Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)

D

 

Family UNOPS IICA2

 

2023-04-01-07:00 January 31, 2023 General Background :

Bhasan Char was established by the Government of Bangladesh to host up to 100,000 Rohingya refugees. Aimed at addressing the overcrowding in Cox Bazar and improving living conditions, the project is led by the Government with relevant ministries and agencies actively involved, as well as national NGOs. UN involvement in Bhasan Char is aimed at supplementing and complementing the humanitarian activities of the national NGOs in support of this national led effort.

On 9 October 2021, the Government of Bangladesh and UNHCR (on behalf of the UN agencies working in Cox’s Bazar) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that established a common protection and policy framework for ongoing and future refugee relief efforts on Bhasan Char. The MoU affirmed a joint commitment to ensure that refugees would move to the island voluntarily, based on a free and informed choice, and that they would have opportunities to move between the island and the mainland. The MoU also confirmed that the current and future refugee population on Bhasan Char has access to services including protection, shelter, food and nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, health, education, and the ability to engage in livelihoods and capacity building activities.

As of 30 November 2022, 28,760 Rohingya refugees reside on Bhasan Char. The majority 55% are children under the age of 18 years, while 2% are elderly (aged 60 years and above). Women and girls represent 51% of the overall refugee population. A total of 2,171 refugees from 2,036 families, representing 7.9% of the total refugee population on Bhasan Char, were identified as persons with specific needs (PSNs), including 260 individuals with disabilities and 107 individuals suffering from serious medical conditions.
UNHCR in close collaboration with the office of the Refugee Repatriation and Relief Commissioner (RRRC) leads overall response and coordination on the island, which is carried out through eight sectors. The Inter-Agency efforts in 2021-2022 have contributed to an increase in protection space and a coordinated assistance programme mainly focused on providing lifesaving humanitarian assistance, including health, education, setting up community-based protection mechanisms, capacity building, etc.

Program Officer under the supervision of the Head of Field Office in Bhasan Char and close guidance and technical oversight of the Snr Program Officer in Cox’s Bazar will support the operation in management of ongoing UNHCR projects, coordinate and guide partners, provide overall program management support. The incumbent will be also an integral part of the bigger program unit in Cox’s Bazar and work closely with protection and technical units in Cox’s Bazar to facilitate smooth operation of Bhasan Char Field Office.

While the Rohingya response has entered into its seventh year, the Bhasan Char is a newly established field office where some systems and processes are being currently set up and program management requires dedicated capacity building efforts. Program Officer will be required to be closely engaged in all stages of the implementation, provide guidance to partners and staff, identify implementation gaps and challenges and provide solutions, continuously evaluate and improve the quality of UNHCR funded programs. Given UNHCR leading inter-agency coordination role, the incumbent will be required to support joint planning as part of the Joint Response Plan, as well as support the field office in developing donor proposals, contribute to donor reporting.

Program Officer is one of the senior positions in the Field Office and may be required to represent UNHCR with external actors. Strong management skills, field-based experience, exposure to complex emergencies as well as experience in working with multi-sectoral refugee response operations is essential. Considering sensitive nature of Bhasan Char operation, effective communication skills, adaptability and ability to work in hardship environment are required.

The incumbent of this position will be stationed in Cox's Bazar with regular missions to Bhasan Char that can take several weeks. The duty station of this position will eventually be Bhasan Char.

Monitoring and Progress Controls :
The incumbent is expected to perform the tasks and responsibilities as outlined above and deliver them at satisfactory level. The incumbent will report to the Head of Field Office at UNHCR Bhasan Char Field Office and will have regular performance monitoring. The supervisor will provide feedback on an ongoing basis to ensure continuous learning and development of the incumbent. The incumbent will work closely with the Snr Program Officer at UNHCR Sub Office Cox’s Bazar for overall program management-related technical guidance, coordination of activities, etc.

Essential:
Demonstrated experience in developing and managing humanitarian projects and programmes including the allocation and management of resources. Sound knowledge of the UNHCR Operations Management Cycle Knowledge and practical experience on Results Based-Management. Demonstrated experience in field operations and international exposure particularly in large and complex operations. Sound knowledge on the centrality of protection in programming. Enhanced knowledge on Joint Needs Assessments and the principles of targeting. Completion of Certification Program in Programme Management.

Desirable:

Demonstrated experience in coordination within an inter-agency context and other actors, in a refugee or humanitarian context. Solid experience in training and capacity-building activities. Working experience in programme management, resource mobilization, monitoring and evaluation with UNHCR or other UN agencies.


 
Functional Skills

PG-Experience with coordinating with Implementing Partners (Government/INGO/NGO/Corporate) Data and information management understanding

 

Standard Job Description

Programme Officer Organizational Setting and Work Relationships The Programme Officer may be based in HQ, field/regional bureau, typically reporting to and be guided by the Senior Program officer and may supervise a small team of local and international staff. He/she may refer to UNHCR¿s Programme Manual (Chapter IV), UNHCR's corporate and regional strategic priorities, operation plans and other relevant institutional rules and regulations for further guidance. The Programme Officer will provide programmatic guidance and support with regard to the implementation of protection and solutions strategies within available resources. S/he will coordinate with the other sections/units to ensure harmonized programmatic approaches at all levels and throughout the UNHCR Operations Management Cycle. S/he will work in line with the overall UNHCR directions which crucially require working with partners, including with persons of concern, governmental institutions and the private sector, ensuring that programme management is approached as per UNHCR¿s Strategic Directions, Global Strategic Priorities (GSPs), Global Compact for Refugees (GCR), corporate positions on SDGs. The incumbent is expected to work in line with the multi-functional team (MFT) approach as defined within the Program Manual, ensuring the participation of relevant stakeholders in all phases of the Program Management Cycle. 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 - Support in assessing and analysing the needs of persons of concern in a participatory manner, using an Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective as basis for planning. - Provide support on programmatic aspects of developing multi-year protection and solutions strategies and annual plans with corresponding priorities taking into account corporate priorities. - Support Results Based Management and programme capacity in light of evolving requirements, programming approaches and gaps. - Support the planning process in compliance with planning parameters outlined in the Programme Manual and the planning instructions. - Review and analyse plans, mid-year and year-end reports of UNHCR office(s), ensuring quality assurance and compliance with established policies, guidelines, procedures and standards. - Support in the provision of overall direction to broaden partnerships with key stakeholders in order to maximize the protection and solutions response for persons of concern. - Provide support to ensure a consistent application of the framework for implementing with partners, including the effective implementation of the policy on selection and retention of partners, management of partnership agreements, risk-based project performance monitoring, and risk-based project audits, among others. - Contribute to ensure consistent and coherent monitoring approaches, tools and systems in line with global standards and polices. - Actively contribute to UNHCRs programming of community of practice and continuously contributing to improvements of programming tools and processes. - Identify potential gaps and problems and in cooperation with other relevant sections recommend appropriate solutions to ensure the efficient implementation of programme activities. - Oversee a timely and effective follow-up of internal and external audits observations and recommendations that relate to programmatic issues. - Perform other related duties as required. Minimum Qualifications Education & Professional Work Experience 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 Economics Business Administration Social Sciences or other relevant field. Essential Demonstrated experience in programme management including familiarization with the OMC and sound knowledge Results Based-Management. Demonstrated experience in field operations, sound knowledge on the centrality of protection in programming, Joint Needs Assessments and the principles of targeting. Desirable Demonstrated experience in coordination within an inter-agency context and other actors, in a refugee or humanitarian context. Sound experience in program management training and capacity building activities. Functional Skills PG-Programme Management (programme cycles and reporting standards) PG-Results-Based Management 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.

 

Required Languages

,

 

Desired Languages

,

 

Additional Qualifications

Skills

Education

BA: Business Administration (Required), BA: Economics (Required), BA: Social Science (Required)

Certifications

HCR Learning Program - UNHCR

 

Other information

This position doesn't require a functional clearance