Livelihood and Economic Inclusion Officer

1. General Background
The Livelihood and Economic Inclusion Officer will be key in operationalizing the strategic vision to align livelihoods and economic inclusion efforts with the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR), which underscores the need to mobilize additional actors and to adopt a whole-of-society approach to strengthen refugee self-reliance and help ease pressure on host countries. Promoting economic inclusion of refugees is a key development area that will enable the achievement of these objectives and contribute to the 2030 Agenda’s Sustainable Development Goals.

The Livelihood and Economic Inclusion Officer will be based with the Livelihoods and Economic Inclusion Unit in the Division for Resilience and Solutions at UNHCR HQ in Geneva. The Livelihoods and Economic Inclusion Unit supports Regional Bureaus and Country Operations in their work to:

1- Improve the enabling environment for livelihoods and economic inclusion – including through advocacy on the right to/at work, financial inclusion, freedom of movement, access to economic opportunities and services;
2- Seek new and strengthen existing partnerships including with the private sector, development actors, academia and research centres, government institutions and specialized agencies to amplify innovative approaches and advance the economic inclusion of forcibly displaced and stateless persons, and;
3- Enhance ongoing livelihoods and economic inclusion programming through evidence-based and market-driven approaches, and the sharing of evidence, knowledge and tools, to improve economic inclusion outcomes.

The Livelihood and Economic Inclusion Officer will be instrumental in supporting this work of the Unit. He/she should be proactive, always looking for new opportunities and persuasive in mobilizing donors and new partners around new models of economic and social inclusion. The Livelihood and Economic Inclusion Officer will be working closely with livelihoods and economic inclusion colleagues including regional livelihoods and economic inclusion officers and field-based colleagues in charge of or supporting the livelihoods engagement and economic inclusion in each country operation. S/he will be working closely with colleagues across the Division of Resilience and Solutions, and contribute to coordination with DIP, DSPR, PSP and the Bureaus as relevant. The Livelihood and Economic Inclusion Officer will also be engaging with a number of external actors and representing UNHCR in relevant fora.

2. Purpose and Scope of Assignment
The Livelihood and Economic Inclusion Officer will support the global update and advancement of data, monitoring and knowledge management tools and processes. Responsibilities will include the following:
– Support the management of the Livelihoods Information System, the revision and upkeep of the monitoring tools and indicators and the front-end data visualization.
– Assist in ensuring alignment of livelihoods and economic inclusion indicators in institutional systems and develop an appropriate interoperable plan for data collection across platforms, integrating with existing systems whenever possible (i.e. across COMPASS, LIS, the GCR indicator framework, etc.). Analyse and support global reporting on livelihoods and economic inclusion within COMPASS.
– Conduct and manage the Biennial Global Livelihoods and Economic Inclusion Survey led by the Livelihoods and Economic Inclusion Unit, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders. Provide analysis and disseminate results.
– Act as a Data Protection focal point for the Livelihoods and Economic Inclusion Unit, ensuring UNHCR data protection and privacy standards are applied in Livelihoods and Economic Inclusion activities. Update the Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) of LIS whenever necessary.
– Support the management of the Poverty Alleviation Coalition (PAC) and advance refugees’ access to digital livelihoods and digital work in coordination and partnership with UNHCR’s Innovation Services, other UN agencies, private sector companies and entities that have made pledges towards digital work during the Global Refugee Forum.
– Assist in knowledge management and regular information sharing of key findings regarding livelihoods programme outcomes, notably the PROSPECTS partnership, including advancements in the enabling environment for economic inclusion at country, regional and global levels.
– Collaborate with multi-sectoral colleagues and partners and recommend advocacy initiatives and policy reforms to enhance the enabling environment and economic inclusion, rights and access to work of forcibly displaced and stateless persons.
– Provide support to Country Operations and Regional Bureaus in research, socio-economic assessments, capacity building to measure livelihood outcomes and impacts., and the dissemination of best practices related to livelihoods and economic inclusion.
– Provide technical support in monitoring for colleagues in County Operations and Regional Bureaus and facilitate the increased use of M&E tools in Country Operations.
– Other tasks as deemed priority by the livelihoods and economic inclusion unit.

3. Qualifications and Experience

a. Education (Level and area of required and/or preferred education)
Master’s Degree in Statistics, Socio-Economic Development, Economics/International Economics, Econometrics, International Development, or other relevant field.

b. Work Experience
• 6 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 5 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 4 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree.
• Experience in programme monitoring, including conducting surveys and managing large amounts of data for monitoring purposes.
• Experience in conducting macroeconomic research and monitoring, with a particular focus on marginalized communities and poverty alleviation initiatives, including the graduation approach.
• Experience with project management, stakeholder management and knowledge management.
• Experience in working with and developing partnerships with private sector, NGOs, UN organizations, development actors, and government authorities in sub-sectors relevant to livelihood and economic inclusion programming e.g. financial inclusion, employment, entrepreneurship, private sector development, local economic development, poverty reduction, agriculture, livestock, vocational and technical education and training, etc.

c. Key Competencies
(Technical knowledge, skills, managerial competencies or other personal competencies relevant to the performance of the assignment. Clearly distinguish between required and desired competencies)

Essential
Technical competencies in data protection, data management, analysis and monitoring, knowledge management, communication and visualization. Knowledge of data collection methodologies and tools (ex: Kobo), as well as data management and visualization softwares and tools (ex: PowerBI, R).

Desirable
Knowledge about latest development in the economic inclusion sector, including broader UN processes on the SDGs and the Global Compact on Refugees.

Type of contract: UNOPS Individual Contractor
Working arrangement: Full-time
Location: Geneva, Switzerland
Duration: One year, starting on 1 January 2025. Renewal subject to availability of funds and satisfactory performance.