Assistant Environment Officer
Organizational Context
The Assistant Environment Officer will support the UNHCR Office in Somalia on all environmental and climate change issues, integrating them across the country operation. This role involves close collaboration with various sectors and partners to ensure sustainable natural resource use for refugees and host communities, requiring proactive coordination and evidence-based interventions.
Job Purpose
The Assistant Environment Officer is responsible for ensuring environmental considerations are systematically integrated into all aspects of UNHCR's operations in Somalia. This includes assessing needs, developing sustainable solutions, and advising on environmental impact mitigation for refugee settlements and host communities. The role requires close coordination with internal sectors (Protection, WASH, Health, Shelter, Livelihoods, Energy) and external stakeholders, including UN agencies, development partners, and local authorities. The incumbent will contribute to data collection, analysis, and reporting, draft project proposals, and provide technical oversight to implementing partners. A key aspect is mainstreaming environmental concerns into decision-making processes and ensuring all interventions promote environmental sustainability for both refugees and host populations, aligning with the Global Compact on Refugees.
Responsibilities
The Assistant Environment Officer will ensure environmental considerations are systematically included when assessing the needs of Persons of Concern (PoCs). Based on assessments and stakeholder consultations, they will draft sustainable solutions to meet basic needs while mitigating environmental impact. They will advise site planners on integrating environmental considerations into settlement design, considering local conditions. Close coordination with Protection, WASH, Health, Shelter, Livelihoods, Energy, and Camp Coordination & Camp Management sectors is crucial to incorporate environmental concerns and mitigation measures into operational responses. The role involves collecting, analyzing, and updating data on the environmental status of settlements and surrounding areas. Contribution to internal and external reporting, including drafting proposals for environment and energy projects, is essential, ensuring coherence with planned interventions. The incumbent will ensure all responses promote environmental sustainability for PoCs and host communities. They will assist the Programme in providing technical oversight to implementing partners, ensuring adequate integration of environmental considerations. Quality monitoring of interventions and tracking relevant indicators in corporate tools will be undertaken. Staying updated on new technologies and partnerships related to environment and climate change is required to efficiently respond to PoC needs, in line with the Global Compact on Refugees. The role also includes supporting training and capacity-building activities to address identified skills and knowledge gaps, and assisting in the identification and management of risks and opportunities impacting the area of responsibility, ensuring risk-based decision-making.
Work Experience
Essential experience includes environmental assessment, planning, monitoring, and evaluation of integrated environmental programmes/projects in displacement and stable situations. Awareness of and practical experience with refugee-related environmental problems are required. Familiarity with emerging environmentally sustainable and appropriate technologies, renewable energy, and community-based/participatory approaches is also necessary.
Skills
Environmental Assessment Environmental Planning Environmental Monitoring Environmental Evaluation Integrated Environmental Programmes/Projects Refugee Environmental Problems Sustainable Technologies Renewable Energy Community-based Approaches Participatory Approaches Data Analysis Project Proposal Drafting