Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
In humanitarian emergencies where UNHCR is designated as the Shelter Cluster (SC) Lead Agency under the Cluster Approach, the Associate Shelter Cluster Coordination Officer performs a dedicated coordination function. This function will be usually performed at sub national level and the incumbent will report to a P4 or P5 Shelter Cluster Coordinator at national level on functional issues and to the respective Head of Office on administrative issues. In some cases of large emergencies, the incumbent may perform a function of deputy cluster coordinator at the national level in support of the P4 or P5 Shelter Cluster Coordinator reporting directly to them.
The Associate Shelter Cluster Coordination Officer supports coordination functions in order to ensure UNHCR¿s role as the Shelter Cluster (SC) Lead Agency under the Cluster Approach. The incumbent supports UNHCR¿s commitment to work within the framework of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) and the Cluster Approach. The Associate Shelter Cluster Coordination Officer also contributes to cross-sectoral coordination with other related clusters such as WASH, CCCM, Protection (HLP) and others, supports the mainstreaming of early recovery activities and cross-cutting issues into the work of the Shelter Cluster, especially age, gender, diversity, HIV, and environment.
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
Strategic Direction and Coordination
– Establish strong working relationships with the cluster members in the Area of Responsibility (AoR) in order to facilitate effective collaboration and communication.
– Provide coordination services, including meetings, in line with the Principles of Partnership, in an inclusive, effective and results-oriented manner.
– Under the framework of Inter-Agency contingency Plan, support the revision of existing contingency planning and emergency preparedness measures and ensure they are updated and developed.
– Contribute to the development of a SC strategy that is part of the overall multi-sectoral response, that is owned by shelter partners and the government counterpart and that is revised as the situation evolves.
– Promote accountability to affected population, participation of local and national stakeholders such as civil groups, and ensure coordination with government counterparts and other relevant authorities.
– Support the evaluation of the cluster¿s performance. Based on the feedback of this evaluation, work with Shelter Cluster members to support the development of a plan of response to improve the cluster¿s performance.
Needs Assessment, Resources Mobilization and Allocation
– Contribute to the facilitation and coordination within the Shelter Cluster or Inter-Cluster level shelter needs assessments, including participatory assessments
– Support the system to ensure the timely availability of data to inform operational decisions by partners and strategic decisions of the Humanitarian Country Team.
– Contribute to the development of common funding criteria, resource mobilisation and prioritization within the SC for inclusion in Consolidated Appeals and pooled funds processes.
– Contribute to the establishment of mechanisms for accountable and transparent financial resource allocation within the cluster.
Capacity Development
– Support capacity building of the government counterpart or the organization that will take over the coordination of the cluster once this is phased out.
– Contribute to the delivery of shelter training activities for SC members, other local partners, and relevant authorities.
– Contribute to initiatives to build the shelter capacity of the national and local government, partners and civil society.
Standard Setting and Implementation
– Contribute to ensuring that the shelter response is informed by appropriate relevant Technical Standards including among others Sphere, and good practice.
– Support appropriate collaboration with shelter response-related clusters of CCCM, Early Recovery, Education, Health, Logistics, Protection and WASH in the work of the Shelter Cluster.
– Support the integration of cross-cutting issues in the work of the Shelter Cluster, including age, gender, environment, diversity.
Information Management, Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting
– Contribute to development and implementation of SC information management strategy and mechanism to report and share information within the Shelter Cluster, with the other clusters, with the government, with the overall humanitarian community including donors, with UNHCR internal mechanisms, and with the Global Shelter Cluster.
– Support the production of analytical shelter reports, including the Factsheet;
– Support the maintenance of an updated SC website and the production of regular updates on the shelter concerns of the affected population, the response by the shelter actors, the gaps, challenges and recommendations.
– Promote and support monitoring and evaluation of the impact of operations carried out by cluster members and the performance of the coordination team.
Advocacy, Promotion and Fundraising
– Identify core advocacy concerns for the SC through a consultative process.
– Participate when requested in meetings with sectoral and external partners, authorities, donors and other relevant interlocutors.
– Support the development of reports and advocacy statements on behalf of the Shelter Cluster.
– With the support of the supervisor, approach donors and other potential sources of funding to explain the SC strategy, challenges, and progress, and to advocate for funding for the overall shelter sector.
– Coordinate with UNHCR and other partners to maximize communication impact to donors and others on the SC priorities.
– Perform other related duties as required.
Minimum Qualifications
Years of Experience / Degree Level
For P2/NOB – 3 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 2 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 1 year relevant experience with Doctorate degree
Field(s) of Education
Shelter-related sciences (e.g. civil engineering or architecture) or other relevant field.
(Field(s) of Education marked with an asterisk* are essential)
Certificates and/or Licenses
CCCM Cluster Coordination
HCR Coordination
HCR Management UNHCR Tri-Cluster Knowledge and Coordination Skills Workshop
UNHCR Workshop on Emergency Management
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)
Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Knowledge of the Humanitarian reform process and the role of the humanitarian community (UN System, Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, and NGO), preferably in shelter. Knowledge of current humanitarian issues. Good knowledge of shelter-related technical guidelines and standards. Good communication skills.
Desirable
Applied knowledge in UNHCR mandate, its policies and priorities in relation to IDPs, shelter and NFI. Demonstrated expertise in program management and reporting requirements.
Functional Skills
MG-Coordination
CL-Cluster Information Management Tools, Resources and Approaches
PR-Country Operations applying the Cluster Approach
CO-Drafting and Documentation
SP-Shelter and Infrastructure Coordination
SP-Global Shelter Cluster Strategy
(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
The candidate must possess experience working in the field of humanitarian Shelter or Durable Solutions, coordination, advocacy, policy planning with strong demonstration of coordination, facilitation, leadership, training, negotiation and eventually conflict resolution skills in order to be able to effectively lead and coordinate between the protection and Shelter cluster members, and therefore sense of partnership and collaboration are essential.
He/she needs to possess authority and the sense of diplomacy.
Strong networks to keep abreast with changing dynamics within government and development partners strategic interventions in both humanitarian and development areas. Experience of working in inter-agency humanitarian coordination system or cluster system especially in the areas of protection, Durable Solutions, Shelter, with refugees, returnees and IDPs, is an asset.
The Associate Shelter cluster coordinator needs to remain impartial and objectively be able to represent the interests of the members of the Protection Cluster, and, as applicable, working groups of the Protection Cluster which may be led by other Agencies.
Required languages (expected Overall ability is at least B2 level):
French
,
Desired languages
,
Operational context
Background information
The political and security crisis that the country has been experiencing since 2012 continues to generate flows of refugees and internally displaced persons, particularly in the central and northern regions (Mopti, Ségou, Timbuktu, Gao, Ménaka and Kidal), but also, to a lesser extent, in certain regions in the south of the country.
The forced displacements of Malian populations inside the country are not only caused by attacks and threats from terrorist groups and inter and intra-community conflicts, but also by the effects of climate action, including the drought which is extends to more than 80% of the regions with the corollary of a scarcity of water resources and an exponential increase in food needs (1.8 million people are at risk of severe food insecurity), as well as by the displacement of people who are victims of the slavery by descent (representing 5% of internally displaced persons), the majority of which are in the Kayes region.
There are several challenges, including: the destruction/closure of many public infrastructures, including civil registry centers, because of exactions by armed groups; the likely impact on local populations of ongoing discussions on the delimitation of Mali’s borders; the complex situation of long-standing refugees; and the low birth registration rate since the 2012 crisis, particularly among nomadic populations.
The mixed flows of displacements observed since 2019 are due to the worsening of the political and security crisis, the various types of violence (tensions and community clashes) observed in the northern and central regions and the operations of armed actors in localities adjoining the borders of the Burkina Faso and Niger (Liptako-Gourma region).
Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:
Security Considerations
On a 1 to 6 overall security level scale, Bamako is at 4 (substantial) while the central and northern parts of the country are at 5 (high). The capital city is at the same security level as the Southern regions which is higher than those of the Western regions. Notwithstanding Bamako ‘s security level, staff are discouraged from using accommodations that are not recommended by UNDSS or renting apartments in unrecommended suburbs. All accommodations need to be approved, and residential security measures (RSM) implemented.
The capital city ‘s security level 4 rating hides high levels of security threats related to terrorism, civil unrest and criminality. Past incidents and frequent security threats demonstrate that these threats remain a concern. Recent attacks at Kati military barrack (15 km from Bamako) by extremist combatants, reported presence of sleeping cells of terrorist groups in Bamako highlight the intention to harm within Bamako. Furthermore, with a long-lasting socio-political crisis, demonstrations are recurrent in Bamako and other urban locations and are set to take place very often. Up regions, road movements remain the main challenge to the access of POCs due to asymmetric warfare of extremist groups. Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and highway banditry are frequent. UN humanitarian agencies enjoy the broad acceptance by communities through their leaders, but criminals and Non-State Actors are beyond the control of the community leadership. Al Qaeda affiliated groups are present in the center of Mali (Mopti and Tombuktu) while the Islamic State in the Great Sahara operates mostly around Gao and Menaka, yet their demarcation lines of influence overlap very often.
The UN staff remain potential targets of crime, armed assaults, and robberies. The crime threats exist both in Bamako and elsewhere in Mali and are becoming more and more violent. Road Traffic accidents also represent a substantial threat with scores of careless ridings of motorcyclists and driving irresponsibility.
For additional information on occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit this link:
Nature of Position
The candidate must possess experience working in the field of humanitarian Shelter or Durable Solutions, coordination, advocacy, policy planning with strong demonstration of coordination, facilitation, leadership, training, negotiation and eventually conflict resolution skills in order to be able to effectively lead and coordinate between the protection and Shelter cluster members, and therefore sense of partnership and collaboration are essential.
He/she needs to possess authority and the sense of diplomacy.
Strong networks to keep abreast with changing dynamics within government and development partners strategic interventions in both humanitarian and development areas. Experience of working in inter-agency humanitarian coordination system or cluster system especially in the areas of protection, Durable Solutions, Shelter, with refugees, returnees and IDPs, is an asset.
The Associate Shelter cluster coordinator needs to remain impartial and objectively be able to represent the interests of the members of the Protection Cluster, and, as applicable, working groups of the Protection Cluster which may be led by other Agencies.
Living and Working Conditions
Mopti is a `E’ category non-family duty station with 18 months of SAL. Its climate is hot, dry and dusty, the average annual temperature is about 40 °C. The medical facilities are very limited. International United Nations staff members have access to primary health care at the MINUSMA Camp in Mopti. For security reasons, local markets, places of worship, playgrounds, entertainment, and other gathering places are not recommended. In terms of place for provisions, MINUSMA has a shop (B&S) selling some necessities accessible to international staff from United Nations agencies, including UNHCR.
Seven Banking services are available in Mopti, the main currency of transaction being XOF. Possibilities of accommodation renting are relatively limited in particular because of the security aspects. R&R for international staff is 6 weeks cycle. UNHAS and MINUSMA are providing flight support to liaise with Bamako. Armored vehicles are available for movements inside Mopti city and around.
Additional Qualifications
Skills
Education
BA: Architecture (Required), BA: Civil Engineering (Required), BA: Shelter-related sciences (Required)
Certifications
CCCM Cluster Coordination – UNHCR, Emergency Management Workshop – UNHCR, HCR Coordination Learning Program – UNHCR, HCR Management Learning Program – UNHCR, Tri_Cluster Knowledge/Coord Skills – Other
Work Experience
Annual Budget OL in Operation/Office, Number of Workforce in Operation/Work Setting, Workforce to Supervise, Working with Persons of Concern: Asylum Seekers, Working with Persons of Concern: Internally Displaced Persons, Working with Persons of Concern: Others of Concern, Working with Persons of Concern: Refugees
Competencies
Accountability, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Empowering & building trust, Judgement & decision making, Managing resource, Negotiation & conflict resolution, Organizational awareness, Stakeholder management, Teamwork & collaboration
UNHCR Salary Calculator
https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales
Compendium
Add.2 to Bi-annual Compendium 2022 – Part B
Functional clearance
This position requires Functional Clearance
How to apply
For a full job description and to apply, interested candidates are requested to visit https://bit.ly/3JAtLVp
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.
Please note that UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, meeting, travelling, processing, training or any other fees).
Closing date of receipt of applications: 16 February 2023 (midnight Geneva time)
