Senior Programme Officer at United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

Standard Job Description

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships

• The Senior Programme Officer may be based in HQ, field/regional bureau, typically reporting to and be guided by the Chief of Section/Deputy Director/Operations Manager and may supervise a small team of local and international staff. He/she may refer to UNHCR's Programme Manual (Chapter IV), UNHCR's corporate and regional strategic priorities, operation plans and other relevant institutional rules and regulations for further guidance.  
• The Senior Programme Officer will provide strategic programmatic guidance and advice to senior management with regard to the implementation of country or Bureau level protection and solutions strategies within available resources. S/he will coordinate with the other sections/units within the Bureau and/or office(s) across the country/region to ensure harmonized programmatic approaches at all levels and throughout the UNHCR Operations Management Cycle. S/he will work in line with the overall UNHCR directions which crucially require working with partners, including with persons of concern, governmental institutions and the private sector, ensuring that programme management is approached as per UNHCR's Strategic Directions, Global Strategic Priorities (GSPs), Global Compact for Refugees (GCR), corporate positions on SDGs.
• The incumbent is expected to work in line with the multi-functional team (MFT) approach as defined within the Program Manual, ensuring the participation of relevant stakeholders in all phases of the Program Management Cycle.
• 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

• Oversee a coherent approach in assessing and analysing the needs of persons of concern in a participatory manner, using an Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective as basis for planning.
• Provide guidance to office(s) on programmatic aspects of developing multi-year protection and solutions strategies and annual plans with corresponding priorities taking into account corporate priorities.
• Support Results Based Management and programme capacity in light of evolving requirements, programming approaches and gaps.
• Support the planning process in compliance with planning parameters outlined in the Programme Manual and the planning instructions. 
• Ensure effective and results-based resource allocation in the planning processes and cost efficiency in the delivery of outputs. 
• Review and analyse plans, mid-year and year-end reports of UNHCR office(s), ensuring quality assurance and compliance with established policies, guidelines, procedures and standards.
• Support the provision overall direction to broaden partnerships with key stakeholders in order to maximize the protection and solutions response for persons of concern. 
• Guide and provide directions to office(s) in operationalising new and emerging policies, strategies and partnerships, including in an inter-agency context, identifying opportunities and innovative solutions and ensuring compliance with existing standards.  
• Guide office(s) in managing a consultative process to ensure a consistent application of the framework for implementing with partners, including the effective implementation of the policy on selection and retention of partners, management of partnership agreements, risk-based project performance monitoring, and risk-based project audits, among others.
• Actively contribute to UNHCRs programming of community of practice and continuously contributing to improvements of programming tools and processes. 
• Identify potential gaps and problems and in cooperation with other relevant sections recommend appropriate solutions to ensure the efficient implementation of programme activities
• Develop comprehensive assistance programmes that compliment activities implemented from other operational partners. 
• Oversee a timely and effective follow-up of internal and external audits observations and recommendations that relate to programmatic issues. 

Minimum Qualifications

• 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 

• Business Administration, Social Science, Economics, International Relations or other relevant field.
• Certificates and/or Licenses 

Programme Management 

Essential:

• Demonstrated experience in developing and managing humanitarian projects and programmes including the allocation and management of resources. Sound knowledge of the UNHCR Operations Management Cycle Knowledge and practical experience on Results Based-Management. Demonstrated experience in field operations. Sound knowledge on the centrality of protection in programming. Enhanced knowledge on Joint Needs Assessments and the principles of targeting.  

Desirable:

• Demonstrated experience in coordination within an inter-agency context and other actors, in a refugee or humanitarian context. Solid experience in training and capacity building activities.

Functional Skills 

• PG-Resource planning
• PG-Needs Assessment and Response Analysis
• PG-Stakeholder management and coordination with Implementing Partners (Gov/NGO/Corporate)
• PG-UNHCR's Programmes
• PG-Results-Based Management