Senior Humanitarian Affairs Officer / Deputy Head of Office at United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - UNOCHA

Job Opening Number: 20-Humanitarian Affairs-OCHA-143547-R- (X)
Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Grade: P5
Department / Office: Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity

Org. Setting and Reporting

• This position is located in the Operations and Advocacy Division, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which is the part of the United Nations Secretariat responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to emergencies.
• OCHA also ensures there is a framework within which each actor can contribute to the overall response efforts. OCHA's mission is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principles humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors in order to alleviate human suffering in disasters and emergencies; advocate the rights of people in need; promote preparedness and prevention and facilitate sustainable solutions.
• This temporary job opening is being advertised for the position of Senior Humanitarian Affairs Officer / Deputy Head of Office with OCHA Nigeria, in Maiduguri. The Senior Humanitarian Affairs Officer / Deputy Head of Office reports to the Head of Office, OCHA Nigeria.

Responsibilities
Within delegated authority, the Senior Humanitarian Affairs Officer/Deputy Head of Office will be responsible for the following duties:

• Manages and provides leadership for the OCHA sub-office in Maiduguri, as well as the other sub-offices in north-east Nigeria
• Supports and provides authoritative technical and policy advice to senior management in OCHA, the Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator (DHC) based in Maiduguri and other agencies in the UN system, Member State officials, international and regional organizations on programmes, projects and issues of significant impact on humanitarian, emergency relief and disaster response / management efforts.
• Monitors the performance of the institution's humanitarian mandate; influences the development and evolution of the UN approach to humanitarian affairs; designs and implements significant policy and programme changes to address country, regional, global humanitarian affairs issues, including gender considerations; conceptualizes the linkages with the political and peacekeeping functions in the Secretariat.
• Develops / ensures implementation of coherent humanitarian / disaster contingency / readiness plans and response strategies and procedures.
• Conceptualizes, formulates and manages major projects; leads and directs a multi-agency team in carrying out disaster assessment or other missions; initiates, mobilizes and coordinates international humanitarian / emergency assistance for exceptionally complex situations or major disasters; ensures necessary support (e.g. staff, funding, specialized equipment, supplies, etc.); prepares situation reports to the international community, apprising of situation to date and specifying unmet requirements of stricken countries.
• Supports the production of appeals for international assistance; ensures the proper use and spending of donor contributions channelled through OCHA.
• Leads capacity building initiatives; identifies bottlenecks and gaps and develops proposals to improve response systems and mechanisms, to include technical assistance in the design of specific coordination and other systems / mechanisms; organizes and participates as trainer / resource person in national and international training seminars.
• Serves as a liaison with non-UN entities, including senior host government officials, donor representatives in north-east Nigeria, NGO officials, the media, etc., in emergency situations.
• Establishes the overall work plan and budget.
• Leads and directs a team of staff; may oversee activities for a discrete work section or equivalent; plans and allocates work assignments; coaches, mentors and evaluates staff; participates in recruitment, selection and training of new staff and in the development of training programs.
• Organizes and / or supports inter-agency and other international meetings, conferences, task forces; presents views and policies of the unit / institution. Chairs the inter-sector working group for north-east Nigeria.
• Initiates, supervises and finalizes position papers and related submissions; prepares diverse reports, papers, policy guidelines, parliamentary documents, statements, presentations, etc. for senior management.
• Performs other duties as requested by OCHA Head of Office, the DHC and / or Director of Operations and Advocacy Division.

Education

• Advanced university degree (Master's Degree or equivalent degree) in Political Science, Social Science, Public Administration, International Studies, Economics, Engineering, Earth Sciences or a related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience:

• A minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in humanitarian affairs, emergency preparedness, crisis / emergency relief management, rehabilitation, development or other related area, is required.
• Two (2) years of field experience in humanitarian affairs in a complex emergency or natural disaster context is required.
• Management experience at a senior level is required.
• Experience in a humanitarian context within the UN common system or other comparable international organization is desirable.

Languages:

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another UN official language is desirable.

Assessment:

• Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Competencies
Professionalism:

• Knowledge of full range of humanitarian and emergency relief assistance and related humanitarian issues. Ability to advise senior management and other senior officials on approaches and techniques to address highly complex / sensitive issues.
• Demonstrated capacity for intellectual leadership. Conceptual and strategic analytical capacity and ability to thoroughly analyze and evaluate critical matters pertaining to a broad spectrum of humanitarian and emergency relief issues / problems.
• Demonstrated capacity for original and creative thinking, independent judgment and discretion in advising on and handling major policy, project and other issues / problems.
• Ability to negotiate and ability to influence others to reach agreement on difficult issues. Ability to work under extreme pressure, on occasion in a highly stressful environment (e.g. civil strife, natural disasters and human misery).
• Knowledge of institutional mandates, policies and guidelines related to humanitarian affairs and seasoned knowledge of the institutions of the UN system.
• Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter. Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results. Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges.
• Remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

Planning and 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 honours 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.

Leadership:

• Serves as a role model that other people want to follow: empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvements; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands.
• Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing.

Judgement / Decision-Making:

• Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; makes tough decisions when necessary.

United Nations Considerations:

• According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts.
• The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions.
• The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.
• Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.
• Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.
• The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines.
• Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.