Strategic Planner/Development Analyst

Terms of Reference

Post Title: Strategic Planner / Development Analyst

Duty station: For deployment worldwide

Duration of assignment:

1 – 6 months

General Background

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State.

While UNHCR's primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees, our ultimate goal is to help find durable solutions that will allow them to rebuild their lives in dignity. There are three durable solutions pursued by UNHCR for 6.4 million refugees in protracted situations: voluntary repatriation; local integration; or resettlement to a third country. While pursuing durable solutions UNHCR additionally tries to increase the selfreliance and livelihood opportunities of refugees.

Context for the Post

The search for durable solutions is at the forefront of UNHCR's responsibility towards refugees and other persons of concern. Whether it be incorporating a longer-term perspective on displacement from the outset of an emergency or addressing the more than 6 million refugees that are living in protracted situations, the organization is undergoing a sea change in its approach towards finding durable solutions for its persons of concern.

Resolving long-standing displacement situations requires reaching out beyond the humanitarian community. Engaging closely with bilateral actors, national and local ministries and government, and development agencies is essential in order to link refugees and other displaced communities with development and peacebuilding processes, to provide them with legal status, and to help them become socially integrated and economically self-reliant.

In order to achieve this, many of UNHCR's country operations have recognized the need for staff with experience and expertise in strategic planning, development and peacebuilding and with an ability to engage with development actors (the World Bank, line ministries, UNDP, bilateral, etc.). There is an increasing recognition of the need for longer-term strategies which identify steps along political, social services, livelihoods and legal pillars, have clear benchmarks to measure progress, and provide useful indicators to assess outcomes. UNHCR is therefore soliciting applications from qualified candidates with strategic planning/development experience who can support solutions-oriented work in specific operations, including through the development of longer-term (country/regional) strategies that incorporate new approaches, partnerships and tools as well as an operational M&E framework. The Strategic Planner/Development Analyst will be deployed to a country operation in Africa, Asia, Latin America or the Middle East, and receive guidance from the Solutions Steering Group (SSG) in UNHCR Geneva.

Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Country Representative and in close consultation with the SSG, the consultant shall undertake, among others, the following tasks:

• Support the formulation and development of an evidence-based solutions strategy in the respective country/region, taking into account legal, political, economic and social challenges and opportunities;
• Provide practical advice on early engagement and linkages with development planning/funds and mainstreaming of solutions in transitions, peacebuilding, and recovery, and development frameworks and processes as applicable (incl. PBF, UNDAF, national development plans, etc);
• Assist in the development of solutions tools and methodologies, adaptable to local contexts;
• Provide guidance on the systematic use of applicable tools and solicit feedback on how to improve them (strategy design document with M&E framework, stakeholder assessment, economic modeling for resource allocation);
• Assist in identifying partners, intuitions and individuals to support solutions work incountry or in the region (research, analysis, direct program support), based on needs/gaps analysis;
• Follow up on the strategy developed, including monitoring progress towards stated benchmarks and objectives;
• Assist in knowledge sharing across operations in the region.

Qualification (academic, experience)

• Advanced university degree (Master's or equivalent) in a relevant field (economics, development, politics, business administration, etc.);
• Minimum of 10 years of relevant work experience in government, UN, bi/multilateral donor agencies, development agency, civil society or private sector;
• Excellent knowledge of the development landscape;
• Knowledge of (inter)national strategies for mult-partner solutions and stabilization/peacebuilding interventions in varied contexts and countries;
• Demonstrated experience in planning, designing/ implementing strategies, especially community-based approaches would be an added advantage;
• Proven experience in planning, implementing, and monitoring solutions and/or livelihoods programs (and managing multiple projects);
• Experience in working effectively with government authorities;
• Excellent conceptual and analytical capability;
• Strong coordination, stakeholder engagement and negotiation skills;
• Excellent drafting skills in English with an ability to present information in a concise, coherent and useful manner;
• Fluency in oral and written English required;
• Working knowledge of French or other UN language desirable.

Duration Approximately 1 – 6 months per deployment (with multiple deployments possible within a year) Enquiries/How to apply Please send an email with your CV and cover letter before 1 December 2013 to solutions@unhcr.org.