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Why a Career with UNHCR? Madrid, Spain 30-31 March 2017 John Thomas, Chief of Section UNHCR Talent Outreach and Acquisition
Why a Career with UNHCR?
Madrid, Spain
30-31 March 2017
John Thomas, Chief of Section
UNHCR Talent Outreach and Acquisition
Who We Are
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ymxq7D2DfA
John Thomas, Chief of Section
UNHCR Talent Outreach and Acquisition
What We Do Our Mandate: UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, leads international action to protect
people forced to flee their homes because of conflict and persecution.
Delivering Life- Saving Assistance (shelter, food, and water)
Helping Safeguard Fundamental Human Rights
Developing Solutions that Ensures Safety and Opportunity
John Thomas, Chief of Section
UNHCR Talent Outreach and Acquisition
Who We Support People of Concern to UNHCR:
Refugees: forced to flee their country
because of persecution, war, or violence
Stateless: who is not considered as a
national by any State under the operation of
its law
Asylum Seekers: whose request for
sanctuary has yet to be processed
Internally Displaced Persons: forced to
flee their home but remain within their country
Returnees: refugees who have returned to
their country of origin
John Thomas, Chief of Section
UNHCR Talent Outreach and Acquisition
Trends at a Glance
• 65.3 Million Forcibly Displaced Worldwide:
• 21.3 Refugees
• 16.5 Mandate
• 5.2 Palestinians
• 40.8 Internally Displaced People
• 3.2 Asylum Seekers
• 24 new displaced every minutes
• Conflicts in Syria and South Sudan generated
the most new refugee arrivals in 2016
• Colombia has the largest IDP population: 7.1
• Turkey hosts the largest number of refugees: 2.8
• Germany received the largest number of asylum claims in 2016 (Mid Year Trends 2016 Report)
John Thomas, Chief of Section
UNHCR Talent Outreach and Acquisition
Where We Work Our dedicated staff work in 128 countries around the world, from major capitals to remote and
often dangerous locations.
• Over 7 % are based at our headquarters
• 87 % are based in the field in:
• Africa
• Americas
• Asia and the Pacific
• Europe
• Middle East and North Africa
John Thomas, Chief of Section
UNHCR Talent Outreach and Acquisition
Current Focus
5 Core Directions (New York Declaration)
• Protect: safeguard the rights of displaced people and promote responsibility-sharing amongst States
• Respond: mobilize rapidly and effectively in response to emergencies to meet human needs
• Include: promote inclusion of people of concern in National Development Programmes, taking into
account diverse ethnic and gender identities
• Empower: help displaced people participate in decisions that affect them, secure reliable information
• Solve: partner with others to find durable solutions, identify opportunities for local integration, voluntary
repatriation for refugees and support peacebuilding initiatives
John Thomas, Chief of Section
UNHCR Talent Outreach and Acquisition
Key Drives for Recruitment
• Increasing number of Emergencies/Refugee Crises
• Ongoing Support to Operations
• New Skill Demand
• Global Competition for Talent
• Workforce demand in 1951: 34 employees
• In 2017: 10,700 employees
John Thomas, Chief of Section
UNHCR Talent Outreach and Acquisition
Why Work for UNHCR?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_AN1kdf2PU
John Thomas, Chief of Section
UNHCR Talent Outreach and Acquisition
Our Core Values
Integrity Professionalism Respect for Diversity
• Gender, Cultural & Ethnic Diversity
• Diverse Professional and
Academic Background
• Inclusive Attitude
• Discretion
• Confidentiality
• Consistency and
• Transparency
Promoting and Practicing:
• Understanding
• Respect
• Compassion and
• Tolerance
John Thomas, Chief of Section
UNHCR Talent Outreach and Acquisition
What We Offer
• Diverse and Inclusive Work Environment
• Rewarding Job – Supporting Persons of Concern
• Staff Benefits, UN Pension Scheme
• Staff Growth and Continuous Career Development
• Staff Mobility in a Fair and Efficient Manner
• Quality Health and Wellbeing System
• Culture of Trust, Communication & Core Values
John Thomas, Chief of Section
UNHCR Talent Outreach and Acquisition
“Our team is the lifeblood of this organization – they bring their indispensable skills, expertise and passion
to our humanitarian mission.” (Deputy High Commissioner, Ms. Kelly Clements)
UNHCR Career Opportunities Entry-Level Humanitarian
Professional Programme
(EHP)
Temporary Appointment
(TA) Recruitment
• Competitive point of
entry for young talent
under the age of 45
• Willing to be deployed
to potentially high-risk
locations
• Ready-to-hire
candidates in
functional profiles
• international positions
• Willing to work in
emergency operations
• For short-term emergency
staffing needs
• To fill gaps in workforce
UNHCR Compendia
• Regular external
recruitment
• Experienced candidates
with technical skills
• Potential to work across
different field locations
Internships
• To gain hands-on experience in the humanitarian sector
• Internships normally last between 2-6 months
• Offered depending on the availability of assignments
• There is no deadline for sending in an application form
Talent Pools
John Thomas, Chief of Section
UNHCR Talent Outreach and Acquisition
Protection: protecting people of concern
Registration: refugee registration and
population data management
Camp Coordination and Camp Management:
assisting displaced people in communal
settings
Shelter: shelter/settlement needs assessments
Livelihoods: self-reliance opportunities for
refugees
Physical Site Planner: developing sustainable
settlements to host people of concern
Cash Based Intervention: cash and vouchers
as a response option
Supply: supervising supply activities
Programme Officer: managing protection
programmes for refugees
Project Control: operational support, oversight
of projects funded by UNHCR
Admin/Finance: administrative systems and
control mechanisms in compliance with HR and
financial rules and procedures
Human Resources: HR related activities within
the field operation
Environment Officer: assessing environmental
conditions and analyzing how they affect the
environment
ICT: implementation of ICT operational plan and
technical supervision
Profile-Based Recruitment (Talent Pool)
John Thomas, Chief of Section UNHCR Talent
Outreach and Acquisition
Entry point for specialists to support operations in the field
What Are We Looking For?
• Passion for Humanitarian Work
• Advanced University Degree from an Accredited Institution
• Relevant Working Experience in the Respective Functional Area
• Language Skills (2 Official UN languages)
• Ability to Work in a Diverse Team
• Willingness to Serve in Field Locations
• Flexibility and Mobility
• Committed to Serve Persons of Concern
Language Assessment
• Minimum, proficiency at an advanced level (C1
or above) in either one of the two working
languages of UNHCR (English and French)
• Plus possess a second official UN language at
an intermediate level (B2 or above)
• Official UN Languages: English, French,
Spanish, Arabic, Russian, Chinese
John Thomas, Chief of Section
UNHCR Talent Outreach and Acquisition
How to Apply?
1. Visit the UNHCR Careers Page:
http://www.unhcr.org/careers.html
1. Register Your Profile
2. List Relevant Professional Experience
and Academic Degrees
3. Indicate Language Proficiency
4. UNHCR Only Accepts Online Profiles
Duly Completed
5. Only Shortlisted Candidates will be
contacted
John Thomas, Chief of Section
UNHCR Talent Outreach and Acquisition
Selection Process
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted
• Shortlisting
• Language Assessment
• Testing and Evaluation
• Competency Based Interviews
• Academic and Professional Reference Checks
• Official Offer from UNHCR
John Thomas, Chief of Section
UNHCR Talent Outreach and Acquisition
Where to Find Us?
Careers Website http://www.unhcr.org/careers.html
@UNHCRCareers
https://www.linkedin.com/company/unhcr/careers
https://www.facebook.com/UNHCR
John Thomas, Chief of Section
UNHCR Talent Outreach and Acquisition
