JOB DESCRIPTION

Hardship Level

E (most hardship)

Family Type

Non Family with Residential Location

Family Type

Non Family with Residential LocationDanger Pay

Residential location (if applicable)

Dakar, Senegal

Grade

NOA

Staff Member / Affiliate Type

National Professional Officer

Reason

Regular > Regular Assignment

Target Start Date

2025-07-10

Deadline for Applications

July 16, 2025

Standard Job Description

Assistant Field Officer

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Assistant Field Officer is normally supervised by the Senior Field Coordinator or Field Officer or Head of Sub-Office/Field Office depending on the structure of the Office. S/he may receive indirect guidance from other sections and units relevant to the country/regional programme(s). UNHCR Manual, programme and protection objectives, Operations Plans, UN and UNHCR financial/budgetary rules and regulations will guide the work of the incumbent.
The incumbent does not normally have any direct supervisory role. S/he has daily contacts with staff in the various field offices and with the functional units at the Country/Regional Office. S/he also has close liaison with a range of local civilian and military authorities and counterparts in NGOs and UN agencies to discuss matters of common interest.

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
– Assess the needs of persons of concern in the AoR and formulate project submissions in collaboration with district authorities and implementing partners.
– Promote and monitor the implementation of assistance projects.
– Report regularly on rate of flow of new arrivals and estimate expected influx based on interviews with persons of concern.
– In co-ordination with implementing partners, assist with the reception, registration and provision of assistance to persons of concern to UNHCR.
– Keep track of cases of detention; register applicants for voluntary repatriation and family reunion.
– Assist in the preparation of monthly sectoral reports and submit material for preparation of periodic project monitoring reports and year-end reports.
– Submit recommendation for protection interventions to the designated officer.
– Negotiate with local authority counterparts, partners and populations of concern.

– Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility. Ensure decision making in risk based in the functional area of work. Raise risks, issues and concerns to a supervisor or to relevant functional colleague(s).
– Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications
Education & Professional Work Experience
Years of Experience / Degree Level
For P1/NOA – 1 year relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or no experience with Graduate degree; or no experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education
Law

Political Sciences

or other relevant field.

Certificates and/or Licenses
UNHCR Operations Management Learning Programme
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Not specified

Desirable
Field experience.
Knowledge of refugee law.
Good knowledge of UNHCR’s programmes.

Functional Skills
PG-UNHCR’s Programmes
PG-Stakeholder management and coordination with Implementing Partners (Gov/NGO/Corporate)
PG-Resource planning
IT-Computer Literacy
BU-PeopleSoft EPM/Budget
FI-ERP Financial Management (SAP, Oracle, PeopleSoft, Workday and other)
PG-Programme Management (programme cycles and reporting standards)
PG-Results-Based Management
(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

The preferred candidate should have the required academic diploma, at least a bachelor degree in law, social sciences or any other related field. Ideally, the candidate will have more than 06 years relevant professional experience in Field area, preferably in working in conflict zones experiencing complex refugees and IDP protection risks.
He/she must have a good knowledge of the legislation in force in Burkina Faso, as well as of existing institutional and coordination mechanisms in favor of the populations concerned. Knowledge of international law and international protection standards is also required.
The incumbent must have in-depth knowledge of the context of the area covered by the Kaya field office. He/she must be able to ensure daily monitoring of the protection environment in the area of responsibility and across the country as required, while demonstrating a good understanding of local cultures and sensitivities.
The incumbent will collaborate with deconcentrated and decentralized administrative services, other UN agencies and civil society organizations working with communities. He/she must therefore have experience of working with local authorities, national and international NGOs, as well as with the communities themselves, particularly in the Centre Nord region.
The incumbent will support child protection activities, GBV interventions, case management of people with special needs, as well as the development of a community-based approach.
Considering the challenging work environment, the incumbent must have proven cultural flexibility, professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity. S/he must have analytical thinking, excellent planning and organizational skills, excellent experience working with Governments, UN Agencies and ONG partners in the refugee’s and IDPs context.

He/she will also need to demonstrate skills in monitoring population movements and managing emergency situations, in particular regarding the planning and organization of emergency assistance interventions. A good knowledge of the principles of coordination and management of temporary reception sites (GSAT) for internally displaced persons (IDPs) is an asset. Lastly, he/she must be familiar with humanitarian coordination mechanisms, in line with the principles of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) and community involvement.

He/she should have a good understanding of socio-economic integration and empowerment activities for forcibly displaced people. In this respect, having followed and validated the training on Development and Inclusion (DevUp) is an asset.

Required to work in a multicultural environment, he/she must, in addition to his/her professionalism, be committed to respecting the UNHCR Code of Conduct, UN values, diversity and the principles of integrity.

Experience in the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA), as well as the dimensions of gender-based violence in the current context, would be an asset.

Required languages (expected Overall ability is at least B2 level):

French

,

,

Desired languages

English

,

,

Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit this link:

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel

Nature of Position:

In a complex humanitarian context such as Burkina Faso, the Assistant Field Officer,  will reinforce UNHCR Field the interaction with communities, the coordination of implementing partners specially NGOs and government, formulation of Project and Programs and improving access to basic social services for people with specific needs.

The Centre-North is the second region currently hosting the highest number of IDPs in the country (24.00% out of the total IDPs in the country (2,062,534) as of 31 March 2023.

The Centre-North region is currently experiencing kidnappings and terrorist attacks targeting mainly police and army forces. Because of the geographical position of the Centre-North region, IDPs come from all the most affected regions including Sahel, North, East and the Centre-North itself.  In addition, the current security context has obliged the UN to limit the presence of non-African staff and other nationalities considered as sensitive from 2 to 5 nights per mission.

Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply to this position.

Living and Working Conditions:

Burkina Faso has very basic infrastructures, including in the health sector.  Kaya is located at 105 Km from Ouagadougou (around 1.5 hours driving). The city is less developed than the capital Ouagadougou in terms of infrastructures and basic need facilities. Kaya has limited and not well-equipped health facilities: only one hospital for the region, based in Kaya, and a few under-equipped health centers.

There are a few state and private schools ranging from nursery, primary to secondary schools. No professional schools nor a university exist in Kaya for vocational or higher studies.

In Kaya, due to security-borne restrictions, only few hotels are approved for the UN staff on mission. For colleagues assigned to Kaya as duty station, there is possibilities to find private houses where they can reside.

Kaya is a E duty station with a Special Compressed Work Shedule (SCWS) for national staff

Additional Qualifications

Skills

BU-PeopleSoft EPM/Budget, FI-ERP Financial Management (SAP, Oracle, PeopleSoft, Workday and other), IT-Computer Literacy, PG-Programme Management (programme cycles and reporting standards), PG-Resource planning, PG-Results-Based Management, PG-Stakeholder management and coordination with Implementing Partners (Gov/NGO/Corporate), PG-UNHCR”s Programmes

Education

Bachelor of Arts: Law, Bachelor of Arts: Political Science

Certifications

Programme Management (PM) 1 – UNHCR

Work Experience

Competencies

Accountability, Analytical thinking, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Judgement & decision making, Organizational awareness, Political awareness, Stakeholder management, Teamwork & collaboration

UNHCR Salary Calculator

https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales

Compendium

Additional Information

Functional clearance

This position doesn”t require a functional clearance

Level of Education: Bachelor Degree

Work Hours: 8

Experience in Months: No requirements