qualifications
  Education & Professional Work Experience
  Years of Experience / Degree Level
  For G6 – 3 years relevant experience with High School Diploma; or 2 years relevant work experience with Bachelor or equivalent or higher
  Field(s) of Education
  Not applicable
  Certificates and/or Licenses
  Political Sciences Social Sciences International Relations
  Journalism Communication
  (Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)
  Relevant Job Experience
  Essential
  Not specified
  Desirable
  Completion of UNHCR learning programmes or specific training relevant to functions of the position.
  Functional Skills
  IT-Computer Literacy
  IT-Web design/Webpage preparation/Digital Technologies/Analysis
  MS-Drafting, Documentation, Data Presentation
  MS-Translation
  ER-Communications/media/digital/social media communicat. monitoring/analysis/presentation
  MS-Interpretation
  (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.

Position Competencies

Competencies as defined in Job Profile

Language Requirements

English – Essential
French – Desirable

Additional Information

Candidates may be required to sit a test for this Job Opening.
Interested internal candidates should apply through MSRP – Self-Service – Recruiting Activities – Careers (please search by JO number or by Location). Please update your personal profiles with all required information in order to be able to apply.
Interested external applicants are also invited to apply online and complete the mandatory motivation letter. External vacancies are posted on the external UNHCR website and applicants who do not have internal status must apply through the external UNHCR website. https://www.unhcr.org/careers.html – Careers – Career opportunities – Other Opportunities – Vacancies – sort by Location or search by Job Opening number.
Candidates are advised to start the application process as early as possible. Not signed, incomplete and late applications will not be accepted. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, processing or any other fees).
UNHCR strongly encourages qualified female applicants to apply. UNHCR seeks to ensure that male and female employees are given equal career opportunities. UNHCR is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms gender, disability, marital or civil partnership status, race, color or ethnic and national origins, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.
UNHCR has a zero-tolerance policy against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA). SEA is unacceptable behavior and prohibited conduct for UNHCR personnel. It constitutes acts of serious misconduct and is therefore grounds for disciplinary measures, including dismissal.
For any technical problems encountered during the online application, please send an email to rbehr@unhcr.org well before the deadline.

Closing Date

The closing date for this Job Opening is 01 December 2021 (midnight Geneva time).