Shelter Officer

Duties and Qualifications

Shelter Officer

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships

The Shelter Officer conducts comprehensive sectoral needs assessments in liaison with other relevant sectors such as protection, programme, community services, public health, WASH, administration and supply. To ensure the most effective response, both quantitative and qualitative data should be gathered on the profile/needs and living conditions of both the displaced population and host community. In first instance, the incumbent ensures that UNHCR Field Operations are supported in carrying out shelter, infrastructure and settlement needs assessments taking into account the current situation, projected population planning figures and the expected scale of returns.

Close and regular contact is also maintained with technical and non-technical staff of UN Agencies, Implementing Partners, and shelter sector members, national and international NGOs and Government Authorities. The incumbent also discusses matters relating to shelter and infrastructure coordination and provision. S/he normally reports to a Senior Shelter colleague or Technical Coordinator and maintains a strong collaboration with the Shelter and Settlements Section in HQ.

The incumbent ensures that shelter responses within the Area of Responsibility (AoR) evolve according to the changing nature of the situation, progressively working towards more durable solutions and drawing from local building practices and materials.

Within an urban context, it is essential that shelter responses take into consideration urban planning strategies, including an analysis of residential areas, housing affordability and availability. In addition, regardless of the context, shelter assistance should at all times minimize the risk of eviction, exploitation and abuse, overcrowded living conditions, limited access to services and unhygienic conditions. Special attention must be given to the environment and low carbon approaches, attention to material selection through sustainable means to ensure a green approach to shelter delivery.

Duties

Technical Guidance

• Develop and periodically update a suitable shelter approach for the Operation, taking into consideration area-based multi-sectoral approaches, age and gender, culture, climate, environmental protection and the availability of local resources, including materials, capacities and existing infrastructure.

• Carry out comprehensive sectoral needs assessments while liaising with other relevant sectors such as protection, programme, community services, WASH, administration and supply. Engage with the relevant stakeholders to ensure that the beneficiary selection process prioritises the shelter needs of the most vulnerable Persons of Concern (POC) are addressed.

• Contribute to the development of shelter strategies and periodically review them to reflect evolving situations and ensure alignment with national and global level policies and guidelines including: the Global Compact on Refugees, Sustainable Development Goals, Relevant Global Strategies and Policies.

• Provide shelter responses that are developed in line with the Master Planning Principles and designed to adapt to an area-based approach in implementation.

• Review, identify and monitor shelter programmes and initiate responses to address the gaps in collaboration and coordination with key UNHCR technical staff, operational partners and authorities as required.

• When planning shelter solutions, ensure that due consideration is given to standards in other relevant sectors such as water and sanitation, infrastructure for reception, education and health so that implementation is synchronised and coordinated.

• Enforce the adherence of technical elements to standards that reflect UNHCR and other international minimum standards and implementation within budgetary requirements for all shelter and infrastructure works.

• Establish clear guidance and detailed standards for coordinated shelter assessments, specific to the operational context in line with emergency standards and long-term durable shelter solutions.

• Monitor and follow up the design and construction works to confirm these are approved by the relevant authorities, technically sound, supplemented with accurate drawings, detailed BOQs and specifications.

• Provide technical information on the SIP (settlement information portal), and ensure shelter dashboards are populated with relevant data, prepare mission reports and debrief.

Coordination and Leadership

• Ensure that UNHCR¿s operation is technically sound in the field of shelter, construction and infrastructure development within the AoR to best meet the needs of POC.

• Coordinate and manage UNHCR¿s shelter and infrastructure interventions in a timely, cost-effective, inter-sectoral manner providing adequate delivery of technical interventions and services to support operational needs. Liaise with the government, line ministries and relevant authorities and counterparts to ensure strong coordination and partnership.

• Where activated, ensure a close and operational leading role in the Shelter Cluster so that UNHCR¿s operational footprint is aligned with the agency goals. In refugee operations, take on the role of the coordination of shelter and settlement activities in line with the Refugee Coordination Model.

• Participate, as technical focal point for shelter/infrastructure, in coordination meetings with various stakeholders including Government counterparts to ensure UNHCR¿s interests and those of the POCs are adequately reflected and disseminate information to all stakeholders in a timely, efficient manner.

Collaboration

• Collaborate with Programme and emphasise the importance of reviewing technical components of the Project Partnership Agreements that contain any construction and infrastructure projects. Provide advice to Programme during Implementing Partner Selection of shelter sector partners.

• Work with Programme as an active member of the Multi-Functional Team in the Operation and regularly participate in multi-sectoral activities to ensure protection and assistance needs of the population are met.

• Work with the Supply team to advise on matters related to the procurement of construction, infrastructure and other sector related works and services, including the development of technical specifications, BoQs and drawings for bid documents.

• Carry out technical evaluation of the received bids as well as review/inspect the quality of shelter and infrastructure products/works during implementation and at completion.

• Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Education & Professional Work Experience

Years of Experience / Degree Level

For P3/NOC – 6 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 5 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 4 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education

Architecture; Civil Engineering; Structural Engineering;

Construction Management; or other relevant field

Certificates and/or Licenses

Shelter Coordination Training

(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience

Essential

• Prior experience of implementing shelter and infrastructure projects in humanitarian context and large-scale emergencies coordinating with operational partners governmental technical departments.

• Prior experience in designing and implementing a shelter strategy, including host family situations, collective shelter and camp settings, in emergency while considering the transition to more sustainable solutions.

• Project formulation, planning, supervision and management skills.

• Previous involvement in implementation processes (including development of bill of quantities, analysis of local capacity and local markets, cost estimations, etc.)

• Experience of construction management (including site supervision, monitoring, quality control, evaluation etc.) including application of participatory approaches to facilitate active participation of communities into the project cycle and into the construction process.

• Experience in developing shelter and settlement need assessments and undertaking gap analysis for development of shelter programmes.

• Experience in building on existing local capacity and transfer knowledge as appropriate.

Language Requirements

For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.