Senior Humanitarian Affairs Officer, Head of Sub-Office P-5 /// OCHA/G/127/2015 - 2015

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

ORGANIZATIONAL SETTING AND REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS: This position is located in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Peshawar, Pakistan. The Senior Humanitarian Affairs Officer, Head of Sub-Office, reports to the Head of Office.

RESPONSIBILITIES: Within delegated authority, the Senior Humanitarian Affairs Officer will be responsible for the following duties:

1. Represents OCHA at the regional level of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and FATA.


2. Provides authoritative technical and policy advice to senior management in OCHA and other agencies in the UN system, Member State officials, international and regional organizations on programmes, projects and issues of significant impact on humanitarian, emergency relief and disaster response/management efforts, pertaining to humanitarian needs in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and FATA.


3. Monitors the performance of the institution’s humanitarian mandate; influences the development and evolution of the UN approach to humanitarian affairs in KP and FATA; designs and implements significant policy and programme changes to address humanitarian affairs issues in the area, including gender considerations; conceptualizes the linkages with the political and peacekeeping functions in the Secretariat.


4. Develops/ensures implementation of coherent humanitarian/disaster response strategies and procedures.


5. Conceptualizes, formulates and manages major projects; leads and directs a multi-agency team in carrying out disaster assessment or other missions; initiates, mobilizes and coordinates international humanitarian/emergency assistance for exceptionally complex situations or major disasters; ensures necessary support (e.g. staff, funding, specialized equipment, supplies, etc.); prepares situation reports to the international community, apprising of situation to date and specifying unmet requirements of stricken countries.


6. Chairs the Inter-Cluster Coordination Meeting (ICCM), and provide inputs into national level, and manages local production of strategic response plans for international assistance; ensures the proper use and spending of donor contributions channeled through OCHA.


7. Leads capacity building initiatives; identifies bottlenecks and gaps and develops proposals to improve response systems and mechanisms, to include technical assistance in the design of specific coordination and other systems/mechanisms; organizes and participates as trainer/resource person in national and international training seminars.


8. Serves as primary liaison with non-UN entities in KP and FATA, including senior host government officials, donor representatives, NGO officials, the media, etc., in emergency situations.


9. Contributes to overall work plan and budget.


10. Leads and directs the staff in the Peshawar office; plans and allocates work assignments; coaches, mentors and evaluates staff; participates in recruitment, selection and training of new staff and in the development of training programs.


11. Organizes and/or chairs inter-agency and other international meetings, conferences, task forces; presents views and policies of the unit/institution.


12. Initiates, supervises and finalizes position papers and related submissions; prepares diverse reports, papers, policy guidelines, parliamentary documents, statements, presentations, etc. for senior management.

COMPETENCIES

PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of full range of humanitarian and emergency relief assistance and related human rights issues. Ability to advise senior management and other senior officials on approaches and techniques to address highly complex/sensitive issues. Demonstrated capacity for intellectual leadership; conceptual and strategic analytical capacity and ability to thoroughly analyze and evaluate critical matters pertaining to a broad spectrum of humanitarian and emergency relief issues/problems. Demonstrated capacity for original and creative thinking, independent judgment and discretion in advising on and handling major policy, project and other issues/problems. Ability to negotiate and ability to influence others to reach agreement on difficult issues. Ability to work under extreme pressure, on occasion in a highly stressful environment (e.g. civil strife, natural disasters and human misery). Knowledge of institutional mandates, policies and guidelines related to humanitarian affairs and seasoned knowledge of the institutions of the UN system. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

COMMUNICATION: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

PLANNING & ORGANIZING: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

Managerial Competencies

MANAGING PERFORMANCE: Delegates the appropriate responsibility, accountability and decision-making authority; makes sure that roles, responsibilities and reporting lines are clear to each staff member; accurately judges the amount of time and resources needed to accomplish a task and matches task to skills; monitors progress against milestones and deadlines; regularly discusses performance and provides feedback and coaching to staff; encourages risk-taking and supports creativity and initiative; actively supports the development and career aspirations of staff; appraises performance fairly.

JUDGEMENT/DECISION-MAKING: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION: Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in political science, social science, public administration, international studies, economics, engineering, earth sciences or a related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

EXPERIENCE: A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible professional experience in humanitarian affairs, emergency preparedness, crisis/emergency relief management, or other related area is required. Five years of relevant experience at the international level is required. Humanitarian experience in the field, in a complex emergency or a natural disaster setting, is required. Management experience at a senior level is desirable. Experience in the UN Common System is desirable. Experience in the region is desirable.

LANGUAGE: English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another UN official language is desirable. Knowledge of Urdu or Pashtu is an advantage

How to apply:

The position is intended to fill functions of short-term duration This temporary position is initially offered until 31 December 2015 with possibility of extension. All posts are subject to availability of funds.

All applicants are requested to submit a completed personal history profile (PHP) to: ochacrdstaffing@un.org with a copy to Manuel Nieves: nievesm@un.org and: ochavacancies@un.org . Please indicate just this code OCHA/G/127/2015 in the subject of your e-mail.

Documents should be saved as pdf file, with the title formatted as follows: Doc-t type _Given Name FAMILY NAME.pdf. For example: PHP_Joe GREY.pdf.

Note that applications to United Nations Secretariat positions can be generated in the new Inspira recruitment system. We encourage you to create an electronic personal history profile and to apply to these and other positions for which you are interested and qualified at http://inspira.un.org

Note that applicants’ eligibility cannot be fully assessed if the personal history profile is not properly completed. Applications received after the deadline will not be accepted. Potential candidates under serious consideration will be contacted by the hiring manager directly. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

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