Technical Support and Partnerships Officer

Position Title: Technical Support and Partnerships Officer

Duty Station: Dakar, Senegal

Classification: Professional Staff, Grade P2

Type of Appointment: Fixed term, one year with possibility of extension

Estimated Start Date: As soon as possible

Closing Date: 07 August 2023

Established in 1951, IOM is a Related Organization of the United Nations, and as the leading UN agency in the field of migration, works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It does so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants.

Context:

Launched in December 2016 with funding from the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF), the EU-IOM Joint Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration has been the first comprehensive programme to save lives, protect and assist migrants along key migration routes in Africa.

The EU-IOM Joint Initiative enabled migrants who decided to return to their countries of origin to do so safely and dignifiedly, in full respect of international human rights standards and the principle of non-refoulement. In close partnership with state and non-state actors, it provided assistance to returning migrants to help them restart their lives in their countries of origin through an integrated approach to reintegration that seeks to address returnees’ economic, social and psychosocial needs while at the same time including communities of return in the reintegration process.

In 2022, the Migrant Protection, Return and Reintegration Programme for Sub-Saharan Africa (MPRR-SSA) was developed to continue addressing some of the most pressing challenges relating to migration and mobility between the EU and the African continents, and within the African continent. It is implemented in 16 countries across three regions: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, the Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, and Sudan.

The programme aims to strengthen the technical and material capacities of authorities and organizations involved in these areas at the national and local levels so that they can ultimately take over the policies and programmes related to the protection and reintegration of migrants developed and/or strengthened in the region, to improve the governance of migration in subsaharan Africa. As such, promoting and developing partnerships to foster ownership, localization and sustainability is crucial to the project.

Under the overall supervision of the Regional Programme Coordination Officer and the direct supervision of the Return and Reintegration Officer, the Technical Support & Partnerships Officer will support the MPRR-SSA Central Coordination Unit and country teams in developing and implementing technical support strategies that enhance return migration governance and the delivery of standardized protection services, and in developing and strengthening partnerships for the provision of protection services, including mental health and psychosocial support, return and reintegration support assistance, and direct assistance in transit and upon arrival.

Core Functions / Responsibilities:

1. Draft programmatic guidance to support country teams in the mapping and development of partnerships for protection assistance, including assistance in transit, return and reintegration;
2. Contribute to the development of work plans, implementation strategies and expenditure plans to facilitate the timely implementation and achievement of project activities related to technical support and partnerships;
3. Provide technical inputs to country teams on the establishment and strengthening of referral and coordination mechanisms and the development of relevant stakeholders’ capacities;
4. Monitor country offices’ progress in partnerships development, and partners’ engagement and capacity development, and propose corrective action plans as necessary, including through field missions;
5. Collate, review and share good practices and knowledge on partners’ engagement, including capacity development, and referral mechanisms from the country offices, the protection division and other organizational units (e.g. policy and liaison, labour mobility and social inclusion, transition and recovery), and external resources;
6. Support the assessment of country teams’ and partners’ capacity development needs and the provision of related support to facilitate adherence to the institutional rules and guidance framing partnerships;
7. Contribute to the development of standard tools for capacity development needs assessments, support country teams in conducting the assessments and, based on the outcomes, draft technical support plans.
8. Coordinate with the thematic units to develop or adapt training materials, facilitate training and other capacity-development activities, and provide backstopping support to the thematic and country teams.
9. Collaborate with the Information Management teams in the Central Coordination Unit and country offices to support the roll-out and uptake of the IOM Migrant Assistance Portal (IMAP) and improve the recording of referrals and provision of support through partners;
10. In coordination with the MEAL team, monitor and serve as a focal person for evaluations ofthe impact of technical support and partnerships to facilitate the achievement of programme objectives.
11. Perform such other duties as may be assigned.

Required Qualifications and Experience:

Education

• Master’s degree in Political or Social Sciences, Business Administration, Migration Studies, International Relations, Law or a related field from an accredited academic institution with two years of relevant professional experience; or
• University degree in the above fields with four years of relevant professional experience.

Experience

• Experience working with international organizations in partners engagement and capacity development, knowledge management, project management or implementation;
• Experience in the fields of protection, reintegration, governance, or livelihoods ;
• Experience in liaising with governmental authorities and local communities, as well as national and international institutions;
• Previous experience with UN and International Agencies, international or local NGOs; and,
• Field experience in Sub-Saharan Africa is an asset.

Skills

• Knowledge of partnership engagement and capacity development, preferably in the field of migration is a requirement;
• Knowledge of Reintegration Assistance, Protection and/or migration management is an advantage;
• Demonstrated analytical skills;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills;
• Excellent command of the MS Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc).

Languages

IOM’s official languages are English, French, and Spanish.

For this position, fluency in English and French is required (oral and written). Working knowledge of Arabic is an advantage.

Proficiency of language(s) required will be specifically evaluated during the selection process, which may include written and/or oral assessments.

Notes

Accredited Universities are the ones listed in the UNESCO World Higher Education Database (https://whed.net/home.php).

Required Competencies:

Values – all IOM staff members must abide by and demonstrate these five values:

• Inclusion and respect for diversity: Respects and promotes individual and cultural differences. Encourages diversity and inclusion.
• Integrity and transparency: Maintains high ethical standards and acts in a manner consistent with organizational principles/rules and standards of conduct.
• Professionalism: Demonstrates ability to work in a composed, competent and committed manner and exercises careful judgment in meeting day-to-day challenges.
• Courage: Demonstrates willingness to take a stand on issues of importance.
• Empathy: Shows compassion for others, makes people feel safe, respected and fairly treated.

Core Competencies – behavioural indicators level 2

• Teamwork: Develops and promotes effective collaboration within and across units to achieve shared goals and optimize results.
• Delivering results: Produces and delivers quality results in a service-oriented and timely manner. Is action oriented and committed to achieving agreed outcomes.
• Managing and sharing knowledge: Continuously seeks to learn, share knowledge and innovate.
• Accountability: Takes ownership for achieving the Organization’s priorities and assumes responsibility for own actions and delegated work.
• Communication: Encourages and contributes to clear and open communication. Explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring and motivational way.

Managerial Competencies – behavioural indicators level 2

• Leadership: Provides a clear sense of direction, leads by example and demonstrates the ability to carry out the Organization’s vision. Assists others to realize and develop their leadership and professional potential.
• Empowering others: Creates an enabling environment where staff can contribute their best and develop their potential.
• Building Trust: Promotes shared values and creates an atmosphere of trust and honesty.
• Strategic thinking and vision: Works strategically to realize the Organization’s goals and communicates a clear strategic direction.
• Humility: Leads with humility and shows openness to acknowledging own shortcomings.

IOM’s competency framework can be found at this link.

https://www.iom.int/sites/default/files/about-iom/iom_revised_competency_framework_external.pdf

Competencies will be assessed during a competency-based interview.

Other:

Internationally recruited professional staff are required to be mobile.

Any offer made to the candidate in relation to this vacancy notice is subject to funding confirmation.

This selection process may be used to staff similar positions in various duty stations. Recommended candidates endorsed by the Appointments and Postings Board will remain eligible to be appointed in a similar position for a period of 24 months.

The list of NMS countries above includes all IOM Member States which are non-represented in the Professional Category of staff members. For this staff category, candidates who are nationals of the duty station’s country and who do not have prior experience outside the duty station’s country as staff member in the Professional category cannot be considered eligible.

Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances. Subject to certain exemptions, vaccination against COVID-19 will in principle be required for individuals hired on or after 15 November 2021. This will be verified as part of the medical clearance process.

Vacancies close at 23:59 local time Geneva, Switzerland on the respective closing date. No late applications will be accepted.