Emergency Specialist - Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) Coordinator, P3, Niamey, Niger #116082 (Temporary Appointement)

Contract

This is a P-3 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 5 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be between 102,045 USD and 133,620 USD.

Please keep in mind that the salary displayed here is an estimation by UN Talent based on the location and the type of contract. It may vary depending on the organization. The recruiter should be able to inform you about the exact salary range. In case the job description contains another salary information, please refer to this one.

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

According to the humanitarian response plan around 3.8 million people will need humanitarian assistance in Niger in 2021 people including 51% women and 55% children. Niger is in a situation of extreme vulnerability following a multitude of shocks linked to climate change, demographic growth and armed conflicts, contributing in fact to persistent poverty and recurring humanitarian crises. These crises have a significant impact on the vulnerability of populations, which are often affected simultaneously by multiple crises. Like the other countries of the Sahel, Niger continues to be affected by chronic food insecurity and malnutrition, seasonal epidemics to which has been added this year the epidemic of COVID-19, drought, floods as well as impact of armed groups in several regions of the country. The consequences are dramatic for the affected population, endangering the lives and livelihoods of civilians, increasing the need for protection and endangering social cohesion. Insecurity generated by attacks by Non-State Armed Groups (GANEs) in border regions also severely disrupts people's access to basic social services and livelihoods. The above-mentioned shocks arise from a worrying and multifaceted humanitarian situation. In Diffa, Tillaberi, Tahoua and recently in Maradi, this deteriorated considerably in 2019, 2020 and early 2021 following the growing activism of the GANEs accompanied by looting, kidnappings, targeted assassinations, threats and various intimidation. Besides the activism of the GANEs, inter-ethnic violence, criminal acts of opportunity as well as security operations carried out by Nigerien military forces often provoke massive movements of populations. Across the country, more than 573,000 people have been forced to flee their home, including 298,000 IDPS and 233,000 refugees. Since 2019, humanitarian organizations in Niger were faced with increasing access constraints in all operations, affecting their ability to respond to the needs of the population. These constraints are linked not only to the low level of funding, but also to COVID-19 pandemic, the security environment, specific measures linked to the state of emergency in force in certain regions, roads conditions and the imposition of armed escorts for humanitarian actors.

UNICEF provides multi-sectoral responses to the crises affecting Niger and aims at strengthening its emergency response capacity and efficiency, but also the link between humanitarian interventions and resilience-building programs.

UNICEF leads 3 sectors/clusters and 1 sub-cluster in the country at the national level and supports the government in the regions in their leadership role for humanitarian sectoral coordination.

In 2016 UNICEF initiated a partnership with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) for the implementation of a Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) in the country, in coordination with OCHA and government coordination structures. The mechanism provides rapid multisectoral assessment and response in WASH, NFI, food security and protection, to the acute vulnerabilities of people recently affected by population movements due to sudden chocs, mainly conflict, but also floods if requested by the humanitarian coordination. The operational collaboration was extended in 2017 to other NOGs (ACTED, DRC, ACF), reunited under an RRM consortium. In 2018 the RRM mechanism was formalized through a joint framework, which included OCHA, UNICEF, WFP, the Ministry of Humanitarian Action and Disaster Relief, and the NGO (ACF, ACTED, DRC and IRC) and which was mainly funded by ECHO. In 2020, some NGO (ACF, ALIMA, COOPI, HELP, PUI) started to respond to health and nutrition needs through the RRM system and the introduction of the education response is planned for 2021. Since 2019, according to the revised RRM joint framework, UNICEF is responsible for the technical leadership of the mechanism, including the Information Management in coordination with the Inter-cluster Information Management Working Groups, for the centralization of NFI and WASH procurement, and also for the technical and operational coordination of the mechanism through this RRM coordinator position. A Humanitarian Cash Transfers component was introduced in 2020 with a planned scale up in 2021: a Cash Specialist collaborates with the RRM Coordinator to provide technical assistance to partners about it. The technical leadership includes the supervision and monitoring of the quality of the interventions, the respect of international and RRM standards, the revision of tools, training of partners, communication with clusters and working groups, leadership for the organization and facilitation of technical workshops, mission monitoring and innovative and strategic advice.

How can you make a difference?

The Emergency Specialist (RRM Technical coordinator) is responsible to ensure that the RRM program is strategically relevant, technically sound, efficiently implemented and administered to meet UNICEF’s quality standards, as well as adequately funded, in order to respond to the needs of the country’s most vulnerable/crisis-affected children and their families. S(he) will coordinate the activities implemented by the nine (9) members of the joint RRM framework, OCHA, UNICEF, WFP, OIM, the Ministry of Humanitarian Action and Disaster Relief, and the 4 NGOs of the RRM consortium (ACF, ACTED, DRC and IRC), in addition to Health, Nutrition and eventually Education NGOs which are integrating the mechanism. Particularly s(he) will maintain the link with operational, technical and coordination partners as well as with donors, local and national authorities and the national and international partners (including clusters and sectorial working group). Moreover, the coordinator oversees the management of the programmatic aspects regarding UNICEF contribution to the RRM (partnerships, supply, HR, etc.).

Key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks

1. Ensure RRM representation with local authorities, donors and non-RRM partners

• Participate to technical and coordination meetings to ensure wide visibility of RRM with local authorities and non-RRM actors;
• Share information on the context and RRM program activities progress with RRM partners, clusters, sectorial working groups and authorities;
• Contribute to the production of reports and communication materials to share the achievements of the RRM, and to guarantee the technical reliability of the information produced, as well as the confidentiality of sensitive information;
• Ensure the respect of RRM mandate, ethics and values vis-à-vis third parties;

2. Ensure the quality implementation of the RRM

Programme:

• Ensure that contractual relationships with selected RRM implementing partners are established, and monitor contractual requirements;
• Actively monitor RRM UNICEF-supported activities through field visits, monitoring, and exchange of information with partners, to assess progress, identify bottlenecks and potential problems and take timely decisions to resolve issues for timely interventions;
• Ensure the smooth implementation of RRM activities through efficient data collection and the development/revision of appropriate tools;
• Ensure that targeted objectives are met within the deadlines;
• Following field assessments, identify and conduct appropriate advocacy to ensure the implementation of identified recommendations, including for RRM interventions and for information sharing and advocacy with clusters/working groups, to ensure follow-up of response provided by non-RRM actors, or response in sectors not covered by the RRM;
• Prioritize the RRM activities to be carried out in the four main targeted regions of intervention, based on the HR and stock availability, accessibility, level of security, and importance of the intervention;
• Ensure that RRM activities are achieved efficiently at technical level, based on the HR available and with short delays;
• Produce a report with the capitalization of the RRM experience and the lessons learned during the project implementation and share it with the RRM partners;
• Support the implementation of rapid response projects through the provision of technical support to partners, and coordination of the response;
• Ensure the monitoring of the coverage and quality of interventions, in coordination with RRM partners and non-RRM partners;
• Collaborate with the CASH Specialist to scale up CASH modality in RRM system;

Finance:

• Ensure regular budget monitoring and supervision in collaboration with UNICEF and with the RRM Consortium Coordinator;
• Provide overall budget tracking, financial management, and expenditure control for all UNICF RRM project related, including compliance with UNICEF and donor requirements.

Logistic:

• Monitor the delivery of supply to RRM partners and their supply chain to ensure smooth running of the project;
• Monitor the stock availability in each supported region;
• Share information on stock monitoring with RRM partners;

Human Resources:

• Monitor the capacity building of RRM HR of partners, based on a joint need analysis carried out with each RRM partner;
• Supervise the 2 RRM officers for Tahoua/Maradi and Tillabery and 1 IM Officer recruited by UNICEF;
• Collaborate with the Emergency Officer in Diffa to support him in RRM implementation and monitoring;

Context monitoring:

• Monitor the evolution of the context in collaboration with the security unit and management of UNICEF and of the other partners, in particular in relation to security and humanitarian alerts, to the presence of armed groups, of population displacements or return, transhumance, etc.;
• Provide regular update to RRM partners, through periodic reports shared with RRM Strategic Group and Operational Group, on the evolution of the context;

3. Support activities reporting

• Monitor the project activities and propose regular update for donors and RRM actors during Strategic Group and Operational Group;
• Supervise the harmonization of assessments and interventions reports among RRM partners and ensure that reports are shared within the deadline;
• Ensure the visibility of RRM activities by sharing information on RRM in clusters, working group and meeting reports; on the website and in OCHA bulletin;
• Contribute to the donors’ reporting with quality and on time inputs about RRM activities;

4. Other activities

• Organize donors’ visits, in the field if possible, or in the capital;
• Support RRM advocacy strategy in Niger in coordination with the RRM Strategic Group and as RRM focal point in the country;
• Supervise all other activities related to the RRM in Niger.

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in international development/relations, social sciences, public administration, international law, public health, nutrition, WASH, logistic, or other related disciplines;
• *A University degree in relevant field with 2 additional years of professional relevant experience in lieu of a Master’s degree;
• Minimum of five (5) years of relevant professional experience in planning, implementing and monitoring of emergency programs with either UN, IO, and/or NGO;
• Experience in multi-sector emergency program implementation;
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is required;
• Previous experience implementing and/or coordinating an RRM is highly desirable;
• Experience in multi-stakeholder co-ordination and facilitation is desirable;
• Effective communication, networking and organizational skills and ability to work well in a team;
• Ability to work well under pressure and in response to rapidly changing needs;
• Fluency in spoken and written French and working proficiency in written and spoken English are required.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF Core Values:

• Care
• Respect
• Integrity
• Trust
• Accountability

Core Competencies:

• Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (1)
• Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (2)
• Works Collaboratively with others (2)
• Builds and Maintains Partnerships (2)
• Innovates and Embraces Change (2)
• Thinks and Acts Strategically (2)
• Drives to achieve impactful results (2)
• Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)

The functional competencies required for this post are...

• Analyzing (2)
• Deciding and Initiating Action (3)
• Persuading and Influencing (3)
• Applying Technical Expertise (3)
• Planning and Organizing (2)

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.