Country: Uganda
Closing date: 03 Apr 2018
From 1/5/2018 to 31/10/2018 (6 months)
- General Background
Uganda has received an unprecedented influx of refugees in 2016, 2017 and early 2018, tripling the refugee population to over 1.411 million people by January 2018 (of whom 1,045,236 are South Sudanese and 251,730 are from DRC). Women and children represent 82 per cent of the refugee population, with children alone making up 61 per cent of all refugees in the country. The country has become one of the largest asylum countries worldwide, and the Government with UNHCR manage and coordinate a response for several different populations and influxes involving more than 100 partner organisations, as well as donors and other stakeholders. The refugee response is one of the most progressive in the world and Uganda is under the spotlight as a 'model' for the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF).
The Deputy Representative manages a wide portfolio and has to stay abreast of a huge range of issues, leading several processes involving Government, partners, donors, coordinating within the office and contributing to coherence between sections and offices across the operation. The amount of correspondence and information received by the Deputy Representative is substantial, and organisation and prioritisation is crucial. Organisation of meetings, preparation and follow up is important to ensure staff in the operation are well informed and their needs responded to.
The incumbent receives guidance from the Deputy Representative and liaises closely with the Representative's Executive Assistant and colleagues in all sections of the office, HQ, and in the field on matters of non-routine significance in order to prepare documents for the Deputy Representative and manage the flow of information.
Regular contact with external parties, including UN offices, donors, partners, international organizations and local government are made to provide the supervisor contacts, with background information on relevant topics prior to meetings, to respond to queries on behalf of the Deputy Representative at his/her discretion, and to obtain the assistance of others on matters of relevance to the office.
- Purpose & Scope of Assignment
The incumbent will **
Manage and identify priority matters in the flow of information to the Supervisor, including proposing actions; analyze supporting documentation and summarizing the most relevant points for the Supervisor; contribute to ensuring that appropriate action is taken by responsible Section Heads.
• Monitor and identify critical and emerging issues; recommend approaches and alternatives; anticipate political and sensitive issues, research information, gather facts, identify resource requirements, develop alternatives and coordinate a timely response.
• In close consultation with the supervisor, advise on practices for digital content management, automation, and office management information systems (MIS).
• Support monitoring and coordination of risk management considerations as directed.
• Follow-up on policies and instructions presented by the Supervisor. Keep the Supervisor aware of developments in UNHCR’s major world-wide operations and of policy issues related directly to UNHCR or to humanitarian issues under the broader UN system.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with Section Heads to secure timely and authoritative information relevant to matters requiring action, decisions or the signature of the Supervisor.
• Prepare for review, briefs, drafts of position papers, office reports, guidance notes, and other documents relevant to the activities of the Office that represent UNHCR’s overall policies and which highlight specific areas of concern.
• Propose and draft substantive correspondence for the Supervisor.
• Accompany the Supervisor to meetings and on missions as directed. Ensure the Supervisor has all necessary and relevant material by researching relevant information, establishing contacts (within and outside UNHCR), draft talking points, prepare notes on discussions, track follow up matters, and support the Supervisor with any relevant input.
• Attend meetings on behalf of the Supervisor as directed, to gather information, identify issues and to report out on goals, priorities and implications.• Perform other related duties as required. **
- Monitoring & Progress Control
Effectively coordinates the office information flow coherence and systems
- Monitors policies and practices for improving information security and records management
- Supports a high degree of organization for the Deputy Representative to enable good communication and transparency for the office• Efficiently monitors and tracks correspondence and office reports*
- Efficiently monitors and tracks correspondence and office reports.
• Monitors policies and practices for improving information security and records management• Supports a high degree of organization for the Deputy Representative to enable good Communication and transparency for the office.**
- Qualification & experience
- Education
- Undergraduate degree (equivalent of a BA/BS) in Political Science, Economics, Public Policy, International Relations or other related fields.
- Work experience
- Minimum 5 years of previous job experience relevant to the function
- Minimum 3 years of experience in public policy advice, risk assessment, and complex strategic analysis.
- Experience in advising on and implementing office information management systems
- Experience delivering in a demanding, results-oriented environment while working within tight time constraints to meet deadlines with high quality work.
- A proven ability to act with discretion and diplomacy is essential.
- Excellent written and spoken English, including drafting and editing skills.
- Advanced computer skills, for MS Office Suite, specifically Word, SharePoint, and Excel. • Fluency in English
- Key Competencies
- Analytical Thinking
- Innovation and Creativity
- Technological Awareness
- Planning and Organizing
- Relationship Building
- Prior exposure to UNHCR refugee operations and functions relating to office administration and programme activities is an added advantage. **
How to apply:
Please apply to :