Emergency Officer, NO-A, Tapachula, Mexico, Fixed Term

Contract

This is a NO-1 contract. This kind of contract is known as National Professional Officers. It is normally only for nationals. It's a staff contract. More about NO-1 contracts.

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,

Under the close supervision and instructions of the supervisor, provides professional support and effective teamwork for the implementation of country office emergency preparedness and response, collaborating with other emergency team members in the office. Responsible for the technical contribution to the development, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the emergency interventions to advance the survival and well-being of children and mothers and affected communities in emergency. In the case of this position, it will be based in Tapachula, Chiapas, in the Mexican southern border, where the emergency situations happen normally in relation with the international migratory flows crossed to the North and natural disasters.

Children, alone or with their families have migrated from Central America and Mexico to reach the north for years, looking for better life conditions. Lately, there has been a significant increase due to increasing poverty, inequality, and violence in the region, especially because of Pandemic. Tapachula and Chiapas in general is a strategic point in these flows because it is the first point of crossing of these children and families in their way to Mexico and USA. For example, from January to June 2021, he numbers of children on the move identified by Mexican authorities has increased more than 50%. In the first half of 2021, the National Migration Institute identified 75,508 irregular migrants in Mexico, (an increase of 117 % compared to the same period last year). Of these, 11,440 were children and adolescents, and 454 were unaccompanied. The majority have the Honduran nationality, with 5,447; followed by Guatemalan, (4,162); Salvadoran, (1,177), and many others which have travelled north from the Darien Gap, nationals of more than 50 African, Asian, Caribbean and Middle Eastern countries.

At the same time, the southeast of Mexico is one of the most affected states in the country by natural disasters. For instance, Chiapas is one of the states with the highest seismicity in Mexico, due to the interaction of the oceanic plates of Cocos and Rivera with those of North America and the Caribbean on the Pacific coast. A vulnerability that is linked to the poverty historically affecting to the state, as one of the country's territories with the lowest development rates.

In terms of operation, the Officer will report to the Chief of the UNICEF Field Office in Tapachula, Chiapas, for administrative and operational supervision as well as orientation on local context, and coordinates with the focal points for the emergency in the Central Office of Mexico city, for the planning and implementation of the emergency plans in the State as well as programmatic and technical guidance.

How can you make a difference?

Emergency Preparedness

1. Provides professional assistance in an analysis to identify emergency-prone conditions/situations and risks and contribute to early warning and timely emergency preparedness.

2. Assists in the formulation of plans of action in preparation and response to emergencies. Gathers information on best practices in emergency situations for the preparation of contingency plans. Monitors compliance of all sectors with emergency plans of action.

3. Identifies formal and informal sources of information, collecting, interpreting, and analysing all available data on the evolving emergency situation and its implications to the operation. Keeps the effective flow of information and communication crucial for the planning and implementation of emergencies. Identifies availability of resources in emergency prone areas

4. Assists in organizing and conducting training for the office’s staff capacity building in emergencies preparedness and response. Provides briefing, as required. Participates in other emergency training workshops in the region and contributes to enhancement of the emergency preparedness and response capability of the office staff.

Emergency Response

5. In the event of an emergency, promptly assists in implementing the initial operational tasks relating to emergency assistance. Immediately collects reliable information to verify the nature and extend of the emergency with staff, government officials, other UN agencies or local organizations and media. Follows up to ensure that the office is provided with effective telecommunications facility and staff security assistance in an emergency, as necessary. Contacts with all UNICEF staff and their dependants and visitors to ensure their safety and whereabouts, and promptly informs head of field office, supervisor and other emergency staff of their status as required.

6. Assists supervisor with assessment of local emergency and security situation. Visits the location to conduct an initial rough assessment of the magnitude of the crisis and its implications for children, mothers and the community. Assists with the assessment of the validity of the emergency preparedness plan and ability of the office vis-à-vis the current crisis as well as immediate and additional needs. Provides input in and contributes toward determining priorities and an appropriate intervention by UNICEF. Coordinates with other partners to make a rapid assessment covering priority areas as defined by the Core Commitment for Children in Emergencies. Establishes contact with community groups, government, UN agencies, media, and other partners to keep the country office of emergency situations.

7. Participates in Implementing the emergency preparedness and response plan as necessary. Assists in identifying urgent staffing requirements and redeploying country office staff. Follows up with the timely delivery of assistance and procurement of supplies and monitors the appropriate and effective use of UNICEF resources. Identifies problems and constraints in project delivery. Sends daily situation reports to concerned parties.

Emergency Project

8. Participates in the implementation of plans of action and workplans for emergency project. Undertakes field visits to emergency areas, to assess local conditions and monitor project progress. Carries out project administration. Prepares inputs for appeals and updates related to emergencies. Coordinates with program sections field and CO staff and others to mobilize donor response and recovery/rehabilitation-related funding, including humanitarian appeals and documents (e.g., pitch documents). Communicates and advocates on the situation and needs of children through local and international media, as appropriate.

9. Collects and analyses lessons learnt from UNICEF's emergency experience and contributes towards adoption of best practices and standards for longer-term emergency interventions. Assists in identifying longer-term requirements of the emergency operation/interventions.

10. Works with other colleagues to make sure that disaster prevention, mitigation, preparedness, and response strategies are mainstreamed in the field in relation with country office's workplans. Assists in the preparation of sectoral input for the country programme documents, plan of action, annual work plans, and other related documents of the office’s Emergency Preparedness and Response. Provides technical input in the preparation of the Situation Analysis and the Country Programme document, as required.

11. The scope of the job duties ranges from proper data collection and analysis, the timely preparation of routine, concise and accurate monitoring reports, including monitoring project status and the flow and delivery of supply and non-supply assistance, recommending appropriate adjustments as required, to draft preparation of timely and accurate budget reports.

The job requires primarily professional, analytical and contributory technical work, sensibility to work on the field, including collection and assembly of data and background information; prepares tables, graphs, or other statistical data for technical review, risk analysis, and monitoring purposes. Individual decisions are mostly technical judgement.

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

Education:

University degree in one of the following fields: social sciences, public administration, law, public health, nutrition, international relations, business administration or other related disciplines.

Experience:

• One year of relevant professional work experience at the national or international level in programme
• One year in the development of projects related to humanitarian assistance in emergency contexts,
• One year of experience in field work experience in complex contexts of migratory flows or other emergency issue.
• Experience in UN agencies related to planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, or administration of humanitarian projects in emergency, particularly in developing country work experience, desirable.
• Training/experience in emergency response management highly desirable.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in Spanish and Proficient in English

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are..

1.Core Values

• Care
• Respect
• Integrity
• Trust
• Accountability

2. Core Competencies

• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (1)
• Works Collaboratively with others (1)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (1)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (1)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (1)
• Drive to achieve impactful results (1)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (1)

3. Functional Competencies (Required)

• Persuading and Influencing (2)
• Applying Technical Expertise (2)
• Planning and Organizing (1)

4. Technical Knowledge

a) Specific Technical Knowledge Required

• UNICEF policies and strategy to address on local, national and international emergency issues, particularly relating to conflicts, natural disasters, and recovery.
• Knowledge of the principle of gender parity and equality.

b) Common Technical Knowledge Required

• The UNICEF mission statement; UNICEF Board policy papers and decisions.
• The Core Commitments for Children in Emergencies.
• The Convention on the Rights of the Child; Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination against Women.
• EMOPS Technical Notes, EMOPS Emergency Field Book.
• UNICEF Program Manuals, policy guidelines, ExDirs, PROs; Country Programme documentation.
• UNICEF personnel, financial, supply and administrative rules, regulations and manuals
• National development plans and policies; Guidelines and manuals from NGO/donor partners.
• Annual work plan.
• UNDAF; The UN Humanitarian Reform; IASC documents, guidelines and materials on UN Humanitarian Reform and the cluster approach.
• Information & Communications Technology literacy, including skills and knowledge of office system applications, LAN, internet navigation, telecommunications, and data analysis.
• Gender equality and diversity awareness

c) Technical Knowledge to be Acquired/Enhanced

• Knowledge of local conditions and country legislation relevant to UNICEF programmes.
• UN security operations and guidelines.
• UN policies and strategy to address international humanitarian/emergency issues and response.
• UN common approaches to programmatic issues and UNICEF positions in international developing cooperation.
• Knowledge of the latest developments and trends in emergency preparedness and response management related field

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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 also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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:

• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.
• Candidates must be citizen of Mexico to be considered eligible for this post