Innovation Officer at United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

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

• Establish a system for the identification, catalysation and scaling up of promising practices within UNHCR, which enables that existing and/or emerging innovations are scaled to increase value for refugees and other PoC, for Partners, and for UNHCR.
• Foster the establishment of strategic partnerships with external actors and individuals, including from academia, civil society, and small, as well as large scale private sector organisations.
• Provide ongoing support to multiple innovation projects as a team-member, bringing skills, experiences, and expertise       in innovation processes to bear with other internal stakeholders requiring support, and with other members of the Innovation Service.
• Focus on supporting the build-up of evidence to scale already supported projects within the Innovation Service.
• Provide remote support and technical guidance in monitoring and evidence-building to UNHCR operations which are in the scale up phase of pilot initiatives.
• Apply relevant research, evidence and data-driven decision making to support UNHCR and Partners in the scale up of programmes, through assisting in documenting, codifying and disseminating key programme processes and lessons learned.
• Ensure that innovative solutions build-on/strengthen existing local capacities, including community representation and coordination structures.
• Work with UNHCR operations to strengthen buy-in, commitment and resourcing for projects which are ready to scale ¿ ensuring sustainability and/or scalability of innovations.
• Develop and share guidance and tools, based on field testing, to provide practical support to humanitarian actors.
• Ensure that AGD sensitive analyses, rights and community-based approaches inform human-centred design processes.
• Through direct engagement with key networks, stay abreast of practices around scaling innovations in humanitarian settings and provide thought leadership to external actors.
• Actively build appropriate partnerships with national, regional and global actors to leverage expertise and bring in required skills and appropriate resources at field level.
• Manage funding opportunities for project partners or UNHCR field operations, either thought the management of a fund or supporting projects managed by innovation fund opportunities.
• Liaise internally with key stakeholders including the Division of International Protection and the Division of Resilience and Solutions to ensure coherency of approaches.
• Stay abreast of new innovations and technologies; especially those with the potential to support scaling initiatives.
• Work collaboratively with communities, UNHCR staff and partners to design, develop and deliver innovative solutions to improve information sharing, community dialogue and complaints management in emergency response.
• Provide technical guidance to Innovation Fellows, particularly those with a specific focus on evidence building for decision making around scale.
• Support Innovation colleagues to design, develop and deliver innovative solutions within areas of their thematic interest including, but not limited to, data, connectivity, energy and education.
• Provide a critical analysis of impediments, or areas that require adjustment in order for increased scale, adoption, or diffusion to take place.
• Advocate internally for decisions to be taken that incorporate changes required for the successful scale, adoption, or diffusion of promising practices.
• Establish a network of thought leaders and allies within and outside of UNHCR around the challenges of scale within the humanitarian and UN systems.
• Make decisions on the design and delivery process for scaling across UNHCR, and outside of the Organisation.
• Identify and form collaborative partnerships within UNHCR, and outside of the Organisation.
• Decide, in collaboration with other relevant team members, upon communication efforts within and external to UNHCR around the process of scale, including lessons learned and promising practices.
• Lead the Service¿s advisory efforts on processes of scale, both internally and externally.
• Lead Innovation Service projects, and/or support to other internal innovation efforts as and when requested/appropriate.
• Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

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

Field(s) of Education

1. Development; Humanitarian Law;
2. Refugee Law; Human Rights Law; or other relevant field.

Certificates and/or Licenses

not specified

Relevant Job Experience

Essential:

• Experience driving programmes of scale within a UN or partner organisation. Experience of forging and/or maintaining partnerships and collaborative working methods, simultaneously with a range of stakeholders, including private sector entities, donor governments, civil society, communities of concern, INGO, NNGO, and other UN entities. Experience applying Innovation and/or innovative methodologies in forced displacement contexts. Significant experience of providing support to a range of operations through capacity building around scale, evidence building and provision of guidance and creation of tools. Solid experience of assessing and adopting multiple methods and partnerships in order to achieve scale, increased adoption, or diffusion of promising practices. Solid experience in managing funding mechanisms for innovative or other projects. Experience delivering training, and knowledge transfer to partners and UNHCR staff. Experience working for research and development organisations, producing data and evidence on the basis for key decisions to be made. Experience working in organisations with multi-year planning processes, such as development agencies, whether governmental, UN, or other.

Desirable:

A strong understanding of theory, principles, established approaches and evidence concerning effective innovation and programme design. Experience working directly with a media/media development agency. Ability to create and edit content using a range of audio visual media. Previous experience working with UNHCR in an emergency operation.

Functional Skills

• MG-Decision Making
• MG-Team Building
• PR-Experience in Forced Displacement situations
• HR-Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Management

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.

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.
    
Position Competencies

• C001L3 Accountability Level 3
• C002L3 Teamwork & Collaboration Level 3
• C003L3 Communication Level 3
• C004L3 Commitment to Continuous Learning Level 3
• C005L3 Client & Result Orientation Level 3
• C006L3 Organizational Awareness Level 3
• M001L3 Empowering and Building Trust Level 3
• M003L3 Judgement and Decision Making Level 3
• X002L3 Innovation and Creativity Level 3
• X005L3 Planning and Organizing Level 3
• X006L3 Policy Development & Research Level 3

    
Additional  Information   

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).
    
Additional  Information

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.