Field Officer | Debark, Ethiopia

Job Description

Only candidates who are not nationals of the country of assignment are eligible to apply to this position.

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships

The Field Officer is normally supervised by the Senior Field Coordinator or Head of Sub-Office/Field Office depending on the structure of the Office. S/he may receive indirect guidance from other sections and units relevant to the country/regional programme(s). UNHCR Manual, programme and protection objectives, Operations Plans, UN and UNHCR financial/budgetary rules and regulations will guide the work of the incumbent.

The incumbent normally supervises some support staff and may supervise lower grade professional staff. S/he has daily contacts with staff in the various field offices and with the functional units at the Country/Regional Office. S/he also has close liaison with a range of local civilian and military authorities and counterparts in NGOs and UN agencies to discuss matters of common interest.

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

– Prepare project proposals; draw up plan of operation for implementation, including institutional arrangements for budgets.
– Assess refugee needs in the various fields of assistance and make recommendations for the establishment of projects, adjustment or discontinuation of existing projects and advise the Head of Office accordingly.
– Closely monitor the implementation of projects under the geographical area of responsibility and ensure the provisions under the agreements signed with the implementing partners are being adhered to.
– Regularly prepare written reports on the implementation of projects and the situation in the sites.
– Maintain good working relations with local government officials, implementing partners and other agencies in the area.
– Report immediately on any security problems that may occur affecting programme, beneficiaries and the smooth running of the operation.
– Provide assistance to UNHCR Technical advisers and consultants as well as visitors visiting project sites.
– Represent UNHCR in the Field.
– Negotiate with local authority counterparts, partners and populations of concern.
– Approve expenditures within the DOAP.

– Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility. Ensure decision making in risk based in the functional area of work. Raise risks, issues and concerns to a supervisor or to relevant functional colleague(s).
– Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Education & Professional Work Experience

Years of Experience / Degree Level

For P3/NOC – 6 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 5 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 4 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education

Law, Political Sciences, or other relevant field.

Certificates and/or Licenses

UNHCR Protection Learning Programme.
UNHCR Operations Management Learning Programme.
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience

Essential

Field experience.

Desirable

Knowledge of refugee law.
Good knowledge of UNHCR’s programmes.

Functional Skills

IT-Computer Literacy
PG-UNHCR’s Programmes
(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.

The candidate should possess the following attributes.

– Extensive Field Operations experience in diverse operations and also management experience.
– Experience working in the cluster system particularly CCCM and ES/NFI.
– Application of Cluster Approach strategies prioritizing protection needs of affected populations.
– Experience in working with protracted displacement, coupled with working with local NGOs and capacity building.
– The incumbent to have in-depth and broad experience in CRI management, Energy, Environment, CBI and Livelihoods.
– Experience managing teams/resources, partnerships/projects managements, and interagency coordination with key stakeholders to support the inclusion agenda and implementation of peaceful co-existence initiatives with host communities.
– Capacity building especially for national and local government, partners, and civil society organizations.
– Experience in the development of contingency plans and or Refugee Response Plans
– Experience in working in Emergencies for refugee and or IDPs.
– Effective monitoring of interventions in the refugee and IDP settings and provide guidance to partners as necessary.
– Country Operations Plan, the UN Development and Assistance Framework (UNDAF), the Humanitarian Country Team’s common humanitarian response plan where applicable, as well as the implementation of the Global Compact on Refugees.

Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit this link:

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel

Nature of Position:

The Field Officer leads the team in Field Unit Debark and is under the direct supervision of the Head of Field Office who sits in Gondar. The position entails leading and coordinating refugee operations assistance interventions, with a particular focus on CRIs, Livelihoods, CBI, Energy and Environment in addition to the overall coordination of the entire UNHCR response in the area of operation. Working closely with the government counterpart, the Field Officer is responsible for camp management and camp coordination. The incumbent will be expected to effectively advocate for refugee inclusion in the government systems including education, health, and advocating for livelihood opportunities benefiting both refugees and host community members.

The incumbent will liaise closely with the government authorities, both the federal government agency responsible for refugees and with government authorities when it comes to IDPs and IDP returnees. S/he works closely with cluster leads particularly the CCCM cluster and the Shelter/NFI cluster in responding to IDP issues.

The Field Officer works closely with other units in the operation or outside including Program, Technical units, Protection, Information Management, External Relations, and Public Information. The incumbent is expected to build strong networks with other stakeholders notably the government, other UN agencies, national and international organizations.

Living and Working Conditions:

The incumbent will be based in UNHCR Debark Office located in the North Gondar Zone of the Amhara Region in Debark Woreda.

Debark has been temporarily classified as D category duty station with 6 weeks R&R cycle and the duty station is remote with minimum to no amenities available for international staff based at the location.

Staff members should be prepared to operate under challenging conditions with extremely limited resources. The office deals primarily with refugee accommodated in refugee sites and several local IDP  camp environments with inherent risks to staff safety and health. Regardless of information campaigns, there are realistically few, or no COVID-19 protocols adhered to in the communities. Staff are required to wear masks but will often work and live within large groups of people who do not. There is a medical hospital in Debark as well as a referral hospital in Gondar but with limited equipment. Staff with medical conditions should come with at least 3 months of prescribed medication. A small market is found in Debark however for more variety of goods; Gondar is most suitable. Also, there are government schools that focus mainly on the National Educational Curriculum.

Debark town is served by the government water supply system, however, the supply is erratic, and often the taps are dry. Electricity in Debark is connected from the main grid, but just like water, the supply is not constant as there is frequent load shedding. There are practically no sporting and recreation facilities in Debark.

Debark’s altitude is over 2,800m above main sea level, which makes it one of the coldest places with minimum recorded temperatures of 5 degrees Celsius and average of 18.5 degrees Celsius throughout the year.

UNHCR Staff reside in UNHCR Guest House in Debark. There is running water as well as national power in the city whereby both services are not reliable. The office relies on WiFi for internet connectivity. Staff need to be aware therefore that the internet may not be accessible after working hours. Although there are functioning banks in Debark, transacting in dollars is not possible. Staff are also advised to always have a cash reserve on them. It is recommended that first-time travelers to the duty station dispense sufficient funds from the ATMs in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia. Ethiopian regulations do not permit the transportation of more than $ 4,000 or its equivalent into the country.

The security situation is fluid and staff members should always get the latest travel advice and support prior to travel to Debark and or Gondar.

Additional Qualifications

Skills

• Bachelor of Arts (BA): Law, Bachelor of Arts (BA): Political Science

Certifications

• HCR Protection Learning Program – UNHCR,
• Programme Management (PM) 1 – UNHCR

• Annual Budget OL in Operation/Office, Field Operations, Livelihood, Number of Persons of Concern Served,
• Number of Workforce in Operation/Work Setting,
• Work Context: Cluster Context, Workforce to Supervise,
• Working with Persons of Concern: Internally Displaced Persons,
• Working with Persons of Concern: Refugees

Competencies

• Accountability, Analytical thinking, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Empowering & building trust, Judgement & decision making, Managing performance, Organizational awareness, Political awareness, Stakeholder management, Teamwork & collaboration

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