Project Officer (PSEA and AAP) IOM Moldova

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

Open to Internal and External Candidates 

Established in 1951, IOM is a Related Organization of the United Nations, and as the leading UN agency in the field of migration, works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It does so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants.

IOM is committed to a diverse and inclusive environment. Internal and external candidates are eligible to apply to this vacancy. For the purpose of the vacancy, internal candidates are considered as first-tier candidates.

Context:

IOM Moldova operates in a complex crisis setting where its programmes have direct contact with the affected population. IOM Moldova is committed to protect the people it seeks to assist from both deliberate and accidental harm and abuse caused by IOM Moldova’s programmes and personnel. This can be achieved through operationalization of protection mainstreaming principles namely, i) Prioritize safety and dignity and avoid causing harm; ii) Secure meaningful access; iii) Ensure accountability; and iv) Ensure participation and empowerment.

Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) is an active commitment by organizations engaging in direct assistance to populations in need of aid, to use power responsibly by taking account of, giving account to and being held to account by the people they seek to assist. AAP promotes people-centered approach that reinforces the broader accountability of the organization to all stakeholders including donors, governments and Member States.

Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) by aid workers is a grave violation of human rights and IOM is committed to combat any kind of SEA by its staff, related personnel and partners.

IOM’s zero tolerance policy also extends to IOM third party contracted staff, suppliers, service providers and implementing partners. With over 16,000 staff and over 6,000 related personnel, operating in 450 Offices, and 165 countries throughout the world, the impact of sexual exploitation and abuse on victims and within IOM’s operating environments, and the reputational risk it poses for the Organization needs to be addressed and remains a key priority.

The prevention of and response to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) continues to gain momentum not only within the United Nations (UN) and Interagency Standing Committee (IASC) common systems but also amongst governments, institutional partners, media and the general public. Increased action is no longer a choice but a necessity, and the rights of the victim must be at the forefront.

Over the past decade, IOM has increasingly been seen as a strong player supporting the prevention and response to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Sexual Harassment within the UN, IASC, and amongst the humanitarian community.  While significant progress has been made to prevent and respond to SEA within the Organization such as through the development of innovative PSEA trainings, the development of a misconduct platform to report SEA, and extensive interagency collaboration on PSEA, more needs to be done within country and at the programmatic level and the role of the PSEA Officer will support these efforts.

In 2021, IOM developed its strategic approach toward the prevention of and response to sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment focusing on five priority areas: 1) Leadership and Organizational Culture; 2) Institutional Accountability and Transparency; 3) Capacity-Development, Training, and Communication; 4) Quality and Accessible Victim Assistance; 5) Partnership and Coordination.

Under the overall guidance of the IOM Chief of Mission, the direct supervision of the Programme and Operations Coordinator, in close collaboration with the Regional PSEA Focal Point, IOM Senior Coordinator for PSEA and relevant technical experts and managers, the incumbent will be responsible for supporting and facilitating the technical oversight and day-to-day management of IOM’s prevention of and response to sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA) activities in Moldova. As the technical PSEA Focal Point in Country, Project Officer (PSEA) will need to support the aspects of implementation of PSEA activities in direct close coordination with the Chief of Mission, both internally and as an active member of the interagency PSEA Network. While the incumbent will support  the PSEA agenda within the Country Office and  will contribute technical inputs to PSEA within programming, the accountability for PSEA remains with the Chief of Mission.

Core Functions / Responsibilities:

SAFEGUARDING:

• Support Divisions/Units in operationalizing protection mainstreaming principles throughout programme cycle: i) Prioritize safety and dignity and avoid causing harm; ii) Secure meaningful access; iii) Ensure accountability; and iv) Ensure participation and empowerment. This can be done through provision of technical input in the project development phase, trouble-shooting solutions at request, development of safeguarding policy and tip-sheet guidance and participation to monitoring and evaluation;
• Proactively support the identification and monitoring of risk/gap; support in defining mitigation measures and follow up on the implementation of the measures;
• Support in building capacity of staff members, related personnel and partners on protection mainstreaming and safeguarding.

PSEA COORDINATION:

• Provide inputs for the development of an operational PSEA Work Plan for IOM Moldova, in line with IOM’s PSEA Strategy, the IASC’s PSEA Minimum Operating Standards (MOS), and the UNCT country level framework and work plan, through strategic workshops with IOM Heads of Units and other senior management at the country and programmatic levels, as assigned; Assist the Programme Coordinator (PSEA/AAP) in ensuring  the resulting work plan is detailed and operational with clear actions, roles and responsibilities to deliver on the actions, timeframes, technical and resource requirements, and internal reporting requirements;
• Provide technical inputs for the inclusion of PSEA within IOM Country Office Strategy, programming, risk mitigation and management, planning, reporting, monitoring and evaluation and budgeting; Contribute to the development of PSEA programming and liaison with relevant donors, as assigned;
• Actively participate to the in-country interagency PSEA Network (support in the development of the collective PSEA workplan, risk management plan, PSEA Strategies, etc.), as well as actively participate within IOM internal and other interagency PSEA communication and coordination initiatives;
• Participate and provide inputs to the PSEA Network to develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) , and establish an inter-agency Community-Based Complaint Mechanism, incorporating existing IOM complaint and feedback mechanisms (CFM) and in line with PSEA and GBV good practice;
• Participate and provide technical assistance in the establishment of an inter-agency community-based complaints mechanism (in coordination with the Accountability to Affected Populations Unit in HQ), in coordination with the interagency PSEA Network, programme managers and relevant IOM units, as well as with communities and implementing partners as appropriate;
• In close coordination with the Programme Coordinator (PSEA/AAP) and relevant colleagues, work closely with Focal Points at the IOM Regional Office in Vienna and HQ to check IOM Moldova prevention, mitigation and response mechanisms are in line with IOM’s global PSEA Strategy;
• Provide specific assistance to IOM Teams, programmes and units to ensure the mitigation of SEA risks are developed, embedded and strengthened within all IOM programming and within HR practices; and,
• At all possible opportunities (during relevant trainings, in staff and programme meetings, through newsletters, in email messages, etc.) continually share key messages on PSEA, including mandatory reporting requirements within the Country Office and programming, in close coordination with the Programme Coordinator (PSEA/AAP) and relevant colleagues.

SEA PREVENTION:

• Analyze, compile and draft specific Country-wide SEA risk assessment report to identify locations and programmes with the highest SEA risk; Check the appropriate mitigation and response strategies within IOM programming and operations;
• Participate in the development of a training plan and coordinate the delivery and organization of PSEA trainings for IOM staff and related personnel, implementing partners , key institutional stakeholders; Support the work of identified PSEA Focal Points within Country to deliver key messaging and trainings as appropriate;
• On a yearly basis, provide an update on the number of staff, non-staff trained, contractors, implementing partners, and service providers trained in the Country Office on PSEA, in an effort to track compliance and facilitate the management of training delivery and refresher courses, in coordination with HR. Support the registration of all participants (staff and non-staff) within the IOM system and the delivery of certificates;
• Participate to the development of communication and awareness-raising strategies and tools to ensure appropriate PSEA messaging and knowledge on prohibited behaviours as well as how to report allegations of misconduct, including SEA within communities and amongst beneficiaries; facilitate the localization of SEA messaging; and,
• Map existing community engagement projects in Country Office and work with project leads to insert PSEA messages and/or gather community input where appropriate.

SEA RESPONSE:

• Participate and provide inputs for the development of PSEA proposals and support the mainstreaming of PSEA within IOM programming; coordinate closely with institutional partners, governments, donors, and communities on PSEA needs and responses, as assigned;
• Support the development and provide inputs to reporting on PSEA and communication to highlight IOM’s PSEA work within programming;
• Provide inputs for the development and mapping of Country-specific interagency victim assistance pathways and/or existing IOM programmes to refer victims for assistance and other support services;
• Coordinate referrals for victim assistance in coordination with gender-based violence and/or protection colleagues and support the strengthening of victim services within country and/or programming.

ACCOUNTABILITY TO AFFECTED POPULATION:

• Facilitate baseline surveys / AAP community engagement needs assessment to understand community information needs, communication preferences, languages spoken and understood, community dynamics, social norms, cultural beliefs, superstitions and other anthropological factors that could impact programmes;
• In coordination with partners, support the development and implementation of the AAP Advocacy and Communication Strategy including in the production of communication regional/country directory, and key messaging aimed at strengthening awareness on: a) crisis response common objectives, b) complaints and feedback mechanisms (CFMs), c) code of conduct including on PSEA in coordination with the PSEA Network; d) reporting of misconduct including SEA via ‘We Are All In’ Platform, and on other AAP-related activities;
• Conduct and provide technical guidance on participatory activities ensuring meaningful participation of affected people, communities, and local partners particularly on the inclusion of traditionally marginalized groups including people with disabilities, older persons, people with diverse SOGIESC, indigenous communities, youth, children, and others as applicable;
• Facilitate the set-up of complaints and feedback mechanisms (CFMs) and standard operating procedures (SOPs) in line with existing inter-agency collective AAP framework and/or internal IOM policy as relates to staff members, consultants, and interns. Establish clear referral pathways with designated tasks and responsibilities for complaints on programmes and with corresponding time frames for action within IOM teams. In inter-agency contexts, IOM’s own referral pathways are in place or developed in accordance with collective accountability;
• Undertake duty travel as required; and,
• Perform any other duties as may be assigned.

Required Qualifications and Experience

Education

• Master’s degree in Law, International Relations, Psychology, Social Sciences, Development Studies and Planning or a related field from an accredited academic institution; or,
• University degree in the above fields with two years of relevant professional experience.

Experience

• Experience in the fields of protection mainstreaming, sexual exploitation and abuse, protection, child protection, gender-based violence, accountability to affected populations (AAP), gender mainstreaming and/or humanitarian affairs;
• Coordination experience within the UN system and amongst interagency partners, including governments, NGOs, and communities;
• Experience in organizing and facilitating PSEA trainings, in particular capacity-building, and communication materials to promote behaviour change;
• Experience undertaking PSEA risk assessments, in coordination with communities, partners, and UN and other key stakeholders;
• Demonstrated ability to work across a wide variety of sectors/teams on cross-cutting themes;
• Good written and oral communication skills, effective in representation and liaison with external partners;
• Experience in policy and proposal development and the creation of standard operating procedures and tools; and,
• Ability to organize work, work independently and prioritize work under pressure, coordinate multiple tasks, maintain attention to detail, and coordination with a variety of stakeholders.

Skills

• Knowledge and understanding of IOM’s institutional approach on PSEA and AAP and related strategies, policies, rules and regulations;
• Knowledge of the UN system and architecture;
• Knowledge of mainstreaming best practices and partnership models to ensure coordination of the same across a diversified range of actors; and,
• Ability to work with and maintain strict confidentiality, when necessary.

 Languages

Fluency in English, Romanian and Russian is required (oral and written). Working knowledge of Ukrainian, Arabic, French or Spanish an advantage.

Required Competencies

The successful candidate is expected to demonstrate the following values and competencies:

Values - all IOM staff members must abide by and demonstrate these three values:

• Inclusion and respect for diversity: respects and promotes individual and cultural differences; encourages diversity and inclusion wherever possible.
• Integrity and transparency: maintains high ethical standards and acts in a manner consistent with organizational principles/rules and standards of conduct.
• Professionalism: demonstrates ability to work in a composed, competent and committed manner and exercises careful judgment in meeting day-to-day challenges.

Core Competencies – behavioural indicators (Level 2)

• Teamwork: develops and promotes effective collaboration within and across units to achieve shared goals and optimize results.
• Delivering results produces and delivers quality results in a service-oriented and timely manner; is action oriented and committed to achieving agreed outcomes.
• Managing and sharing knowledge continuously seeks to learn, share knowledge and innovate.
• Accountability: takes ownership for achieving the Organization’s priorities and assumes responsibility for own action and delegated work.
• Communication: encourages and contributes to clear and open communication; explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring and motivational way.

Managerial competencies:

• Leadership: Provides a clear sense of direction, leads by example and demonstrates the ability to carry out the organization’s vision. Assists others to realize and develop their potential.
• Empowering others & building trust: Creates an atmosphere of trust and an enabling environment where staff can contribute their best and develop their potential.
• Strategic thinking & vision: Works strategically to realize the Organization’s goals and communicates a clear strategic direction.
• Communication: encourages and contributes to clear and open communication; explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring and motivational way.

Other

Any offer made to the candidate in relation to this special vacancy notice is subject to funding confirmation.

Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, security clearances and a valid COVID certification.

A prerequisite for taking up the position is legal residency in the country of the duty station and work permit, as applicable.

How to apply:

Interested applicants are invited to send the CV and cover letter in English to: hrchisinau@iom.int  Please indicate the position you are applying for and reference code in the subject line of your message.

Closing date for applications is 15 June 2022, however interested candidates are strongly encouraged to apply sooner.

In order for an application to be considered valid, IOM only accepts the applications duly completed.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Posting period:

From 08.06.2022 to 15.06.2022