Deadline: 31 August 2013
Open to: talented professionals worldwide under 40 years of age who have a passion for humanitarian work. Candidates should have a Bachelor’s degree, two years of experience and knowledge of English and another UN language
Remuneration: salaried position at the UN P2 level
Description
The UN refugee agency has launched a new programme aimed at attracting some of the world’s top young professionals to work for UNHCR in the field from next year. The Entry-Level Humanitarian Professional Programme (EHP) is open to highly qualified applicants from outside the organization and to general service, national professional and field service staff within UNHCR, giving them a rare chance to join the international professional career stream.
UNHCR is seeking people to work in five areas: protection; programme; admin/finance; supply; and human resources. Selected candidates will become associate officers at the P2 level. They will start on the same day, learn from each other, and then be deployed to the field for a two-year assignment.
Established in December 1950, UNHCR is mandated to lead and coordinate international action to protect and assist refugees, internally displaced people and others of concern. In more than six decades, UNHCR has helped tens of millions of people restart their lives. In 2012 alone, the agency had responsibility for 35.8 million people of concern and operated in more than 120 countries.
The Entry-Level Humanitarian Professional Programme, or EHP, is a competitive point of entry into UNHCR for talented professionals under 40 years of age who have a passion for humanitarian work. This recruitment initiative is designed to identify highly qualified and motivated individuals with the right profiles, willing to be deployed to locations where they are needed most.
Candidates are invited to apply to the following job profiles (without any specific location):
- Associate Protection Officer: Coordinate, ensure quality, provide timely and effective protection responses to the needs of populations of concern, ensuring that operational responses in all sectors mainstream protection methodologies and integrate protection safeguards.
- Associate Programme Officer: Assist in the planning, programming, implementation and monitoring of assistance projects to persons of concern.
- Associate Supply Officer: Manage and support all activities pertaining to the supply chain function including planning, sourcing, transport, shipping, customs clearance and warehousing management in an operation.
- Associate Administrative/Finance Officer: Assist in the day-to-day personnel and administrative operations of the office. Control and check the monthly accounts and various administrative activities, in order to verify and certify disbursements are in accordance with the administrative budget and UNHCR’s Financial Rules.
- Associate Human Resources Officer: Assist in the process of staffing and budget reviews, recruitment and appointment of staff, and in the performance management and staff welfare issues.
For further details, please see the Frequently Asked Questions page HERE.
Remuneration
Selected candidates will join the programme at the P2 level on a two-year cohort program and will be deployed to the field after having completed a comprehensive orientation program in early 2014. The EHP is open to both external and internal applicants.
Eligibility
Applicants will need to fulfill the following minimum requirements:
- Advanced university degree, at least a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution;
- Two years of relevant working experience in the respective functional area;
- Excellent knowledge of English and at least one other UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish). Additional languages are an asset;
- Ability to work in a multicultural team;
- Willingness to serve in conflict zones, deep field locations;
- Willingness to rotate every few years.
In addition, UNHCR staff members should have completed at least one year of their current assignment as of the cut-off date for applications. General Service and field staff at the GS-6/GS-7 and FS-5 levels who do not have a bachelor’s degree but who have a minimum of six years of experience in UNHCR, will also be eligible to apply.
Application
The deadline for applications is 31 August 2013. Applicants are reminded that this is a competitive program and are requested to provide as much updated information as possible.
Applicants must go to the website HERE and click on the link on the right side to apply. All selected candidates must accept the offer within two weeks of notification. Appointment as an EHP cohort member will be subject to satisfactory medical examination; verification of references; and certification of valid diplomas.
Questions regarding the EHP-Programme should be addressed to hqehp@unhcr.org. For more information, please see the official website HERE.
