External Relations Officer at UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency

Cairo, Cairo, Egypt -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

06 Jun, 26

Salary

0.0

Posted On

08 Mar, 26

Experience

5 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

External Relations, Donor Engagement, Project Management, Humanitarian Operations, Donor Relations, Grant Management, Donor Reporting, Fundraising, Earmarked Funds, Budgeting, MEAL Systems, Drafting, Communication, Analytical Skills, Political Awareness, Coordination

Industry

International Affairs

Description

Deadline for Applications March 21, 2026 Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based) A (least hardship) Family Type (not applicable for home-based) Family Staff Member / Affiliate Type UNOPS IICA2 Target Start Date 2026-05-01 Terms of Reference Functional Expertise, Technical Skills and Work Experience: The ideal candidate brings a strong blend of external relations, donor engagement, and project management capabilities essential for a complex, high-visibility refugee context such as Egypt. Core Technical Requirements: * Strong background in humanitarian operations, with field experience. * Proven experience in donor relations and grant management, including: -- Preparing high quality donor reports. -- Organizing donor missions and briefings. -- Supporting fundraising efforts and identifying new funding streams. * Demonstrated project management experience, especially: -- Managing tightly earmarked funds. -- Experience in work related to programming and budgeting. -- Tracking progress using MEAL (Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning) systems. ** Skilled in drafting and communication, able to produce: -- Situation reports -- Talking points -- Factsheets -- Background/advocacy materials * Strong communication skills for donor messaging and donor visibility. * Strong analytical and political awareness, with the ability to translate complex operational realities into compelling messaging. * Experience coordinating information flows across diverse internal teams. Personal Attributes: * Calm under pressure, especially during operational spikes (e.g., Sudan emergency). * Strategic thinker, capable of shaping donor narratives and identifying opportunities. * Adaptable and flexible, able to pivot between various tasks (reporting, visibility, donor liaison, project tracking). * A collaborative team player, fostering cross-unit cooperation. Work Experience: * Experience in humanitarian operations, especially in field environments; strong knowledge of institutional and political contexts. Strong experience in fundraising, donor engagement and management of grants. Experience in project management in light of an increasing number of tightly earmarked funds. Good command of UNHCR’s programming system. * Asset: knowledge of UNHCR operations, experience with social media and digital communications. Experience with M&E/ MEAL systems. Standard Job Description External Relations Officer Organizational Setting and Work Relationships Direct supervision is normally exercised by a Senior External Relations Officer of Representative who provides guidance on the applicable procedures. Advice may also be provided by relevant functional units at HQ. The incumbent may supervise some support staff. External contacts are predominantly with Partners, media, government embassies and other international organizations on matters of importance to the Organization. All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR's core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity. Duties - Stay abreast of the challenges posed by the political context, the UN and humanitarian reform, and institutional developments in the area of forced displacement and humanitarian operations. - Assist in the planning of a consultative process with UNHCR colleagues (Programme, Protection, etc.) with external actors and partners, so as to develop and implement protection and assistance strategy, with clearly articulated objectives, timelines and outputs. - Assist the implementation of a communications strategy that generates support for UNHCR s operations from external partners (e.g. the general public, governments, partners, the media, academia and forcibly displaced and stateless persons). - Assist in the articulation of all issues pertaining to the needs of the forcibly displaced and stateless persons and the strategies in place to respond to their needs. - Inform the UNHCR Country Team on the UNHCR priorities so as to ensure that they are given adequate weight in the publications and documentation of the UN Country Team. - Assist in the dialogue with donors and embassies and provide accurate information by organizing regular briefings, bilateral meetings and missions. Prepare reports as appropriate. - In accordance with the operational context and in close cooperation with headquarters, propose new and non-traditional funding sources, as appropriate, including private sector and humanitarian pooled/basket funds (e.g. Central Emergency Response Fund, Human Security Fund). - Through a consultative process with headquarters, disseminate information on UNHCR's global funding situation and mobilize additional funds to implement special projects aimed at enhancing the quality of protection for forcibly displaced and stateless persons in the country operation. - Participate on behalf of the Representative and other supervisors in inter-agency cooperation and communication strategies, initiatives and tools. - Support senior management in representing UNHCR in the UN Country Team and other UN coordination fora. - Support, and participate in, local UN integrated missions, Inter-Agency Standing Committee, Emergency Relief Coordinator and Cluster communication strategies and initiatives. - Assist in the management of information flows within the country operations by identifying priority matters, securing, analyzing and disseminating documentation and information to support country operations and corporate communication processes and priorities. - Consolidate information on UNHCR's country operations and identify appropriate messages for campaigns and appeals. - Assist in the coordination of the drafting of, situation reports, briefing notes, background material, talking points, fact sheets, press releases and articles. - Assist in the development of targeted communications strategies and media packages for situations and/or activities that require focused attention. - Propose events and initiatives (e.g. commercial, cultural, political and sports) to promote the work of UNHCR and take action as appropriate. - Support the management of media relations by, inter alia, responding to direct queries, publishing press releases and organizing regular briefings and visits to country operations. - On behalf of the Representative, approve fundraising messages. - On behalf of the Representative, approve any relevant expenditure for the implementation of fundraising activities. - Propose which donors to approach and which operations or activities to prioritize for special fundraising appeals. - Implement all aspects of a communications strategy. - Approve budgets and expenditures for communications activities. - Clear external relations/communication products and tools as appropriate. - Represent UNHCR on behalf of senior management in fund-raising and communication priorities in inter-agency initiatives and fora. - Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility. Ensure decision making in risk based in the functional area of work. Raise risks, issues and concerns to a supervisor or to relevant functional colleague(s). - Perform other related duties as required. Minimum Qualifications Education & Professional Work Experience Years of Experience / Degree Level For P3/NOC - 6 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 5 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 4 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree Field(s) of Education Political Sciences, Social Sciences, International Relations, Journalism, or other relevant field. Certificates and/or Licenses Not specified Relevant Job Experience Essential Experience in humanitarian operations in a field environment. Excellent knowledge of local institution, politics and culture. Desirable Good knowledge of UNHCR operations both at Headquarters and in the Field. Fund-raising and programming/programme management experience. Experience of working with social media. Functional Skills IT-Web Content Management IT-Computer Literacy CO-Drafting and Documentation ER-Inter-Agency External Relations (Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential) Language Requirements For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English. For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language. For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English. All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination and abuse of power. As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise. This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates. Required Languages English , , Desired Languages , , Additional Qualifications Skills CO-Drafting and Documentation, ER-Inter-Agency External Relations, IT-Computer Literacy, IT-Web Content Management Education Bachelor of Arts: International Relations, Bachelor of Arts: Journalism, Bachelor of Arts: Political Science, Bachelor of Arts: Social Science Certifications Work Experience External Relations Other information N/AThe English version is considered original and authoritative, translation to other language(s) serve the purpose of advertisement of local positions where applicable but are not considered as official translationsN/AThis position doesn't require a functional clearance Remote No Important notice: Please note that UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, meeting, travelling, processing or training). Read about how to avoid scams and fraudulent job offers. Please note that applications are only accepted via the UNHCR online recruitment platform. CVs and/or application requests sent via email will not be answered, reviewed nor considered. For external applicants: We would like to call your attention on the eligibility of International Professional (P) category: According to our Recruitment and Assignments Policy, P staff members will not normally serve in the country of their nationality, and the first regular appointment in the P category must be outside the staff member's country of nationality. In practical terms this means that you are not eligible to apply for International Professional vacancies advertised in the country where you are national of. In case of technical difficulties when applying, external applicants (not current UNHCR workforce members) can write to recruitmentcase@unhcr.org. For former UNHCR Colleagues: Former UNHCR employees who are on mandatory break-in service or have separated from UNHCR after 1 October 2022 should create an account through this platform. Once you fill in your basic personal information (employee ID, birth date, name, email address), Workday will identify you as prior personnel and merge your employee account with your external applicant account. The UNHCR workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages and opinions. UNHCR seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. Applications are encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on grounds of race, colour, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, takes the lead in protecting people forced to flee wars and persecution around the world, providing life-saving aid including shelter, food and water to ensure their basic safety, rights and dignity. With 18,879 women and men working in 137 countries, we work tirelessly to make a difference in the lives of 89.3 million forcibly displaced people worldwide. Our dedicated and professional staff work around the clock in roles including legal protection, community services, public affairs, health and more. Despite the challenges they can face, our staff are proud to work for UNHCR and determined to make a positive impact. Why a career with UNHCR? Our dedicated staff work to protect and assist people fleeing conflict and persecution at a time when global forced displacement is at a record high. Our colleagues bring a wide range of specialized skills, including expertise in legal protection, administration, community services, public affairs, health and other disciplines. Disability inclusion If you are a person with a disability and you expect you may face challenges during the recruitment process, you can indicate it in your application form. There are options to select any health conditions you may have and outline any necessary adjustments related to disabilities during the recruitment phases. Providing this information is optional. It will be treated as strictly confidential and used only for the purpose of finding out how to better assist you during the recruitment process. Adjustments for candidates with disabilities will be provided as best as possible and as needed upon request. All candidates will be assessed based on meeting the requirements for each vacancy in relation to experience, skills, and education.

Responsibilities

The officer will assist in planning consultative processes with internal and external actors to develop protection and assistance strategies, and implement communications strategies to generate support for UNHCR operations from various partners. Duties also involve assisting in dialogue with donors, preparing reports, proposing funding sources, and managing information flows within country operations.