Senior Resettlement Assistant – UNOPS Contract – TRI080 – G5 – Tripoli, Lebanon

Organizational Context

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 Senior Resettlement Assistant position is located in the UNHCR Tripoli Sub-Office. Under supervision of the Associate Resettlement Officer, the incumbent’s primary role is to assist the supervisor in effective resettlement delivery in accordance with the UNHCR Resettlement Handbook and other relevant resettlement publications. The Senior Resettlement Assistant provides important clerical and administrative support to the resettlement unit. The incumbent maintains frequent contact with his/her supervisor and relevant colleagues to schedule resettlement cases on a daily basis with a focus on current processing priorities. He/she is also responsible for weekly refugee counselling, including reporting on significant trends or other noteworthy issues, and ensuring a systematic approach to recording and timely follow up on new information provided by refugees. Additionally, he/she is responsible for  tracking and proper filing of active case files, including conducting needed follow up for further case processing and drafting Medical Assessment Forms (MAFs). He/she will conduct preliminary interviews for resettlement consideration, draft corresponding assessments, and perform any other tasks as identified by his/her supervisor.

All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR’s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.

Functional Statement

Responsibility

• Carry out preliminary interviews and initial assessments to process refugees for resettlement following established procedures.
• Cases are updated in a systematic and timely manner.
• Comply with UNHCR’s standard operating procedures on resettlement, ensuring timely action on cases. 
• Follow up on cases from time of submission to final decision and departure; ensure effective in-country communication on the status and follow-up on PoC being considered for resettlement. 
• Assist in maintaining and updating EfA and provide technical support. 
• Provide administrative support for resettlement-related training activities, including organization of resettlement workshops and meetings as required.
• Maintain accurate resettlement statistics as well as up-to-date records on individual cases; assist in the preparation of reports.
• Draft / type routine correspondence to Field Offices / Multi-Country Offices / Headquarters.
• Scheduling resettlement cases.
• Medical Assessment Forms.
• Provide unit support and representation on working groups as needed.
• Responsible for weekly counselling of refugees. 
• Perform other related duties as required.

Authority

• Recommend eligible cases for resettlement consideration.
• Provide counselling to PoC.

Accountability

• Provide persons of concern (PoC) with up-to-date and accurate information on UNHCR’s resettlement policies and procedures.
• Systematically apply an Age, Gender and Diversity perspective in all aspects of the resettlement process; comply with UNHCR policy and guidelines on HIV/AIDS. 
• Assist in mitigating resettlement fraud by reporting suspected fraud.