Vacant Job For Civil/Military Liaison Associate & Access at United Nations World Food Programme

The United Nations World Food Programme is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide. The mission of WFP is to help the world achieve Zero Hunger in our lifetimes. Every day, WFP works worldwide to ensure that no child goes to bed hungry and that the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and children, can access the nutritious food they need. We are recruiting to fill the position below:     Job Title: Civil/Military Liaison Associate & Access - SSA6 Ref Id: 81709 Location: Maiduguri, Borno Reports to: the Logistics Sector Coordinator Organizational Context WFP, as the lead agency for inter-agency logistics coordination, maintains logistics sector support capacity based in the Logistics Division of WFP HQ in Rome. It is comprised of a diverse, multi-skilled group of humanitarian professionals and is mandated by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) to complement and co-ordinate the logistics capabilities of co-operating humanitarian agencies during humanitarian response operations. Based on the needs communicated by the humanitarian community, the Logistics Sector in Nigeria is facilitating access to common storage for the humanitarian community, including for prepositioning. The Sector is also supporting logistics coordination and information management to maximize the use of available resources in-country, provide support and advocacy surrounding customs clearance, the movement of humanitarian cargo and government liaison, and establish a more coordinated, efficient and cost-effective operational approach. Where appropriate and according to humanitarian principles, the Logistics Sector will also liaise with the national military authorities and/or commands to implement and/or facilitate these logistics services. Job Purpose

• To support field level logistics coordination in the area of civil-military engagement and humanitarian access issues.
• Additionally, to ensure that inter-agency logistics operations at field level meet the expectations of partners and donors for logistics support through coordination, information management, and facilitation of common services.

• Good analytical and problem solving skills; resourcefulness, initiative, maturity of judgement, tact, negotiating skills; familiarity with and experience in the application of Civil-Military Coordination international policies and practices; ability to cope with situations which may threaten health or safety (own, and others); flexibility in accepting work assignments outside normal desk description; ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor own work plan in line with operational requirements; willingness to travel for extended periods of time.
• Ability to communicate clearly, both orally and in writing; ability to act as an interlocutor between CivMil actors and WFP and partners; ability to develop and maintain effective work relationships with counterparts; ability to accurately assess CMC requirements when required; ability to work in a team, and establish effective working relations with persons of different national and cultural backgrounds; tact, persuasiveness and ability to work harmoniously with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.

• Establish and maintain effective working relationships and dialogue with humanitarian actors, UN agencies, and particularly the UN OCHA CMCoord Unit; acting as a liaison with security forces to facilitate the movement of humanitarian cargo in support of the emergency response; to ensure effective logistics operational planning and response.
• Establish and maintain reliable coordination mechanisms at the operational and tactical levels with military and security forces, regarding humanitarian logistics activities. This includes implementation of the agreed mechanisms, including - but not limited to – consolidated movement notifications of cargo and associated escort facilitation;
• Act as a single point of contact for the Logistics Sector with militaries to ensure an integrated logistics planning process and coordinate prioritization and location of humanitarian convoys.
• Promulgate and advocate with security forces, the range of humanitarian planning and operational activities, as well alignment with the established CMCoord standards. Ensure that humanitarian principles, operational priorities and plans of the humanitarian community in Nigeria, as related to CMCoord, are communicated and appropriately considered; and,
• Provide expert assistance on CMCoord considerations, for developing plans to assist the humanitarian community in the emergency response.

• Maintain dialogue and coordination with Nigerian military counterparts and ensure the appropriate and mutual exchange of information about ongoing humanitarian logistics activities;
• Provide situation reports on ongoing CMCoord activities, and the overall civil-military relations, in agreed formats and timeframe; and
• Perform other related duties as required.
• Serve as the primary focal point for all matters, including policy, related to CMCoord, in close consultation with the Logistics Sector Coordinator;
• Participate in working groups, meetings and consultations with other UN agencies and humanitarian partners;
• Support and mentor humanitarian logistics and operations personnel involved in the response, on CMCoord-related issues;

• Monitor, analyze and report on major accomplishments/progress; and
• Identify any potential/actual challenges with regard to coordination between military and security forces and the humanitarian community.

• University degree and equivalent experience and training in one or more of the following disciplines: International Relations, Political/Social Science, Business Administration, Economics, or Management related to the area of Humanitarian and/or CMCoord-related work.
• Fluency in spoken and written English is required.

• At least five years of progressively responsible professional experience in international humanitarian work in a logistic, security or operational management function, or military experience. Substantial exposure to, or experience in, both sectors is a strong asset.
• Willingness to work in challenging environments / field locations