Organization Mission

The Office of the UNHCR was established on 14 December 1950 by the UN General Assembly. The agency is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees. It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country (www.unhcr.org).
In support of the rural – urban linkages, SDG-aligned strategies, UNHCR in Jordan has a dedicated Technical Unit in Amman and technical staff in camps. Together, they support in coordination with the Government, to assess needs and coordinate the provision of WASH (Water, sanitation and hygiene), and in particular, hygiene promotion services to Persons of Concern (PoC) to UNHCR. This will include coordination at site level with WASH partners in conjunction with the government authorities, and monitoring progress of hygiene promotion programme implementation to ensure that an adequate level of hygiene promotion service is provided at each site in accordance with the UNHCR WASH Manual and Technical Guidelines, and applicable UNHCR Standards and/or National Standards.

Context

Jordan is home to a large refugee population of over 400,000 registered refugees, over 94% are Syrian. Most of the refugees live in communities across the country, while 20 per cent live in refugee camps.

The refugee response has entered a new phase. Following the change in government in Syria in December 2024, hope for a solution for the many Syrian refugees has been restored. At the same time funding for the response and services to refugees in Jordan are rapidly decreasing because of reduced donor support globally. This creates a dual challenge: maintaining essential protection and services for the vulnerable refugees who will remain in Jordan, while supporting those wishing to return and a gradual shift toward more sustainable approaches.
In this context, effective coordination, strong partnerships, and strategic donor engagement are more important than ever. The humanitarian response in Jordan requires continued investment in well-targeted, clearly communicated, and high-impact programming – aligned with national priorities and evolving global reform agendas such as the UN80 initiative and the Humanitarian Reset. Ensuring that limited resources are directed to where they have the greatest impact is a key priority for both UNHCR and its partners.

The Associate – External Relations plays a central role in this effort. As a member of the External Relations Unit in Amman, the position directly supports UNHCR’s engagement with donor govern-ments, including Spain. The incumbent will contribute to the development of high-quality donor products (proposals, reports, briefs), strengthen visibility and communication, monitor funding trends, and support the organization of strategic donor missions to the field.

By helping translate operational realities into clear, evidence-based narratives and funding opportunities, the position contributes directly to sustaining donor confidence and enabling continued support to refugees and host communities in Jordan at a time of increasing constraints and shifting priorities.

Key Responsibilities

In order to carry out this work, the UN Volunteer will be properly trained both formally, through available workshops, seminars, and e-Learning platforms; and informally through on-the-job training, intensive coaching/mentoring, and shadowing other colleagues to familiarize themselves with the relevant global and local policies and procedures related to External Relations activities.
The UN Volunteer will be closely supervised by both senior and middle-level management within the unit, and it is expected that within a few months, they will have the necessary skills to carry out many of the daily tasks with limited guidance.

Under the direct supervision of the Reporting Officer, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

• Learn how to monitor developments across the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR ) Jordan operation, including funding levels and trends, to support the preparation of timely briefings, reports, and updates.
• Learn how to support the consolidation, analysis, and interpretation of programme and funding data, achievements, and indicators across sectors to inform periodic and ad hoc reporting and strategic planning.
• Learn how to contribute to annual planning and reporting processes.
• Assist in the preparation of mission agendas, briefing packages, presentations, and donor reports, ensuring compliance with donor requirements and high-quality presentation of results.
• Contribute to strengthening donor visibility and satisfaction through accurate, timely, and results-oriented reporting and visibility initiatives such as donor boards, social media content, and events.
• Coordinate with UNHCR sections and field offices to gather, verify, and systematize information for internal and external reporting.
• Assist in researching, monitoring, and reviewing information from diverse sources to support evidence-based reporting and analysis.
• Perform other related duties as required.
During the first month of the assignment, the UN Volunteer will work closely with their direct supervisor to finalize an agreed-upon work plan. The work plan should outline key objectives and activities and include regular check-ins with the supervisor to review progress and receive performance feedback.

Required Skills and Experience

Demonstrated interest and/or experience (up to two years) in:
• External relations, partnerships and donor engagement
• Engagement with donors and external actors for fundraising and awareness raising purposes may be considered an asset.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously and with great attention to detail, while adapting priorities in response to shifting operational needs and emerging is-sues.
• Experience in drafting high-quality donor reports, proposals, briefing materials etc.
• Skilled in building and maintaining relations with external stakeholders.
• Capacity to convey complex information clearly to diverse audiences, tailoring the message according to the interlocutor.
• Ability to manage budgets and track funding and expenditures.
• Strong political awareness and understanding of humanitarian and development issues, as well as UNHCR as a global organization, including opportunities and challenges.
• Creative, proactive and solution-oriented mindset.
• Team player with a collaborative approach.
• Previous experience as a volunteer and/or experience of another culture, (i.e. studies, volunteer work, internship) would be highly regarded.

Skills in:
• Drafting, Proposal and Report Writing
• Computer Literacy
• Data collection methodologies and analysis
• Networking / Partnership Development
• Strategic Communication

Core Competencies

Accountability
Adaptability and Flexibility
Building Trust
Client Orientation
Commitment and Motivation
Commitment to Continuous Learning
Communication
Creativity
Ethics and Values
Integrity
Knowledge Sharing
Planning and Organizing
Professionalism
Respect for Diversity
Self-Management
Technological Awareness
Working in Teams

Living Conditions

Location: The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is located in the Middle East. Bound by Syria to the north, Iraq to the northeast, Saudi Arabia to the east and south, Red Sea to the south and the Palestinian National Authority to the west.

Weather: Jordan’s climate can be classified as semi-arid (Bsh) on the Koeppen-Geiger classification. It features a hot, dry climate characterized by long, hot, dry summers and short, cool winters. The climate is influenced by Jordan”s location between the subtropical aridity of the Arabian desert areas and the subtropical humidity of the eastern Mediterranean area. January is the coldest month, with temperatures from 5°C to 10°C, and August is the hottest month at 20°C to 35°C. Daily temperatures can be quite hot, especially in the summer; on some days it can be 40°C or more, especially when a hot, dry southerly wind blows. Such winds can sometimes be very strong and can cause sandstorms.

About 70 percent of the average rainfall in the country falls between November and March; June through August are often rainless. Rainfall varies from season to season and from year to year. Precipitation is often concentrated in violent storms, causing erosion and local flooding, especially in the winter months.

Safety and Security: Jordan is a relatively stable country. The potentials for internal or external armed conflict are considered very unlikely in the current political environment. Peaceful demonstrations, and sometimes road blockages, do occur in Jordan, motivated by domestic factors such as unemployment, deprivation of resources and development or for regional issues such as solidarity with the Palestinian cause or with the Syrian crises. Most of these events are driven by civil society unions and Islamic parties. Domestic tribal civil unrest sometimes turns violent, especially outside main cities, due to tribal disputes or socio-economic reasons. In all occasions law enforcement agencies usually manage to contain the situation rapidly.

Road traffic accidents are the primary threat against UN personnel in Jordan. Poor road conditions and bad driving behaviours are the main reasons for the high rate of traffic accidents.

Amman is a category A duty station with security level 1.

Transportation and housing: Taxis as well as ride-hailing services (Uber and Careem) are abundant and affordable in Amman. Medical facilities are generally very good, particularly in Amman where there are several modern, well-equipped public and private hospitals. Public minibuses are the most common form of public transport. They normally only leave when full, so waiting times of an hour or more are inevitable, especially in rural areas. The larger air-con buses offer a speedy and reliable service, departing according to a fixed schedule. Housing is readily available with rents for one- to two-bedroom apartments ranging between 500 and 800 JD (1 JD = 0.708 USD) depending on the location.

Health Services: Medical facilities are generally very good, particularly in Amman where there are several modern, well-equipped public and private hospitals. Almost all doctors (and most pharmacists) speak English; many have studied abroad.

Language: The official language of Jordan is Arabic, but English is widely spoken – especially in the cities. Many Jordanians have travelled or have been educated abroad so French, German, Italian and Spanish are also spoken, but to a lesser extent.

Learn more about Jordan from the Ministry of Tourism’s website:

https://www.mota.gov.jo/Default/En