Mission and objectives

Our primary purpose at UNHCR is to safeguard the rights and well-being of people who have been forced to flee. Together with partners and communities, we work to ensure that everybody has the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another country. We also strive to secure lasting solutions. For over half a century, UNHCR has helped millions of people to restart their lives. They include refugees, returnees, stateless people, the internally displaced and asylum-seekers. Our protection, shelter, health and education has been crucial, healing broken pasts and building brighter futures.

Context

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was created in 1950, during the aftermath of the Second World War, to help millions of Europeans who had fled or lost their homes. We had three years to complete our work and then disband. Today, over 70 years later, our organization is still hard at work, protecting and assisting refugees around the world. Since 24 February 2022, Romania has received almost 7 million refugees fleeing directly from Ukraine or coming from Moldova. While many refugees are passing through Romania as a transit country on their way to Poland, Germany, Bulgaria, or other countries, over 170,000 have received temporary protection status in Romania. Romania’s status as both a transit and a destination country necessitates a response premised on three key directions: first, providing immediate, urgently needed protection and assistance to arrivals to Romania; second, ensuring information about and access to legal statuses to which arrivals to Romania may apply, alongside non-discriminatory access to rights and services provided by the government and humanitarian actors, and third, ensure accountability and effective two-way communication with the refugee population.

Task Description

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of the Field Officer, and within the Bucharest field team’s area of responsibility, the UNV Refugee Field Assistant will: • Contribute to the strengthening of the field team’s engagement with national and local authorities, organizations, civil society, and refugee communities and identify opportunities for collaboration; • Support with the planning and monitoring of the field team’s activities and ensure compliance with established policies, guidelines, procedures, and standards; • Engage the refugee communities through two-way communication to provide feedback on needs and assistance; • Contribute to advocacy efforts and activities, particularly in the areas of access to basic needs, inclusion and integration; • Support the coordination of partners and activities at UNHCR’s integrated service hub RomExpo; • Conduct needs assessments and support with data collection in the areas of basic needs; • Support with the distribution of non-food items and post-distribution monitoring in close coordination with the relevant actors; • Assist with field team coordination and communication with other UNHCR units and field offices for joint activities and information sharing; • Support with the planning of meetings, events, and field missions with participation as needed; • Undertake regular visits to various sites and participate in border-monitoring missions together with Field colleagues and report accordingly; • Support with interpretation in the exchange of routine information, and contribute to related liaison activities; • Contribute to capacity-building initiatives for authorities, partners, and other actors; • Administrative tasks as required such as preparation of reports and meeting minutes; • Contribute to age, gender, and diversity mainstreaming in all field activities; • Perform any other related tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor. Results/expected outputs: • As an active UNHCR team member, efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly, and high-quality support rendered to UNHCR and forcibly displaced persons in the accomplishment of her/his functions, including: • Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honors commitments; • Operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; • Delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time and quality standards; • Age, Gender, and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated, and documented in all activities throughout the assignment • A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for peace and development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed.

Competencies and values

• Professionalism: demonstrated understanding of operations relevant to; technical capabilities or knowledge relevant or transferrable to UNHCR procedures and rules; discretion, political sensitivity, diplomacy and tact to deal with clients; ability to apply good judgement; ability to liaise and coordinate with a range of different actors, especially in senior positions; where appropriate, high degree of autonomy, personal initiative and ability to take ownership; resourcefulness and willingness to accept wide responsibilities and ability to work independently under established procedures; ability to manage information objectively, accurately and confidentially; responsive and client-oriented; • Integrity: demonstrate the values and ethical standards of the UN and UNHCR in daily activities and behaviours while acting without consideration of personal gains; resist undue political pressure in decision-making; stand by decisions that are in the organization’s interest even if they are unpopular; take prompt action in cases of unprofessional or unethical behaviour; does not abuse power or authority; • Teamwork and respect for diversity: ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries; excellent interpersonal skills; ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and harmonious working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, mixed-gender environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity; sensitivity and adaptability to culture, gender, religion, nationality and age; commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of UN operations; ability to achieve common goals and provide guidance or training to colleagues; • Commitment to continuous learning: initiative and willingness to learn new skills and stay abreast of new developments in area of expertise; ability to adapt to changes in work environment. • Planning and organizing: effective organizational and problem-solving skills and ability to manage a large volume of work in an efficient and timely manner; ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor (own) work; ability to work under pressure, with conflicting deadlines, and to handle multiple concurrent projects/activities; • Communication: proven interpersonal skills; good spoken and written communication skills, including the ability to prepare clear and concise reports; ability to conduct presentations, articulate options, and positions concisely; ability to make and defend recommendations; ability to communicate and empathize with staff (including national staff), military personnel, volunteers, counterparts and local interlocutors coming from very diverse backgrounds; capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups; • Flexibility: adaptability and ability to live and work in potentially hazardous and remote conditions, involving physical hardship and little comfort; to operate independently in austere environments for protracted periods; willingness to travel within the area of operations and to transfer to other duty stations within the area of operations as necessary; • Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity, and self-reliance; and commitment towards UNHCR’s mission and vision, as well as to the UN Core Values.

Living conditions and remarks

The contract lasts for the period indicated above with the possibility of extensions subject to availability of funding, operational necessity, and satisfactory performance. However, there is no expectation of renewal of the assignment. Volunteer Living Allowance Refugee UNV modality (monthly payment): RON 7004.08 Entry lump sum (one-time payment) USD 400 Exit allowance (for each month served, paid on completion of contract): RON 583.67 Please note that the amounts can vary according to fluctuations in exchange rates. The purpose of the allowances and entitlements paid to UN Volunteers is to enable UN Volunteers to sustain a secure standard of living at the duty stations in line with United Nations standards without incurring personal costs. The allowances are in no way to be understood as compensation, reward, or salary in exchange for the UN Volunteer’s service. Contingent on specific eligibility criteria, location of the volunteer assignment, and contractual type and category, the payment of allowances will begin from the date of Commencement of Service. Medical and life insurance: • Medical insurance: The UN Volunteer and eligible PFU dependents will receive UNV-provided medical insurance coverage. Coverage for UN Volunteers begins from the commencement of service and normally ceases one month after the last day of the UN Volunteer contract date. • Life Insurance: UN Volunteers are covered by life insurance for the duration of the UN Volunteer assignment. Leave entitlements: • Annual Leave: UN Volunteers accrue an entitlement to 2.5 days of Annual Leave per completed month of the UN Volunteer assignment. Unused accrued Annual Leave up to a maximum of 30 days is carried over in case of a contract extension within the same UN Volunteer assignment. • Learning Leave: Subject to supervisor approval and exigencies of service, UN Volunteers may request up to ten working days of Learning Leave per consecutive 12 months of the UN Volunteer assignment, starting with the Commencement of Service date, provided the Learning Leave is used within the contract period. • Certified Sick Leave: UN Volunteers are entitled to up to 30 days of certified sick leave based on a 12-month cycle. This amount is reset every 12-month cycle. • Uncertified Sick Leave: UN Volunteers receive 7 days of uncertified sick leave working days in a calendar year. • Maternity Leave: 16 weeks • Paternity Leave: 10 days In an effort to ensure consistency and fair treatment of UN Volunteers in the country in terms of benefits, candidates will be required to self-declare the humanitarian assistance they are in receipt of, which, upon selection will then be assessed, and adjusted as needed. This UNV assignment is subject to proof of vaccination against Covid-19 with WHO approved vaccine in accordance with UNHCR’s Administrative Instruction on Covid-19 Vaccination and related Safety Measures. Exceptions may be granted on medical grounds. In exceptional circumstances, the recruitment may be completed on the condition that vaccination is obtained within a specified time.