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Job at The United Nations, Abuja for a Head of Office, Humanitarian Affairs
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Nations to foster a more peaceful, prosperous and just world.
We are recruiting to fill the position below:
Job Title: Head of Office, Humanitarian Affairs (TJO)
Job Opening Number: 63474
Location: Abuja
Job Code Title: Head of Office, Humanitarian Affairs
Department/Office: Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Job Description
- The position is located in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Abuja, Nigeria.
- The Head of Office supports the UN Resident
Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator (RC/HC) under the overall
leadership of the Director of the Coordination and Response Division
(CRD) of OCHA.
Responsibilities
Within the limits of delegated authority, and under the overall
leadership and direction of the Director of the Coordination and
Response Division (CRD) of OCHA and supporting the UN RC/HC, the Head of
Office will discharge and be responsible for the following functions:
Humanitarian Policy:
- Serve as senior policy advisor to the UN RC/HC, the UN Country
Team (UNCT) and the humanitarian country team on humanitarian principles
and initiatives.
- Act to strengthen cooperation among the humanitarian community
on policy issues of inter-agency concern and serve as a key interlocutor
with relevant Government partners.
- Advise, promote and provide guidance to the UN RC/HC, the UNCT
and the humanitarian county team on humanitarian reform initiatives
including cluster coordination, humanitarian financing, etc.
- Develop and maintain contacts with the international community
in order to raise awareness and advocate for issues of humanitarian
concerns.
Humanitarian Programming / Coordination:
- Provide strategic support to the UN RC/HC in the preparation,
implementation and monitoring of the work plan of the humanitarian
community, soliciting and negotiating inputs with relevant authorities,
UN agencies, NGOs, etc.
- Consult on a regular basis with the RC/HC, Heads of UN Agencies
and Programmes, NGOs heads of mission, the government and the donor
community on all appropriate aspects of the implementation and delivery
of humanitarian activities, to ensure that coordination structures at
local, provincial and national levels operate in a coherent and
cost-effective manner.
- Support the planning, monitoring, and evaluation of humanitarian
programs, facilitating incorporation of lessons learned, policy
guidelines etc. into humanitarian response activities.
- Promote best practices in humanitarian planning, response and evaluation.
- Promote dialogue, regional alliances, sharing of knowledge and
resources, among national and, as appropriate, regional humanitarian
actors in disaster risk reduction, disaster/emergency preparedness and
response.
- Promote and lead contingency planning processes in close
cooperation with UNDMT and Regional Disaster Reduction Advisers (RDRA)
as applicable.
- Develop joint initiatives on disaster management with other UN
and (if applicable) regional actors; including early warning mechanisms.
- Under the overall guidance of the Director of the CRD and in
partnership with other branches of OCHA, work to reinforce regional
networks and mechanisms for swift, effective response to emerging
humanitarian situations.
- Facilitate inter-agency resource mobilization efforts, including
the provision of specialized international assistance to respond to
ongoing as well as new and /or emerging emergencies.
- Develop, reinforce and maintain effective coordination
mechanisms with the humanitarian county team and other key humanitarian
stakeholders.
- Establish / manage information management systems to effectively
map areas of humanitarian needs and response activities in support of
coordination efforts.
- Foster and reinforce linkages between field monitoring, information management and coordination efforts.
- Ensure timely and appropriate assistance to the UN RC/HC and (if
applicable) the United Nations Disaster Management Teams (UNDMT) in
response to disasters and emergencies.
- Support inter-agency efforts to build in-country UN capacity to manage natural disaster response.
- Provide substantive support and leadership to government
institutions and local humanitarian entities to build national capacity
for emergency and/or disaster management.
Office Management / OCHA Representation:
- Serve as the OCHA Head of Office in designated duty station,
providing oversight of all programmatic/administrative tasks necessary
for the efficient functioning of the OCHA office and any sub-offices,
and being accountable for the use of resources and for the results
obtained.
- Lead work planning and budgeting process, support resource mobilization and ensure sound financial management.
- Promote OCHA's mandate, objectives and tools in the designated
area through contacts with the government, diplomatic missions, UN
entities, non-governmental organizations and the media.
- Ensure the Office produces timely, high-quality outputs
including comprehensive workplans, concise and factual situation
reports, analytical papers, comprehensive and fact-based information
products, etc.
- Ensure regular and effective supervision of OCHA staff,
particularly by leading, managing, developing, and training staff;
foster teamwork and communication amongst staff; and strengthen linkages
between the staff in field, regional and headquarters offices.
- Perform other duties as requested by the UN RC/HC and / or Director of CRD.
Competencies
- PROFESSIONALISM: Expert knowledge of complex, multi-faceted
humanitarian issues with wide exposure to humanitarian and emergency
relief operations; Ability to advise the UN Resident/Humanitarian
Coordinator as well as OCHA’s senior management team on tactical
approaches and techniques to address complex and sensitive humanitarian
issues; Ability to produce reports and papers on technical issues and to
review and edit the work of others.Excellent understanding of
institutional mandates, policies and guidelines related to humanitarian
affairs and of the institutions of the UN system, in particular, the
mandate of OCHA as well as its core policies and guiding humanitarian
principles;Knowledge of OCHA institutional mandate, its policies, and
organizational procedures as well as understanding of the core UN
policies and guiding principles pertaining to international humanitarian
affairs. Ability to apply UN rules, regulations, policies and
guidelines in work situations. 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.
- 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 that
the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs
for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.
- 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.
- 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 the 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.
Education
- An advanced university Degree (Master's Degree or equivalent
Degree) in Political Science, Business or Public Administration, Law,
Social Sciences, International Relations, Economics, Management, or
related area, is required. 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 fifteen years of progressively responsible,
disaster relief coordination, humanitarian assistance, human resources
management, administration, logistics, financial management, budget or
related field, is required. Five years of experience at the
international level is desirable. Experience at the senior management
level is desirable. Experience in coordinating relief/humanitarian
response is desirable.
Languages:
- English and French are the working languages of the United
Nations Secretariat. For this post advertised, fluency in English is
required. Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.
Assessment:
- Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.
Application Deadline 4th August, 2016.
