Humanitarian Affairs Officer (Civil-Military Coordination and Access)

Contract

This is a NO-C contract. This kind of contract is known as National Professional Officers. It is normally only for nationals. It's a staff contract. It usually requires 5 years of experience, depending on education.

Salary

The salary for this job should be more than 4,509 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.

Background

The position is located in the Operations and Advocacy Division (OAD), Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). OCHA is the part of the United Nations Secretariat responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to emergencies. OCHA also ensures there is a framework within which each actor can contribute to the overall response efforts. OCHA's mission is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors in order to alleviate human suffering in disasters and emergencies; advocate the rights of people in need; promote preparedness and prevention and facilitate sustainable solutions.

This position-specific job opening is being advertised for the position of Humanitarian Affairs Officer/Civil-Military Coordination and Access in OCHA Regional office for Western and Central Africa (ROWCA) based in Dakar, Senegal. Under the overall supervision of the OCHA ROWCA Deputy Head of Office, the incumbent reports to the Senior Humanitarian Affairs Officer/Head of Access and Civil-Military Coordination. He/She works in close consultation with OCHA Civil-Military Coordination Service (CMCS) department.

Duties and Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Humanitarian Affairs Officer/Civil-Military Coordination will be responsible for the following duties:

1. Operational Focal Point:

Under the supervision of the OCHA Deputy Head of Office and the Senior Humanitarian Affairs Officer/Head of Access and Civil-Military Coordination, serve as the operational focal point for the conduct of a UN-CMCoord assessment, formulation and implementation of a UN-CMCoord strategy and action plan, and related operations in the area of responsibility (AOR) in accordance with any higher level UN-CMCoord strategy as outlined by the Senior Humanitarian Affairs Officer/Head of Access and Civil-Military Coordination and OCHA Deputy Head of Office.

• Development of Strategy: Conduct an assessment and analysis of the civil-military environment in Western and Central Africa region, in order to formulate and implement a UN-CMCoord strategy and action plan, which should be fully integrated with the activities of the OCHA ROWCA Office and include specific UN-CMCoord outputs in the OCHA Office work plan. Continually evaluate implementation and effect of the plan and revise it as appropriate.

• Development of Guidance: Assist, advise and facilitate OCHA country offices in the development of country-specific guidance on civil-military relations and use of Military and Civil Defense Assets (MCDA), based on the current “IASC Reference Paper on Civil-Military Relationship in Complex Emergencies”, “Guidelines on The Use of Military and Civil Defense Assets in Disaster Relief (Oslo Guidelines)”, “Guidelines on the Use of MCDA to Support UN Humanitarian Activities in Complex Emergencies” and the “Use of Military or Armed Escorts for Humanitarian Convoys”, and any applicable Security Council resolutions and other relevant instruments.

• Dissemination of Guidelines: Ensure that applicable civil-military coordination guidelines, country-specific or generic guidelines are properly disseminated and understood by both, humanitarian actors and the military and/or police forces present, as well as by local actors, as appropriate. Promote and advocate for adherence to the applicable guidelines within the entire humanitarian community and advise on potential consequences if the guidelines are compromised.

• Liaison with Humanitarian Organizations: Establish and maintain a contact network with other UN Agencies, Mission-based personnel, who are responsible for civil-military relations, as well as, NGO focal points responsible for civil-military coordination in the AOR.

• Support Humanitarian Coordination: Support the Humanitarian Coordination structure at the regional and in-country level in the AOR, by advising on an appropriate mechanism to interface with military representatives. Advise both humanitarian actors and military representatives on the appropriateness of the use of military assets to support humanitarian activities. Support OCHA in country offices and/or humanitarian organizations in requesting military support for humanitarian activities, ensuring the requests are appropriate and in line with applicable guidelines. Monitor activities by military forces in support of humanitarian organizations. As directed by line management, support existing in-country Access and Civil-Military Working Groups with relevant civil military stakeholders to raise civil-military coordination issues and report policy and strategic issues to the Senior Humanitarian Affairs Officer/Head of Access and Civil-Military Coordination. Participate in work groups, meetings and consultations with other UN agencies and humanitarian partners; organize meetings with Heads of Agencies on UN-CMCoord matters.

• Military Liaison: Facilitate the establishment and maintenance of communication with the different military forces present in the AOR and establish mechanisms to resolve operational issues and ensure appropriate mutual exchange of information regarding ongoing relevant activities. Advise and educate the military and/or police forces in the AOR on the structures and dynamics of coordination with and within the international humanitarian community and the practicalities of implementation. Monitor the military presence in the AOR by communicating with incoming/outgoing international military forces.

• Reporting: Monitor, analyse and report on implementation of humanitarian civil-military coordination activities and identify difficulties and challenges in the interaction between the humanitarian and military communities. Provide periodic situation reports to the Senior Humanitarian Affairs Officer/Head of Access and Civil-Military Coordination on ongoing civil-military activities and the overall civil-military relations situation in the AOR. Upon concurrence with the OCHA Deputy of Head of Office and/or Senior Humanitarian Affairs Officer/Head of Access and Civil-Military Coordination , these reports should be disseminated to the Regional IASC, Regional Access Task Force and/or at the country level through concerned OCHA Heads of Offices as well as UNOCHA/CMCS, CRD Desks and Policy Development Studies Branch (PDSB) as appropriate. Reports may also be disseminated to other agencies if relevant and appropriate.

2. Advisory Role:

Serve as the adviser of the OCHA Deputy Head of Office and the Senior Humanitarian Affairs Officer/Head of Access and Civil-Military Coordination for UN-CMCoord issues in the AOR; support the development of a CMCoord strategy in the AOR in line with the priorities of OCHA ROWCA office and/or OCHA Head of Offices and international humanitarian community; advise humanitarian agencies on policy or specific civil-military coordination issues related to UN-CMCoord; in close collaboration with OCHA in country offices, undertake monitoring of Military support to Humanitarian organizations and assessment missions of civil-military coordination needs in the AOR on a regular basis or as required by the Senior Humanitarian Affairs Officer/Head of Access and Civil-Military Coordination and/or the OCHA Deputy Head of Office.

3. Humanitarian Affairs:

Assume more generalist coordination responsibilities, such as those associated with assessment; the planning and evaluation of humanitarian assistance programmes; assisting in the coordination of regional working groups activities and including the formulation of reports and interaction with donors.

• Monitors, analyzes and reports on humanitarian developments, disaster relief/management or emergency situations in assigned country/area.

• Organizes and prepares studies on humanitarian, emergency relief and related issues; organizes follow-up work, including interagency technical review meetings to support policy development work and decision-making on important issues.

• Participates in large, complex projects, to include disaster assessment or other missions; assists in the coordination of international humanitarian/emergency assistance for complex emergency/disaster situations and in ensuring the necessary support (e.g. staff, funding, specialized equipment, supplies, etc.); drafts situation reports to the international community, apprising of situation to date and specifying unmet requirements of stricken countries.

• Partners with other humanitarian agencies to plan and evaluate humanitarian and emergency assistance programmes and helps ensure that latest findings, lesson learned, policy guidelines, etc. are incorporated into these activities, including gender-related considerations.

4. Preparedness:

Participate in humanitarian contingency planning to ensure that the possibility of foreign/national MCDA deployment is properly considered, and that plans are developed for managing / monitoring MCDA deployment in support of relief operations; Establish and maintain close coordination with actors involved in military exercises or pre-deployment training and advise on which events should be monitored and/or supported. Support military simulation exercises, lesson learned workshops/seminars and training events, as appropriate.

5. Training:

Identify UN-CMCoord training needs of both humanitarian actors and military forces in the AOR and recommend/design a training strategy and materials to support identified requirements. Arrange and conduct such training events as required and agreed with the OCHA Deputy Head of Office and the Senior Humanitarian Affairs Officer/Head of Access and Civil-Military Coordination. Identify and coordinate with OCHA/CMCS regarding potential candidates for inclusion in the UN-CMCoord Training Programme.

6. Miscellaneous:

Perform other duties as may be requested by the OCHA Deputy Head of Office and the Senior Humanitarian Affairs Officer/Head of Access and Civil-Military Coordination as applicable.

Competencies

• PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of a range of humanitarian assistance, emergency relief and related human rights issues, including approaches and techniques to address difficult problems. Solid understanding of Civil Military Coordination issues. Knowledge and understanding of the UN Security Management System. Analytical capacity and in particular the ability to analyse and articulate the humanitarian dimension of issues which require a coordinated UN response. Ability to identify issues and judgment in applying technical expertise to resolve a wide range of problems. Ability to conduct research, including ability to evaluate and integrate information from a variety of sources and assess impact on the humanitarian rights situation in assigned country/area. Ability to work under extreme pressure, on occasion in a highly stressful environment (e.g. civil strife, natural disasters and human misery); ability to provide guidance to new/junior staff. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

• TEAMWORK: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

• CLIENT ORIENTATION: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.

Required Skills and Experience

Education: An advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in political science, social science, international studies, public administration, economics, engineering, earth sciences, or other field related to civil-military coordination is required. A first-level university degree in combination with an additional two (2) years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience: A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in humanitarian affairs, emergency preparedness, crisis/emergency relief management, rehabilitation, development, or other related area is required.

A minimum of two (2) yeast for field experience is required.

Experience in civil-military coordination or experience in the military forces dealing with humanitarian operations is desirable.

Experience in the West and Central Africa region is desirable.