Sample cover letter for Full Time position at UNHCR

I am applying for the UNHCR-Entry-level Humanitarian Professional Programme as an Associate Programme Officer. Presently, I am a Project Coordinator in an Economic empowerment program with a local Kenyan NGO. Although successful in my career, I have realized that the aspects of my work that I find the most rewarding are all in humanitarian/aid-related functions. I am currently pursuing a full-time position in this area, and am confident in my ability to excel in this field.

Having been born and bred in Kenya, I was exposed to the challenges facing developing nations, from social injustices, drought and famine, extreme poverty and lack of respect for humanity, just to name a few. This grew my interest and passion in wanting to be involved in humanitarian affairs and to work with vulnerable communities to see them realize their full potential, voice out and engage actively in personal, national and continental development.

I have built my career in a variety of roles, mostly among underdeveloped populations with poor health and social outcomes. I have been focal in planning and implementation of the different projects including preparing annual work plans and budgets, preparing reports both for internal and external use and preparing case studies/success stories. I also have extensive training, facilitation, programmatic, and presentation experience that is rooted in community development.

Having worked with project management in academia and with non-profit organizations, I have developed a structured mindset, strong interpersonal skills and cultural sensitivity to deliver high quality results. My strengths are in community mobilization, project implementation, working within allocated budgets, report writing with clear program objectives, partnership building and maintenance and contributing to proposal development. I believe that my background and diverse experience could bring effective problem solving skills and support UNHCR’s mission.