Associate Donor Relations Officer

The Associate Donor Relations Officer supports donor engagement, strengthens partnerships, and mobilizes political and financial support for UNHCR's work. The role involves maintaining dialogue with donors, assisting in fundraising strategies, and supporting reporting and visibility efforts related to pooled funds.

Responsibilities

• Assist in maintaining close dialogue with, and providing information to, donor governments on UNHCR operations and financial requirements, including in response to donor governments' ad hoc requests for information.
• Keep abreast of UNHCR's operations worldwide, with a specific focus on high-profile and emergency situations, to be able to serve donors' information needs on all aspects of UNHCR's work.
• Assist in identifying and accessing new donors and funding sources as per PPFS strategy.
• Assist in drafting internal and external correspondence, including briefing notes for HC, Head of PPFS to support them in negotiations and follow up of contributions with donors.
• Assist in implementing and reviewing actions and strategies, and maintaining donor profiles and plans.
• Monitor recording and track engagement of contributions and take necessary actions to satisfy donor requirements.
• Help prepare submissions - in collaboration with respective Bureau, Divisions and UNHCR Offices - for specific funding from donors or provide other information donors may require in determining their financial/political support to UNHCR.
• As needed, help Bureaux/Regional Offices/Country Operations with input for their fundraising strategies, in line with DER/PPFS strategic directions.
• Arrange meetings for donors and, where applicable, organize annual bilateral consultations with donor governments.
• Prepare reports using UNHCR information management systems (COMPASS, Cloud ERP, Power BI - Results Data Portal and Wordkay, data portal, funding updates, etc.) as necessary in a timely and efficient manner.
• Provide editorial support and facilitate the finalization of fundraising publications produced by PPFS or the Bureaux, including appeals and other reports.
• Provide support and guidance to the Field on engagement in the Refugee Response Plans and Humanitarian Response Plans.
• Provide guidance and advice on UNHCR's involvement at the IASC on humanitarian financing.
• Perform regional focal point duties as required, including compiling funding-related TPs and background notes on the region for senior management missions and meetings with donors; review funding updates.
• Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility.
• Perform other related duties as required.
• Focal point for reporting (pooled funds): Ensure compliance of UNHCR contractual obligations for donor reporting (pooled funds).
• Develop a rapport with Bureaux and operations donor reporting focal points (pooled funds).
• Ensure systems are in place in regional bureaux to track status and foster timely submissions of donor reports.
• Ensure UNHCR filing systems including online platforms are up to date.
• Provide guidance and support Bureaux and operations as required.
• Contribute to delivering on visibility (pooled funds): Participate in annual meetings with OCHA counterparts on donor visibility.
• Support the development of an annual donor visibility plan for pooled funding sources. Monitor implementation.
• Liaise with Bureaux’ focal points and relevant operations as required.
• Liaise with GPS Donor Visibility Focal Point regularly to ensure operations’ visibility efforts are relayed by UNHCR main channels and communicated to pooled funds secretariat accordingly.
• Ensure visibility outputs are filed for future reference and reporting purposes.
• Contribution management support: Provide support as needed throughout the fundraising process (proposal development, allocation negotiations, recording of income in UNHCR systems etc.)
• Conduct first review of donor proposals submitted by the field for donor focal points’ (DFP) clearance.
• Support DFP on agreement internal clearance process as required.
• Support DFP in organizing quarterly pooled funds contribution management meetings with Bureaux and ensure follow up as required.
• Support the field implement interagency accountability requirements as required.
• Support in developing resources for the field: Develop Donor Factsheets for major pooled funding sources.
• Develop Guidelines for operations on contribution management for major pooled funds (submission, implementation, reporting, visibility).
• Contribute to internal and external communications on the impact of pooled funds.

Requirements

• For P2/NOB - 3 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 2 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 1 year relevant experience with Doctorate degree
• Field(s) of Education: International Relations; Political Science; Social Sciences; Journalism; Communication; Public Policy; or other relevant field.
• Experience in external engagement with donors, UN agencies, partners, governments.
• Professional work experience in field operations.
• Knowledge of UNHCR's operational arrangements, its relief programmes, the funding needs and priorities.
• UNHCR fund- raising and programme management experience (desirable).
• Good research, policy and report writing skills (desirable).
• Experience in managing donor relations (desirable).
• Understanding of the workings of major donor perspectives, requirements and standards (desirable).
• Functional Skills: MG-Resource Mobilization Techniques and Guidelines, ER-Donor Reporting and Related Tracking Systems, ER-Donor Relations - Humanitarian Financing, CO-Strategic Communication, SO-Networking, CO-Drafting and Documentation, CO-Reporting skills (essential marked with asterisk).
• Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.

Skills

• Donor Relationship Management
• External Engagement
• Field Operations Experience
• UNHCR Operations Knowledge
• Fundraising Strategies
• Programme Management
• Research Skills
• Policy Writing
• Report Writing
• Resource Mobilization Techniques
• Donor Reporting Systems
• Humanitarian Financing
• Strategic Communications
• Networking
• Drafting and Documentation
• Reporting Skills

Languages

English