Humanitarian Affairs Officer Job

Post title and level: Humanitarian Affairs Officer, NC-A
Duty station: Nairobi, Kenya

Duration: 2 months, renewable.
Vacancy Notice number: OCHA/KEN/01/2011

Date of entry: ASAP

United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for diversity

Organizational Setting and Reporting Relationships:

The National Humanitarian Affairs Officer (HAO) position is located within the Humanitarian Financing Unit of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA/Kenya) in Nairobi. The position reports directly to the Humanitarian Affairs Officer (Humanitarian Financing).

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Within limits of delegated authority, the Humanitarian Affairs Officer will be responsible for the following duties:
• Assist the Head of Office in ensuring that all relevant parties within and outside the humanitarian domain are provided with up-to-date humanitarian information products taking into account the nature of the target audiences.
• Assist in the data collection and the analytical processing to support humanitarian operations and strategic decision-making.
•  Assume responsibility for the compilation, drafting and correction of a wide range of documents pertaining to contingency planning, emergency preparedness, humanitarian financing and humanitarian response.
• Assist in the initial review and consolidating recommendations, technical comments and review results of ERF proposals and informing respective parties accordingly on outcome of proposals submitted.
• Assist in monitoring ERF projects through reports produced by the recipient organisation and evaluation missions.
• Assume day-to-day responsibility for the compilation of the Response Plan or the submission of country-specific inputs for a regional appeal, as well as related inter-agency process.
• Assist in the Advocacy strategy on the Humanitarian impact of climate change in Kenya.
• Advocacy for sustainable support to Pastoralists as the key population affected by drought and food insecurity in Kenya.
• The consultant will be based at the duty station in Nairobi and will work full time.
•  The assignment may entail travel to areas outside the duty station from time to time, which costs will be borne by the travel budget.
• The initial contract period will be 2 months, equivalent to 40 working days.

Work implies frequent interaction with the following:

•  Staff at all levels within the various functional units of OCHA/Kenya, and the consultant will therefore be required to work full time at the Nairobi office. OCHA/Kenya will provide all the necessary support services such as office space and telephone.
•  IASC partners (UN, NGO, Red Cross, and International Organisations), including Cluster Coordinators and Cross-Cutting Issue Focal Points. This may involve travel to areas outside the duty station from time to time.

Results Expected:

General:

• Sound analytical inputs to strengthen coordination architecture
• Support to the development of relevant policy and operational guidance
• Identification of challenges at field level and liaison with partners to help develop creative approaches to problem resolution

Specific:

•  Development of capacity-building strategy in support of humanitarian response at field level, in cooperation with IASC/cluster partners.
• Finalisation of comprehensive mapping of existing capacity-building initiatives at field and regional level, to support identification of gaps and priority regions on which to focus development of country-level capacity-building plan to be rolled out in 2010, in consultation with all partners and identifying priority countries, target audiences, and proposed methodology and content (with support of training consultant as required).
• Establishment of repository of good practices, case studies, and lessons learned from field level cluster implementation
•  The consultant is expected to prepare an activity report every twenty (20) work days, to be reviewed by the direct supervisor. Once reviewed and found to be satisfactory, the Head of Office will issue a certification of payment for the respective period. At the end of the assignment, the consultant will be evaluated by the Head of Office.

Core Competencies:

Professionalism:

•  Knowledge of humanitarian assistance and emergency relief issues, institutional mandates, policies and guidelines pertaining to humanitarian affairs.
•  In-depth understanding of humanitarian reform, particularly with relation to cluster implementation.
• Conceptual and strategic analytical capacity, including the ability to analyze and articulate the humanitarian dimension of complex issues.
• Ability to negotiate and to influence others to reach agreement.
•  Ability to work under pressure.

Communication:

•  Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.
•  Excellent communication skills, including the ability to articulate ideas in a clear and concise style, and to develop comprehensive strategic and policy documents.

Teamwork:

• Excellent interpersonal skills, with ability to liaise and network effectively with a wide variety of OCHA’s partners, building effective partnerships.
•  Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

Planning and Organizing:

• Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; foresees risks when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary;
•  Uses time efficiently and are able to manage conflicting priorities and work under pressure to tight deadlines.

Qualifications

Education: Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in political or social science, international studies/relations, public administration or other related field. A combination of a relevant first-level university degree and qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• Three years of progressively responsible professional experience in humanitarian affairs, emergency preparedness, crisis/emergency relief management, rehabilitation and development, political/legal affairs, or other related area, including relevant field experience.
•  Relevant coordination experience in humanitarian emergencies, preferably working with a range of humanitarian organisations.
•  Experience of working in an inter-agency environment, particularly in the coordination of humanitarian response.
•  Familiarity with UN policies, rules and procedures, particularly in relation to humanitarian response and coordination, and knowledge of institutional mandates, policies and guidelines pertaining to humanitarian assistance, especially the humanitarian reform agenda.

·              Language: Fluency in oral and written English is essential; fluency in any other UN languages as well as other local language is highly desirable and may be a requirement.

·               

Application Procedure

Interested and qualified candidates should send their applications including a current P11 form, current CV and lump-sum price proposal through the following email address; consultants.ken@undp.org to reach us on or before 9 February 2011.