Deadline for Applications
Hardship Level
Family Type
Family Type
Residential location (if applicable)
Grade
Staff Member / Affiliate Type
Reason
Regular > Regular AssignmentTarget Start Date
Standard Job Description
Chief of European Institutions Section
Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Chief of European Institutions Section reports to the Representative or Bureau Director, as appropriate. S/he has overall supervisory and leadership responsibility for UNHCR's relationship with the European Union institutions as donor to UNHCR. S/he supervises the UNHCR Brussels donor relations team which comprises of a diverse team of international and local staff.
The incumbent works with the Bureaux, Division of External Relations (DER) and other Services on a broad range of EU operational and policy issues. This requires extensive external contacts in EU institutions, other UN agencies, NGOs and Member States' representations as well as a multiplicity of internal contacts within UNHCR especially Headquarters in Geneva and Budapest, field, and at the duty station.
The incumbent often represents UNHCR in external EU fora, including the European Commission, European Parliament and European Council on a broad range of subjects related to UNHCR's global work to protect and meet the needs of persons of concern. Advocacy is undertaken as a resource mobilization mechanism especially as EU services do not provide funding as a direct response to UNHCR appeals but design their own operational strategies and allocate funding based on their assessments of efficiency, effectiveness and expertise of selected partners. In light of ECHO's prominent role in the humanitarian community, advocacy and engagement in policy discussions on various humanitarian subjects (e.g. coordination, cash assistance, GBV) is important. Equally, promoting greater collaboration between the humanitarian and development arms of the EU on forced displacement issues is a key means of unlocking new development funding opportunities.
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
- Develop UNHCR's fund-raising strategy for European Institutions and coordinate related actions ensuring that UNHCR's funding needs and the needs of persons of concern to UNHCR are understood, and that UNHCR takes full advantage of all funding opportunities.
- Nurture the partnership with key EU services such as ECHO and DEVCO, ensuring active UNHCR engagement and provision of inputs to thematic policy dialogues initiated by EU interlocutors.
- Support the development of regional/country fund raising strategies in relation to specific funding instruments of the EU (e.g. Trust Funds, IPA, ECHO funding) in collaboration with DER, respective Regional Bureaux and Operations.
- Advise the Country Representative and the Head of Donor Relations and Resource Mobilisation (DRRM) Service at Headquarters on all matters concerning the European Union institutions as donor to UNHCR's programmes.
- Oversee the work of the donor relations team in Brussels and coordinate with DRRM to ensure that UNHCR funding submissions and reporting are of high quality and delivered in a timely manner, so that funding support and the credibility of the institution are maintained.
- Represent UNHCR in a wide variety of senior level contacts with the European Institutions (Commission, Council and Parliament) as well as with EU Member States' representations in Brussels, in order to promote UNHCR's views and priorities, and make sure they are taken into account in EU policy and operations.
- Ensure that UNHCR field offices and Headquarters are properly informed of European Union funding opportunities in a timely manner, and that field staff are trained with regard to requirements attached to European funding.
- Coordinate with relevant units in DER to ensure adequate visibility for donations from European Institutions.
- In coordination with others in RR Brussels and Headquarters, help to ensure a cohesive UNHCR approach at the level of the European Institutions to policy issues of importance to UNHCR and in particular those which impact on the relationship between UNHCR and the EU as donor.
- Lead risk assessments and discussions with team(s) to proactively manage risks and seize opportunities impacting objectives. Ensure that risk management principles are integrated in decision-making both at strategic and operational levels. Allocate resources for planned treatments with resource requirements in Strategic Plans. Ensure that risks are managed to acceptable levels and escalate, as needed. If a Risk Owner, designate the Risk Focal Point and certify that the annual risk review is completed and ensure that the risk register is updated during the year, as needed.
- Perform other related duties as required.
Minimum Qualifications
Education & Professional Work Experience
Years of Experience / Degree Level
For P5 - 12 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 11 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 10 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree
Field(s) of Education
Social Science, Political Science, International Relations,
Economics, Law or other relevant field.
Certificates and/or Licenses
Not specified
Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Not specified
Desirable
Broad UNHCR field experience.
Knowledge of the European institutions, of fund-raising practices and techniques.
Good written and oral communications skills.
High level of comfort with public speaking.
Strong managerial skills suited to leading a diverse team and handling a wide range of subject matter.
Functional Skills
PS-Fundraising (incl. operations, programmes)
PS-Public Relations
MG-Team building (development/facilitation)
(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
Required languages (expected Overall ability is at least B2 level):
,
,
Desired languages
,
,
Operational context
To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit this link:
The Chief of European Institutions Section reports to the MCO Belgium Representative. S/he has overall supervisory and leadership responsibility for UNHCR's relationship with the European Union institutions as donor and strategic partner to UNHCR globally. S/he supervises the External Relations/fundraising Unit which comprises eight staff (two P4 Senior External Relations Officers and six External Relations Associates) and collaborate closely with the Head of the Policy and Legal Support Unit (PLUS), communication and political engagement teams. The incumbent works with GPS, the Regional Bureaux and other Divisions on a broad range of EU operational and policy issues related to financial and non-transactional partnerships between the EU and UNHCR globally. This requires extensive external contacts in EU institutions, other UN agencies and development/international financial actors, NGOs and Member States' representations as well as a multiplicity of internal contacts within UNHCR especially Headquarters in Geneva and in the field. The incumbent often represents UNHCR in external EU fora, including the European Commission, European Parliament and European Council on a broad range of subjects related to UNHCR's global work to protect and find solutions for forcibly displaced, stateless and local communities. Her/his primary responsibility is to provide a strategic vision for resource mobilization and strategic partnerships with the various Commission’s DG (ECHO, INTPA, MENA and ENEST in particular) and to coordinate the implementation of the strategy through the involvement of the team based in Brussels and GPS/field. Advocacy and engagement in policy discussions on various humanitarian-development subjects, as well as political acumen in relation to identifying the strategic interest of the EU, both Commission and MS, to address forcible displacement and strong drafting / communication skills are important.
Brussels (Belgium) is a European capital and a H family duty station.
For more details on working & Living Conditions in Belgium, see on intranet at:
https://intranet.unhcr.org/content/intranet/unhcr/en/home/staff_resources/administrative_forms/living-conditions-in-the-field---publications/_jcr_content/mainpar/multidownload/multidownloadItems/multidownloadfile_18/file/file.res/Living%20Conditions%20Brussels%202013-08-26%20x.pdf
Excellent working and living conditions.
Offices in the Western European region invest in security upgrades as needed and all are MOSS compliant. Brussels does not face any particular security concerns, but like all major cities in the region may be subject to indiscriminate terrorist acts.
Additional Qualifications
Skills
Education
Certifications
Work Experience
Competencies
Accountability, Analytical thinking, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Empowering & building trust, Judgement & decision making, Leadership, Managing performance, Managing resource, Organizational awareness, Political awareness, Stakeholder management, Strategic planning & visions, Teamwork & collaborationUNHCR Salary Calculator
https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales
Additional Information
Functional clearance