Assistant Programme Officer, UNOPS - IICA1

Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)A (least hardship)

Family Type (not applicable for home-based)

Family

Staff Member / Affiliate TypeUNOPS IICA1

Target Start Date2023-06-15

Job Posting End DateJune 25, 2023

Terms of ReferenceRecruitment as a UNHCR staff member and engagement under a UNHCR affiliate scheme or as an intern is subject to proof of full vaccination, independently of contract type and duration, unless the candidate is based in a location with documented lack of access to COVID-19 vaccines.

International individual contracts apply to a person who does not reside in the country where he or she is to perform the services.

Individuals cannot be hired under an international individual contract in the country of their nationality or permanent residence.

Selected candidate will be required to work from San Salvador, El Salvador

Only shortlisted candidates will be notified and may be required to sit for a test and will undertake a competency-based interview.

The evaluation of applicants will be conducted based on the information submitted during the application. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision, or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

UNHCR is committed to diversity and job inclusion, therefore, all people are encouraged to apply for this vacancy regardless of religion, age, sex, ethnicity, disability, gender identity or expression, or sexual orientation.

Remuneration:
A competitive compensation and benefits package is offered. For information on UN salaries, allowances and benefits, please visit the portal of the International Civil Service Commission at: http://icsc.un.org


1. General Background
El Salvador has a population of 6.3 million people, with at least 20% of El Salvador's population living abroad. The country’s economy is heavily reliable on remittances, which constitute around 26% of its GDP. According to the 2021 Multipurpose Household Survey released in 2022, 24.6% of El Salvador’s population lives below the poverty line, out of which 7.8% are extremely poor.
Between 2006 and 2016, 1.1% of families in El Salvador were forcibly displaced raising the estimated number of internally displaced people to 71,500. According to the profiling exercise published in 2018 by the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, most displaced people are socio-economically vulnerable young families.

El Salvador is committed to identifying and addressing protection and solutions for refugees, internally displaced people, returnees with protection needs, and stateless individuals. El Salvador is party to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol, and to the 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons. In 2020, El Salvador approved the Special Law for the Care and Integral Protection of Victims of Violence in Conditions of Forced Displacement.
Since July 2019, El Salvador is actively engaged in the Comprehensive Regional Protection and Solutions Framework (MIRPS in Spanish), a regional application of the Global Compact on Refugees. Growing mixed population flows across the countries in the north of Central America is a priority to be addressed in the regional agenda. The increasingly complex human mobility context demands additional efforts for coordinating protection-oriented responses.

UNHCR is active in the implementation, coordination, and monitoring of the 2022-2026 United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), which prioritizes responses to the needs of internally displaced people and refugees. UNHCR is an active member of the Humanitarian Country Team. UNHCR leads the Protection Sector and co-leads the CCCM and Shelter sectors.
UNHCR seeks to meaningfully engage, empower, inform, and seek the views of people in decisions that affect their lives, as drivers for greater equality and social cohesion. UNHCR is currently present in over 40 communities and 17 Municipalities nationwide.

2. Purpose and Scope of Assignment
The Assistant Programme Officer will support the provision of programmatic guidance and support with regard to the implementation of protection and solutions strategies within available resources. The incumbent will play a role in coordinating with the other sections/units to ensure harmonized programmatic approaches at all levels and throughout the UNHCR Operations Management Cycle. The Assistant Programme Officer would normally receive guidance from more senior programme staff in the operation/bureau/division and may supervise a small team of local staff.

The incumbent 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. 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.

3. Monitoring and Progress Controls
• Support in assessing and analyzing 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.
• Assist the planning process in compliance with planning parameters outlined in the Programme Manual and the planning instructions.
• Contribute to the review and analyze of plans, mid-year and year-end reports of UNHCR offices in the region, ensuring quality assurance and compliance with established policies, guidelines, procedures and standards.
• Assist with the provision of overall direction to broaden partnerships with key stakeholders in order to maximize the protection and solutions response for persons of concern.
• Contribute to the successful 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 within the Area of Responsibility (AoR), in line with global standards and polices.
• Actively contribute to UNHCRs programming of community of practice and continuously contribute 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.
• Assist in 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.

4. Qualifications and Experience

a. Education
Undergraduate; Graduate degree; or Doctorate degree in Economics, Business Administration, Social Science, or other relevant field.

b. Work Experience

Essential
Minimum 6 years of relevant 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.

c. Language
Fluency in English and Spanish.

d. Key Competencies
Functional Skills
• Programme Management (project formulation, programme cycles and reporting standards)
• Results-Based Management
• UNHCR's Programmes
• Experience with coordinating with Implementing Partners (Governmt/INGO/NGO/Corporate)

Core Competencies
• Accountability
• Communication
• Organizational Awareness
• Teamwork & Collaboration
• Commitment to Continuous Learning
• Client & Result Orientation

Managerial Competencies
• Empowering and Building Trust
• Judgement and Decision Making
• Managing Performance

Cross-Functional Competencies
• Analytical Thinking
• Change Capability and Adaptability
• Negotiation and Conflict Resolution

Standard Job Description

Required Languages English

,Spanish

,

Desired Languages

,

,

Additional Qualifications

Skills

Education

Certifications

Work Experience

Other informationThis position doesn't require a functional clearance