UNDP Jobs - 86099- Humanitarian Field Officer

Humanitarian Field Officer

Location :

LUANDA, ANGOLA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

15-Jul-2019

Application Deadline :

11-Jul-19 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

4 Months

Languages Required :

English Portuguese

Expected Duration of Assignment :

4 Months

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

Background

Below-average and erratic rainfalls continue to exacerbate the drought crisis in southern Angola with severe consequences to the local populations, children and women, agriculture production, and livestock. The humanitarian impact of the drought, including food security and nutrition is estimated to affect 2.3[1] million people in the four provinces most affected, Cunene, Huíla, Namibe and Bié among which, 491,131 are estimated children under the age of five.

From January to March 2019, the number of people facing food insecurity in Cunene province, grew exponentially from 249, 884 people reported in January, to 857,443 in March, highlighting the severity of the crisis. Global Acute Malnutrition prevalence sits at 9.8 percent and Severe Acute Malnutrition is at 5.6 percent according to preliminary VAC results (VAC 2018). Between 70 and 80 per cent of the population in Huíla and Cunene are facing food insecurity and have their nutrition status compromised. A scenario that is likely to worsen considering the prospects of the rainy seasons and agriculture harvesting.

Coping capacities of the affected families are rapidly exhausting with families resorting to negative coping mechanisms, among which, reduction of the number of meals per day, with immediate repercussion to children’s nutrition, child labor, increased percentage of school dropouts, with recorded rates of 34 per cent of school drop outs in some schools, and as much as 100 percent drop out in 13 schools closed in Curoca municipality, out of the 151 school affected in Cunene province alone. The drought conditions put at risk more than 250,000 school aged children in Cunene alone.

To timely address the humanitarian needs of the most affected population in Cunene, Huíla, Bié and Namibe, the UN in Angola officially applied for central emergency response fund (CERF), which has been approved for a total of $6.4 million, for a period of 6 months. CERF interventions will be led by UNICEF, FAO, UNFPA, and WHO and will focus on water, sanitation and hygiene, nutrition, food security and agriculture, health and protection in the four provinces of Cunene, Huíla, Bié and Namibe.

To support CERF implementation and coordination with government and among agencies, the UN Resident Coordinator Office is seeking a Humanitarian Affairs Officer – Field Coordinator to lead on coordination, reporting and liaison with government and UN agencies on the ground.

PURPOSE

Under the direction and guidance of the Resident Coordinator and with technical support from the Chair of the the UN Disaster Management Team (DMT), the incumbent will support the implementantion and coordination of CERF activities in Cunene, Huíla, Bié and Namibe provinces, and work in close collaboration with provincial and municipal Government authorities, including Civil Protection, implementing partners and UN agencies. The incumbent will be based in Cunene/Ondjiva, with regular travel to Huíla and as required (at least 2), with at least 1 trip to Namibe and Bié and Luanda provinces respectively.

This figure is calculated based on a total population of 6.1M people in the four provinces affected by drought (Cunene, Huíla, Namibe and Bié). Based on Government official memos on drought, about 70% and 80% of the total population in Huíla and Cunenene provinces respectively are affected by drought. The methodology used to reach 2.3 million people relies on historical and projected caseload, leading to an estimate that 37% of the total population 6.1M is facing food insecurity and in need of assistance. Within the 2.3M people, we have extrapolated corresponding figures to specific sub-groups, including children, women, malnutrition data on global acute malnutrition (GAM), severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) based on statistical records, historical records and projected trends.

Duties and Responsibilities

Main Responsibilities:

Supports coordination and implementation of CERF activities in Cunene, Huíla, Bié and Namibe provinces, promoting inter-sector emergency coordination activities in the field;
Support UN humanitarian response, in alignment with Provincial Plans and in liaison with the key government sectors which CERF implementation will work with (Social Action, Health, WASH, Civil Protection, Agriculture);
Promotes provincial Government – UN – Civil Socienty humanitarian coordination meetings, including amongst involved provinces and taking care of linking with medium – long term strategies such as the Resilience Framework and Preparedness Plans for Risk Reduction.
Represents UN in inter-agency meetings with the Governments of the four Provinces beneficiaries of the intervention;
Support planning, operational, logistics on behalf of UN (at a field level). Plans and coordinates joint UN and government missions to programme implementation sites;
Monitors and reports to the RC and DMT Chair on the trends in needs and gaps across all sectors, particularly on nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, food security and agriculture, health, protection and education
As required, prepares and provides inputs to CERF reporting requirements, including brief notes and updates to the Resident Coordination System through DMT and to the Government. Support the agencies in preparing the interim report and the final report to CERF
Supports further analysis of the situation, assessments on nutrition and food security and proposes adjustments to the response plan, if necessary. Proactively advises on key priorities from the field perspective.

Key Deliverables:

Develops monthly humanitarian dashboard on CERF implementation and situation analisys and update;
Develops monthly humanitarian situation reports with programme results and challenges;
Develops a programme implementation and response map highlighting interventions at provincial level and implementation of activities by municipalities and localities;
Prepares the CERF interim report with interested UN entities and in consultation with DMT-Chair and UNRC;
Prepares the CERF final report with interested UN entities and in consultation with DMT-Chair and UNRC;
Develops a qualitative implementation report with lessons learned and recommnedations for future project replica.

Duty Station Country and Location: Angola, Province of Ondjiva/Cunene with frequent travel to the Provinces of Huila, Namibe and Bíe.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

Demonstrates commitment to UNDP´s mission, vision and values;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Highest standards of of integrity, discretion and loyalty

Functional Competencies:

Ability to work with multidisciplinary and multicultural teams;
Creativity, innovation and initiative;
Result oriented;
Analytical ability;
Logical ability;
Able to work under pressure in an adverse environment;
Critical ability;
Capacity to dialogue with different sectors;
Determination and focus on goals and results;
Ability of facilitation;
Good management skills;
Sensitivity to African and Angolan context.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Masters degree or equivalent in Humanitarian Action, Emergency Management, International Development, or a related field.

Experience:

A minimum of 7 years professional experience, which includes at least 5 years in an international arena in/for developing countries; sound knowledge of CERF project response.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English and Portuguese with excellent verbal and written skills.

The selection of consultant will be aimed at maximizing the overall qualities in the following areas:

Criterion A: Work experience in humanitarian activities; – max points: 15;
Criterion B: Sound knowledge of CERF Project response – max points: 20;
Criterion C: Experience working in developing countries – max points: 15;
Criterion D: Masters degree or equivalent in Humanitarian Action, Emergency Management, International Development, or a related field – max points: 10;
Criterion E: Fluency in English and Portuguese – max points: 10;
Criterion F: Experience in coordination activities and stakeholder engagement – max points: 10;

Criterion G: Methodology approach to work - Max. points: 20

Recommended Presentation of Proposal:

Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability;
CV and or Personal History Form (P11 form );
Brief description of approach to work/technical proposal of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment, and a proposed methodology on how they will approach and complete the assignment;.

Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price and all other travel related costs (such as flight ticket, per diem, etc), supported by a breakdown of costs. If an applicant is employed by an organization/company/institution, and he/she expects his/her employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing him/her to UNDP under Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the applicant must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP.

Criteria for Evaluation of Proposal: Only those applications which are responsive and compliant will be evaluated. Offers will be evaluated according to the Combined Scoring method – where the educational background and experience on similar assignments will be weighted at 70% and the price proposal will weigh as 30% of the total scoring. The applicant receiving the Highest Combined Score that has also accepted UNDP’s General Terms and Conditions will be awarded the contract.