Background

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) aims to help ensure that emergency response saves lives and protects people in crisis. OCHA also seeks to enhance the connectivity and coherence between humanitarian and development work, based on the comparative advantage of diverse actors and in support of national and local capacity, towards collective outcomes that reduce risks, needs and vulnerability.

OCHA Colombia works to ensure that evidence based and collective situational awareness informs decisions on humanitarian action, seeking to ensure that streamlined data and analysis is provided to inform a rapid, effective and principled response. OCHA Colombia works to facilitate sufficient, timely, substantial, predictable and flexible financing that meets the needs of the most vulnerable people. In accordance with its mandate, OCHA undertakes advocacy on behalf of the most vulnerable people to ensure effective and principled humanitarian action. This advocacy contributes to action that also enhances the protection of affected people.

Given the evolving situation in the Amazon region as a result of the impact of COVID, OCHA Colombia is seeking to recruit a Humanitarian Coordinator/field information assistant for Leticia (Amazon Department- Colombia). This resource person will support the HCT/UNCT in Colombia as well as serve as a point person for the Peru and Brazil UNCT in view of providing updated information in the area and supporting harmonized response efforts.

This position is located in Leticia, Colombia. The Humanitarian and field information assistant liaises with other colleagues of OCHA Colombia, and with counterparts of relevant public institutions, UN agencies, funds and programmes, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and donors, among others, at local and regional levels.

Duties and Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Humanitarian coordinator and field information Assistant will be responsible for the following duties:

· Under the guidance of his supervisor of the Coordination Unit in Bogotá, facilitates daily activities of OCHA in Leticia and maintains contacts with relevant public institutions, UN agencies, funds and programmes, NGOs, among others, at local and regional level.

· Organizes and participates in field missions; for instance, to assess humanitarian needs with other organizations, or to report on relevant developments. Promote the use of MIRA's gender tools.

· Drafts and prepares regular updates and situation reports for OCHA Bogota, highlighting relevant operational issues affecting the humanitarian situation and response efforts in the department of Amazonas.

· Organizes and create a humanitarian coordination space (if possible) in Leticia, which comprises humanitarian members at local and regional levels, and relevant public actors and institutions.

· Generates regular updates on the evolving situation and needs in the area (including in neighbouring areas of Peru and Brazil, should access be possible) to help inform response efforts. Supports harmonization of the response between the various actors responding in the area. Serves as a resource person to the country teams of the three countries for the area.

· Support with the management, feeding and updating of the systems, platforms, tools and websites (Monitor, 345W, salahumanitaria.co, among others) established to consolidate the situation information and humanitarian responses, as well as peace building and development, with differential approach (gender, age, and ethnic)

· Support with the consolidation and processing of data, analysis of information from the territory where it is present, reflected in key messages, emergency information products and context (Flash updates, Situation Report, Infographics, Presentations) on a regular basis, which make visible both the situation, humanitarian responses and gaps, with a differential approach (gender, age, ethnicity).

· Guarantee the update and/or elaboration of information products (public and internal), both narrative and visual, in a timely manner, according to the criteria established in the work plan of the place where the information manager is located.

· Support with capacity building of partners and local counterparts to promote, facilitate and optimize the management of information on the systems, tools and products mentioned, in addition to involving other counterparts when necessary.

· Permanent communication with the thematic focal points in Bogotá, to inform about the request of ad hoc information by other partners. Also, to receive and apply the given feedback.

· Participate in follow-up meetings through teleconferences and send weekly reports on response actions, high-level visits and other relevant situations that should be known at the national level, for the respective advocacy and coordination responding to the objectives of the EHP.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities:

· Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day);

· Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country;

· Provide annual and end of assignment self-reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities.

· Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.;

· Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers;

· Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

Results/expected outputs:

· Regular updates of the humanitarian situation in the deparments and needs.

· Promote evaluation missions in the area

·Maintain permanent dialogue with the institutional framework of the department: government, mayors, health department, UNGRD, UARIV and representatives of natives communities

·Maintain permanent dialogue with humanitarian partners that are present in the area: national and international NGOs, Red Cross, Pastoral. Promote dialogue and coordination efforts

·Serve as a liaison for UN agencies and humanitarian partners in Leticia to organize assistant efforts.

·Assist coordination efforts, information exchange with UNCT members from Brazil and Peru for the areas near to Leticia in these countries.

Competencies

Professionalism: Knowledge of a range of humanitarian assistance, emergency relief and related humanitarian issues, including approaches and techniques to address difficult problems. Analytical capacity and in particular the ability to analyze and articulate the humanitarian dimension of issues which require a coordinated UN response.

· Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors’ language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

· Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; 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 all responsibilities and honors commitments; delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.

· 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; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.

Required Skills and Experience

Required Education Level: Bachelor's degree in economics, international relations, political or social sciences, or other related area

Required Experience: 2 years

· Some working knowledge/experience of the UN system and understanding of agency mandates preferable

· Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work under pressure and in meeting deadlines;

· Ability to work with minimum supervision, with efficiency, competence and integrity with people of different national backgrounds;

Some experience working with international NGOs and donors preferable

· Experience in the field in emergency situations is desirable.

· Experience working with an international or national organization, and familiarity with the UN system is desirable.

Living Conditions

The assignment will be based in Leticia, Amazonas department but with frequent movement to other areas of the department as well as to areas of neighboring countries  to make evaluations of the situation. COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the humanitarian situation in the area. Given the lack of presence of United Nations actors in the department, the position will be based in the offices of an international NGO. Leticia is a department with difficult physical access, but the person will receive support and follow-up from the OCHA office in Bogota. It is important that the candidate comes from the Amazon department and that he/she is familiar with the situation of the area.

Conditions of Service:

The contract lasts for the period indicated above with possibility of extensions subject to availability of funding, operational necessity and satisfactory performance. However, there is no expectation of renewal of the assignment.

Travel to duty station (if applicable) and a Settling-In-Grant will be provided in the event the duty station is not within commuting distance from the place of recruitment. The applicable Volunteer Living Allowance is provided monthly to cover housing, utilities and normal cost of living expenses. Life, health and permanent disability insurance are included ) and final repatriation (if applicable).

Furthermore, in non-family duty stations that belong to hardship categories D or E, as classified by the ICSC, a Well-Being Differential (WBD) on a monthly basis will be provided.

For UN Volunteer entitlements, kindly refer to the link https://vmam.unv.org/calculator/entitlements.

Important

United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme which welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, nationality, age and culture.

Only applications that contain the signed P11 format will be considered (Under no circumstances will applications be considered that do not correctly attach the file in question). You can find the P11 format at http://www.co.undp.org/content/dam/colombia/docs/Operaciones/P11_Personal_history_form-en.docx