Humanitarian Affairs Officer P-3

Date of issue: 18 November 2011

Post title and level: Humanitarian Affairs Officer P-3

Duty station: Bangui, Central African Republic

Duration: Four months (with possibility of extension)

Expected Entry of Duty: As soon as possible

Vacancy Notice number: OCHA/G/55/2011

Deadline for applications: 25 November 2011

United Nations Core Values: INTEGRITY / PROFESSIONALISM / RESPECT FOR DIVERSITY

ORGANIZATIONAL SETTING AND REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS:

The Humanitarian Affairs Officer position is located within Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Central African Republic (CAR). The incumbent will be based in Bangui and will report directly to the Head of Office of OCHA CAR

RESPONSIBILITIES: Within delegated authority, the incumbent will be responsible for the following:

Provide substantial assistance in the implementation of inclusive, field-level humanitarian coordination mechanisms, including liaison with relevant UN operational agencies, NGOs, and local authorities; Assist in the regular monitoring and analysis of developments in the designated country and support the preparation of analytical reports highlighting social, political, humanitarian and other relevant factors affecting the overall humanitarian situation; Draft and prepare regular situation papers/reports highlighting relevant operational factors affecting the humanitarian situation and response efforts; Monitor humanitarian risks to ensure that the various contingency plans are consistent and well-coordinated including availability of resources; Support inter-agency humanitarian contingency planning by organizing meetings of and chairing the core group on contingency planning, maintaining a watching brief on humanitarian risks, supporting the analysis of the security and humanitarian contexts, drafting the plan and liaising with the Humanitarian Coordinator for its final validation and dissemination; Ensure a bi-annual (or more regular if needed) update of the humanitarian contingency plan for Central African Republic; Ensure the central coordination of humanitarian activities in the south-east of CAR by organizing and chairing monthly meetings with humanitarian national and international NGOs, UN agencies and donors involved in this area; Organize specific meetings for sector-based coordination (whenever needed); Participate in the preparation of the opening of OCHA’s sub office in the south-east of CAR (in Zémio) by liaising with humanitarian partners, authorities and donors; Contribute to the discussions regarding the future organization and planning for the setting of the sub office; Monitor the local context evolution and consequent humanitarian needs. Prepare the arrival of the future head of sub office; Work in close collaboration with OCHA information unit particularly on the data collection and analysis for the drafting of information and working products such as the incidents data base, access constraints reports, regional overviews, humanitarian presence maps and situation reports; Assist in the preparation of the humanitarian work plan, especially by being fully involved in the preparation, set up and conduction of the Consolidated Appeal Process (CAP) workshop and contributing to the drafting of the CAP document; Contribute to the reporting to the headquarters including reports of the UN Secretary General through the collection, analysis and transmission of relevant information details related to the humanitarian situation in Central African Republic; Act as OCHA’s focal point for the MRM working group (Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism) on children affected by armed conflicts, Resolution 1612 of the Security Council; Act as OCHA’s focal point towards the health, Non Food Items (NFI) and protection clusters; Supervise and actually support the OCHA sub offices in Central African Republic i.e. two sub offices up to date and three from mid-2012; Supervise directly the heads of sub offices and regularly liaise with them for the monitoring of the context and humanitarian situations in their area of work.; Other duties as necessary.

Competences

PROFESSIONALISM: Sound knowledge of and exposure to the field of humanitarian assistance, protection and human rights issues, strong analytical capacity and in particular the ability to analyse the humanitarian dimension of issues which require a coordinated UN response; Ability to identify humanitarian-related issues and to use knowledge/judgement in resolving potential problems, including ability to evaluate information from a variety of sources to assess the impact of the humanitarian situation in assigned field duty station/area/region/area; Good understanding of institutional mandates, policies and guiding principles related to humanitarian affairs and humanitarian reform and of the institutions of the UN system, in particular, the mandate and core humanitarian polices of OCHA; and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

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.

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.

Qualifications & Experience

EDUCATION: Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in political science, sociology, international law/studies/relations, public administration, or related area; A first level university degree (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in combination of qualifying relevant professional experience may be accepted in lieu of advanced university degree.

WORKING EXPERIENCE: A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible professional experience in humanitarian affairs, emergency preparedness, crisis/emergency relief management, rehabilitation, development, inter-agency coordination, or in other related area is required; Relevant professional field experience is required id est in a field setting where a mission and/or project is being implemented; Relevant professional experience within the UN common system is desirable.

LANGUAGE: For this particular post fluency in English (both oral and written) and working knowledge of French is required.

How to apply:

Please note that applications received after the deadline will not be accepted. All posts are subject to availability of funds.

Applications from qualified female candidates and from nationals of non- and under-represented countries are particularly encouraged.

Diploma of completed University degree may be requested in due course.

Applicants will be contacted only if they are under serious consideration. This vacancy announcement may be used to fill similar positions at the same level in other field duty stations.

Candidates will be expected to move periodically to new functions throughout their careers and are subject to the assignment by the Secretary-General to any of the activities or offices of the United Nations.

How to apply: All applicants are requested to email the following documents to Zeboua Guy Desire ZouZoua at zouzoua@un.org with a copy to ochavacancies@un.org

1. Cover letter, explaining why you consider yourself qualified and motivated for this particular position;
2. Completed Summarized Personnel Information Form;
3. Completed P-11 and P-11 Supplementary Forms.

All Application Forms can be found by clicking on the following link: http://ocha.unog.ch/OCHAvacancies/

Please state your full name and the OCHA vacancy notice number (OCHA/G/55/2011) as the subject in your e-mail application and send one email application for every vacancy announcement.

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