Chief, P5, Risk Analysis and Preparedness Section (RAPS), EMOPS, Istanbul, Türkiye

Contract

This is a P-5 contract. This kind of contract is known as Professional and Director staff. It is normally internationally recruited only. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 10 years of experience, depending on education. More about P-5 contracts and their salaries.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, hope

The position is situated in the Office of Emergency Programmes in Istanbul and reporting to the Deputy Director, EMOPS in New York, to provide functional supervision to the Risk Analysis Unit and the Preparedness Section (RAPS), and to coordinate with other EMOPS Sections including HFSS, HPS, OSC, HELS, IAHP and GCCU, with other UNICEF Divisions, with ROs and COs, and with its inter-agency IASC partners and counterparts as appropriate.

Within and contributing to broader and organization wide risk management and preparedness strategies and action, RAPS supports the contextual risk management and preparedness of UNICEF country offices globally. Work on risk analysis and preparedness sets the organization and its national partners up for better transition across development and humanitarian programming, while also being a critical dimension of operational efficiency.

RAPS is responsible for the systematic monitoring and analysis of risks emanating from events that can affect UNICEF’s humanitarian response. The RAPS team complements the analysis coming from regional and country offices, with the aim to trigger risk-informed responses as necessary.

RAPS also coordinates with other risk-related parts of UNICEF to improve overall risk management, supporting CO risk management through developing tools and systems, and capacity development, and through horizon scanning efforts. It furthermore engages with HFSS to determine priorities for early action in Country and Regional Offices at immediate specific risk, notably informed by its horizon scanning work.

The professional field of emergency preparedness is a main area of RAPS’ expertise. This has informed the development and roll-out of one of RAPS’ programmes, the Emergency Preparedness Platform.RAPS will in particular provide solid continued support to the country offices in the implementation of their emergency preparedness plans and also lead efforts to scale-up anticparoty action across UNICEF.

How can you make a difference?

Purpose of the position

Under the overall supervision of the Deputy Director EMOPS, the Section Chief will provide guidance and coordination to better integrate RAPS’s workstreams and will provide strategic and applied advice to maximize adequate risk informed decision making for early, effective and effective humanitarian action.

The RAPS Section Chief will support UNICEF’s efforts to build capacities in emergency preparednessand anticipatory actionand risk analysis through partnership initiatives and collaboration. Active support is provided to UNICEF’s key partnerships, regional offices (ROs), and country offices (COs) as appropriate.

The function will work in coordination with the ROs, all EMOPs sections in New York,Geneva and Istanbul, and other relevant HQ Divisions. The Section Chief will provide concrete support to ROs and COs in their efforts to better anticipate and prepare for crisis responses based on the analysis of imminent and long-term risks and changes in context. The Section Chief will also oversee efforts to strengthenpreparedness across thematic areas such as climate, public health emergencies and famine prevention.

To the extent feasible and appropriate, RAPS may also initiate and conduct research, develop concepts and formulate provide policy and strategy advise on risk analysis, risk management and preparedness. It may do this to contribute as a valued actor with its particular field of expertise to larger humanitarian community of practice, and to UNICEF’s broader organizational interests.

Key functions and responsibilities

The RAPS Section Chief is expected to:

1.Provide forward-looking strategic advice and support to the Director and Deputy Directors of EMOPS in the following areas of expertise and operations:

•The systematic monitoring and analysis of risks emanating from events that can affect children and populations at risk to inform UNICEF’s humanitarian response. The RAPS team complements the analysis coming from regional and country offices, with the aim to trigger risk-informed early preparedness and early action responses as necessary.

•Effective coordination with other risk-related parts of UNICEF to improve overall risk management, supporting CO risk management through developing tools and systems, and capacity development.

• Continued engagement with notably HFSS to determine priorities for early action in Country and Regional Offices at immediate specific risk, in particular informed by its horizon scanning work.

•Provide emergency preparedness support, including but not limted to the development and roll-out of one of RAPS’ programmes, the Emergency Preparedness Platform (EPP 3.0). RAPS will in particular provide solid continued support to the field in the implementation of their emergency preparedness plans •Lead the scale-up of anticipaticpary action efforts across UNICEF and provide support to Country and Regional Offices in the implementation of these efforts.

2.Represent UNICEF in the relevant internal, interagency and external fora dealing with risk analysis, risk management and emergency preparedness and, as assigned by the Director EMOPS.

3.Coordinate global risk scanning and analysis at regular intervals, in coordination with HQ, ROs and COs as well as with IASC partners, to inform and improve preparedness and emergency responses.

4.Build or strengthen the liaison between relevant HQ, ROs and COs, for improved risk analysis and monitoring, including through initiating meetings on risk analysis/monitoring.

5.Provide quality assurance of the risk analysis performed by ROs and COs, notably but not restricted to the EPP process.

6.Provide functional supervision for the RAPS team and its projects and workstreams across their support functions. ensuring products and results that are risk informed and evidence based.

7.Monitor the outcomes of this integration and ensure results are achieved according to expected timelines and performance standards, including convergence and coordination of efforts across the team and with wider organizational processes.

8.Provide forward-looking strategic direction to strengthen the link between risk analysis and monitoring and early humanitarian action. RAPS may both initiate advice and support, and provide support in response to requests.

9.Provide and coordinate focused research and analysis in the fields of risk analysis, risk management and emergenency preparedness, in general and on specific humanitarian risks - or on issues potentially effecting UNICEF’s humanitarian preparedness and response in particular.

10.Coordinate with UNICEF HQ, RO and CO to identify key risk-related issues requiring further study/analysis.

11.Conduct field visits where appropriate to deepen understanding of the needs, capacities, constraints and other realities for informing COs on the delivery of quality emergency programmes.

12.Support global donors and Member States engagement on preparedness, risk analysis and anticipatory action.

13.Coordinate Knowledge Management needs, opportunities and solutions, notably with HELS and other KM subject matter experts. This may include the use of UNICEF data platforms, cooperation with UN Departments, Agencies, Funds and Programmes etc., external partners and communities of practice.

14.Initiate and conduct research by the RAPS team; develop concepts and formulate provide policy and strategy advise on risk analysis, risk management and preparedness as necessary a/o upon request. RAPS work will adhere to the highest professional standards, with products that are evidence-based and action-oriented where relevant and appropriate.

15.Coordinate with EMOPS Sections and OED on the alignment and inter-action between EMOPS risk management processes (security, preparedness, emergency procedures) with the corporate Enterprise Risk Management system managed by OED.

16.Provide particular support and coordination to the RAPS team based, in particular to:

•Establish and/or enhance the inter-agency systems to monitor impending and developing emergency situations, ensure that appropriate preparedness and early actions are taken, and that appropriate resilience approaches are incorporated.

•Facilitate inter-agency emergency preparedness and anticipatory action approaches by country and regional offices, with a goal of mainstreaming necessary actions into programme processes and work plans and strengthening preparedness.

•Contribute the roll-out of key elements of inter-agency humanitarian reform and IASC policies or tools.

•Contribute to inter-agency discussions and initiatives on preparedness, including, for example, IASC Subgroup on Preparedness and Anticipatory Action.

•Collaborate with PFP on the Business and Community resilience project involving private sector, governments and Civil society organisations.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in social sciences or other relevant disciplines is required.Practical training in programme management and evaluation, survey and research analysis, or applied statistical data analysis in social sciences is an asset.
• A minimum of 10 years of relevant professional experience, both international and national, in humanitarian crisis response programmes is required.Relevant experience in risk management is considered an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3) Drive to achieve results for impact (4) Innovates and embraces change (5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (6) Thinks and acts strategically (7) Works collaboratively with others. (8) Nurtures, leads and manages people

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

UNICEF’s active commitment towards diversity and inclusion is critical to deliver the best results for children.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance. Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.