External Relations Officer

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