Senior Development Officer

Only candidates who are not nationals of the country of assignment are eligible to apply to this position

Hardship LevelH (no hardship)

Family TypeFamily

Residential location (if applicable)

GradePR4

Staff Member / Affiliate TypeProfessional

* Staff members will not normally serve in International Professional positions in the country of their nationality. In addition, in case of a first appointment upon recruitment, the assignment must be outside the staff member’s country of nationality.

In practical terms this means that you are not eligible to apply for International Professional vacancies advertised in the country where you are national of.

ReasonTemporary > Temporary Assignment/ Appointment

Remote work acceptedNo

Target Start Date2023-09-01

Job Posting End DateAugust 22, 2023

Standard Job DescriptionSenior Development Officer Organizational Setting and Work Relationships UNHCR's mandated responsibility for finding solutions to refugee situations has long required stronger cooperation with development partners and the inclusion of persons of concern within development planning and programming instruments, including national development programmes. Due to a variety of factors, the proportion of refugees and internally displaced persons in protracted displacement situations remains high. Moreover, the diminishing number of forcibly displaced people who have access to so-called durable solutions constitutes a worrying trend that has persisted in recent years. The increasing scale of irregular migration, large scale refugee movements, internal displacement and the costs of responding to humanitarian situations have placed forced displacement high on the global agenda. Given the complexity and protractedness of many of today¿s forced displacement situations, often occurring in fragile contexts, awareness is growing that the humanitarian model of care and maintenance is unsustainable in the longer term and that forced displacement requires a development response to complement humanitarian assistance, address poverty and other development challenges in a sustainable and inclusive manner. The SDGs provide a yardstick for inclusive development based on the principles of Leaving No One Behind and Reaching the Furthest Behind First. It is also acknowledged that extreme poverty and human suffering associated with refugees and other forcibly displaced people need to be systematically taken into account existing when addressing development challenges and development prospects of host communities, countries, and regions. The Global Compact for Refugees frames this new approach towards a more predictable and equitable responsibility-sharing, recognizing that more sustainable approaches to refugee situations cannot be achieved without the systematic engagement of a broader set of stakeholders, including development partners. Among the most significant humanitarian-development cooperation partnerships strengthened in recent years has been between the World Bank and UNHCR on forced displacement. In the eighteenth replenishment (2017-2020) of the World Bank¿s International Development Association (IDA), which provides financing for low-income countries, an amount of US$ 2.2 billion has been included for those states receiving large numbers of refugees (Sub-Window for Refugees and Host-Communities). The IDA 18 allocation follows the operationalization of a Global Concessional Financing Facility (GCFF) for Middle-Income Countries (MICs) affected by large numbers of refugees. In addition, UNHCR has enhanced cooperation with the private sector wing of the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the African Development Bank (AfDB), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and bilateral development donor. Within the context outlined above, the role of the Senior Development Officer is to support UNHCR's engagement and cooperation with development agencies¿ medium-term programmes assisting local communities and UNHCR's population of concern and the ability to leverage development partnerships to influence policy dialogue to enact institutional reforms toward improved protection environments, socio-economic inclusion, and self-reliance; taking into account and reducing the vulnerabilities of forcibly displaced persons. As such, the incumbent needs to have practical experience working with and an understanding of the interplay of different aspects of economic growth, governance, fragility and conflict, the main factors that influence the environment for inclusion and resilience for UNHCR¿s population of concern. Depending on the operating environments in the area of responsibility (AoR), the incumbent might need to have specific expertise in areas such as social protection, governance in fragile contexts, local governance and community development. It is anticipated that development responses to forced displacement will grow in significance in future years due to the greater importance attached to fragility and addressing protracted displacement situations. The incumbent will assist in identifying potential opportunities and ensure complementarity between UNHCR's protection work and the economic and social development objectives pursued by development partners and their government counterparts. It will, therefore, be important that the Assistant Development Officer supports relevant UNHCR staff within the AoR to contribute to the Operation¿s efforts to (i) align policy, operational and programme priorities between humanitarian and development agencies, (ii) establish and maintain reporting and knowledge, and information exchanges on key developments among all interested stakeholders, (iii) assist relevant UNHCR staff to engage in development planning, programming and coordination processes with Government entities and development partners; and (iv) assist relevant UNHCR staff in developing, contributing to and coordinating multi-year and multi-partner transition strategies for protracted forced displacement situations. In Country Operations, the Senior Development Officer will normally work under the overall supervision of the UNHCR Representative or his/her Deputy. In the Regional Bureaux, the Senior Development Officer will normally work under the overall supervision of the Bureau Director, Deputy Director, Head of External Engagement Service or Chief of External Engagement 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 For positions in Country Operations only - Advise operations on practical research and analysis to interpret long-term political, economic and social trends that will enhance opportunities for solutions, resilience and inclusion for populations of concern to UNHCR as well as more sustainable approaches to refugee protection; - Support the operation in planning for resilience and inclusion with a clear shared vision of longer term protection and solution outcomes for people of concern that takes account of host communities and leverages the roles, resources and capacities of development partners, including International Financial Institutions, Multilateral Development Banks, and Bilateral Development donors. - Support the development of comprehensive multi-year protection and solutions plans/strategies (incl. Multi-Year Multi-Partner Strategies) for Persons of Concern to UNHCR and/or facilitate the inclusion of populations of concern into national and local development planning and programming instruments. - Support and advise the operation in identifying, strategically articulating and capitalizing development and resilience opportunities, including through Government pledges and or pledges made by bilateral or multilateral development and/or peacebuilding partners. - Provide technical leadership and support for relationship building with development co-operation agencies and peace and state-building agendas through the different stages of policy and programme identification, preparation, implementation and review. - Develop partnerships and networks with development cooperation actors to influence the policy dialogue with governments on institutional arrangements related to sectors, locations and programme content of consequence to UNHCR and persons of concern. This would, in particular, focus on supporting the coordination of the in-country relationship with the World Bank and other multilateral development banks, especially where there is potential for specific funding directed towards UNHCR¿s persons of concern (e.g. WB IDA sub-window for refugees and host communities or the WB Global Concessional Financing Facility). - Cooperate with development partners to assist them in incorporating the concerns of refugees, returnees and others of concern to UNHCR into the design and implementation arrangements of projects and interventions in a manner that impacts positively on protection circumstances. - Identify, commission and/or contribute to studies and analytical activities that build the conceptual framework and evidence base for comprehensive, development-oriented responses, including preparedness work, to forced displacement. - Ensure that development actors are provided relevant data to inform their planning, programming and advocacy around resilience for and inclusion of UNHCR persons of concern. - Engage with governments, development partners (both multilateral and bilateral), and with the private sector and civil society (as appropriate) to identify opportunities for UNHCR to contribute to the design and implementation of monitoring systems to track progress towards agreed outcomes. - Facilitate coordination and collaboration and the sharing of knowledge and experience sharing between UNHCR and development actors and across UNHCR operations globally by documenting and disseminating good practices and active participation in the Division of Resilience and Solutions¿, Development Partnerships Community of Practice; and, - Support training activities aimed at the capacity building of UNHCR and partner agency staff to achieve greater coordination, effectiveness and synergies between humanitarian and development interventions. For positions in Regional Bureaux only - Provide support, as detailed in the above duties for a country SDO for countries without an SDO as specified in the operational context for this position. - Support the Regional Bureau and country operations in analysing from a development perspective the potential components of longer-term situational solutions strategies, identifying the protection/resilience/solutions challenges, and the means to address these and possible regional opportunities for engagement. - Support and advise the Regional Bureau and/or operations in identifying, articulating and capitalizing development and resilience opportunities, including through pledges made by regional partners, and regional development initiatives and programmes. - Aggregate, analyse and package available knowledge and data from country operations to feed into regional and HQ policy, programme and advocacy efforts. - Ensure support and coherence, where relevant, across operations in how they engage with development actors (e.g. messaging, policies, etc.). - Interpret long-term political, economic and social trends from a situational or regional perspective that will define the opportunities for inclusion for populations of concern to UNHCR as well as more sustainable approaches to refugee protection management. - Engage with regional bodies, such as IGAD, ECOWAS, etc. to identify and advocate for entry points for inclusion in development-related fora; and, - Identify, commission and/or contribute to studies and analytical activities from a situational or regional perspective that build the conceptual framework and evidence base for comprehensive, development-oriented responses, including preparedness work, to forced displacement. - Perform other related duties as required. Minimum Qualifications Years of Experience / Degree Level For P4/NOD - 9 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 8 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 7 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree Field(s) of Education Development Economics; Development Studies; Socio-economic Development; International Relations; Political Science; Law or other relevant field. (Field(s) of Education marked with an asterisk* are essential) Certificates and/or Licenses Not specified. Relevant Job Experience Essential Six (6) years of direct work experience in a large international development institution in a relevant position and of which at least two (2) years in field operations. Preferably with knowledge of, or experience in, local or area based economic development, direct engagement in a technical sector such as education, WASH, social protection, health, energy. Practical experience working with and an understanding of the different aspects of economic growth, governance, fragility and conflict. Expertise related to the governance of specific multilateral development banks or bilateral development actors most relevant to the AoR. Desirable Experience with forced displacement. Experience in primary data collection, quantitative research methods and results-based management. Functional Skills *MG-Partnership Development *IM-Knowledge Management CL-Strategy Development and Monitoring *SO-Critical Thinking and problem solving *SO-Networking *UN-Policy Advocacy in UNHCR PG-Results-Based Management *CO-Strategic Communication *CO-Drafting and Documentation PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework (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.

Desired Candidate Profile UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is offering a Temporary Assignment for a Senior Development Officer (SDO) on Development Financing within the Division for Resilience and Solutions (DRS) & Division of Strategic Planning and Results (DSPR). The successful candidate will work within the Development Partnerships, Analytics and Research (DPAR) Service in DRS, in collaboration with the UNHCR Division for External Relations (DER) and Regional Bureaus.

UNHCR is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for refugees, forcibly displaced communities and stateless people. Every year, millions of men, women and children are forced to flee their homes to escape conflict and persecution. We are in over 125 countries, using our expertise to protect and care for millions.

Title: Senior Development Officer - Development Financing
Duty Station: Geneva, Switzerland
Duration: 12 months-364 days, starting as soon as possible
Contract Type: Temporary Assignment

CONTEXT
The number of forcibly displaced people has exceeded 107 million people in 2023 – including refugees and internally displaced persons - the highest number ever recorded. The situation of those that are displaced is dire and often protracted.

Sustainable and flexible financing is a critical enabler of the collective endeavor to support the protection and durable solutions for refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). Developing countries affected by forced displacement rely on external financing to support refugees and IDPs. The role of financing is not limited to buying goods and services. Aid financing can be used to nudge incentives and broker deals that could promote protection inclusion and durable solutions. It is, therefore, critical that financing is effectively used to promote durable solutions.

Most of the international assistance to refugees and IDPs comes in the form of humanitarian funding. A global survey conducted by OECD shows that humanitarian aid constituted about 71% of the official development aid (ODA) to refugee situations in 2018-19. Although humanitarian funding is the dominant form of aid response, it is severely underfunded. Furthermore, the overreliance on short-term humanitarian grants does not allow for the more holistic, long-term action required for solutions and do not promote a joined-up approach across the humanitarian-development-peace nexus.

Complementing humanitarian aid, development finance is being used to respond to forced displacement. Given development organizations’ poverty reduction mandate and focus on addressing the medium-to longer-term socioeconomic dimensions of forced displacement, development finance typically aims to gradually reduce the needs and vulnerabilities of forcibly displaced populations and their host communities by making durable improvements in their circumstances. Development finance is being used to support: (i) access to livelihoods and service delivery, especially in areas of return; (ii) local integration; (iii) local governance structures and rule of law; and (iv) rebuilding houses and infrastructure. Development finance comes in different forms. It could be provided in the form of grants, which do not require repayment. Development finance from multilateral development banks (MDBs) also includes concessional loans with lower than market interest rates, grace periods and longer repayment periods. Also categorized as development finance are guarantees aimed at backing projects promoting the development and welfare of developing countries by back-stopping high-impact investments in risky markets, de-risking a local bank’s loan portfolio for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) or transferring risks from local financial institutions to service underserved borrowers. Development finance actors have been adapting their financing mechanisms, policies, and criteria to effectively respond to forced displacement. Since refugee hosting governments are often reluctant to borrow on non-concessional terms or use limited concessional financing or grant allocations to support non-nationals, MDBs have started to establish special concessional allocations for refugee-hosting countries.

In addition to humanitarian and development aid, financing protection and durable solutions needs to include other sources and modalities of finance. In the medium- to long-term, external humanitarian assistance and development aid may not be sustainable in the global context of slow economic growth and fiscal pressure, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and global economic downturn. It is therefore critical that other sources and modalities of financing are part of the durable solutions finance, including: (i) domestic public finance; (ii) remittances; (iii) private sector contributions; and (iv) innovative finance.

Addressing the financial data and evidence gap would be critical to improve the financing approach to solutions. Existing data on forced displacement financing is incomplete and reflects inconsistent definitions and methodologies. Data collection is fragmented across several organizations and relies on voluntary reporting by humanitarian donors and implementing organizations and fails to capture the full range of financing flows. In the absence of universal standards and systems for reporting domestic spending by host governments on forced displacement, there is little data on domestic spending by host governments and communities on refugees and IDPs. Furthermore, existing estimates of humanitarian assistance identify only the initial recipients of humanitarian assistance (often UN agencies and NGOs). Given that initial recipient organizations often pass on a large portion of their funding to implementing partners, there is no data on the actual funding reaching the ultimate beneficiaries – forcibly displaced populations and their host communities.

In line with the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR), the UN Action Agenda on IDPs, and the UNHCR Strategic Directions (2022-2027), UNHCR is enhancing its engagement on development financing. As part of its broader non-transactional engagement with development actors, the UNHCR’s Division for Resilience and Solutions (DRS) is stepping up its engagement on development and peacebuilding financing. UNHCR is seeking to hire a Snr. Development Officer on Development Financing to join the Development Partnership, Analytics and Research (DPAR) Service within DRS to enhance UNHCR’s engagement on development financing, in close collaboration with the UNHCR Division for External Relations (DER) and external stakeholders, including the OECD, IFIs, Bilateral Donors, UN agencies and other stakeholders.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Reporting to the Deputy Director, DPAR Service (DRS) and working in close collaboration with the Division of Strategic Planning and Results and the Division of External Relations, Regional Bureaus, UNHCR secondees to OECD and IMF, UNHCR NY and relevant external stakeholders, the SDO (Development Financing) will perform the following responsibilities:
- Collaborate with the OECD and other internal and external stakeholders on tracking humanitarian, development and peacebuilding finance in refugee and IDP contexts.
- Contribute to the design of forced displacement financing surveys as well as the collection and analysis of financing data.
- In close collaboration with DER and UNHCR NY, engage on broader financing conversations, including SDG Financing, Integrated National Financing Frameworks (INFFs), Development Finance Assessment, SDG Investor Map, Financing Strategy and other diagnostics supported by UNCDFs.
- Support UNHCR’s engagement on the HDP Financing Working Group, consisting of OECD, INCAF, and members of the UN-DAC Dialogue.
- Provide technical support and guidance to UNHCR divisions and regional bureaus on HDP financing.
- Develop an approach on enhancing UNHCR engagement on development and peacebuilding financing in relation to forced displacement.

ESSENTIAL MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE REQUIRED
Required Qualifications and Professional Experience
- Advanced University Degree in Finance, Economics, Statistics, Development Finance, Innovative Finance or related field;
- Minimum 8-10 years of relevant professional experience on HDP financing, financial tracking or policy dialogue on HDP financing;
- Excellent data and statistical gathering and analysis skills;
- Experience with donor and stakeholder coordination;
- Strong and up-to-date knowledge of development finance, notably in fragile and conflict-affected situations.
- Excellent analytical, drafting and oral communication skills.

Desirable Professional Experience
- Experience of working with synergies between the humanitarian-development nexus.
- Experience working with government financing and tracking.
- Knowledge of forced displacement and fragile contexts.

Language requirements
Excellent knowledge of English. Working knowledge of French desirable

Required languages (expected Overall ability is at least B2 level): English

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Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

Nature of Position:

Living and Working Conditions:

Additional Qualifications

SkillsCL-Strategy Development and Monitoring, CO-Drafting and Documentation, CO-Strategic Communication, IM-Knowledge Management, MG-Partnership Development, PG-Results-Based Management, PR-Refugee Protection Principles and Framework, SO-Critical Thinking and problem solving, SO-Networking, UN-Policy Advocacy in UNHCR

EducationBachelor of Arts (BA): Development Economics (Required), Bachelor of Arts (BA): Development Studies (Required), Bachelor of Arts (BA): International Relations (Required), Bachelor of Arts (BA): Law (Required), Bachelor of Arts (BA): Political Science (Required), Bachelor of Arts (BA): Socio-Economic Development (Required)

Certifications

Work Experience

CompetenciesAccountability, Analytical thinking, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Empowering & building trust, Judgement & decision making, Leadership, Organizational awareness, Political awareness, Stakeholder management, Strategic planning & visions, Teamwork & collaboration

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Functional clearanceThis position requires Functional Clearance