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POSITION : Senior Humanitarian Affairs Officer

Job Opening Number: 54418

Special Notice

This post is funded for a finite period of one year and may be subject to extension. Extension of the appointment is subject to extension of the mandate and/or availability of the funds.
Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context, all staff are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures.
Staff members of the United Nations Secretariat must fulfill the lateral move requirements to be eligible to apply for this vacancy. Staff members are requested to indicate all qualifying lateral moves in their Personal History Profile (PHP) and cover note.

Org. Setting and Reporting:

This position is located in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Nigeria, Abuja. The Senior Humanitarian Affairs Officer will report to the Head of Office.
OCHA is the part of the United Nations Secretariat responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to emergencies. OCHA also ensures there is a framework within which each actor can contribute to the overall response effort.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Senior Humanitarian Affairs Officer will be responsible for the following duties:
Provides authoritative technical and policy advice to the Head of Office, the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT), the Humanitarian Coordinator, 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.
Monitors the performance of the institution's humanitarian mandate; influences the development and evolution of the UN approach to humanitarian affairs; designs and implements significant policy and programme changes to address country, regional, global humanitarian affairs issues, including gender considerations; conceptualizes the linkages with the political and peacekeeping functions in the Secretariat.
Develops/ensures implementation of coherent humanitarian/disaster response strategies and procedures, as well as, contingency planning and other efforts aimed at preparedness.
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.
Manages the production of appeals for international assistance; ensures the proper use and spending of donor contributions channeled through OCHA.
Leads capacity building initiatives, particularly aimed towards building capacity of Government counterparts; 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.
Serves as liaison with non-UN entities, including senior host government officials, donor representatives, NGO officials, the media, etc., in emergency situations.
Establishes overall OCHA internal performance framework (work plan) and budget.
Leads and directs a team of staff; may oversee activities for a discrete work section or equivalent; 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.
Organizes and/or chairs inter-agency and other international meetings, conferences, task forces; presents views and policies of the unit/institution.
Initiates, supervises and finalizes position papers and related submissions for the HCT of OCHA; 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 humanitarian issues.
Ability to advise senior management and other senior officials on administrative, financial and human resources 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.

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.

Client Orientation:

Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.

Managerial Competencies
Leadership:

Serves as a role model that other people want to follow: empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvements; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands.
Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing.

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.

Educations

Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent degree) in Political Science, Social Science, International Studies, Public Administration, Economics, Engineering, Earth Sciences or a related field.
A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience:

A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible experience in humanitarian affairs, emergency preparedness, crisis/emergency relief management, rehabilitation, development, or other related area, is required.
Five years of relevant experience at the international level is desirable.
Two years of relevant experience in the field is desirable.
Languages:
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.

Assessment Method:

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.