Nature of the Position

The Multi-country Office (MCO) in Canberra covers the bilateral engagement with Australia and New Zealand along with 14 Pacific States (the latter also includes engagement with regional fora).

The External Relations Officer works directly with the Deputy Representative and coordinate closely with the Representative as well as UNHCR Asia Bureau in Bangkok and UNHCR HQ in Geneva. External contacts are predominantly with partners, media, government embassies and other international organisations on matters of importance to the Organisation.

The External Relations Officer will take the lead in keeping the media, policymakers, the public and external stakeholders fully apprised of UNHCR’s global operations and the needs of refugees and other persons of concerns. Responsibilities will also include overall communications, outreach, and public information including media & social media engagement, content production, and development of core messaging on various global themes and refugee emergency situations to the public.

The position will be responsible for creating and implementing outreach strategies, events and other initiatives to lead and support UNHCR’s strategic objectives and to bring positive refugee messaging to the public including working with partners such as but not limited to NGOs, sports organisations, faith-based leaders, the business community, educational institutions and others.

This work will require substantial internal coordination among various teams within UNHCR, including with global campaigns, social, Goodwill Ambassadors, private sector partners, and others, as well as with the national partner for fundraising, Australia for UNHCR.

The External Relations Officer will also assist in producing materials for media use, including op-eds, speeches, press releases and materials for pitching story ideas to the media. This work will be conducted in coordination with the Deputy Representative and the Representative of the MCO as well as when appropriate with relevant teams in UNHCR Asia Bureau in Bangkok and UNHCR HQ in Geneva.

Demonstration of regional political acuity and good understanding of the refugee and humanitarian context in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific region as well as good knowledge of government humanitarian funding mechanisms and private sector fundraising in the region would be desirable.

The work of this position will require domestic travel and occasional international travel.

Due to the fast-changing environment and the wide breath of tasks of the External Relations Officer, the ideal candidate will be flexible, adaptable, comfortable with working in a fast-paced environment and have the ability to work well with other team members especially under pressure.

Position Scope

Type of Persons of Concern

• Refugees
• Asylum Seekers
• Stateless
• Others of Concern

Organisational Setting and Work Relationships

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

• Stay abreast of the challenges posed by the political context, the UN and humanitarian reform, and institutional developments in the area of forced displacement and humanitarian operations.
• Assist the implementation of a communications strategy that generates support for UNHCR’s operations from external partners (e.g. the general public, governments, partners, the media, academia and persons of concern).
• Assist in the articulation of all issues pertaining to the needs of the populations of concern and the strategies in place to respond to their needs.
• Assist in the dialogue with donors and embassies and provide accurate information by organising regular briefings, bilateral meetings and missions. Prepare reports as appropriate.
• In accordance with the operational context and in close cooperation with headquarters, propose new and non-traditional funding sources, including private sector and humanitarian pooled/basket funds (e.g. Central Emergency Response Fund, Human Security Fund).
• Through a consultative process with headquarters, disseminate information on UNHCR’s global funding situation and mobilise additional funds to implement special projects aimed at enhancing the quality of protection for persons of concern in the country operation.
• Participate on behalf of the Representative and other supervisors in inter-agency cooperation and communication strategies, initiatives and tools.
• Support senior management in representing UNHCR in the UN Country Team and other UN coordination fora.
• Support, and participate in, local UN integrated missions, Inter-Agency Standing Committee, Emergency Relief Coordinator and Cluster communication strategies and initiatives.

• Assist in the management of information flows within the country operations by identifying priority matters, securing, analysing and disseminating documentation and information to support country operations and corporate communication processes and priorities.
• Consolidate information on UNHCR’s country operations and identify appropriate messages for campaigns and appeals.
• Assist in the coordination of the drafting of, situation reports, briefing notes, background material, talking points, fact sheets, press releases and articles.
• Assist in the development of targeted communications strategies and media packages for situations and/or activities that require focused attention.
• Propose events and initiatives (e.g. commercial, cultural, political and sports) to promote the work of UNHCR and take action as appropriate.
• Support the management of media relations by, inter alia, responding to direct queries, publishing press releases and organising regular briefings and visits to country operations.
• On behalf of the Representative, approve fundraising messages.
• On behalf of the Representative, approve any relevant expenditure for the implementation of fundraising activities.
• Implement all aspects of a communications strategy.
• Approve budgets and expenditures for communications activities.
• Clear external relations/communication products and tools as appropriate.
• Represent UNHCR on behalf of senior management in fund-raising and communication priorities in inter-agency initiatives and external public events.

• Perform other related duties as required.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education & Professional Work Experience

Years of Experience / Degree Level

For P3/NOC - 6 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 5 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 4 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree

Certificates and/or Licenses

Not specified

Relevant Job Experience

Essential:

Experience in humanitarian operations in a field environment. Excellent knowledge of local institution, politics and culture.

Desirable:

Good knowledge of UNHCR operations both at Headquarters and in the Field. Fundraising and programming/programme management experience. Experience of working with social media.

Language Requirements

Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.

Functional Skills

• MS-Drafting, Documentation, Data Presentation
• IT-Web Content Management
• IT-Computer Literacy
• MS-Translation
• ER-Communications/media/digital/social media communications/monitoring/analysis/presentation
• ER-Inter-Agency External Relations

Competency Requirements

Core Competencies

• Accountability
• Communication
• Organisational Awareness
• Teamwork & Collaboration
• Commitment to Continuous Learning
• Client & Result Orientation

Managerial Competencies

• Managing Performance
• Empowering and Building Trust
• Judgement and Decision Making
• Managing Resources

Cross-Functional Competencies

• Analytical Thinking
• Innovation and Creativity
• Political Awareness

Eligibility

Current NPO staff members holding an indefinite or fixed-term appointment are eligible to apply to advertised positions in the NPO category at their personal grade and one grade below or above, as internal (group 1) candidates.

All other candidates are eligible to apply to positions in the NPO category as external candidates (including UNHCR GS staff members holding a university degree and fulfilling eligibility requirements, regardless of grade or length of service, who may apply to any vacant NPO position in their country of assignment for which they qualify).

Please note that all candidates must be Australian citizens.

Interested staff members should consult the UNHCR/AI/2020/1/Rev.2, Effective 16 March 2021 - Recruitment and Assignment of Locally Recruited Staff (RALS). If you have questions regarding your eligibility, you may also contact the HR Unit.

An applicant who has internal status is a staff member holding an indefinite or fixed-term appointment in any duty station in a specific country that has been appointed by the Deputy High Commissioner or designated representative through the AC or previous joint staff-management bodies (i.e. APPC).

Candidates must be Australian citizens.

Owing to the large volume of applications only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Shortlisted applicants will be required to sit a written test.

The Personal History Form and the selection criteria are attached.