Title: Associate Project Officer – Somali Speaking
Duty Station: Mogadishu, Somalia
Duration: Start date is ideally 1 February 2021 until 31 December 2021. Possibility of extension.
Contract Type: UNOPS International – IICA 1
Closing date: 03 January 2021
Background
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is a global organisation 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. UNHCR is mandated to lead and coordinate international action to protect and assist refugees and other persons of concern.
Organisational context
To work in the context of the Somali segments of a project called Telling the real story – Information campaign (www.tellingtherealstory.org).
This is an information campaign that reaches out to Somali refugees, members of the host communities, including IDPs and migrants with a view to inform them about the full scope of the perils and difficulties related to irregular onward movements to Europe. The information campaign enables concerned people to take an informed decision about their plans and about possible onward movements.
The objectives of Telling the Real Story are:
- Countering the narrative of smugglers and inform segments of the Somali community of the full scope of dangers associated with irregular movement to and life in Europe;
- Maintain and reinforce the intra-community discourse on the dangers of irregular movement by countering the narrative of smugglers and undermining their credibility;
The Associate Project Officer, under the direct supervision of the Protection Officer in the Sub Office Mogadishu, functional supervision by the Project Manager in HQ and in close cooperation with other competent offices, will be responsible for the overall coordination and dissemination of the project in regions of Banadir (Mogadishu), South West State (Baidoa) and Jubaland (Kismayo, Dhobley and Dollo).
Duties and responsibilities
The Associate Project Officer will be responsible for the following:
- Dissemination of the project to different segments of the Somali community including refugees, IDPs, returnees and asylum seekers;
- Establish close working relations with Federal and state level structures in the development and dissemination of information and awareness activities on the risks and dangers of clandestine and irregular migration;
- Actively participate in Mixed Migration Task Force meetings and represent UNHCR in these meetings;
- Take a lead role in establishing and nurturing partnerships with stakeholders, build networks with existing anti-trafficking associations and governmental authorities;
- Develop and sustain strategic relationships with celebrity supporters and interlocutors to expand advocacy activities;
- Provide information on complementary pathways should they be made available;
- Identify, establish and maintain active interaction/relations with media in order to reach the wider population;
- In close consultation with the UNHCR teams, he/she will work towards ensuring sustainability of the project through co-designing sustainable models for the project continuity with partners and UNHCR programme officers;
- Analyse existing data in order to provide operations information on trends and lead research into gaps in information concerning onwards movement;
- Through direct engagement with the community, the Associate Project Officer will analyse existing trends, motivations for departure and misinformation provided within the community and by smugglers particularly related to current mixed migration developments;
- Develop real-time evaluation strategies of the campaign to enable the adjustment of ongoing activities;
- Drive engagement and awareness-raising activities through combining different communication outputs aimed at re-framing the discourse to counter the narrative of the smugglers and inform the community and particularly children of the full scope of dangers associated with irregular movement to and life in Europe;
- Formulation of mixed migration-related messages targeting different audience i.e. Government, partners, members of Somali community among others
- Hold regular awareness raising activities, when possible, intended for different segments of the population. The activities will involve – and not limited to, distributing the children’s book and visibility material in refugee schools, hold sessions with parents and guardians, screen testimonies, hold focus group discussions, organize community engagement sessions using a range of mechanisms such as theater, poetry, art,etc;
- Keep internal regional/HQ abreast of activities and progress through regular reports;
- Liaise closely with Associate Project Officers for Somaliland and Puntland to ensure project activity coherence across the operation;
- Develop messages and create campaign materials.
Essential minimum qualifications and professional experience required
- Advanced university degree (Masters or equivalent) in communication, political science, international relations, migration studies or related field;
- Capacity to develop strategic communication visions;
- A minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in public information, migration management or related areas;
- Work experience in the field of refugee protection and assistance would be an asset. Knowledge of UN policies and procedures;
- Basic understanding of international refugee protection and UNHCR’s mandate;
- Conceptual and practical understanding of protection issues and approaches in humanitarian contexts, including the constraints, sensitivities and risks associated with such work;
- General familiarity with the regional mixed migration dynamics;
- Excellent analytical skills and strategic thinking;
- Experience of working with persons of concern;
- Proven ability to establish and maintain strong working relations with relevant Government counterparts;
- Excellent command of English and Somali (written, oral, comprehension) including highly developed drafting skills and;
- Field experience is an asset;
Location
The Associate Project Officer will be stationed in UNHCR Sub-Office Mogadishu, Somalia and may be required to undertake field missions as and when needed.
The candidate will be expected to begin by teleworking awaiting deployment pending easing of Covid-19 measures.
To apply
Interested applicants should submit an updated and signed UNHCR Personal History Form (P11) and a motivation letter in English by 03 January 2021 to Ms. Christa Awuor Odinga at [email protected]
Applications without a P11 will not be considered. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.
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: 03 January, 2021
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