Head of Office

Position Title: Head of Office

Duty Station: Kaiserslautern, Germany

Classification: Professional Staff, Grade P5

Type of Appointment: Fixed term, one year with possibility of extension

Estimated Start Date: As soon as possible

Closing Date: 11 October 2023

Established in 1951, IOM is a Related Organization of the United Nations, and as the leading UN agency in the field of migration, works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It does so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants.

IOM is committed to a diverse and inclusive work environment. Read more about diversity and inclusion at IOM at www.iom.int/diversity.

Applications are welcome from first- and second-tier candidates, particularly qualified female candidates as well as applications from the non-represented member countries of IOM. For all IOM vacancies, applications from qualified and eligible first-tier candidates are considered before those of qualified and eligible second-tier candidates in the selection process.

For the purpose of this vacancy, the following are considered first-tier candidates:

1. Internal candidates
2. External female candidates:
3. Candidate from the following non-represented member states: Antigua and Barbuda; Barbados; Botswana; Cabo Verde; Comoros; Congo (the); Cook Islands; Dominica; Fiji; Grenada; Guinea-Bissau; Holy See; Iceland; Kiribati; Lao People’s Democratic Republic (the); Madagascar; Marshall Islands; Micronesia (Federated States of); Namibia; Nauru; Palau; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Seychelles; Solomon Islands; Suriname; The Bahamas; Tonga; Tuvalu; Uzbekistan; Vanuatu

Second-tier candidates include:

All external candidates, except candidates from non-represented member states of IOM and female candidates.

Context:

IOM’s operations cover diverse thematic areas such as: Humanitarian Relief Assistance, Protection (including Gender based Violence and Child Protection), Shelter and Non-food items, Health and Psychosocial Support, Resettlement, and Movement Management.

Under the overall supervision of the Chief of Mission (CoM) and direct supervision of the Director, Department of Operations and Emergencies (DOE), and in close coordination with relevant units at Headquarters and IOM Washington, DC, the Head of Office will be responsible and accountable for the following:

Core Functions / Responsibilities:

1. Develop, clarify and contribute to IOM’s overall mandate and strategy onsite through project development and implementation, with appropriate consultation with the Country and Regional Offices, Headquarters as well as concerned Member State, donor and other relevant actors.
2. Meet regularly with and update the Chief of Mission, on all onsite activities to facilitate and ensure the good standing of IOM operations. Support the CoM to maintain working relationships with local and national government authorities and other institutions in the overall direction and implementation of onsite Operations.
3. Establish and maintain strong and regular liaison with the relevant operational partners and stakeholders, or other implementing partners and contractors aimed at coordinating and facilitating the implementation of required activities and fundraising efforts to uphold protection and assistance standards on site.
4. In close coordination with the Headquarters (HQs) Department of Operations and Emergency (DOE) and the Department of Programme Support and Migration Management (DPSMM), the Global United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) Coordination Team and IOM Germany, oversee the site Resource Management Officer, USRAP Site Coordinator and Assistance Programme Coordinator to ensure compliance of all site-based activities with IOM and donor regulations, policies and obligations as indicated in the funding agreements, project documents, audit reports, work plans and budgets.
5. Be responsible for building consensus among the different operational units, support teams, including the resource management team and actively facilitate cooperation and collaboration among them.
6. Oversee the formulation of strategies, policies, standard operational procedures, and approaches across IOM’s portfolio onsite. In close coordination with relevant actors, remain abreast of caseload projections and plans which might impact IOM operations. Anticipate bottlenecks and develop new approaches to address emerging needs.
7. Lead IOM’s engagement in relevant coordination forums at site level, delegating IOM’s representation role as appropriate to relevant colleagues and by ensuring strategic and operational inputs are shared as needed.
8. Direct and coordinate in all areas of operations with management and collect and report feedback, issues, challenges, appreciations; conduct day to day communication and build productive and positive relations.
9. Provide effective daily supervision, oversight and management of all operational and administrative activities and staff, ensuring staff wellbeing and effective service delivery in line with its institutional policy documents, as well as international and inter-agency standards.
10. Ensure IOM staff members, implementing partners and service providers are adequately trained, including on working with at-risk and sensitive cases, Accountability to Affected Populations, and on mainstreaming protection, diversity and inclusion, and Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (PSEAH).
11. Advocate for and ensure that the highest standards of protection and assistance are available to affected populations hosted. Address gaps in technical skill sets related to site management, provision of assistance, as well as access to specialized protection services.
12. Arrange briefings, tours and other related activities for visitors, missions, and other relevant stakeholders to the IOM.
13. Coordinate with operational units and Resources Management Unit (RMU) to ensure regular information/reports (including narrative and financial) are compiled for HQs, donor(s), key stakeholders (as appropriate).
14. Perform such other duties as may be assigned.

Required Qualifications and Experience:

Education

• Master’s degree in Political or Social Sciences, International Relations, Law, Migration Studies, Social or a related field from an accredited academic institution with ten years of relevant professional experience; or
• University degree in the above fields with twelve years of relevant professional experience.

Experience

• Experience in and knowledge of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) humanitarian response policies and standards of operations;
• Experience working with migrants, refugees, internally displaced persons, victims of trafficking and other vulnerable groups;
• Experience in Movement Operations and Civil military coordination;
• Experience in liaising with governmental and diplomatic authorities (in particular working with the US Administration), as well as national and international institutions;
• Experience in program management and coordination;
• Demonstrated technical expertise in relevant thematic areas, particularly camp management and camp coordination, protection mainstreaming, gender-based violence and child protection.

Skills

• Proven interpersonal and teamwork skills;
• Excellent leadership skills and proven ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with persons of diverse cultural and national backgrounds;
• Excellent communication and analytical skills;
• Familiarity with financial and administrative management, preferably in IOM or UN Agencies;
• Demonstrated proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Languages

IOM’s official languages are English, French, and Spanish.

For this position, fluency in English is required (oral and written). Working knowledge of German or Dari and/or Pashto is an advantage.

Proficiency of language(s) required will be specifically evaluated during the selection process, which may include written and/or oral assessments.

Notes

1 Accredited Universities are the ones listed in the UNESCO World Higher Education Database (https://whed.net/home.php).

Required Competencies:

Values – all IOM staff members must abide by and demonstrate these five values:

• Inclusion and respect for diversity: Respects and promotes individual and cultural differences. Encourages diversity and inclusion.
• Integrity and transparency: Maintains high ethical standards and acts in a manner consistent with organizational principles/rules and standards of conduct.
• Professionalism: Demonstrates ability to work in a composed, competent and committed manner and exercises careful judgment in meeting day-to-day challenges.
• Courage: Demonstrates willingness to take a stand on issues of importance.
• Empathy: Shows compassion for others, makes people feel safe, respected and fairly treated.

Core Competencies – behavioural indicators level 3

• Teamwork: Develops and promotes effective collaboration within and across units to achieve shared goals and optimize results.
• Delivering results: Produces and delivers quality results in a service-oriented and timely manner. Is action oriented and committed to achieving agreed outcomes.
• Managing and sharing knowledge: Continuously seeks to learn, share knowledge and innovate.
• Accountability: Takes ownership for achieving the Organization’s priorities and assumes responsibility for own actions and delegated work.
• Communication: Encourages and contributes to clear and open communication. Explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring and motivational way.

Managerial Competencies – behavioural indicators level 3

• Leadership: Provides a clear sense of direction, leads by example and demonstrates the ability to carry out the Organization’s vision. Assists others to realize and develop their leadership and professional potential.
• Empowering others: Creates an enabling environment where staff can contribute their best and develop their potential.
• Building Trust: Promotes shared values and creates an atmosphere of trust and honesty.
• Strategic thinking and vision: Works strategically to realize the Organization’s goals and communicates a clear strategic direction.
• Humility: Leads with humility and shows openness to acknowledging own shortcomings.

IOM’s competency framework can be found at this link.

https://www.iom.int/sites/default/files/about-iom/iom_revised_competency_framework_external.p df

Competencies will be assessed during a competency-based interview.

Other:

Internationally recruited professional staff are required to be mobile.

Any offer made to the candidate in relation to this vacancy notice is subject to funding confirmation.

This selection process may be used to staff similar positions in various duty stations. Recommended candidates endorsed by the Appointments and Postings Board will remain eligible to be appointed in a similar position for a period of 24 months.

The list of NMS countries above includes all IOM Member States which are non-represented in the Professional Category of staff members. For this staff category, candidates who are nationals of the duty station’s country cannot be considered eligible.

Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances. Subject to certain exemptions, vaccination against COVID-19 will in principle be required for individuals hired on or after 15 November 2021. This will be verified as part of the medical clearance process.

Vacancies close at 23:59 local time Geneva, Switzerland on the respective closing date. No late applications will be accepted.

How to apply

Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications HERE, by 11 October 2023 at the latest, referring to this advertisement.

IOM only accepts duly completed applications submitted through the IOM e-Recruitment system. The online tool also allows candidates to track the status of their application.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

For further information please refer to: www.iom.int/recruitment

Posting period:

From 28.09.2023 to 11.10.2023

No Fees:

IOM does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, processing, training or other fee). IOM does not request any information related to bank accounts.

Requisition: VN 2023 438 Head of Office (P5) Kaiserslautern, Germany (58386820) Released Posting: Posting NC58386821 (58386821) Released