Individual consultant: Supporting employment and entrepreneurship platforms for refugees

Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)

A (least hardship)

FamilyCONS Local

2025-05-01April 30, 2025Purpose of project: Hire a national individual consultant to support the Livelihoods Unit and the Unit´s online platforms: “Refugee Entrepreneurs” and “Companies with Refugees”. The consultant will act under the supervision of the Durable Solutions Associate and the Livelihoods and Economic Inclusion Officer.

General Background of Project or Assignment:

UNHCR’s Livelihoods Unit coordinates two online platforms that promote employability and entrepreneurship of refugees: the Companies with Refugees Platform and the Refugee Entrepreneurs Platform (“Platforms”) and is looking for an individual consultant to provide support to the initiatives and produce relevant content for these platforms. Moreover, the consultant will provide support to the Companies with Refugees Forum activities.

Refugee Entrepreneurs Platform - https://www.refugiadosempreendedores.com.br/
UNHCR and the Brazilian Network – Global Compact, and partners, launched the online platform named Refugee Entrepreneurs (www.refugiadosempreendedores.com.br) aiming to give visibility to businesses run by refugees. The platform also features a series of relevant tools for entrepreneurs including training opportunities, list of reference organizations, guidance on how to legalize businesses in Brazil, mentorship and information about microcredit. Since its launch in February 2021, the platform has promoted over 170 refugee businesses and organized meetings and workshops to support refugee entrepreneurs and refugees who want to start a new business.

Companies with Refugees Platform and Forum - https://www.empresascomrefugiados.com.br
UNHCR and the Brazilian Network – Global Compact launched, in April 2019, the online platform Companies with Refugees, which promotes best practices in hiring refugee and provides information, reference materials and guidance on how to support refugee employability. The platform offers support to companies of all sizes, sectors and regions of the country that are engaged with the refuge cause, developing projects for the socioeconomic inclusion of refugees in Brazil. Today, the platform brings together good practices from over 40 companies that have already benefited more than 10,000 refugees and migrants. In June 2021, the Companies with Refugees Forum was launched gathering companies and business organizations interested in supporting the integration of refugees into the Brazilian society. The Forum aims to promote the exchange of experiences among companies, to offer training sessions on the hiring of refugees and to promote sharing of good practices on the inclusion of refugees in the workplaces, as well as other work-related experiences in the support of this population.

Overall Purpose and Scope of Assignment:

Concise and detailed description of activities, including measurable outputs and delivery dates, impact indicators (what qualitative and quantitative results would be achieved upon completion of individual contract), performance indicators (timelines, value of the service rendered in relation to the cost, timeliness) and work plan:
- Support the management of the Companies with Refugees Forum, supporting the entry of new companies, the production of content for the online platform, including companies` good practices, guides on diversity/inclusion policies with a focus on the inclusion of refugees, the Forum's quarterly newsletter, concept notes and briefing notes for events and support for the Annual Meeting. In addition, the consultancy will support the implementation of the new membership monitoring system, by collecting data on the hiring of refugees and other activities that support this population.
- Keep the Companies with Refugees website up to date and create new content as needed. Additionally, produce a minimum of four new good practices for the Companies with Refugees Platform.Support in prospecting new members for the Forum (proposing potential companies and holding meetings to present the initiative).
- Monitoring and support for the implementation of the pledges that Companies with Refugees Forum members presented at the 2023 Global Refugees Forum. (https://www.empresascomrefugiados.com.br/compromissos)
- Monitoring the flow of job vacancies received by the Companies with Refugees platform and liaising with partner organizations for the intermediation of refugees and support in strengthening the network of Employability Civil Society Organizations.
- Support for the management of the Refugee Entrepreneurs platform, keeping the registered entrepreneurs up to date, adding new support materials and, above all, interviewing and adding new businesses run by refugee entrepreneurs. Interview and produce at least 25 new cases for Refugee Entrepreneurs Platform. Map potential good practices related to employment and entrepreneurship of refugees and other UNHCR’s people of concern that could be listed on the Platforms;
- Support the Livelihoods unit in monitoring and reporting and produce content on Interiorization and Livelihoods activities and elaborate the bi-yearly Livelihoods reports and Interiorization quarterly reports.
- Produce communication content such as Press Releases related to the Platforms and Livelihoods Unit;

Deliverable 1 –Report of Activities April-May
• Status of monitoring of flows of employers and organizations engaged in the Companies with Refugees Platform during the period;
• Status of new cases for Refugee Entrepreneurs Platform and new practices for the Companies with Refugees platform during the period;
• Clipping of media content of the Platforms during the period;
• Activities related to administrative support of the Platforms and Forum during the period;
•Support to the production of the Livelihoods reports in the period (Interiorization and Livelihoods).
•Additional activities in support to the Livelihoods Unit, Platforms and Forum.

Deliverable 2 – Report of Activities July-August
• Status of monitoring of flows of employers and organizations engaged in the Companies with Refugees Platform during the period;
• Status of new cases for Refugee Entrepreneurs Platform and new practices for the Companies with Refugees platform during the period;
• Clipping of media content of the Platforms during the period;
• Activities related to administrative support of the Platforms and Forum the period;
• Support to the production of the Livelihoods reports in the period (Interiorization and Livelihoods).
• Additional activities in support to the Livelihoods Unit, Platforms and Forum.

Deliverable 3 – Report of Activities August-September
• Status of monitoring of flows of employers and organizations engaged in the Companies with Refugees Platform during the period;
• Status of new cases for Refugee Entrepreneurs Platform and new practices for the Companies with Refugees platform during the period;
• Clipping of media content of the Platforms during the period;
• Activities related to administrative support of the Platforms and Forum during the period;
• Support to the production of the Livelihoods reports in the period (Interiorization and Livelihoods).
• Additional activities in support to the Livelihoods Unit, Platforms and Forum.

Deliverable 4 – Report of Activities October-November-December
• Status of monitoring of flows of employers and organizations engaged in the Companies with Refugees Platform during the period;
• Status of new cases for Refugee Entrepreneurs Platform and new practices for the Companies with Refugees platform during the period;
• Clipping of media content of the Platforms during the period;
• Activities related to administrative support of the Platforms and Forum during the period;
• Support to the production of the Livelihoods reports in the period (Interiorization and Livelihoods).
• Additional activities in support to the Livelihoods Unit, Platforms and Forum.

Qualification and experience required (degree required, years of work experience, field of expertise, language required):

• Graduation in relevant areas of study, such as Journalism, Marketing, Social Communication, Public Relations, Advertisement, Law, Business Administration, International Relations, Social Assistance or related fields. Postgraduate studies in related fields are desirable.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience in writing content for web portal/platforms or in working in the Communication field.
• Proficiency in Portuguese, including excellence in grammar and writing. Advanced level of English. Practical knowledge of Spanish will be considered an asset.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Excellent planning and prioritization skills.
• Excellent analytical and drafting skills.
• Experience as Individual Consultant for UN Agencies will be considered an asset.
• Knowledge of policies related to the protection and local integration of refugees in Brazil will be considered an asset.
• Specific work experience with refugee and migrant population, will be assessed as an asset.
• Specific work experience with the ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) agenda and diversity and inclusion will be considered as an asset.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

Eligibility:

This position is advertised to internal and external applicants. Candidates must be legally present in Brazil at the time of application, recruitment and hire. Only Brazilian citizens or candidates legally present in Brazil will be considered eligible.

Only short-listed candidates will be notified. The recruitment process might include written test and/or oral interview for this job opening. No late applications will be accepted.

Remuneration:

UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing, training or any other fees).

A competitive compensation and benefits package is offered depending on relevant experience as per the requirements of the job advertisement.

Language requirements:

Proficiency in Portuguese and Advanced level of English are essential. Working knowledge Spanish is desirable.

Contract duration: until December 2025.

Applications:

All applications must be submitted online in Workday. Email applications will not be accepted. Incomplete and late applications will not be accepted. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Shortlisted candidates might be required to sit for a written test and/or oral interview.

The evaluation of applicants will be conducted based on the information submitted during the application. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.

UNHCR is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, sexual orientation, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. UNHCR seeks to ensure that male and female employees are given equal career opportunities. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.

UNHCR has a zero-tolerance policy against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA). SEA is unacceptable behavior and prohibited conduct for UNHCR personnel. It constitutes acts of serious misconduct and is therefore grounds for disciplinary measures, including dismissal. Any concerns or suspicions about a possible case of SEA should be reported immediately to the Inspector General’s Office (IGO) at inspector@unhcr.org or through the online complain form at https://www.unhcr.org/php/complaints.php or by confidential fax: +41 22 739 73 80.

Inclusivity statement:

UNHCR is an equal opportunity agency that welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, care protected characteristics. As part of their adherence to the values of UNHCR, all employees commit themselves to combat any form of discrimination, and to promoting respect for human rights and individual dignity, without distinction of a person’s race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin, or other status.

 

Standard Job Description

Required Languages

Portuguese

,

English

,

Desired Languages

,

,

Additional Qualifications

Skills

Education

Certifications

Other information

This position doesn't require a functional clearance

Home-Based

Yes