Jobs - 36402- Humanitarian Affairs Officer/ECOWAS Liaison Office

Humanitarian Affairs Officer/ECOWAS Liaison Officer ( opened to Nigerian Nationals only)

Location :

Abuja, NIGERIA

Type of Contract :

FTA Local

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

03-Apr-13 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

NO-B

Duration of Initial Contract :

Initial duration of 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 Liaison function will contribute to strengthening the partnership and engagement with the ECOWAS in order to coordinate principled humanitarian response and effectively engage Member States on disaster preparedness and response and other humanitarian issues with regional implications The Humanitarian Affairs Officer / ECOWAS Liaison Officer will work within the Department of Humanitarian and Social Affairs of ECOWAS in coordination with the Humanitarian Advisory Team (HAT) in Nigeria

The Humanitarian Affairs Officer / ECOWAS Liaison Officer will report to the OCHA Head of Humanitarian Advisory Team (HAT) in consultation with OCHA ROWCA.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of key functions:

Engage dialogue with ECOWAS in her/his role of strengthening preparedness and response and provide support on policy and operational aspects relating to acute poverty, complex emergencies and impact on disasters.
Participate and support ECOWAS’ initiatives including the measuring of the impact of natural disasters such as floods in West Africa, strengthening regional early warning mechanisms, drafting a model institution framework for disaster management at country level as well as any other initiatives related to humanitarian preparedness and response.
Assist in the elaboration of ECOWAS MoUs with regional agencies and institutions on DRR/Preparedness and provide support to the operationalization of the ECOWAS Emergency Response Team.
Assist in the development of short and medium-term strategy, policy, planning and priorities, especially in implementing ECOWAS humanitarian policy and its 5-year humanitarian action plan.
Maintain day to day and technical liaison with the humanitarian department of ECOWAS as well as other key entities within the organization such as ECOWARN and to provide timely and relevant information to the Head of HAT Nigeria and ROWCA on all urgent and important humanitarian issues with regional implications.
Keep abreast of all key developments through regular monitoring and analysis of developments in the member states of ECOWAS and their impact on the humanitarian situation, regional early warning mechanism, development of regional and preparedness in a consistent and well-coordinated manner.
Provide regular feedback to ROWCA and use public information and advocacy tools (reports; updates, special bulletins; websites) to keep ECOWAS humanitarian department, the RC and the ROWCA Head of Office, abreast of humanitarian developments and support coordinating plans and resource mobilization efforts for humanitarian activities

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

Advocacy/Advancing A Policy-Oriented Agenda

Preparing information for advocacy

Identifies and communicates relevant information for a variety of audiences for advocating for the advancement of ECOWAS’ humanitarian policy

Results-Based Programme Development and Management

Contributes into results through primary research and analysis

Assesses project performance to identify success factors and incorporates best practices into project work
Researches linkages across programme activities to identify critical points of integration
Monitors specific stages of projects/programme implementation
Analyzes country situation to identify opportunities for project development
Participates in the formulation of project proposals and ensures substantive rigor in the design and application of proven successful approaches and drafts proposals accordingly

Building Strategic Partnerships

Maintaining a network of contacts

Maintains an established network of contacts for general information sharing and to remain up-to-date on partnership related issues
Analyzes and selects materials for strengthening strategic alliances with partners and stakeholders

Innovation and Marketing New Approaches

Enhancing processes or products

Generates new ideas and proposes new, more effective ways of doing things
Documents and analyses innovative strategies/best practices/new approaches

Resource Mobilization

Providing inputs to resource mobilization strategies

Analyzes information/databases on potential and actual donors
Identifies opportunities for project proposals for presentation to donors

Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing

Basic research and analysis

Generates new ideas and approaches, researches best practices and proposes new, more effective ways of doing things
Documents and analyses innovative strategies and new approaches

Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise

Fundamental knowledge of own discipline

Understands and applies fundamental concepts and principles of a professional discipline or technical specialty relating to the position
Possesses basic knowledge of organizational policies and procedures relating to the position and applies them consistently in work tasks
Strives to keep job knowledge up-to-date through self-directed study and other means of learning
Demonstrates good knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments
Demonstrates in-depth understanding and knowledge of the current guidelines and project management tools and utilizes these regularly in work assignments

Client Orientation

Establishing effective client relationships

Researches potential solutions to internal and external client needs and reports back in a timely, succinct and appropriate fashion
Organizes and prioritizes work schedule to meet client needs and deadlines
Anticipates client needs and addresses them promptly

Core Competencies:

Demonstrating/safeguarding ethics and integrity
Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment
Self-development, initiative-taking
Acting as a team player and facilitating team work
Facilitating and encouraging open communication in the team, communicating effectively
Creating synergies through self-control
Managing conflict
Learning and sharing knowledge and encourage the learning of others. Promoting learning and knowledge management/sharing is the responsibility of each staff member.
Informed and transparent decision making

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

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

Experience:

Four to Six years of relevant professional experience in the field of international humanitarian affairs or disaster management
Experience working with the UN and ECOWAS an advantage

Language Requirements:

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

Additional Requirements:

Proven inter-personal and good communication skills
Experience in a multi-cultural environment
Computer literacy

FC 12000