Senior PSEA Associate

Job description

Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) by aid workers is a 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 not only applies to IOM staff but 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 SEA on victims and within IOM’s operating environments, and the reputational risk it poses for theOrganization needs to be addressed and remains a key priority.

The protection against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), including the prevention of and response to SEA, 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.

Over the past decade, IOM has increasingly been seen as a strong player supporting the prevention and response to SEA 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 PSEA Officer will support these efforts. In 2021, IOM developed its strategic approach toward the prevention of and response to SEA 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 Regional PSEA coordinator and technical support from the PSEAH Unit and other experts, the incumbent will be responsible for supporting the management IOM’s prevention of and response to sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA) activities in Poland. As the technical PSEA Focal Point in Poland, the PSEA Project Officer will need to implement PSEA activities in direct coordination with the Regional PSEA coordinator, 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 coordinate PSEA within programming, accountability for PSEA remains with the Chief of Mission

Core Functions / Responsibilities:

PSEA Coordination:

• Support the development of an operational PSEA Work Plan for IOM Poland, 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; ensure 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;
• Support the inclusion of PSEA within IOM Poland Strategy, programming, risk mitigation and management, planning, reporting, monitoring and evaluation and budgeting; develop PSEA programming and liaise with relevant donors as required;
• Contribute 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;
• Support the PSEA Network to develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)1, 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 practice2;
• Support the facilitation and participation 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 coordination with relevant colleagues, work closely with Focal Points at the IOM Regional Office in Belgium and HQ to ensure IOM Poland prevention, mitigation and response mechanisms are in line with IOM’s global PSEA Strategy;
• Support 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 coordination with relevant colleagues.

Prevention:

• Support a Country-wide SEA risk assessment to identify locations and programmes with the highest SEA risk; ensure 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 partners3, 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 mission 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;
• Support the development of a 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; ensure localization of SEA messaging; and,
• Map existing community engagement projects in IOM Poland and work with project leads to insert PSEA messages and/or gather community input where appropriate.

Response:

• Participate and support the development of PSEA proposals and ensure the mainstreaming of PSEA within IOM programming; coordinate closely with institutional partners, governments, donors, and communities on PSEA needs and responses;
• Support the development and contribute to reporting on PSEA and communication to highlight IOM’s PSEA work within programming;
• Support 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;
• Review and assess 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;
• Undertake duty travel as required; and,
• Perform any other duties as may be assigned.

Requirements

Required Qualifications and Experience
Education

• Master’s degree or equivalent or higher in Law, International Relations, Psychology, Social Sciences, Development Studies and Planning or a related field from an accredited academic institution with four years of relevant professional experience; or,
• High school Degree/Certificate in the above fields with six of relevant professional experience.

Experience and Skills

• Experience in the fields of sexual exploitation and abuse, protection, child protection, gender-
• based violence, accountability to affected populations (AAP), gender mainstreaming and/or
• humanitarian affairs;
• Strong coordination experience within the UN system and amongst interagency partners, including governments, NGOs, and communities;
• Experience in developing and facilitating PSEA trainings, in particular capacity-building, and communication materials to promote behavior 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.

Languages

• For all applicants, fluency in English and in Polish is required (oral and written).
• Working knowledge of Ukrainian is an advantage.

Required Competencies

• IOM’s competency framework can be found at this link.

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

• 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.

Other:

IOM is committed to a diverse and inclusive environment.

This post is subject to local recruitment. Only those holding a valid residence and work permit for Poland will be eligible for consideration.

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

At the time of recruitment, all candidates must disclose any known relative or spouse who works for IOM. Candidates may also be requested to provide documentary evidence of academic degree(s), professional licenses, and proof of no criminal records as relevant to the requirements of the position advertised.

Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, verification of residency, visa, and authorizations by the concerned Government, where applicable.

Vaccination against COVID-19 will be required for IOM personnel who are hired or otherwise engaged by IOM. As part of the mandatory medical entry on duty clearance, candidates will be requested to provide evidence of full vaccination.