Procedures and Eligibility
Before submitting an application, UNHCR staff members intending to apply to this Job Opening are requested to consult the Recruitment and Assignments Policy (RAP, UNHCR/HCP/2017/2 and the Recruitment and Assignments Administrative Instruction (RAAI), UNHCR/AI/2017/7 OF 15 August 2017.
Duties and Qualifications
Reporting Officer
ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT
General guidance and support are received from the Head of Office. However, the incumbent should be able to work under minimum supervision, be creative and innovative. Guidance may also be given by the various specialised units in the office.
Within UNHCR: Close contacts with all sections to gather and analyse information.
With EXTERNAL Parties: All implementing partners and UN agencies to gather analyse and disseminate information about UNHCR activity information.
Impact of Work: Accurate and well-presented information will promote UNHCR action for persons of concern, contribute to good decision making, and help for fund raising.
Errors can lead to inappropriate action, and impact negatively on UNHCR¿s image and affect funding raising efforts
FUNCTIONAL STATEMENT:
Accountability
– UNHCR Office has analytical reports on the activities under its area of responsibility (AoR) thus better able to meet the needs of persons of concern.
– Reports to promote UNHCR activities are prepared and distributed in a timely manner.
Responsibility
– Keep abreast with all developments in the activity to prepare appropriate briefings and reports;
– Consolidate and analyse data on programme implementation and indicators in all sectors under AoR in order to facilitate the preparation of periodic reports, i.e. Sitreps, activity-specific reports as may be required;
– Liaise closely with all Units of the programme in the country in order to gather and collate accurate data about persons of concern and assistance activities;
– Work closely with Information Management and GIS to ensure accurate and attractive data presentation on the maps;
– Prepare and distribute minutes of the co-ordination meetings that are held periodically in the country of assignment;
– Meet and brief visitors on all UNHCR activities, where necessary together with appropriate specialist/ programme officers;
– Draft donor reports;
– Draft and/or check all reports from management;
– Perform other related duties as required.
Authority
– Select and make pertinent abstracts and search for information.
– Have access to data and information related to the functions.
– Liaise with external partners on behalf of UNHCR.
ESSENTIAL MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
– Undergraduate degree (equivalent of a BA/BS) in Journalism, Communications or a related field plus minimum 6 years of previous work experience relevant to the function. Graduate degree (equivalent of a Master¿s) with 5 years or Doctorate degree (equivalent of a PhD) with 4 years of relevant working experience may also be accepted.
– Good communication skills, good writing skills and good knowledge of computer applications.
– Excellent knowledge of English and UN working language of duty station if not English.
(In offices where the working language is not English, excellent knowledge of working language of duty station and working knowledge of English.)
For National Officer positions, very good knowledge of local language and local institutions is essential.
DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS & COMPETENCIES:
– Good knowledge of UNHCR programmes, policies and activities.
– Completion of UNHCR learning programmes or specific training relevant to functions of the position.
– Knowledge of another relevant UN language.
Position Competencies
C001L3 – Accountability Level 3
C002L3 – Teamwork & Collaboration Level 3
C003L3 – Communication Level 3
C004L3 – Commitment to Continuous Learning Level 3
C005L3 – Client & Result Orientation Level 3
C006L3 – Organizational Awareness Level 3
M006L3 – Managing Resources Level 3
Additional Information
For those people applying for High Risk Duty Stations, we strongly encourage colleagues to read the country specific security and welfare profiles which can be found on the Intranet under Support Services – Duty of Care (https://intranet.unhcr.org/en/support-services/duty-of-care.html). These profiles have been specifically designed to answer some of the key questions (on security conditions, medical provisions, staff welfare, living and working conditions) potential applicants might have before deciding to apply. Ensuring staff are better informed is part of the increased attention UNHCR is paying to Duty of Care. This project is still in the pilot phase, and as such some of the information leaflets are being produced as we speak and might not be available yet. They will be soon, so keep checking.
See below for this postion’s Operational Context
Desirable Attributes
This post involves regional duties with a priority on the Mali situation, and reports to the Senior Regional Public information (SRPI) in Dakar. It is imperative that the RO be fluent in English and French, with perfect drafting skills in English. Fluency in French is also crucial as all meetings at Dakar and at regional levels, as well as contacts with media/donors/ UN agencies take place in that language.
The RO is expected to produce regular internal sitreps, with contributions from the Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Mauritania offices. RO has to regularly collect and check information with his/her counterparts in the countries above mentioned, as well as with various specialized units in Dakar and at field level. An external sitrep, distributed to donors, UN and NGO agencies, and the media, also has to be produced in English on a monthly basis. Additional reports/fact sheets/Newsletters on the Mali situation and other countries in WA might have to be produced as needed.
As part of the Public Information Unit, the Reporting Officer will manage media relations in Senegal and provide back-up to the Senior Regional PI Officer. Therefore, previous experience in media relations, representing the Organization in front of an external audience, answering to media requests or interviews, will be highly desired.
Current Situation
West Africa has experienced successive conflicts over the past decades, with a recent rise in terrorist activities and attacks which have a serious impact on the stability and security of the region. UNHCR continues to respond to the humanitarian crises in the Lake Chad Basin and Mali, which have also caused the displacement of a huge number of IDPs. At the same time, there are several long standing refugee situations with which the Regional Representation continues to deal, seeking long-lasting solutions search as naturalization or long term residency. UNHCR estimates that there are around 1 million stateless persons in West Africa, and many more at risk of statelessness. Estimates easily reach 60 million individuals as people in the region are grossly undocumented.
Since September 1 2017, the Regional Representation for West Africa (RRWA) covers all the 15 ECOWAS Member States. In addition the Regional Representative is the Regional Refugee Coordinator for the Nigeria Situation. Mixed Migration is also a new domain that the Regional Office has been dealing with since the second part of 2017.
UNHCR has more than 1000 staff in the 15 countries under the Regional Office. In Dakar alone there are more than 100 staff, made up of generalists and experts in their domains, namely, protection, programme, admin, finance, statelessness, registration, public health, environment, livelihoods, CBI and project control.
Working and Living Conditions
While the asylum practice in the West Africa are rather generous, it is self-evident that the operational and political environments in the region present unique challenges (in terms of security, governance and socio-economic outlooks) to the UN in general, and UNHCR in particular. The Region houses a variety of political and UN coordination mechanisms that demand a significant amount of time to ensure that UNHCR remains relevant and exercises its partnerships relationships. Notable among these structures are United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel, headed by an SRSG, the Regional UNDG, and Regional offices for WFP, UNICEF, OCHA, UNWOMEN, FAO, etc. Donors also have regional platforms in West Africa.
Security Considerations
In the Lake Chad Basin, the Boko Haram insurgency in North East Nigeria that spread into Cameroon, Chad and Niger has caused the displacement of over 2.5 million people, composed of 2.35 million IDPs, (of whom 1.9 million are inside Nigeria) and around 205,000 Nigerian refugees. Despite important military advances in 2016, ongoing threats from Boko Haram in all affected countries as well as the absence of basic services continue to pose acute humanitarian and protection risks for those impacted by the crisis.
With regards to the Mali situation, a total of 144,206 Malian refugees are hosted in neighbouring Niger (60,154), Mauritania (50,966) and Burkina Faso (33,056); and 58,985 persons are internally displaced within Mali. As the crisis enters its sixth year since the outbreak of the conflict in northern Mali in late 2011, a resolution is not yet in sight. The security situation has deteriorated over the past two years, spreading also to Mali¿s central region. New displacement continues as well as refugee and IDP returns, and conditions remain unfavourable for a large scale repatriation of Malian refugees in security and dignity. (183 words)
Additional Factors
Ability to work under tight deadlines. Ability to communicate well with his/her supervisor and supervisee. Ability to clearly communicate information in writing. Curiosity and persistency in collecting and checking information is necessary, as well as ability to analyze data. Team work a requirement as well as providing training to other reporting officers as needed. Ability to constantly take personal initiatives.
The RO could supervise one national staff.
Knowledge of the Mali and Nigeria Situations as well as the Sahel highly desired. Previous work experience with aid /media / donor agencies preferred.
– Professionalism ¿ Conscientiousness and efficiency in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results. Persistence and creativity when faced with problems or challenges and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations. Establishes priorities, plan, monitor and report on his/her own work plan, managing multiple, simultaneous and urgent requests. Exercises good judgment in the context of assignments given. Excellent research and analytical skills.
– Communication ¿Strong communication skills (spoken and written), including the ability to visualise clearly complex information, concisely and in ways appropriate for a given audience.
– Teamwork ¿ Good interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, multi-linguistic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity.
– Proficiency in graphic design is highly desirable.
– Sense of humour.
