Assistant Environment Officer

The Assistant Environment Officer supports the integration of environmental sustainability and climate resilience into UNHCR operations, programmes, and projects benefiting refugees, asylum-seekers, returnees, internally displaced persons, and host communities. The role involves environmental assessments, monitoring, reporting, community engagement, and ensuring compliance with environmental safeguards and donor requirements in Somalia.

Responsibilities

• Conduct environmental screening and site-level environmental assessments for works across Kabasa, Qansaxlay, Ladan and Kaharey and other locations whenever requested.
• Support the preparation, implementation and monitoring of the ESMP and site-specific Environmental Management Plans (EMPs), and review the Contractor ESMP (C-ESMP) for adequacy before works start.
• Maintain an environmental risk register and ensure ESMP mitigation measures are translated into practical site controls.
• Identify environmental risks linked to shelter construction, settlement planning, drainage, sanitation, access roads, material sourcing, borrow pits, waste management and site clearance.
• Advise on mitigation measures to reduce soil erosion, flooding, water contamination, dust, noise, vegetation loss, poor waste disposal, and unsafe construction practices.
• Support climate-resilient, flood-sensitive and resource-efficient housing and settlement approaches.
• Monitor contractor, subcontractor, and implementing partner compliance with environmental safeguards requirements and ESMP mitigation measures.
• Review construction methods, material sourcing, borrow pits, waste-disposal sites and site-restoration measures; promote safe handling, storage and disposal of construction waste and hazardous materials.
• Support drainage planning, flood-risk reduction, erosion control and site rehabilitation, including native vegetation restoration where feasible.
• Conduct regular field-monitoring visits and prepare environmental compliance reports with clear findings and corrective actions.
• Support environmental incident reporting, corrective-action planning and follow-up to closure, and escalate serious incidents through agreed pathways.
• Ensure environmental considerations are integrated into BOQs, technical specifications, contracts, site instructions and progress reports, and contribute environmental inputs to donor and AfDB E&S reporting.
• Support community consultations on environmental risks, mitigation measures and complaint channels, and ensure the GRM/CFM is communicated and accessible.
• Train project staff, contractors, implementing partners and community representatives on environmental safeguards, waste management and safe construction practices.
• Coordinate with the Project Engineer, Site Planner, contractors, supervision consultant, local authorities, implementing partners and relevant government environmental and disaster-management offices.
• Contribute to project documentation and lessons learned on environmental performance.
• Ensure environmental considerations are systematically included when assessing the needs of PoCs.
• Draft sustainable solutions to address the basic needs of PoCs while mitigating the environmental impact of the interventions.
• Advise site planners on mainstreaming environmental considerations throughout the settlement design process.
• Work in close coordination with all relevant sectors and clusters in UNHCR to ensure environmental concerns and impact mitigation measures are included in operational responses.
• Collect, analyse and update data and information concerning the environmental status of settlements and broader hosting areas.
• Contribute to internal and external reporting commitments, including proposal drafting for environment and energy.
• Assist Programme in the technical oversight of UNHCR implementing partners to ensure environmental considerations are adequately integrated.
• Support quality monitoring of interventions, track and record relevant indicators in UNHCR's corporate tools.
• Stay abreast of new technologies and relevant partnerships related to environment and climate change.
• Assist training and capacity building activities to address skills and knowledge gaps.
• Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility.

Requirements

• University degree (Bachelor's minimum) in Environmental Science, Environmental Management, Natural Resource Management, Civil/Environmental Engineering, Climate Change, Geography or a related field.
• Minimum Four – Five years relevant experience in environmental safeguards, infrastructure/construction monitoring, housing/shelter, settlement planning, WASH or humanitarian/development projects; donor-funded project experience required.
• Demonstrated experience in Somalia or comparable fragile/displacement contexts, including IDP or host-community settings, strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with ESMP/EMP implementation and monitoring; exposure to the AfDB ISS, World Bank ESF or equivalent is an advantage.
• Experience in environmental assessment, planning, monitoring and evaluation of integrated environmental programmes/projects in displacement and stable situations.
• Awareness of and practical experience with refugee-related environmental problems.
• Familiarity with emerging environmentally sustainable and appropriate technologies, and renewable energy.
• Familiarity with community-based and participatory approaches.
• Budgeting, planning experience, ability to work with various (relevant) computer software.
• IT-Computer Literacy
• SP-Environmental Assessment/Planning/Monitoring/Evaluation of integrated projects/programs
• CO-Drafting and Documentation
• Proficiency in English and Somali languages.

Skills

• Environmental Safeguards Policy
• Infrastructure Monitoring
• Housing and Shelter Planning
• Settlement planning
• WASH Project Management
• Humanitarian Experience
• Donor-funded Project Management
• Environmental Assessment
• Environmental Planning
• Environmental Monitoring and Evaluation
• Refugee-related Environmental Issues
• Sustainable Energy Technologies
• Renewable Energy
• Community-Based Approaches
• Participatory Approaches
• Budgeting and Planning
• Computer Literacy
• Drafting and Documentation

Languages

English, Somali