Humanitarian Affairs Specialist (Complex and High Threat Environments), P3, New York, HPS/EMOPS, Temp Appointment (9 months)

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 140,639 USD and 184,155 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

The post is based in UNICEF Headquarters in New York in the Humanitarian Policy Section (HPS) of the Office of Emergency Programmes (EMOPS). The staff will report to the Humanitarian Policy Manager, Team Lead for Complex and Hight Threat Environments, and under the general supervision of the Chief of the Humanitarian Policy Section. In this capacity, the staff will work closely with other colleagues in EMOPS, including but not limited to the Humanitarian Evidence and Learning Section (HELS), the Office of Security Coordination (OSC), and Humanitarian Field Support Services (HFSS). In the Humanitarian Policy Section, the staff will work within the team focusing on Complex and High Threat Environments and work collaboratively with other colleagues covering inter-governmental bodies, protection and advocacy, children and armed conflict, and other cross-cutting humanitarian policy issues. The post may require occasional travel to conflict-affected countries and extended working hours.

How can you make a difference?

Purpose of the Job

As a member of the EMOPS Humanitarian Policy Section and the team focusing on complex and high-threat environments, provide support to UNICEF Field, Country, and Regional Offices, as well as relevant HQ divisions on navigating complex humanitarian policy issues in emergency settings, with the aim to establish, sustain and improve the quality of humanitarian assistance and protection to children in hard-to-reach areas, through a principled approach.

Support the Section:

• Developing, planning, preparing for, and implementing strategies and initiatives to strengthen humanitarian leadership of key UNICEF staff to stay and deliver for children living in complex and high-threat environments.
• Developing, planning, preparing for, and implementing initiatives to strengthen humanitarian access capacities across functional profiles in UNICEF.
• Developing and disseminating operational policy and guidance on key humanitarian policy issues prevalent in complex and high threat environments (including humanitarian access, engagement with ANSAs, program criticality, civil-military coordination, and sanctions/counterterrorism), through: (1) capacity building; (2) knowledge management; (3) inter-agency coordination; and (4) project management.

Summary of Key Functions/Accountabilities:

• Capacity building: (30 percent) -Develop, support, and deliver in-person and virtual training modules on humanitarian access and related humanitarian policy issues relevant to complex and high threat environments, with a view to disseminating UNICEF and inter-agency policy and guidance and enabling UNICEF staff and partners to apply and put these in practice on the ground, observing humanitarian principles, institutional decision-making processes, and the overall humanitarian normative framework. -Initiate inter-active, innovative approaches to advanced adult learning that assist staff and partners in “learning and applying.” -Support, substantively and practically, the Humanitarian Policy Section’s contribution to EMOPS ongoing and planned initiatives to strengthen humanitarian leadership of UNICEF staff working in complex and high threat environments.

• Knowledge management: (30 percent) -Assist EMOPS and the Humanitarian Policy Section with knowledge management initiatives in relation to current and emerging workstreams relevant to complex and high threat environments, including humanitarian access, humanitarian civil-military coordination, program criticality, engagement with ANSAs, and capacity building/humanitarian leadership. -In particular, maintain a repository of Program Criticality Assessments and their status; Access strategies and their status; ANSA engagement strategies and their status; regularly update, according to a systematic methodology, data on situations considered complex and high threat environments; and develop a compendium of good practices, templates, and tools relevant to humanitarian access and related humanitarian policy issues – for institutional memory and peer-to-peer sharing at country and global levels.

• Inter-agency coordination: (20 percent) -Assist EMOPS and the Humanitarian Policy Section in its active participation in and contribution to UN and other humanitarian inter-agency coordination processes for the development and dissemination of shared policy and guidance relevant to principled humanitarian action and reaching persons in need in hard-to-reach areas, including for instance the Global Access Working Group, the UN-CMCOORD working group, the Civil-Military Advisory Group, the Program Criticality Steering Group, and the IASC Task Force on Humanitarian Space. -Help ensure adequate participation in these inter-agency initiatives – with a view to UNICEF being an active contributor, UNICEF’s views and positions being considered, and inter-agency policy and guidance being consulted within and shared with relevant UNICEF staff.

• Project management: (20 per cent) -Assist EMOPS and the Humanitarian Policy Section in the conceptualization and implementation of in-depth analysis, policy, and guidance processes – including both internal to UNICEF and based on institutional partnerships – touching upon the various workstreams relevant to complex and high-threat environments. -This includes supporting the Humanitarian Policy Section’s consultancy projects on key questions around humanitarian policy and practice relevant to UNICEF, as well as partnership initiatives with UN and other humanitarian organizations on joint initiatives around analysis, capacity building, good practices, and guidance development. -Support the Humanitarian Policy Section in devising a way forward for information management in relation to the implementation of the UNICEF Guidelines on engagement with ANSAs.

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

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in International Relations, Political Science, Social Sciences, Humanities, Public Administration, International Law, Human Rights, or other relevant fields related to the work of UNICEF.
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience at the international level in humanitarian affairs, of which at least 2 years relevant experience with a United Nations humanitarian agency. Previous experience with providing support to the field is required. Prior experience with UNICEF is an asset.
• Demonstrated and progressive knowledge of the humanitarian normative framework and its application to humanitarian operations and complex humanitarian policy issues. Versed in the application of humanitarian principles, international humanitarian law, and children’s rights.
• Strong understanding of the United Nations and humanitarian architecture. Familiar with United Nations inter-Governmental processes, and with United Nations inter-agency coordination platforms relevant to the promotion of principled humanitarian action.
• Prior exposure to humanitarian policy areas such as humanitarian access; humanitarian civil-military coordination; engagement with State and non-State parties to the conflict; sanctions/counterterrorism and principled humanitarian action, program criticality, and similar topics, is a requirement.
• Proven skills in technical competencies such as knowledge management; project management/support to consultancy projects; and development and implementation of advanced learning strategies and strategies for the dissemination of institutional policy and guidance.
• Practical experience with innovative approaches to capacity building and training of staff and partners on humanitarian policy issues and their practical application on the ground, including from a development, delivery, and evaluation perspective.
• Fluency in English required. Working-level knowledge of French is an advantage.

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.

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 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.