Receptionist (Helpline) - G3 - MTL095 - UNOPS - Mount Lebanon

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 Receptionist is a member of the Helpline team in 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 Assistant Registration Officer and Protection Officer.

Purpose and Scope of Assignment

• Handle calls appropriately and efficiently inline with the guidelines and Helpline Standard Operating Procedures;
• Respond to persons of concern helpfully and professionally to queries regarding UNHCR's registration procedures and their rights and entitlements.
• Remain abreast with all information and updates on assistance and services to refugees, and provide complete and accurate information to persons of concern;
• Utilize different UNHCR tools to issue appointments and update
• Identify and refer high-risk cases to the helpline supervisor or Protection unit for appropriate follow and case management as required;
• Make outbound calls to refugees as needed to schedule appointments, collect information, or participate in different exercises;
• Provide face to face counseling and information dissemination periodically at the UNHCR reception center;
• Perform other tasks, as required

Monitoring and Progress Controls

• Counseling of asylum- seekers and refugees  according to UNHCR policies and Standard Operating Procedures;
• Identifying vulnerable asylum-seekers and refugees;
• Managing  expectations of asylum-seekers and refugees;
• Refer cases to relevant units within the office and to implementing partners as necessary.