National Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination (CMCoord) Officer at United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - UNOCHA

Job ID: 25517
Location: Abuja
Contract Duration: 1 Year with possibility for extension

Background
OCHA's mission is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors in order to:

• Alleviate human suffering in disasters and emergencies
• Advocate for the rights of people in need
• Promote preparedness and prevention
• Facilitate sustainable solutions.

In December 1991, the General Assembly adopted Resolution 46/182 designed to strengthen the coordination, response and the overall effectiveness of the United Nation’s humanitarian operations globally to both complex emergencies and natural disasters. 
 
Operational and Organisational Settings

• A humanitarian crisis exists in the Northeast triggered by the ongoing armed conflict between the government security forces and non-state armed groups (NSAG). This ongoing armed conflict have caused massive displacements in the northeast and posed significant challenges to preserving the humanitarian space and ensuring humanitarian access to people-in-need. This is the operating environment which the national CMCoord Officer is expected to navigate and work in to contribute to the collective effort of accomplishing OCHA’s mission in Nigeria.
• Under the direct supervision of the Head of the CMCoord Unit, with overall direction of the Head of Office, the incumbent will exhibit utmost professionalism in working within the CMCoord Unit and the wider OCHA Nigeria Team.
• This position is located in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA Abuja). The National Humanitarian Civil-Military Coordination (NCMCoord) Officer will be based in Abuja with frequent travels to the deep field in Borno; Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) States to support CMCoord and broader coordination efforts at the local government area (LGA) and State level.

Duties and Responsibilities
The NO-A CMCoord Officer works under the leadership, supervision, strategic and operational direction of the Head of CMCoord Unit. Within limits of delegated authority, the NCMCoord Officer will be responsible, in whole or in part, for the following:

Operational Support to the Northeast:

• The NCMCoord Officer provides operational support to CMCoord activities in the northeast (BAY States) at the state and LGA levels, working closely with international CMCoord and Access Officers and OCHA’s Local Coordination Group (LCG) focal points in ensuring appropriate interaction with military units and formations at the LGA level.
• Strategy Implementation, Review, and Update: Support the ongoing assessment and analysis of the humanitarian-civil-military operating environment in order to contribute to implementation, review and update, as needed, of the UN-CMCoord strategy in place.
• Civil-Military Actors Mapping: Build on the civil-military actors’ mapping previously conducted and continue to monitor developments in military operations undertaken in the Northeast, with a view to analyze their potential impact on humanitarian space and access and thus, inform the current approach on humanitarian operations.
• Dissemination of Guidelines and Feedback: Contribute to the CMCoord Unit’s efforts in disseminating and promoting the Northeast Nigeria-Specific Guidance on the Interaction  and Coordination between the Humanitarian Country Team and the Nigerian Armed Forces/Multinational Joint Task Force, and solicit feedback, as appropriate.
• Liaison with Humanitarian Organizations: Establish and maintain a focal point network within the HCT members, Defence and Service (Army, Navy, Air Force) Headquarters, INGO Community and other operationally relevant organizations in Nigeria who are responsible for civil-military relations/interaction.
• Support Humanitarian Coordination: Support the overall humanitarian coordination at capital, State and LGA level by advising on the appropriate approach, liaison and interface with military representatives. Provide an analysis on the appropriateness of the use of military assets to support humanitarian activity, including an analysis of alternatives. Support Sector coordinators and/or representatives, where needed, in their appropriate interaction with military units and formations and in troubleshooting operational issues that may crop up in the course of undertaking humanitarian assistance activities at the State and LGA level.
• Military Liaison: Facilitate the establishment and maintenance of lines of communication with military units and formations in the northeast through the most appropriate liaison approach. Establish mechanisms for information sharing to promote common situational awareness on mutually relevant operational issues. Where possible and feasible, establish and/or support mechanisms designed to resolve and/or troubleshoot operational issues. Establish and sustain a healthy dialogue with military forces in the northeast and create awareness and understanding on the humanitarian community’s approach to humanitarian assistance, operationalizing the humanitarian principles and humanitarian coordination.
• Reporting and Analysis: Monitor, analyse and report on conduct of humanitarian civil-military coordination activities as well as identify challenges and good approaches in the humanitarian community’s interaction with military forces at State and LGA level. Contribute to the OCHA Nigeria IM and PI products, where relevant, and ensure the currency of analysis and inputs provided.
• Preparedness: Participate in and contribute to humanitarian contingency planning processes to ensure that appropriateness of the use of military assets to support humanitarian response operations are discussed and analyzed for appropriateness and relevance. This includes approaches to ensuring appropriate interaction with military forces for the scenarios considered.
• Training and Learning: Identify UN-CMCoord training and learning needs of both humanitarian actors and military forces and recommend/design a training strategy and materials to meet the identified needs.
• Miscellaneous: Perform other duties as may be requested by the Head of CMCoord Unit, Deputy Head of Office or Head of Office, as applicable.

Competencies
Professionalism:

• Knowledge of a range of humanitarian assistance, emergency relief and related human rights issues, including approaches and techniques to address difficult problems.
• Analytical capacity and in particular the ability to analyse and articulate the humanitarian dimension of issues which require a coordinated UN response.
• Ability to identify issues and judgment in applying technical expertise to resolve a wide range of problems.
• Ability to conduct research, including ability to evaluate and integrate information from a variety of sources and assess impact on the humanitarian rights situation in assigned country/area.
• Ability to work under pressure, on occasion in a highly stressful environment (e.g. civil strife, natural disasters and human misery); ability to provide guidance to new/junior staff. Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges.

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
• Allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.

Required Skills and Experience
Education:

• Master's degree or equivalent in Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Sciences, Law or related field would be desirable;
• Completion of the face-to-face UN-CMCoord Course is essential; completion of the UN-CMCoord Skills Workshop is desirable

Experience:

• A first-level university degree in combination with four additional years of relevant and qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree
• Previous experience with OCHA in the field of civil-military coordination is desirable; or previous experience in major humanitarian operations
• Excellent command of Office suite applications (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint)
• Familiarity and good knowledge of social, political and economic conditions in Nigeria
• Proven abilities in data collection, compilation, analysis and reporting with ability to write in a clear and concise manner and effective oral communication;
• Proven skills in reporting and facilitating meetings, including learning sessions

Language Requirements:

• High fluency in English (in both verbal and written) is essential; working knowledge of at least one other official UN language is an asset.

Operational Skills:

• Knowledge of the military structure and the military’s Theatre Command is essential
• Ability to live and work in a highly stressful operating environment is an advantage.