Environmental Policy & Communications Consultant

Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)H (no hardship)

Family Type (not applicable for home-based)

Family

Staff Member / Affiliate TypeCONS International

Target Start Date2023-10-16

Job Posting End DateOctober 19, 2023

Terms of ReferenceThe Environmental Policy & Communications Consultant will support the Greening & Sustainability Team of the Global Mobility and Infrastructure Service (GMIS) within the Division of Financial and Administrative Management (DFAM). DFAM contributes to safeguarding the financial resources entrusted to UNHCR by maintaining and improving the financial and administrative systems, policies and procedures and promoting cost-effective and transparent use of these resources. GMIS is a new service within DFAM which merges four functions: global fleet management, global travel, global facilities management, and global asset management. Greening & Sustainability is one of GMIS main cross-functional areas.

The Environmental Policy & Communications Consultant will focus mainly on supporting the Greening & Sustainability Team in implementing Environmental Management systems in UNHCR and its operations as well as on environmental policy and guidelines development. The Environmental Policy & Communications Consultant will also work on the enhanced alignment of sustainability standards in programmatic activities in the field/ in refugee settings/contexts as requested by country offices. The Consultant will work directly with Greening & Sustainability Team staff and liaise closely with colleagues across the divisions, in particular the Special Coordinator for Internal Communications, Private sector Partnerships, Division of External Relations and the Digital Engagement Section (Intranet).

Duties and responsibilities
• Develop a pilot Environmental Management Systems (EMS) for 3 countries in the Region for East and Horn of Africa & Great Lakes (Uganda, Ethiopia, and Kenya).
• Initiate an organization-wide process alongside with creating guidelines for operations to develop EMS’ themselves;
• Support the Greening and Sustainability Team with the development of technical guidelines and best practices in the implementation of clean energy interventions;
• Coordinate consultations with all relevant experts including UNHCR colleagues at HQ (travel, facilities, global fleet), in Regional Bureaux and Country Offices as well as colleagues from other UN agencies and external experts;
• Prepare supporting material, communication content and analytical reports and liaise with GMIS Communications Associate and the Special Coordinator for Internal Communications in publishing and promoting developed policies and guidelines internally on the UNHCR Intranet and other platforms;
• Ensure compliance of UNHCR policy guidelines and Greening and Sustainability strategy as well as with UN-wide methodologies and Greening the Blue targets;
• Lead on timely and effective communication with donors and external partners.
• Develop and implement a communications strategy for the Green Financing Facility including private sector actors, donors and foundations, other UN agencies as well as press releases and associated communications.
• Research, prepare, edit, and produce communications content and products for internal and external target audiences and ensure their timely dissemination, leveraging a range of UNHCR compliant communication tools and in line with UNHCR branding and style guidelines.
• Act as the primary interface on communications matters between the Greening & Sustainability Team, the Global Communications Service, and the PSP/PPH Communications team.
• Draft, edit and proof-read materials for publication as needed.
• Support with external facing communication events such as conferences and industry events.
• Perform other duties as required.

Standard Job Description

Environmental Officer Profile
Various Locations
Grade: Mid (P3) and Senior (P4) Level Positions
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is mandated to lead and
coordinate international action to protect and assist refugees and other persons of concern.
It is constantly seeking talented, compassionate candidates with high-integrity to strengthen its
capacity to respond urgently to crises with the right skills. Given the nature of UNHCR’s work,
it is essential that its workforce has the right mix of skills and qualities to fulfil its mandate.
UNHCR is committed to ensuring sustainable environmental management in its operations to
improve the protection and wellbeing of our Persons of Concern (PoCs). In this regard, the
Environment Unit at UNHCR in Geneva oversees a broad range of related projects and
coordinates the overall environmental policy and enhancement of environmental management
in the field through technical guidance, situation analysis and environmental impact
assessments. UNHCR’s engagement in energy and environment is receiving increasing
attention globally. As displaced persons rely on the natural resources surrounding them, there
is a need to address environmental issues starting from the emergency phase, which is the
most critical period for UNHCR operations. Decisions made at this time will have a major
bearing on both the type and scale of refugee-related environmental impacts in subsequent
operational phases.
UNHCR is looking for talented individuals for the Environmental Officer profile to enhance its
ability to implement environmental interventions as soon as possible during the emergency
phase of a response. The Environmental Officer assists the UNHCR emergency team and the
host government in mainstreaming environmental factors into the refugee-hosting
arrangements to be made during the emergency phase. The incumbent ensures that
environmental issues are considered in the response plan, assesses the environmental
conditions and analyze how and to what extent those situations negatively affect the
environment and formulate specific projects for reducing or arresting these impacts in
consultation with the relevant government agencies, NGOs, UN agencies and sectoral
specialists such as shelter, sanitation, water, livelihoods and others. S/he advocates for
establishing environmentally-sound refugee assistance arrangements and make
recommendations which need to be followed up in the care-and-maintenance phase.
Incumbents may be based in the field or in the Country Offices depending on the nature of
emergency and security.
Typical functions may include:
• Participate in site selection and collect and analyses baseline environmental data that can
inform site planning and development
• Collect and analyze existing data and information concerning the status of the
environment in the refugee hosting areas;
• Identify environmental assets and threats related to the emergency phase and establish
managements plans and SOPs to minimize environmental impacts
• Assess environmental conditions in the selected camps, and assess how and to what
extent those situations are affected by the presence of refugees. Define key areas of
environmental concern (e.g. deforestation, rangeland degradation, soil erosion, water
conservation, biodiversity, wastes, etc.);
• Interview representative of refugees and local populations from all segments of these
populations, to examine their relationship with the surrounding environment;
• Liaise with technical sectors (shelter, sanitation, water, livelihoods, energy, etc.) with a
view to minimizing environmental impacts associated with projects and activities in the
emergency phase. Where necessary propose environmental projects to rehabilitate initial
environmental damage and generate a sense of responsibility among refugee populations;
• Contact relevant government agencies, both central and local, NGOs, UN agencies,
research institutions and local academic institutions to obtain refuge-related information
and these institutions’ recommendations for preventive and mitigation measures. If
possible, establish and maintain a network of strategic partnerships to ensure
complementary and efficiency gains in assessment, design and implementation of
environmental programmes;
• Propose measures for reducing or arresting the impact of refugees on the environment;
• Devise a strategy for monitoring of the environmental impact of refugees and refugee
operations;
• Identify skill and knowledge gaps related to environmental issues among UNHCR and
partners, including refugees and locals and address these through training and capacity
building.
• Prepare a report and make recommendations which need to be followed up in the careand-
maintenance phase.
Minimum Qualifications and Professional Experience Required:
For positions at the P3 level
• Education: Degree in Forestry, Agroforestry, Rural Energy, Climate Change and
Geography, Environmental Science, or Natural Resource Management.
• Job experience: Minimum 5 years of relevant (international) job experience with graduate
degree (equivalent of a Master’s), 6 years with undergraduate degree (equivalent of a
BA/BS); at least 2 years of international working experience in development and/or
humanitarian settings; at least 3 years of experience dealing with environmental issues.
• Languages: Proficiency in English is required.
For positions at the P4 level
• Education: Degree in Forestry, Agroforestry, Rural Energy, Climate Change and
Geography, Environmental Science, or Natural Resource Management.
• Job experience: Minimum 8 years of relevant (international) job experience with graduate
degree (equivalent of a Master’s), 9 years with undergraduate degree (equivalent of a
BA/BS); at least 4 years of international working experience development and/or
humanitarian settings; at least 5 years of experience dealing with environmental issues.
• Languages: Proficiency in English and knowledge of a second UN language (Arabic/
Chinese/French/Russian/Spanish) at B21 is required.
To apply, please visit: International vacancies.
The UNHCR workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages and
opinions. UNHCR seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities
as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. Applications are
encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on grounds of race, colour, sex,
national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity.
1 See http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/resources/european-language-levels-cefr, the Common
European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

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Additional Qualifications

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Other informationThis position doesn't require a functional clearance