Filing Clerk – G3 – TRI110 – UNOPS Contract - Tripoli, Lebanon

General Background

Eight years into the Syria crisis, Lebanon remains the country hosting the largest number of refugees per capita, with nearly 950,000 Syrian refugees registered with UNHCR, about 20,000 refugees of other origins - mostly Iraqi - and Palestine refugees under UNRWA’s mandate.  There are no formal camps for Syrian refugees in Lebanon, and refugees are living in hundreds of communities and locations across the country.

The refugee response is led by the Government and UNHCR and UNDP, 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 150 UN agencies, national and international NGO partners [over 150 actors, including UN agencies, national and international NGOs and Ministries] in identifying and agreeing on the strategic priorities to address the needs of Syrian refugees and vulnerable Lebanese communities. The Lebanon Chapter of the Response Plan 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. The Office has grown substantially in the past years and is currently operating with around 650 staff. Aside from the country office in the capital city of Beirut, UNHCR has field offices in Mount Lebanon, Qobayat, Tripoli, Tyre and Zahle.

The incumbent has no supervisory role and will function under the direct supervision of the Assistant Registration Officer who will monitor performance and provides continuous guidance. The incumbent will need to show flexibility and a positive approach to the tasks he/she is assigned. These may on a given day include for instance the reorganization of files, support with the digitization and photo copying of refugee documents at the Reception Centre or responding to calls at the North Call Centre. To carry out these diverse tasks, the incumbent needs to demonstrate organizational skills and a proactive approach and have strong communication and counseling skills. It should moreover be noted that the filing tasks frequently involve lifting and carrying heavy items. Subject to the nature of the task/assignment, the incumbent will work independently on routine tasks, and will request and follow instructions from the supervisor on more complex issues. He/she will liaise with relevant focal points from different units with regards to filing requests and call centre tasks.

Purpose and Scope of Assignment

Responsibility

• Ensure that an orderly and systematic filing system is maintained in the filing room (active and closed) for efficient and timely retrieval of files.
• Ensure that file movement within the office and between users is properly recorded in the File Tracking System.
• Ensure the general maintenance and smooth running of the filing room, i.e. physical arrangement, cleanliness and security.
• Ensure that the data which is mainly related to asylum seekers, refugees and persons of concern to UNHCR is correctly filed in the individual physical files.
• Ensure the scanning and copying of physical files for the purpose of digitization and physical filing and retrieve, upon request, scanned documents from the digitized database. 
• Draft routine correspondence and respond to queries relating to the area of responsibility.
• Provide support at the North Call Centre on a needs basis to answer calls, counsel refugees, issue appointments and make referrals to relevant units.
• Provide clerical and administrative support at the Reception Centre.

Authority

• Make recommendations relating to the organization of the filing system.

Monitoring and Progress Controls

Accountability

• Incoming/outgoing files are tracked in the system and kept in the filing room when not in use by staff, in line with SOPs.
• Filing rooms (active and closed) are managed in line with standards.
• Correspondence/documents are filed in the physical file and data entered in the database.
• Confidentiality is observed.