Receptionist (Helpline) - (3 Positions) - UNOPS - TRI077 TTRI078 TRI079 - G3 - Tripoli, Lebanon

Seven years into the Syria crisis, Lebanon remains the country hosting the largest number of refugees per capita, with over one million Syrian refugees, and around 20,000 refugees of Iraqi, Sudanese, Ethiopian and other origins, in addition to the Palestine refugees under UNRWA’s mandate.  There are no formal camps for Syrian refugees in the country, and refugees are living in hundreds of communities and locations across the country. 

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. The structure brings together over 100 UN agencies, 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 and UNDP facilitates the resilience and stabilization component.

The UNHCR operational response in Lebanon is one of the largest for the organization. Media attention and the frequency of influential high-profile visitors is high. Aside from the country office in the capital city of Beirut, UNHCR has offices in Mt Lebanon, Qobayat, Tripoli, Tyre and Zahle.

The Receptionist is a member of the Helpline team which is managed by the Registration unit. S/he will be primarily responsible for responding to telephone-based queries on the UNHCR Helpline, including making appointments, providing general information to Persons of Concern (PoCs) on assistance and services available, answering questions from PoCs on the status of their cases, and referring cases of protection emergencies to the relevant staff member.  She/he may also assist occasionally in face to face counseling with refugees at the UNHCR Reception Center. 

She/he will report directly to the Helpline supervisor, under the overall guidance of the Associate Registration Officer and Protection Officer. 

Accountability (key results that will be achieved)

• Communicate with each refugee in an appropriate way and endeavor to help them understand all the information provided to them.
• Persons of concern are able to make appointments with the UNHCR Reception Center in a timely and efficient manner; 
• Listen actively and understand the concerns and intentions of the caller prior to offering solutions.
• Persons of concern are given accurate information on services and assistance available in the North; 
• Persons of concern have access to UNHCR staff to express issues, concerns, etc. 

Responsibility (process and functions undertaken to achieve results)

• Provide accurate information to refugees when they call requesting information; 
• Respond to the Help Line calls in a kind, helpful, and professional manner; 
• Remain abreast of all information and updates on assistance/services to refugees;  
• Utilize UNHCR tools to enable refugees to make appointments at the reception center, update biodata, etc.; 
• Refer cases to protection colleagues for assistance, as needed; 
• Answer and respond immediately to emergency calls received on the Helpline, including collecting relevant information and forwarding to the appropriate colleague for assistance; 
• Provide basic counseling to refugees; 
• Make outbound calls to refugees as needed to schedule appointments, collect information, participate in emerging exercises, etc.; 
• Provide face to face counseling and information dissemination periodically at the UNHCR reception center; 
• Any other tasks, as required.