Durable Housing Specialist

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).
The UNHCR has been working in Ukraine for almost 25 years, mainly with refugees and asylum-seekers, as well as in the area of statelessness prevention and reduction. Since the beginning of the conflict in 2014, UNHCR has been assisting Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and responding to the humanitarian situation in the east of the country together with other actors.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has been present in Ukraine since 1994 and substantially increased its presence and response after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The geographical presence within Ukraine has significantly expanded to deliver the emergency response. The country office is located in the capital, Kyiv, and sub- and field offices are currently located in Dnipro, Kyiv, L’viv, Odesa, and Kharkiv.
The war in Ukraine has caused death and suffering on a dramatic scale. In 2025, more than 12.7 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance and protection, according to the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan. Some 3.7 million people are internally displaced, while around 6.8 million refugees from Ukraine are recorded across Europe and beyond. Some 75,000 people, including some of the most vulnerable, notable older people and people with disabilities, live in collective sites spread across the country. Ukraine also hosts asylum-seekers and refugees and is home to thousands of people who are stateless or at risk of statelessness.

The massive destruction of civilian infrastructure, with the energy sector being particularly targeted, has made life extremely challenging for millions of people who have lost their homes and livelihoods, and has severely disrupted access to electricity, water, heating, as well as critical services, including healthcare, education, and social protection services. Humanitarian access continues to be hampered, particularly in frontline areas as well as to areas under temporary occupation of the Russian Federation.

Civilians remain exposed to serious risks to their physical security and integrity, particularly in eastern and southern regions of Ukraine. The risk of GBV, including sexual violence, continues to prevail, alongside family separations, loss of housing and properties, as well as identity and civil documentation. Populations displaced or otherwise affected by the war live in situations of deprivation, following the loss or damage
of their housing, loss of income, and often become dependent on an overstretched social protection system.
The Government of Ukraine maintains a strong lead role in responding to the needs of its population and UNHCR supports the Government and its central and local institutions to provide protection, shelter/housing, cash and in-kind assistance to displaced and other people impacted by the war.

Currently, UNHCR has MOUs with five-line ministries, the First Lady’s foundation as well as the Office of the Ombudsman, 19 regional state administrations and agreements with 14 partners to deliver assistance and support the localization of the response.

Under the leadership of the UN Humanitarian Coordinator, UNHCR operates as part of the Inter-agency humanitarian response, working in close coordination with local authorities and humanitarian partners.

UNHCR is leading three clusters - Protection, Shelter and NFIs, and CCCM. The strategic orientation of UNHCR’s response is to reach people, particularly those with specific vulnerabilities, who remain in frontline and heavily affected areas with immediate relief, while supporting displaced people and those who have remained in their homes, or returned, with protection advice, housing support, livelihoods
advice and cash assistance to enable their recovery and attainment of durable solutions.

Technical Guidance

- Assist in preparation, data collection and review of shelter needs assessments while liaising with other relevant sectors such as protection, programme, community services, WASH, administration and supply.
- Assist in the shelter beneficiary selection process, prioritising the needs of the most vulnerable PoC
- Assist in the daily supervision of all UNHCR construction and infrastructure projects through Direct Implementation and Implementing Partners within the AoR ensuring that works are carried out in compliance to established UNHCR and national standards and that they are implemented according to plans, completed within designated timelines, budget and ensure that this information is shared with relevant colleagues.
- Work closely with other relevant sectors such as WASH, education and health so that shelter and infrastructure implementation is synchronised and coordinated.
- Provide support to implementing partners on technical shelter and infrastructure issues.

Coordination

- Provide technical assistance in the field of shelter, construction and infrastructure development within the AoR to best meet the needs of PoC.

Collaboration

- Assist as an active member of the Multi-Functional Team in multi-sectoral activities
- Assist in the preparation of bid documents for all construction and infrastructure projects, including technical specifications, BoQs, drawings, etc.
- Assist in the technical evaluation of received bids as well as in the review/inspection of the quality of shelter and infrastructure products/works during implementation and at completion.
- Perform other related duties as required.