Job Description

Please note that this vacancy is only open to eligible staff members who have been individually notified of their eligibility to apply for positions advertised in the Accelerated Posting Compendium.

June 12, 2026

A (least hardship)

Family

PR3

Professional

Reason

Regular > Regular Assignment

2026-07-01

Inter-Agency Coordination Officer

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships
The Inter-Agency Coordination Officer is usually located in Country Operations, Multi-Country Offices, Regional Bureaux, Regional Refugee Coordinator's Office or in the Public Partnerships and Resource Mobilization Service in Headquarters S/he plays a crucial role in ensuring UNHCR's approach to partnership and inter-agency processes are consistent, strategic and coherent. The main aim is to ensure that UNHCR can fulfil its role to support the Government to lead the refugee response, coordinate other actors - including development actors at the early stages of a refugee response - and support the adherence to UNHCR inter agency commitments in IDP situations. This should be done in line with UNHCRs Mandate, the Global Compact for Refugees, the IDP policy, and agreed inter-agency commitments. More specifically, s/he advises the senior management on inter-agency processes and related positioning, coordination, advocacy, information, resource allocation, fundraising, reporting, and communication with government entities, other UN agencies, NGOs, civil society actors, private sector media, other relevant actors. This requires strong engagement in humanitarian inter-agency processes, as well as knowledge and interaction with regional entities and processes.

The IA Coordination Officer assists senior management with ensuring staff are aware of the humanitarian architecture kept informed and can act in line with ongoing development processes related to the UNDS reform and the 2030 agenda as they impact on UNHCR. The overall goal of the position is to strengthen and enhance the effectiveness of UNHCR's leadership roles and responses to situations affecting forcibly displaced and stateless persons to UNHCR (refugees, asylum-seekers, IDPs, stateless persons, returnees, host communities) through an open and transparent partnership approach.

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
- Advise and assist senior managers to formulate and communicate UNHCR positions on inter- agency matters, internally and externally, providing briefing notes, talking points and issue papers for relevant discussions in-house, with partners, including governmental counterparts, UN agencies and NGOs, donors, ExCom and in inter-agency fora.
- Promote UNHCR's policies and linkages within multilateral processes, including humanitarian and development processes as elaborated by the humanitarian working groups, the Inter- Agency Standing Committee, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG), as well as in regional and country levels.
- Contribute to the effective establishment and maintenance of coordination mechanisms and tools, in line with the refugee coordination model and globally-agreed arrangements applicable in various situations (refugee-only; mixed refugee-IDPs; refugee and migrant movements), including through the development of joint appeals, regional refugee response plans, regional refugee and migrant response plans, refugee and resilience plans, comprehensive responses.
- Ensure these mechanisms (which may include regional coordination mechanisms, country-level multi-sector groups, refugee protection working group, information management) are inclusive and engage with all relevant stakeholders, including government counterparts, civil society (international and national NGOs) and donors.
- Where the IASC cluster system is activated, ensure senior management and country operations have the latest information on response strategies, UNHCR's inter -agency commitments and other relevant data.
- In the context of inter-agency appeals, advise senior management on established procedures and best practices.
- Maintain frequent formal and informal contacts with his/her counterparts in other organisations.
- With support from Inter-agency and Coordination Section/DER and senior management, responsible for furthering understanding within UNHCR on inter- agency issues and priorities and inform other staff on policy developments and reform initiatives within the humanitarian sphere, as well as the broader UN and development processes. This includes updating key staff on the developments within the Inter- Agency frameworks, UN reforms, Global Compact, as well as promoting and stimulating UNHCR's implementation of key reforms within the humanitarian and development architecture.
- Assist senior management and country offices to ensure internal institutional coherence and coordination of actions pursued for a strong refugee coordination system under government leadership where possible, with accompanying planning instruments in the delivery of refugee responses.
- Articulate UNHCR's priorities in the inter-agency arena, including the commitment to humanitarian principles.
- Where there is lack of clarity as to UNHCR's positions and priorities, identify the issues and bring this to senior management attention.
- Support/coordinate evaluations/reviews of coordination systems, including by other agencies.
- Maintain close contact with DER on emerging issues.

- 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.

For positions in the Regional Bureaux, Multi-Country offices or RRC offices only:
- Promote within relevant country operations coordinated approaches to decision making frameworks, especially in regards to humanitarian inter agency processes, but also with a focus on development processes as they impact on UNHCR in the field.
- Operationalize UNHCR's inter-agency policies and maintain an inclusive inter-agency regional approach.
- Advise UNHCR's senior management on engagement in regional inter-agency processes, including regional Economic Commissions and regional UNSDG, as well as regional fora (ASEAN,IGAD, ECOWAS, etc).
- Establish regional coordination mechanisms and/or consultation fora for situations led by UNHCR. This should include, inter alia: support to RRC (if appointed); information-management; reporting.
- Assist the office to ensure timely preparedness activities across the region / multi-countries, including through participation and where necessary coordination of inter-agency contingency planning processes.
- Liaise with other UN agencies and other inter government agencies and fora at the regional level to find areas of cooperation, joint initiatives and where applicable negotiate joint agreements or work programmes to further protection and assistance for forcibly displaced and stateless persons.
- Where applicable, coordinate the compilation of a regional refugee response plan (in some situations, this could be a regional refugee and migrant response plan or a refugee and resilience plan), as well as its monitoring and the tracking of financial contributions.
- In close collaboration with the IM team, ensure efficient and timely circulation of information to stakeholders, including through the production of regular and up-to-date information, key messages and regional situational analysis.
- Ensure effective coordination mechanisms are in place in country operations including through field missions, to safeguard harmonized position and communication between national and regional coordination mechanisms UNHCR leads or is actively engaged in.
- Advise field operations on how to facilitate UNHCR's catalytic and convener's role in the context of the Global Compact on Refugees.
- Advise field operations on how to engage in UNDAF processes.
- Organize regional-level capacity building, as required.
- Support the organization of annual regional NGO consultations and facilitate events as required.
- Alert the HQ (DER and DEPS) on issues related to coordination arrangements interface with development and humanitarian systems.

For positions in the Public Partnerships and Resource Mobilization Service only:
- Assist in the liaison with other UN agencies and other inter government agencies and fora to find areas of cooperation, joint initiatives and where applicable negotiate joint agreements, letters and MOUs to further refugee protection and assistance as well as agreements for other forcibly displaced and stateless persons.
- Advise the Regional Bureaux, Multi-Country offices, RRC offices and Country operations on inter-agency and coordination matters.
- Compile inputs and draft reports or comments for key inter-agency processes, amongst others the Secretary General's report for ECOSOC on humanitarian coordination and UNHCR's self-report on commitments made at the World Humanitarian Summit.
- Assist with UNHCR's participation in the various inter agency initiatives such as the WHS follow-up, IASC products, ECOSOC Humanitarian Segment, in cooperation with other divisions and UNHCR New York.
- Draft input and coordinate the input of others into annual reports in the area of partnership and coordination, such as the Global Appeal and Report and into Standing Committee documents.
- Carry out field support missions, as required.
- Contribute to the compilation of briefing papers, TPs, and data collection on coordination issues and UNHCR's interagency response.
- Support the organization of Annual NGO Consultations.

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
Law, Political Science, Economics,
International Relations, Business Administration, Social Science
or other relevant field.

Certificates and/or Licenses
In future: completion of the IACLP
(Certificates and Licenses marked with an asterisk* are essential)

Relevant Job Experience
Essential:
- Experience of working in an inter-agency environment at field or Headquarters level.
- Experience of liaising with governments and/or the donor community.
- Thorough understanding of UNHCR's protection mandate and core mission.
- Thorough understanding of humanitarian coordination processes and recent inter-agency developments related to the IASC and the broader UN.

Desirable:
- Inter-agency coordination role.
- Drafting joint appeal/ refugee response plan/HRP.
- Experience with another UN agency or partner.

Functional Skills
ER-Inter-Agency Coordination Mechanisms
(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.

Essential attributes
•Demonstrated, field-based experience in inter-agency coordination within complex, multi-stakeholder environments, including UNCT/IASC processes, Refugee Coordination Models, and national coordination mechanisms, with exposure to emergency preparedness and response contexts.
•Experience engaging in humanitarian–development nexus programming, and/or UNSDCF processes, national development planning, and SDG frameworks, with ability to position refugee inclusion in broader policy and planning agendas including Global Compact on Refugees (GCR), Agenda 2030.
•Extensive collaboration with governments, donors, NGOs, civil society, private sector, and IFIs; experience in joint programming, fundraising, appeals, inter-agency strategies, and understanding of ODA constraints, donor priorities, and development financing.
•Working experience in UNHCR inter-agency architecture, refugee protection, inclusion frameworks, including for disaster preparedness and national coordination systems (government-led mechanisms, planning, preparedness, and response structures including for disaster preparedness). Proven experience operating across complex political, emergency, and operational contexts, strengthening inter-agency systems in field and urban settings, and leading disaster preparedness and contingency planning within inter-agency and government-led platforms.
•Strong advocacy and experience in (policy briefs, negotiations), risk-informed analysis, commitment to inclusion and community-based protection along excellent facilitation, stakeholder management, and consensus-building skills, with strong political acumen and communication ability to interpret evolving dynamics and translate them into effective strategic engagement.

Desired attributes

•Highly flexible and effective in fast-changing, multi-country and multi-institutional environments, with a track record of sustaining trust-based partnerships and navigating complexity.
•Excellent interpersonal skills

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Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

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

Nature of Position:

The South Africa Multi Country Office (SAMCO) covers nine countries, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Comoros, Mauritius, and Seychelles, each with distinct asylum systems, political contexts, income levels, and protection environments. The region is increasingly impacted by mixed migration dynamics, social and development deficits, which exacerbate vulnerabilities, place pressure on national systems, and complicate protection responses. In addition, periodic climate-related shocks such as floods, cyclones, and droughts further intensify these challenges. Together, these dynamics highlight the importance of coordinated approaches to preparedness, response, and inclusion, ensuring that refugees, asylum seekers, and stateless persons are effectively integrated into national systems and planning frameworks.

In the current context of declining humanitarian funding, limited durable solutions, and a growing reliance on development financing and national systems, UNHCR’s ability to deliver is increasingly dependent on effective inter-agency coordination and strategic partnerships. Engagement is required across multiple levels; United Nations Country Teams (UNCTs), national governments (including disaster management authorities), regional bodies, donors, international financial institutions (IFIs), and the private sector, each operating within different coordination frameworks and priorities.

At present, reduced staffing and fragmented engagement across nine countries constrain UNHCR’s capacity to consistently influence these processes. Without dedicated capacity, there is a risk of incoherent positioning, missed opportunities to shape national and UN development frameworks, insufficient integration into preparedness and response systems, and underutilization of partnership and financing opportunities, particularly with development actors and IFIs.

Against this backdrop, the establishment of a P3 Inter-Agency Coordination Officer is critical to ensure that UNHCR’s engagement is strategic, coherent, coordinated and systematized across the SAMCO region. The role goes beyond representational functions and serves as a strategic enabler of coordination systems, policy influence, partnerships, and resource mobilization. The Officer will establish and strengthen structured coordination processes that anchor UNHCR’s engagement within the humanitarian-development nexus, including preparedness and response mechanisms. This includes systematic participation in UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) processes, national and regional coordination platforms, contingency planning mechanisms for climate related actions, and multilateral fora (SADC, AU, IOC), as well as targeted engagement with donors, private sector actors, and IFIs such as the World Bank and regional development banks.

Establishing and sustaining effective coordination systems is essential to:

• Ensure inclusion in national preparedness and response frameworks, including engagement with disaster management authorities and contingency planning processes;
• Influence upstream policy and development planning, embedding protection, inclusion, and solutions in UN and national strategies;
• Leverage partnerships to mobilize resources, including facilitating access to development financing and promoting joint programming with UN agencies, IFIs, and private sector actors;
• Enhance coherence and consistency across SAMCO’s nine-country footprint, through aligned messaging, shared analysis, and harmonized engagement;
• Support transitions from humanitarian assistance to sustainable inclusion approaches, in line with the 2030 Agenda and UN reform; and
• Strengthen UNHCR’s positioning and visibility as a key partner in whole-of-government and whole-of-society responses.

The Inter-Agency Coordination Officer will serve as SAMCO’s technical lead on inter-agency engagement, ensuring that UNHCR priorities are systematically reflected in UN, government, and regional processes, while proactively identifying opportunities to advance policy reform, expand partnerships, and unlock financing. In doing so, the position will directly contribute to enhanced operational effectiveness, improved resource mobilization, stronger partnerships with governments, IFIs and the private sector, and better alignment between humanitarian and development responses, ensuring that SAMCO is effectively positioned to deliver on its 2026–2027 strategic priorities.

The P3 Inter-Agency Coordination Officer will be based in Pretoria and report to the Deputy Representative, ensuring strong alignment between inter-agency positioning, partnership development, and SAMCO’s overarching strategic objectives.

Living and Working Conditions:

Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province in South Africa. It is one of the country's two capital cities serving as the executive (administrative) and de facto national capital. The other is Cape Town, the legislative capital. The Central Business District (CBD) of Pretoria has been the traditional center of government and commerce, although today many corporate offices, small businesses, shops and government departments are situated in the sprawling suburbs of the city rather than the CBD. The city has a population of approximately 2,818,100 with an influx of foreign nationals. Pretoria has over the years had very diverse cultural influences and this is reflected in the architectural styles that can be found in the city. The main languages spoken in Pretoria are Pedi, Afrikaans, Tswana, Tsonga, Zulu and English. Ndebele and Sotho are also widely spoken. The living class in Pretoria can be classified as middle to high income earners.
The living conditions in South Africa are generally very good. Housing and basic commodities are readily available. The country has an abundance of health providers of all sectors. The country's infrastructure and communication facilities are of international standard and are amongst the best in the African continent. Crime continues to be of concern. Burglaries (house break-ins) and car-jacking are common. ATM fraud is also rampant as well as cyber-crime - financial related.

Additional Qualifications

Skills

Bachelor of Arts: Business Administration, Bachelor of Arts: Economics, Bachelor of Arts: International Relations, Bachelor of Arts: Law, Bachelor of Arts: Political Science, Bachelor of Arts: Social Science

Certifications

Interagency Coord Learning Program - Other

Competencies

Accountability, Analytical thinking, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Empowering & building trust, Judgement & decision making, Organizational awareness, Planning & organizing, Stakeholder management, Teamwork & collaboration

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

Compendium

Accelerated Posting Compendium 2026 - Part B

Additional Information

This position doesn't require a functional clearance