Representative in Washington, D.C.

Deadline for Applications

July 7, 2026

Hardship Level

H (no hardship)

Family Type

Family

Residential location (if applicable)

Grade

DI2

Staff Member / Affiliate Type

Professional

Reason

Regular > Regular Assignment

Target Start Date

2026-07-01

Standard Job Description

Representative in Washington, D.C.

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships

As the High Commissioner’s senior representative in the country, the Representative provides strategic vision, managerial leadership and oversight to ensure UNHCR’s effective performance in the country of her/his assignment. As Director of the DC office, the Representative will lead efforts to develop and sustain a robust network of support across the United States, engaging stakeholders from government, civil society, philanthropy, and the private sector to advance UNHCR’s mission. The Representative is responsible and accountable for translating the High Commissioner’s organizational objectives and policies into an effective advocacy, visibility and programmatic campaign to generate broad political and financial support from across the United States, and among multiple private and public sector stakeholders. Through a continuous process of situational and political analysis, and concerted public outreach the Representative and team identify strategic objectives, opportunities, and challenges and develop coherent, consistent and effective responses in the face of a changing and often challenging political climate.

The Representative will be serving as a member of the senior leadership team of the High Commissioner, contributing to organizational global strategy, decision-making, and the advancement of UNHCR’s priorities. He/she is responsible for ensuring the adequate direction, technical support and guidance to the office to enable it to fulfil its accountabilities, including those outlined in the Terms of Reference of UNHCR offices. The Representative works to ensure that UNHCR is widely perceived as an effective and trusted partner. S/he is responsible for creating effective networks, relationships, partnerships, and synergies with governments, NGOs, relevant regional political and other fora, civil society, persons of concern and all other key strategic partners and actors. He/she lends visibility to important strategic issues, promotes concerted action and the commitment of sufficient resources and expertise to address matters of concern to UNHCR.

The Representative will drive advocacy and fundraising initiatives, leveraging strategic partnerships and outreach to generate political and financial backing for refugee protection and humanitarian action. The Representative is expected to maintain and deepen relationships across the relevant US ecosystem, including the Executive Branch, Congress, state and local authorities, civil society, NGOs, faith-based actors, think tanks, private philanthropy, the private sector, media and other stakeholders able to influence support for refugee protection and humanitarian action. The incumbent must articulate UNHCR’s value proposition in terms that resonate with different audiences.

In a complex and demanding political and operational environment, marked by significant structural changes to US government entities, and dramatic reductions in US foreign assistance, the Representative strives to build a dynamic, integrated, and sufficiently empowered team that can greatly expand UNHCR’s profile, reach, and influence in the United States, including impacts on regional issues. This requires building and sustaining both traditional and non-traditional coalitions that can help generate support for the High Commissioner’s priorities. S/he devolves appropriate authorities, facilitates the sharing of expertise and best practice and creates a climate of collaboration, which aims to empower and motivate colleagues to approach challenges with insight and innovation and to work toward identifying ways to engage and build support among sceptical audiences. The Representative leads an integrated team able to combine political analysis, strategic communications, donor engagement, partnership development and evidence-based advocacy, while ensuring timely advice to Country Operations and relevant Headquarters entities on political, funding and reputational developments.

The comports and actions of the Representative must at all times reflect the core values and principles embodied in UNHCR’s mandate. A failure on the part of the Representative to adhere to these standards would have negative implications for UNHCR’s credibility, operations and, ultimately, the protection and well-being of persons of concern to the Office. UNHCR is well integrated into the UN Resident Coordinator System and ensures effective coordination with relevant UN entities and inter-agency partners in the United States, while preserving UNHCR’s distinct mandate, protection leadership and institutional positioning.

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

Strategic Direction

• Stay abreast of the challenges posed by the local political context and proactively develop strategies to address them.
• Manage a consultative process within the country operation and with external partners.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive external engagement strategy to expand contacts across the US government and among key State and local officials that positions UNHCR as a trusted partner and generates political and financial support for UNHCR’s global operations.
• Develop and sustain a robust network of support across the United States, engaging stakeholders from government, civil society, philanthropy, and the private sector to advance UNHCR’s mission as Director of the DC office.
• Lead and oversee advocacy and fundraising initiatives, leveraging strategic partnerships and outreach to generate political and financial backing for refugee protection and humanitarian action.
• Serve as a member of the senior leadership team of the High Commissioner, contributing to organizational global strategy, decision-making, and the advancement of UNHCR’s priorities.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive communications and narrative approach that increases understanding of UNHCR’s mandate, global operations and impact; and supports resource mobilization for UNHCR’s corporate priorities and specific operational needs.
• Ensure that US policy, funding and political developments are systematically analyzed and communicated to the Bureau, Headquarters and relevant senior management to inform institutional positioning and operational planning.

Operations

• Provide strategic advisory support to UNHCR country offices worldwide on engagement with United States donors, preparation of US-funded proposals, and compliance with US funding requirements, while designing and delivering capacity-building initiatives to strengthen donor engagement and liaison capabilities across the organization.
• Implement a results-oriented approach, engaging a robust multi-functional team to design, deliver and monitor the office’s advocacy, partnership, communications, protection, resource mobilization and operational support priorities.
• Ensure that the office’s workplans and engagement priorities are aligned with regional and global strategic priorities, and that they support UNHCR’s institutional positioning, resource mobilization and protection objectives.
• Ensure the engagement of UNHCR in the UNCT, UN common programming, planning and funding activities and to actively contribute to the establishment of the CCA/UNDAF and the consequent joint implementation activities.
• Ensure that risks to the operation’s objectives are regularly assessed, priority risks are identified and risk treatments for the priority risks form an integral part of the operations plans.
• Establish and maintain a systematic knowledge-management framework to preserve institutional memory on key United States stakeholders, funding relationships, engagement strategies, and donor priorities, ensuring continuity and effective relationship management across staff transitions.
• Undertake missions to operational contexts to strengthen engagement with United States stakeholders and support resource mobilization, advocacy, and partnership objectives through first-hand understanding of field operations.

Resource Management

• Ensure that the office’s structure, capabilities and ways of working are aligned with the strategic demands of the US partnership, including political analysis, donor engagement, communications, partnership development, protection advocacy and evidence-based reporting.
• Direct and oversee the United States resource mobilization strategy, driving donor engagement, monitoring funding pipelines, and securing strategic partnerships with governmental, philanthropic, foundation, and other non-traditional funding sources to advance organizational priorities.
• Ensure effective and efficient management of resources within the rules and procedures of UNHCR.
• Establish and manage local administrative mechanisms such as a Local Contracts (or Purchasing) Committee, Local Asset Management Board and APPC.
• Ensure local compliance with UNHCR’s human resources (HR) policies.
• Manage a process of recruitment, assignment and reassignment of local staff for the country operation, in accordance UN/UNHCR rules and procedures.
• Identify the most appropriate affiliate workforce and optimize its use as necessary.
• Ensure that the learning needs of UNHCR’s workforce in the country are identified, assessed and addressed in coordination with DPM.
• Exercise effective managerial oversight, direction, guidance and support and conduct regular performance appraisals and coaching.

Security

• In close collaboration with the Designated Official (DO), UNDSS and UN country team/Security Management Team (SMT), gather and analyse information on the local security situation and play an active role in the inter-agency security and contingency planning processes.
• Ensure that appropriate security measures are in place to protect staff, and that the country operation complies with UN MOSS/MORSS staff security rules, guidelines and procedures.
• Represent UNHCR in the UNCT/Humanitarian Country Team and other inter-agency fora.
• Decide on the country strategy and priorities, country operations plans, and approve the country operation’s protection strategy.
• Enforce local compliance with UNHCR’s global protection, programme, finance and human resources and security policies and standards.
• Negotiate and sign local agreements with implementing and operational partners.
• Authorize payments as per the organization’s Delegation of Authority Plan (DOAP) and in accordance with UN/UNHCR rules and procedures.
• Modify operational projects and reallocate funds, within the approved budgets and in respect of donor earmarking.

• Lead risk assessments and discussions with team(s) to proactively manage risks and seize opportunities impacting objectives. Ensure that risk management principles are integrated in decision-making both at strategic and operational levels. Allocate resources for planned treatments with resource requirements in Strategic Plans. Ensure that risks are managed to acceptable levels and escalate, as needed. If a Risk Owner, designate the Risk Focal Point and certify that the annual risk review is completed and ensure that the risk register is updated during the year, as needed.
• Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Education & Professional Work Experience

Years of Experience / Degree Level

For D2 - 18 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 17 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 16 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education

Business Administration; International Relations; Political Science;

Social Science; Human Resources Management; International Law;

or other relevant field.

Certificates and/or Licenses

Not specified.

(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience

Essential

Proven ability to lead high-level representation, political advocacy, strategic communications, partnership development and negotiation in complex and politically sensitive contexts. Demonstrated capacity to engage senior government, legislative, diplomatic, inter-agency, private sector, philanthropic, media and civil society stakeholders. Strong political judgement and ability to navigate fast changing and highly charged environments while preserving institutional credibility, humanitarian principles and operational independence. Ability to lead strategic planning, change processes, results-based management, risk management, evidence-based advocacy and organizational positioning. Proven capacity to translate strategic objectives into practical plans, establish priorities, monitor implementation and adjust course as required. Ability to lead and empower a multidisciplinary team under pressure and to build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

Desirable

Knowledge of US political, legislative, budgetary and foreign assistance processes, including congressional dynamics, humanitarian funding mechanisms, resettlement policy, private philanthropy and the broader public debate on asylum, migration, refugee protection and multilateral cooperation. Experience in donor relations, strategic communications, crisis communications or resource mobilization in a major donor or politically complex environment would be an asset.

Functional Skills

MG-Client Relationship Management

MG-Change Management

EL-Monitoring and Evaluation

PG-Programme Management (programme cycles and reporting standards)

PG-Results-Based Management

UN-UN/UNHCR Inter-agency Policies, Standards, Programmes, and Partnerships

UN-UN/UNHCR Mandate and Global Strategic Priorities

MG-Political Decision Making

MG-Country/Regional Office Representation

UN-Analysis of geo-political realities and their socio-cultural implications

(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.

Competency Requirements

All jobs at UNHCR require six core competencies and may also require managerial competencies and/or cross-functional competencies. The six core competencies are listed below.

Core Competencies

Accountability

Communication

Organizational Awareness

Teamwork & Collaboration

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Client & Result Orientation

Managerial Competencies

Empowering and Building Trust

Judgement and Decision Making

Leadership

Managing Performance

Managing Resources

Strategic Planning and Vision

Cross-Functional Competencies

Analytical Thinking

Negotiation and Conflict Resolution

Political Awareness

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.

Desired Candidate Profile

Please refer to the Job Description.

Required languages (expected Overall ability is at least B2 level):

,

,

Desired languages

,

,

Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel.

Nature of Position:

Living and Working Conditions:

Additional Qualifications

Skills

EL-Monitoring and Evaluation, MG-Change Management, MG-Client Relationship Management, MG-Country/Regional Office Representation, MG-Political Decision Making, PG-Programme Management (programme cycles and reporting standards), PG-Results-Based Management, UN-Analysis of geo-political realities and their socio-cultural implications, UN-UN/UNHCR Inter-agency Policies, Standards, Programmes, and Partnerships, UN-UN/UNHCR Mandate and Global Strategic Priorities

Education

Bachelor of Arts: Business Administration, Bachelor of Arts: Human Resources Management, Bachelor of Arts: International Law, Bachelor of Arts: International Relations, Bachelor of Arts: Political Science, Bachelor of Arts: Social Science

Certifications

Work Experience

Competencies

Accountability, Analytical thinking, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Empowering & building trust, Judgement & decision making, Leadership, Managing performance, Managing resource, Negotiation & conflict resolution, Organizational awareness, Political awareness, Strategic planning & visions, Teamwork & collaboration

UNHCR Salary Calculator

https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales

Compendium

Additional Information

Functional clearance

This position doesn't require a functional clearance