JOB DESCRIPTION

E (most hardship)

Non Family with Residential Location

Non Family with Residential Location

Nairobi (CO), Kenya

NOA

National Professional Officer

Reason

Regular > Regular Assignment

2025-08-01

July 27, 2025

Assistant Programme Officer

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Assistant Programme Officer may be based in HQ, field/regional bureau, and would normally receive guidance from more senior programme staff in the operation/bureau/division and may supervise a small team of local staff. The incumbent 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 Assistant Programme Officer will support the provision of programmatic guidance and support with regard to the implementation of protection and solutions strategies within available resources. The incumbent will play a role in coordinating with the other sections/units 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
– Support 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 support 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,
– Assist the planning process in compliance with planning parameters outlined in the Programme Manual and the planning instructions
– Contribute to the review and analyse of plans, mid-year and year-end reports of UNHCR offices in the region, ensuring quality assurance and compliance with established policies, guidelines, procedures and standards.
– Assist with the provision of overall direction to broaden partnerships with key stakeholders in order to maximize the protection and solutions response for persons of concern.
– Contribute to the successful 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.
– Contribute to ensure consistent and coherent monitoring approaches, tools and systems within the Area of Responsibility (AoR), in line with global standards and polices.
– Actively contribute to UNHCRs programming of community of practice and continuously contribute 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
– Assist in a timely and effective follow-up of internal and external audits observations and recommendations that relate to programmatic issues.

– 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
Economics

Business Administration

Social Sciences
or other relevant field.

Certificates and/or Licenses
Not specified

Relevant Job Experience
Essential:
Demonstrated experience in programme management including familiarization with the OMC and sound knowledge Results Based-Management. Demonstrated experience in field operations, sound knowledge on the centrality of protection in programming, 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. Sound experience in program management training and capacity building activities.

Functional Skills
PG-UNHCR’s Programmes
PG-Results-Based Management
PG-Stakeholder management and coordination with Implementing Partners (Gov/NGO/Corporate)
PG-Programme Management (programme cycles and reporting standards)
(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.

The ideal candidate will hold a degree in international development, public policy, economics, social sciences, or a related field, and demonstrate experience in programme design, coordination, monitoring, and partnership management in humanitarian or development contexts—preferably in complex emergency settings like eastern DRC.

The candidate should be familiar with UNHCR’s programme cycle and the Implementing Partnership Management Framework (IPMF). Strong communication, analytical, and organizational skills are essential, along with the ability to synthesize complex data, manage competing priorities, and coordinate diverse stakeholders effectively. Experience working in field settings, particularly in direct interaction with displaced populations and local governance structures, is highly desirable.

A collaborative and solutions-oriented mindset, combined with strong cultural and political sensitivity, is key to success in this role. The candidate should also demonstrate proficiency in digital programme systems such as CLOUD ERP, COMPASS, PROM, and ACONEX, and be willing to support and train others in their use.

Fluency in French is essential, while knowledge of English and Swahili or other local languages is considered an asset. The candidate should show a commitment to continuous learning, including participation in UNHCR’s core training modules (e.g., PLAN-GET-SHOW), and the ability to translate such learning into improved programme outcomes.

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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:

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is grappling with one of the world’s most protracted and complex humanitarian crises. In Ituri Province, decades of recurrent conflict, population displacement, and intercommunal violence have severely impacted the protection environment and humanitarian conditions. As of mid-2025, the province continues to host large populations of internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees, and vulnerable host communities, with increasing demands for both humanitarian assistance and sustainable reintegration solutions.

The Office in Bunia oversees humanitarian assistance to approximately 90,000 South Sudanese refugees and asylum-seekers and nearly 2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) across Ituri and Haut Uele Provinces. The office plays a key role in ensuring protection, supporting community-based programming, promoting durable solutions, and coordinating with national and international partners at the provincial level.

Living and Working Conditions:

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the biggest operation of the Regional Bureau for Southern, and one of the oldest on the whole continent. DRC continues to host over 538,009 refugees countrywide since the beginning of the year (including 216,451 Rwandan refugees, 172,809 CAR refugees, 45,336 Burundian refugees and 102,044 South Sudanese refugees). DRC also continues to host over 4 million IDPs mainly located in the Kasai provinces, and Ituri, North Kivu, South Kivu and Tanganyika provinces due to inter-tribal conflict, militants illegal activities amongst others.

In line with the 2020-2025 UNHCR DRC Protection Strategy, UNHCR ‘s operations focus on facilitating durable solutions, including local integration and empowerment; providing multi-sectoral assistance to refugees both in camps and for those living with the host community (including on sites, in accordance with an approach of ¿alternatives to camps ¿); building self-reliance by supporting livelihood opportunities for refugees and host communities; protection monitoring, prevention of and response to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and search for durable solutions for Internally Displaced persons (IDPs) and returnees; capacity-building vis-à-vis the DRC authorities; providing emergency response.

UNHCR articulates its work in 2 sub offices with several field offices, besides the main office in Kinshasa

Additional Qualifications

Skills

PG-Programme Management (programme cycles and reporting standards), PG-Results-Based Management, PG-Stakeholder management and coordination with Implementing Partners (Gov/NGO/Corporate), PG-UNHCR”s Programmes

Bachelor of Arts: Business Administration, Bachelor of Arts: Economics, Bachelor of Arts: Law, Bachelor of Arts: Social Science

Certifications

Competencies

Accountability, Change capability & adaptability, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Judgement & decision making, Managing performance, Negotiation & conflict resolution, Organizational awareness, Teamwork & collaboration

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

Compendium

Additional Information

This position doesn”t require a functional clearance