Jobs - 54225- Humanitarian Affairs Officer

Humanitarian Affairs Officer – Thematic Coordination Officer for Innovation Theme – WHS.

Location :

New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type of Contract :

TA International

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

11-Mar-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

P-3

Duration of Initial Contract :

364 days

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

The first World Humanitarian Summit will be convened by the Secretary-General of the United Nations in Istanbul in May 2016. The goal of this summit is to set a vision and course of action for tackle humanitarian needs in our rapidly-changing world.

Humanitarian needs are on the rise. The number of people in urgent need of humanitarian assistance and protection has more than doubled in the last decade. Humanitarians are being asked to do more than ever before, and at greater cost. Global trends such as climate change, rapid population growth and urbanization are predicted to create far greater needs in the decades to come.

Humanitarian action must keep evolving in order to keep pace with global shifts in power and influence, involve new actors in decision-making, leverage new partnerships and take advantage of emerging technologies. Now more than ever, we need a global humanitarian system that is more inclusive, effective, efficient, sensitive to national and regional contexts, and accountable in meeting the needs of millions of people.

A global consultation culminating in a multi-stakeholder summit is the next step in the ongoing learning and change process to adapt to new changes in the external environment, incorporate new actors, and reflect global shifts in power and influence in order to find the best ways to meet humanitarian needs in our ever-changing world.

The World Humanitarian Summit will bring together humanitarian organizations, people affected by conflicts and disasters, governments, civil society, businesses, academic institutions and others to discuss solutions to our most pressing challenges, build new partnerships and shape the next chapter in global humanitarian action. This three-year initiative is being managed by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The summit will focus on four thematic areas: humanitarian effectiveness, reducing vulnerability and managing risk, transformation through innovation, and serving the needs of people in conflict.

The position of the Thematic Coordination Officer will support the Thematic Coordinator and the thematic team on ‘transformation through innovation’, which will look at how to find new ways of addressing some of the major constraints faced by people affected by crisis and organisations that help serve their needs. It will look at how best to test and scale up innovations, and look at how the overall environment for learning, and generating and testing new ideas is strengthened. This will include forming much stronger partnerships, in particular with the private sector.

Role of the WHS Thematic Coordination Team

Thematic Teams have been formed for each theme. They are led by a small co-ordination team based in New York that is supported by a diverse group of leading international experts, who provide a core advisory role on a part time basis. The objective of each theme is to generate a set of recommendations on what major changes need to take place in order to address the humanitarian risks and needs of the future.

The thematic teams are also engaged very closely with the regional consultation process, using the analysis and outcomes of these to help shape the thinking of the thematic teams, as well as using these regional platforms for testing out and refining ideas. Three regional meetings have already taken place, one in Abidjan for West and Central Africa, one in Tokyo for North and South-East Asia and one in Pretoria for Eastern and Southern Africa. Five more will take place in the first of 2015. The Thematic Teams will benefit from other consultations, such as one on civil-military cooperation and one on Islamic finance that will be held in 2015, as well as online discussions and surveys.

The thematic teams work will be pulled together into a set of thematic papers, which will feed into a Global Consultation in October 2015 and then a reported generated by the UN Secretary-General, which will be the main input into the Summit in May 2016.

Each Thematic Team has already developed a scoping paper that sets out the core challenges faced and the areas to be focused on in addressing these. A face-to-face meeting is being held in later November to take stock of the work done to date, and set a road map for the work of the thematic teams up until the development of a thematic paper

This position will be part of the small co-ordination team based in New York and support the Thematic Coordinator. They will have a key role in helping shape and facilitate the work of the thematic team over the course of the next year.

Duties and Responsibilities

This position will be located in the World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) Secretariat in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in New York. The Humanitarian Affairs Officer will report to the Chief of the WHS secretariat, through the Thematic Team Leader (P-5). The position will be for a 364 day period.The responsibilities of the "Humanitarian Affairs Officer – WHS Thematic Coordination Officer" will include:

Analyze and synthesize work taking place across the humanitarian system on this specific theme;
Develop think pieces and analysis to support the work of the theme;
Commission and manage specific pieces of research; organize follow up work, including preparations for meetings to support the conceptual and organizational development work on issues related to the theme;
Organise meetings of the thematic teams or other key stakeholder groups (e.g. for specific focus areas), including setting the agenda, developing background documents and drafting the minutes;
Provide substantive support to regional consultations and online consultations;
Prepare and contribute to the preparation of various written reports, documents and communications e.g. draft sections of studies, background papers, briefings, case studies, presentations;
Develop contacts with government officials, other UN agencies, non-governmental organizations, diplomatic missions, media and the private sector to support the work of the theme and the WHS more generally;
Maintain a contact database of members of the Thematic Team and a network of subject-matter experts related to the theme;
Support communications, including making/developing presentations and drafting talking points;
Assist in ensuring discussions are cross-fertilized with other thematic teams;
Perform other duties as required.

Competencies

Professionalism:

Specific knowledge of humanitarian assistance in natural, man-made, and complex emergencies;
Knowledge of innovation, including applying and scaling up new tools and services, ideally for humanitarian operations (e.g. mobile telecoms applications for delivering assistance, understanding needs and communicating with affected people; and applications of methodologies to analyse and use ‘big data’ to humanitarian work);
Knowledge of humanitarian assistance and development issues;
Demonstrated problem-solving skills and judgment in applying technical expertise to resolve a wide range of complex issues/problems;
Ability to negotiate and to influence others to reach agreement;
Knowledge of institutional mandates, policies and guidelines pertaining to humanitarian affairs and knowledge of the institutions of the UN system;
Demonstrated ability to complete in-depth studies and to formulate conclusions/recommendations;
Conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results in a fast paced environment.

Communication:

Speaks and writes clearly and effectively;
Good listener;
Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

Teamwork:

Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve goals;
Solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise;
Willing to learn from others;
Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

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.

Accountability:

Takes ownership of delegated responsibilities and honours commitments;
Compliance with organizational regulations and rules.

Creativity:

Actively seeks to improve programmes or services;
Offers new and different options to solve problems or meet client needs;
Promotes and persuades others to consider new ideas;
Takes calculated risks on new and unusual ideas; thinks “outside the box”;
Takes an interest in new ideas and new ways of doing things and is not bound by current thinking or traditional approaches.

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;
Meets timelines for delivery of products or services to clients.

Commitment to Continuous Learning:

Keeps abreast of new developments in own occupation/profession;
Actively seeks to develop themselves professionally and personally;
Contributes to the learning of colleagues and subordinates; shows willingness to learn from others; seeks feedback to learn and improve.

Technological Awareness:

Keeps abreast of available technology; understands applicability and limitation of technology to the work of the office;
Actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks; shows willingness to learn new technology.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in science, social science, public administration, international studies, economics, business administration or a related field.

Experience:

A minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in humanitarian affairs, humanitarian assistance in complex emergencies, or emergency preparedness, crisis/emergency relief management, rehabilitation, development, or other related area.

Language:

Fluency in English (both oral and written) is required;
Knowledge of French is desirable;
Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.

Other required:

Specific knowledge of humanitarian assistance in natural, man-made, and complex emergencies;
Innovation; innovative research as applied to development and humanitarian work would be an advantage;
Hands-on experience of working on innovative projects and initiatives, design thinking around challenges within the humanitarian sector will be considered as an added advantage.