Assistant Government Liaison Officer

This Job Opening is available to eligible UNHCR staff members and external applicants. Assistant Government Liaison Officer

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships

The Assistant Government Liaison Officer is usually located in country operations. S/he plays a crucial support role in ensuring UNHCR¿s approach to the Government is consistent, strategic and coherent. UNHCR assists the Government on coordination, response delivery and protection issues. Typically, this involves joint coordination arrangements, partnership with various government departments in service delivery, and regular dialogue at all levels on refugee protection issues. The main aim is to assist senior management to ensure that UNHCR can fulfil its role to support the Government to lead the refugee response ensuring the protection of refugees and - in line with the GCR - promote the inclusion of refugees into national systems by coordinating with other actors - including development actors at the early stages of a refugee response and in mixed situations supporting the Government to prevent, respond to and resolve internal displacement while complementing and reinforcing national response efforts. This should be done in line with UNHCR¿s Mandate, the Global Compact for Refugees, the IDP policy, and agreed inter-agency commitments. More specifically, s/he advises the senior management on issues and processes concerning the relationship with the Government and related positioning, coordination, advocacy, information, resource allocation, fundraising, reporting, and communication with other UN agencies, NGOs, civil society actors, private sector, media and other relevant actors through strong engagement in humanitarian inter-agency processes, but also with a focus on development processes as they impact on UNHCR. The overall goal of the position is to support the effectiveness of UNHCR¿s leadership roles and responses to situations affecting people of concern to UNHCR (refugees, asylum-seekers, IDPs, stateless persons, returnees, host communities) through an open and transparent partnership approach with the Government.

The Assistant Government Liaison Officer ensures that support is provided for strategic planning, assessment, monitoring and analysis concerning the relationship with the Government. The Assistant Government Liaison Officer will support all planning and reporting activities. The incumbent will support the supervisor in maintaining a constant dialogue with the Government on the overall protection context. A key tool in this regard will be the facilitation and support of periodic meetings with the Government, as well as to support the broadening of mutual information through meeting reports, situation updates and newsletters.


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
- Assist in the establishment of close working relations with Government Officials and/or other external parties.
- Provide suggestions for promoting UNHCR¿s policies and liaising with Government authorities on issues related to latest humanitarian and development processes.
- Support coordination meetings as required, including by preparing meetings and background information, drafting minutes and follow-up documentation.
- Manage the flow of information to/from the supervisor and other senior staff; identifies priority matters that need to be urgently addressed by the supervisor.
- Draft correspondence, documents and reports, and prepares tables and ensures follow-up.
- Assist in ensuring appropriate links with the Government through establishment/maintenance of appropriate coordination and information exchange.
- Act on behalf of the supervisor to convey, clarify and explain UNHCR¿s positions to Government or other external parties as applicable.
- Inform the supervisor on a continuing basis of relevant information on the outcome of discussions with external parties.
- Act as interpreter during meetings held by the supervisor with senior officials or other external parties.
- Accompany the supervisor and Headquarters visitors to camps, border missions and provincial cities.
- May be required to coordinate the work of lower level staff.
- Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Years of Experience / Degree Level
For P1/NOA - 1 year relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or no experience with Graduate degree; or no experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education
Law/International Law;
Political Science;
Social Science;
Business Administration;
or other relevant field.
(Field(s) of Education marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Certificates and/or Licenses
Not specified.

Relevant Job Experience
Essential:
Not specified.
Desirable:
Not specified.

Functional Skills
MS-Drafting, Documentation, Data Presentation;
MG-Negotiation;
CL-Multi-stakeholder Communications with Partners, Government & Community
MS-Networking;
(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.


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. Please also note that Arabic and English are essential for this Job Opening. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.  Shortlisted candidates may be required to sit for written test and/or oral interview.

UNHCR is committed to diversity and welcomes applications from qualified candidates regardless of disability, gender identity, marital or civil partnership status, race, color or ethnic and national origins, religion or belief, or sexual orientation. UNHCR has a ZERO TOLERANCE policy on sexual exploitation and abuse, and sexual harassment. Successful candidates will be subject to mandatory UN Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Sexual Harassment clearance check prior to receiving an offer. UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing, training or any other fees). All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.
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See below for this postion's Operational Context
======================================================================================================== The selected candidate will be expected to:
- Support UNHCR¿s advocacy efforts for protection space by monitoring and following-up on restrictive measures imposed by local authorities.
- Provide political updates on the emerging situations and general developments in the country, with a focus on situations which may impact UNHCR¿s operation.
- Anticipate situations which may affect UNHCR¿s operation, and proactively seek solutions with local authorities and representatives of the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities as needed.
- Keep abreast of the implementation of UNHCR programs.
- Enhance UNHCR¿s outreach, communication and engagement efforts by maintaining the office¿s presence on social media platforms through feeding content to the branch office, refugee profiles and contextualizing ongoing global campaigns. In addition to providing communications support related to media queries on UNHCR¿s operation in northern Lebanon. Interested qualified candidates meeting the requirements of the Job Descriptions posted online can apply as follows no later than 18 May 2021 Midnight Geneva Time.