Shelter Associate – G6 – Zah102 - Zahle

  There are currently over 1 million Syrian refugees registered with UNHCR in Lebanon, which makes Lebanon the highest refugee-hosting country per capita in the world. There are no approved camps in the country and refugees are spread over 1,750 localities. The refugee response is led by the Government and local actors, supported by the international community. As the designated lead agency in the refugee response, UNHCR has established a sector-based structure in Beirut and in the field to support the Government. The structure brings together 13 UN agencies, 60 national and international NGO partners in identifying and agreeing on the strategic priorities to address the needs of Syrian refugees and other affected populations. The Lebanon national response falls under the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP), whereby UNHCR guides the refugee response while UNDP facilitates the resilience and stabilization component.Through inter-agency coordination mechanisms, 9 sectors have been established in Lebanon, with UNHCR leading or co-leading the Protection, Basic Assistance, Shelter, and Health sectors. UNHCR is also providing information management support to all. The Office has grown substantially in the past years. Aside from the Branch Office in the capital city of Beirut, UNHCR has two sub-offices in Zahle and Tripoli and two field offices in Mt Lebanon, Tyr (South), and one field unit in Qobayat under the Tripoli Sub-Office. UNHCR and shelter partners respond to shelter needs through employing diverse and innovative solutions such as; the provision of shelter weatherproofing kits to informal settlements, weatherproofing and rehabilitation of occupied, unoccupied and unfinished buildings, management and maintenance of collective centres, provision of ‘cash for rent’ provision of fire suppression materials and fire awareness education, in addition to improvement of communal level site conditions to improve access to and within informal settlements, mitigate flood risk and the possibility of fire/ physical risk. The entire Bekaa valley sits above 500 meters, winters can be harsh bringing significant winds, rain and snowfall resulting in temperatures below zero. In addition a reasonable number of IS’s are situated within flood plains/ natural depressions resulting in flooding during periods of sustained rainfall. The close proximity of tents established within informal settlements results in safety concerns with respect to the spread of fire from one tent to another when a fire occurs. This has led to the destruction of a number of IS’s and some fatalities in recent years. The shelter strategy is guided by the principle of enabling refugees to access and live in dignity in secure settlements. UNHCR as the principle shelter donor is committed to funding partners to ensure full coverage of shelter provision to Syrian refugees residing in informal settlements as the most vulnerable group, and advocates for the provision of significant funding assistance to target the highly and severely socioeconomic and shelter vulnerable households residing in sub-standard buildings. Under the direct supervision of the UNHCR Shelter officer deployed at field level the Shelter Associate will Accountability (key results that will be achieved) - Together with UNHCR’s shelter partners, map available information on emergency shelter options in the Bekaa region of Lebanon (including informal tented settlements, sub-standard buildings, collective centres, transitional and temporary shelters, cash for shelter, and host communities), taking into account the policies adopted by the Lebanese government to address the issue of shelter for refugees; - Directly manage UNHCR funded shelter partners in line with partnership agreements inclusive of assisting partners in drafting detailed work plans, chairing and minuting monthly partner progress meetings, acting as shelter focal point for UNHCR funded shelter partners, undertaking regular monitoring visits to plan and assess the progress of the implementation of UNHCR shelter partner works; - Develop and verify any BoQ, execution plan, including defining the scope of works, preparing cost assessments, technical drawings and specifications for internal analysis; Responsibility (process and functions undertaken to achieve results) - Assist the UNHCR Shelter Officer to implement clear guidance and standards for shelter, including minimum emergency standards to meet basic and essential needs as well as guidance for phased improvement of shelter conditions; - Assist in carrying out a joint assessment of the unused schools, warehouses, farms and other facilities in priority locations that have been identified by the government as possible collective centers. - Provide an assessment of the suitability of the site location, the capacity of the building, the physical condition of the building and an estimated scope of renovation works required to make the building inhabitable. - Assist the UNHCR Shelter expert, in carrying out a joint assessment of potential sites for collective centers and sites identified by the government for formal tented settlements, transit sites, or informal tented settlements. Provide an assessment of the suitability of sites taking into consideration, cultural and sociological approach, location, access, security, size, topography, ground conditions and proximity to services. - Assist in the drafting of UNHCR shelter partnership agreements; - Assist the UNHCR shelter officer in preparing and analyzing information for Bekaa shelter working group/ sector coordination; - Prepare detailed weekly and monthly reports for the UNHCR funded shelter programme; - In consultation with UNHCR’s implementing partner, monitor and report about any progress about Quick Impact Projects (QIPs) that can clearly benefit the local and displaced communities and generally help to release the burden on the host communities; - Support supply in the market analysis of locally available construction materials and skills, promoting the use of local capacity as appropriate; - Provide recommendations for the establishment of projects, adjustments or discontinuation of existing projects and advise the UNHCR Shelter officer accordingly; - Perform other duties as requested Authority (decisions made in executing responsibilities and to achieve results) - Lead assessments of the suitability of housing units in sub-standard buildings for eligibility of weatherproofing works or rehabilitation works by UNHCR shelter partners, inclusive of assessment of proposed bills of quantities, oversight of construction works, monitoring of budgets, and facilitation of discussions with landlords and refugees to ensure that proposed works are in line with needs; - Lead assessments of the suitability of informal tented settlements for eligibility of site improvement works undertaken by UNHCR shelter partners inclusive of assessment of bills of quantities, oversight of construction works, monitoring of budgets, and facilitation of discussions with landowners and refugees to ensure that proposed works are in line with needs; - Lead assessments of maintenance works undertaken in UNHCR funded collective centres by UNHCR shelter partners inclusive of assessment of bills of quantities, oversight of construction works, monitoring of budgets, and facilitation of discussions with landlords and refugees to ensure that proposed works are in line with needs; - Lead the Bekaa shelter referral mechanism;