Deadline for ApplicationsFebruary 3, 2025
Standard Job Description
Senior Partnership Officer
Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
UNHCR’s mandated responsibility for finding solutions to refugee situations has long required stronger cooperation with a variety of partners and the inclusion of persons of concern within national strategies and the SDGs.
Notwithstanding the Office’s efforts over many decades, the proportion of refugees and internally displaced persons in protracted displacement situations and/or without opportunities for integration remains high. Moreover, the diminishing number of people who have found durable solutions constitutes a worrying trend that has persisted in recent years.
The increasing scale of mixed and large scale refugee movements, and its impact on economic growth vs. national cohesion have placed forced displacement high on the global agenda.
These elements generated the realization that even in countries with well-developed and moderately-developed economies, humanitarian assistance alone is not sufficient to make a difference in the life of people of concern leading towards sustainable solutions and full integration in the society. UNHCR must engage in developing a wide coalition of governmental, non-governmental, faith based and other non-traditional partnerships to enable a comprehensive search for solutions to refugees’ and other displacement situations, including in the protracted context, which would also mobilize national communities in host countries for this purpose.
The Global Compact for Refugees frames a new approach towards a more predictable and equitable responsibility-sharing, recognizing that a sustainable solution to refugee and other displaced situations cannot be achieved without international cooperation in support of comprehensive refugee response framework that would ensure a whole of society approach.
Within the context outlined above, the role of the Senior Partnership Officer is to facilitate UNHCR’s engagement and cooperation with multiple stakeholders currently implementing or who have the potential to advocate for and/or implement medium term programmes assisting local communities and UNHCR’s population of concern and have the ability to positively influence the social and political environment.
It is anticipated that these programmes will grow in significance in future years due to the greater importance attached to addressing protracted displacement situations, including the expectations under the Agenda 2030. The role the Senior Partnership Officer will be pivotal to a) identifying opportunities for developing multiple stakeholder partnerships with International, Regional and State entities, municipalities, civil society, NGOs, development institutions, academia, the private sector, etc.; b) promoting UNHCR objectives and strategies with partners; c) ensuring that populations of concern are integrated within national policies and SDGs and that national actors are supported to do so; and, in doing so d) ensuring complementarity between UNHCR’s work and the objectives pursued by a variety of stakeholders.
For that reason, the Senior Partnership Officer will work under the overall supervision of the senior management to ensure that the UNHCR strategies are implemented through innovative partnerships, identifying the most effective partners, proactively engaging with and ensuring the involvement of partners in the strategy and supporting the field in all these aspects.
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
– Conduct research, analysis and advise accordingly the operation(s) on identifying partners that are able to engage with long-term political, economic and social planning that will define the opportunities for inclusion of populations of concern to UNHCR as well as more sustainable and whole-of-society approaches to refugee and stateless protection and solutions management.
– Support building relationship in partnerships with International, Regional and State entities, regions and municipalities, NGOs, faith-based organizations, academia, workers’ and entrepreneurs’ organizations, development actors, private sector, etc.
– Map and develop partnerships and networks with a variety of partners to influence the policy dialogue with governments on institutional arrangements related to sectors, locations and programme content of consequence to UNHCR and persons of concern.
– Work with a variety of interlocutors to incorporate populations of concern to UNHCR into the design, implementation, monitoring and communication arrangements of projects and interventions to achieve positive impact on their situation.
– Ensure coherence, where relevant, across operations in how they engage in terms of multiple stakeholder partnerships (e.g. messaging, policies, etc.).
– Process and analyse knowledge and data from country operations to support planning, policy and advocacy at the regional and HQ level.
– Ensure that partners are provided relevant knowledge and data to influence their planning, programming and advocacy around resilience for and inclusion of UNHCR persons of concern.
– Facilitate coordination, collaboration and the sharing of knowledge, best practices and lessons learned, internally in UNHCR both within HQs and across UNHCR operations globally- and with a variety of partners.
– Support training activities for the staff of UNHCR and a variety of partners aimed at achieving greater coordination, effectiveness and synergies in terms of multiple stakeholder partnerships.
– Lead risk assessments and discussions with team(s) to proactively manage risks and seize opportunities impacting objectives. Ensure that risk management principles are integrated in decision-making both at strategic and operational levels. Allocate resources for planned treatments with resource requirements in Strategic Plans. Ensure that risks are managed to acceptable levels and escalate, as needed. If a Risk Owner, designate the Risk Focal Point and certify that the annual risk review is completed and ensure that the risk register is updated during the year, as needed.
– Perform other related duties as required.
Minimum Qualifications
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
