Jobs - 22322- Humanitarian Affairs Officer

Humanitarian Affairs Officer

Location :

Abuja, NIGERIA

Type of Contract :

FTA Local

Starting Date :

02-May-2011

Application Deadline :

04-Apr-11 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

NO-C

Duration of Initial Contract :

One Year

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 main objective of the Humanitarian support Unit (HSU) which is being established in the Office of the Resident Coordinator (RC) for Nigeria is to support the coordination of humanitarian activities and the response capacity of the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) as part of the One-UN reform in Nigeria. Through the office of the RC, the HSU will also contribute to the strengthening of the partnership and engagement with the Government of Nigeria, non-humanitarian partners and the Economic Commission of West African States (ECOWAS) on humanitarian issues with regional implications
The National Humanitarian Affairs Officer will report to the Resident Coordinator (RC) of Nigeria.

Duties and Responsibilities

The HAO will have the following main functions:

Support the UNCT in Nigeria in her/his role of coordinating international humanitarian response and assist in ensuring that inter-agency/organization, NGO, bilateral donor, government, and sectoral coordination mechanisms are set-up and functioning well, including disaster response preparedness, monitoring and early warning and the establishment of a humanitarian country team;
Liaise with all relevant UN operational agencies, NGOs, and local authorities, with the aim of facilitating coordination, consensus-building, and troubleshooting;
Assist in the development of short and medium-term strategy, policy, planning and priorities, especially on needs analysis, targeting and monitoring; this includes activities relating to the Regional Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP), mid-term reviews, CERF requests and other humanitarian strategy documents or appeals;
Assist in the regular monitoring and analysis of developments in the country and their impact on the humanitarian situation; assist in preparing regular situation reports and support the preparation of analytical reports highlighting social, political, humanitarian and other relevant factors affecting the overall humanitarian situation;
Assist in the development of inter-agency contingency planning and ensure that the various contingency plans at country levels are consistent and well-coordinated including the availability of resources, keep abreast of developments relating to humanitarian risks in the country;
Support external relations and public information activities by providing information, advocacy in the field of humanitarian activities, support the UNCT in coordinating plans and resource mobilization efforts; support the dissemination of relevant information to the in-country donor community as appropriate.
Assist the UNCT in all matters related to natural disasters, in close consultation with the UNCT and the OCHA Regional Office for West and Central Africa (ROWCA) and in the production of regular updates, situation reports, appeals, costs plans for cash contributions made by/through OCHA and final reporting on their use.
Support the UNCT to assess and follow up on the ongoing national capacity and structures in order to ensure the effectiveness of the emergency preparedness and response capacity of the national government.
Support the work of the Emergency Preparedness and Response Working Group in Nigeria in ensuring a prompt, effective and concerted country-level support and response by the UN system to natural disasters or large scale humanitarian emergencies and to assist the UNCT to ensure coordination and information-sharing with the national government in respect to assessment, emergency preparedness and response.
Provide ad-hoc information to the regional early warning mechanism.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards
Advocates and promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UN
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
Treats all people fairly without favoritism

Functional Competencies:

Knowledge and Learning Management

Shares knowledge and experience from within and outside the UN Country Team.
Encourages UN staff to share knowledge
Develops deep understanding in the coordination of humanitarian activities, UN System reform and MDGs

Coordination Effectiveness

Ability to lead the design and implementation of the humanitarian programme activities, strengthening of strategic partnerships for UNDAF implementation.
Ability to build and sustain effective partnerships with UN Agencies and main constituents, advocate effectively, communicate sensitively across different constituencies.

Management and Leadership

Focuses on impact and result for the client
Leads teams effectively and shows conflict resolution skills
Establishes priorities for self and other members of the RC office; schedules activities to ensure optimum use of time and resources; monitors performance against development and other objectives and corrects deviations from the course
In providing advice to the RC, has the capacity to gather comprehensive information on complex problems or situations; evaluates information accurately and identifies key issues required to resolve problems
Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude
Demonstrates excellent oral and written communication skills
Builds strong relationships with clients and external actors
Manages conflict and stress, remaining composed and working as a mediator in crisis or antagonistic situations
Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities
Responds positively to critical feedback and differing points of view
Solicits feedback from staff about the impact of his/her own behavior

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Masters degree in political science, sociology, law, international relations, or related field
.

Experience:

At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in the field of international humanitarian affairs
Proven inter-personal and good communication skills
Experience in a multi-cultural environment
Computer literacy

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English (written and oral). Knowledge of French desirable.

Applications should be submitted on line and include the UNDP Personal History Form (P11) posted at http://sas.undp.org/Documents/P11_Personal_history_form.doc. Only short-listed applicants will be contacted.