Liaison Officer

UNOPS supports the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to serve people in need by expanding the ability of the United Nations, governments and other partners to manage projects, infrastructure and procurement in a sustainable and efficient manner.

Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, our vision is to advance sustainable implementation practices, always satisfying or surpassing our partners’ expectations.

With over 7,000 personnel spread across 80 countries, UNOPS offers its partners the logistical, technical and management knowledge they need, wherever they need it.

A flexible structure and global reach means that we can quickly respond to our partners' needs, while offering the benefits of economies of scale. 

Peace and Security Centre

The UNOPS Peace and Security Centre (PSC) is a principal service provider in the field of mine action with the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), UNDP, UNICEF, Governments of mine-affected countries and other mine action partners. The Centre is responsible to administer, provide support and oversight of the day-to-day management of the Project Field offices, both according to the client requirements and in line with UNOPS rules and regulations.

It is headed by the Centre Director who has the overall authority and accountability for the performance of the Peace and Security Centre on behalf of its clients.

UNISFA Mine Action Programme (UNMAS-UNISFA) supports the implementation of UNISFA’s mandate in the Abyei Administrative Area and the Safe Demilitarized Border Zone (SDBZ) between Sudan and South Sudan. As UNISFA-Abyei is only funded through the UN Peacekeeping Assessed Budget, UNMAS is fully integrated into the UNISFA organogram on the substantive side of the mission.

The Liaison Officer will be based in Abyei, Sudan, and will report directly to the Programme Manager of the UNMAS-UNISFA. The incumbent shall work in close collaboration with the Programme Officer and Chief of Operations to support programmatic implementation. The incumbent shall fulfil a liaison role, representing UNMAS in interactions with the Ethiopian military contingent. S/he shall also be responsible for undertaking capacity building activities, and will support in other key areas as required by the UNMAS management to ensure that a productive working relationship is maintained with the Ethiopian military contingent. The Liaison Officer will be responsible for supporting programme related functions in UNISFA Area of Operation (AoO) in the following areas:

Programme Management:

Provide liaison and engagement support between UNMAS and the Ethiopian military contingent, including the military demining platoon, focusing on achievement of the following results:

• Correct and timely sharing of information between stakeholders
• Ensure UNMAS – military demining platoon operations are coordinated and that Force Protection Requirements are satisfactorily fulfilled
• Ensure the military demining platoon are briefed on quality assurance requirements, as per Operations and Quality Assurance (Ops/QA) staff instruction
• Provide interpretation into Ahmaric from English and/or from Ahmaric into English during meetings, training sessions, workshops, and other events with the Ethiopian military contingent as required
• Ensure that documents which have previously been printed in Ahmaric  are of a high quality with respect to use of use of language and layout/design
• Maintain documentation related to decisions and actions taken on issues
• Assist the operations team in drafting plans, reports, contracts, statements of work, and related support documents, as required
• Perform other related duties as required

Information Management:

• Accompany Ops/QA staff to the field and serve as an intermediary between the military demining platoon and UNMAS, as needed
• Build and/or enhance relationships with key stakeholders such as personnel from UNISFA, UN  agencies/funds/programmes, and/or programme beneficiaries to disseminate information
• Assist in the planning and implementation of both public and special events
• Create and manage Ahmaric social media accounts for UNMAS (e.g. Twitter, Facebook)
• Attend inter-agency meetings and working groups, and assist with issues
• Keep the UNMAS PM informed of developments external to the mission which may impact the on-going work in the mission area
• Perform other related duties as required

• Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; Listens to others, correctly interprets messages and responds appropriately; Asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; Tailors language, tone, style and format to match the audience;Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.
• Vision: Identifies strategic issues, opportunities and risks; Clearly communicates links between the Organization’s strategy and the work unit’s goals; Generates and communicates broad and compelling organizational directions, inspiring others to pursue that same direction; Conveys enthusiasm about future possibilities.
• Client Orientation: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; Establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; Identifies clients needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; Monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate probelms; Keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in project
• Empowering others: Delegates responsibility, clarifies expectations, and gives staff autonomy in important areas of their work; Encourages others to set challenging goals; Holds others accountable for achieving results related to their area of responsibility; Genuinely values all staff members' input and expertise; Shows appreciation and rewards achievement and effort; Involves others when making decisions that affect them

• Minimum one year experience in English-Amharic/Amharic-English translation and/or interpretation is required
• Minimum one year experience in capacity development and/or community liaison work is required
• Demonstrated experience in copywriting, editing, and presentation is desired
• Demonstrated experience using social media to target stakeholders is desired
• Previous work experience in Abyei is desired
• Experience working with UNOPS or other UN agencies is an asset
• Excellent inter-personal and communication skills is desired  
• Experience working in a multicultural environment is an advantage
• Professional Certifications in Ahmaric-English Translation is desired
• PRINCE2 Foundation or equivalent project management certification is desired
• Fluency in (speaking,reading, and writing) English and Amharic is required
• Knowledge of other UN languages is an asset

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns.
Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.