JOB DESCRIPTION

D

Non Family with Residential Location

Non Family with Residential LocationDanger Pay

Yaounde, Cameroon

PR2

Professional

Reason

Regular > Regular Assignment

2025-07-23

August 8, 2025

Associate External Relations Officer

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
Direct supervision is normally exercised by a (Snr) External Relations Officer or Representative who provides guidance on the applicable procedures. Advice may also be provided by relevant functional units at HQ. External contacts are with a broad range of partners and stakeholders, including inter alia, government, media, embassies, donors, UN agencies, NGOs and other national and international organizations, as well as general public on matters of importance to the Organization.

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
– Stay abreast of the challenges posed by the political context, the UN and humanitarian reform, and institutional developments in the area of forced displacement and humanitarian operations.
– Assist the implementation of a communications strategy that generates support for UNHCR’s operations from external partners (e.g. the general public, governments, partners, media, academia, NGOs, private sector and forcibly displaced and stateless persons).
– Assist in the dialogue with donors and embassies and provide relevant information on UNHCR operations and financial requirements by organizing regular briefings, bilateral meetings and missions and responding to donors¿ requests for information on ad hoc basis.
– Through a consultative process with headquarters, disseminate information on UNHCR’s global funding situation and mobilize additional funds to implement programmes and projects aimed at enhancing the quality of protection for forcibly displaced and stateless persons in the country operation.
– Assist in the coordination of the drafting of, situation reports, briefing notes, background material, talking points, fact sheets, press releases and articles.
– Draft narrative and financial reports on contributions in compliance with specific donor requirements.
– Monitor earmarking level of funding for UNHCR Country operation and ensure appropriate visibility for donor contributions in compliance with UNHCR guidelines and specific donor requirements.
– Participate on behalf of the Representative and other supervisors in inter-agency cooperation and communication strategies, initiatives and tools.
– Assist in the management of information flows within the country operations by identifying priority matters, securing, analyzing and disseminating documentation and information to support country operations and corporate communication processes and priorities.
– Consolidate information on UNHCR’s country operations and identify appropriate messages for campaigns and appeals.
– Propose events and initiatives (e.g. commercial, cultural, political and sports) to promote the work of UNHCR and take action as appropriate.
– Support the management of media relations by, inter alia, responding to direct queries, publishing press releases, handling interview requests and organizing regular briefings and visits to country operations.
– Promote visibility of UNHCR’s work and advocate for support for the forcibly displaced and stateless persons through providing inputs for social media and other web content.
– Organize missions to the field and press briefings for external parties as required.
– Implement all aspects of a communications strategy.
– Represent UNHCR on behalf of senior management in fundraising and communication priorities in inter-agency initiatives and fora.

– 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 P2/NOB – 3 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 2 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 1 year relevant experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education
Political Sciences, Social Sciences, International Relations, Journalism, Communications

or other relevant field.

Certificates and/or Licenses
Not specified

Relevant Job Experience
Essential
Experience in humanitarian operations in a field environment.
Excellent knowledge of local institution, politics and culture.

Desirable
Fund-raising and programming/programme management experience.
Experience of working with social media.

Functional Skills
CO-Drafting and Documentation
PS-Fundraising (incl. operations, programmes)
PG-Programme Management (programme cycles and reporting standards)
IT-Computer Literacy
IT-Web Content 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.

The role requires excellent written and oral communication skills in both English and French, combined with dynamism, innovation, adaptability to evolving geopolitical constraints and opportunities, and the drive to achieve results.

The Associate External Relations Officer must be capable of clearly articulating and explaining UNHCR CAR’s strategic vision and multi-dimensional approach to protection and solutions for displaced, stateless, and at-risk populations to donors, partners, and a broad range of stakeholders.

The ideal candidate should meet the following profile and possess the essential qualifications:
• Strong knowledge of, and working experience with, the implementation of the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR), as well as engagement in multilateral and global processes.
• Proven ability to plan and organize events of various scales, meetings, forums, webinars, donor and media briefings, press releases, etc.including coordinating logistics, infrastructure, and vendor engagement to ensure seamless delivery.
• Solid technical experience in event operations, including venue coordination and third-party service provider management, ensuring smooth technical setup and on-site execution through thorough planning and real-time troubleshooting.
• Previous experience in curating exhibitions as part of an event ecosystem, including collaboration with partners to define content and technical requirements. Must demonstrate expertise in implementing exhibition setups involving spatial planning, audiovisual systems, and digital displays to ensure a cohesive and impactful visitor experience.
• Demonstrated ability to liaise with both internal and external stakeholders to collect, review, and disseminate compelling updates on UNHCR CAR’s work.
• Proficiency in website management and content publishing for both internal and external UNHCR platforms.
• Advanced multimedia skills, including video editing (Adobe Premiere Pro), graphic design (Canva), and content production to support external communication efforts.
• Experience in drafting high-quality analytical and narrative reports in both French and English, aligned with global policy frameworks such as the GCR, and contributing to strategic documents like global appeals and flagship publications, including the Global Report.
• Prior experience in a high-risk duty station is considered an asset.

French

,

,

,

,

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:

This position seeks to build partnerships and trust with the government, humanitarian, development and private sector partners and stakeholders in support of UNHCR’s work. The key function of the position is to showcase and mobilize resources for UNHCR CAR, and for its implementing and operational partners to advance protection and solutions for the persons we serve.

In the context of the current humanitarian financial crisis, the Associate External relations officer will  collaborate with and draw inspiration and inputs from the UNHCR Multi-Functional Team working with government and humanitarian, development, and private sector partners to: (i) set the UNHCR CAR resource mobilization strategy and its road map for implementation; (ii) develop an advocacy and communications strategy for same; (iii) be the advance guard and focal point for donor submissions and proposals; and (iv) communicate UNHCR CAR’s ongoing work, progress updates,  challenges and opportunities to all external stakeholders.

In parallel, the needs to coordinate inter-agency inputs and report on progress against the CAR contribution to the Regional Refugee Response Plan for Sudanese refugees are essential, and on the CAR Solution Support Platform for people forcibly displaced by the crisis in the Central African Republic.

Living and Working Conditions:

The country is landlocked and surrounded by countries with security problems (Chad, DRC, Sudan, and Cameroon). Volatile socio-political situation, social unrest, and grievance in Bangui with frequent civil servants strikes causing interruption of public services due to years of unpaid salaries. Power cuts are causing insecurity in town. The security situation across the country is still a concern as crimes (theft, abduction, armed robbery, carjacking, murder, illegal detention of weapons and illegal checkpoints/taxation, torture and sexual violence) continue throughout the country because of endemic poverty, easy access to weapons and the weak capacity or absence of judicial authorities in many areas.  However, the deployment of the FACA (Forces Armee nationals) in Bangui led to an improvement of the overall security situation. A curfew is established by the UN system from 10pm-5am. The country is totally dependent on Cameroon seaport for supplies. There are 4 airlines that operate to/from Bangui. As an example, travel time from Douala to Bangui for a truckload averages 4 days to a week due to bad roads and roadblocks.

There are very limited medical infrastructures and services do not function properly. A UN clinic provides basic medical care for UN personnel. The entire country is a High-Risk non-family duty station-D with 6 weeks R&R cycle. The entire International Professional staff and IUNVs are eligible for R&R.

A few hotels cleared by DESS are available. Private accommodations are available for expats. A few supermarkets are also available selling all sorts of goods. Vegetables and fruits are also available on the local market.

Although ATM are available ( 5 ATM in town)  and VISA is accepted in Bangui, most of the payments for example in hotels or markets are done in cash.

Additional Qualifications

Skills

Bachelor of Arts: Communication, Bachelor of Arts: International Relations, Bachelor of Arts: Journalism, Bachelor of Arts: Political Science, Bachelor of Arts: Social Science

Certifications

Competencies

Accountability, Analytical thinking, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Innovation & creativity, Managing performance, Managing resource, Organizational awareness, Political awareness, Teamwork & collaboration

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

Compendium

Add. 2 to the Bi-Annual 2025 Compendium – Part B

Additional Information

This position doesn”t require a functional clearance