Job Title: Humanitarian Affairs Officer/ Head of Coordination UnitOrg. Setting and Reporting:The position is located in the Operations and Advocacy Division (OAD), Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). OCHA is part of the United Nations Secretariat responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to emergencies.OCHA's mission is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors to alleviate human suffering in disasters and emergencies; advocate the rights of people in need; promote preparedness and prevention; and facilitate sustainable solutions.This temporary job opening is being advertised for the position of Humanitarian Affairs Officer/ Head of Coordination Unit in Caracas, Venezuela. The incumbent reports to the Deputy Head of Office, OCHA Venezuela.Responsibilities:Manages day-to-day activities of the team under responsibilities in the field duty station, providing oversight for all substantive/programmatic, logistic, administrative and security issues.Monitors, analyzes and reports on humanitarian response and developments, disaster relief/management programmes or emergency situations in the country.Leads and/or participates in large, complex projects, including disaster assessment or other missions; coordinates international humanitarian/emergency assistance for complex emergency/disaster situations; ensures necessary support (e.g. staff, funding, specialized equipment, supplies, etc.); prepares situation reports to the international community, apprising of the situation to date and specifying gaps and unmet requirements.Assists in the production of appeals for international assistance; ensures the proper use and spending of donor contributions channeled through OCHA.Organizes and prepares the inter-cluster meetings and ensures that the inter-cluster workplan is implemented and aligned to the HCT priorities.Assists national government counterparts in capacity-building for handling emergency situations; develops country-specific indicators in collaboration with area experts and ensures the subsequent monitoring of these indicators; recommends actions based on the analysis of pertinent information; collaborates with development actors to ensure the operationalization of the humanitarian-development nexus in the country with the aim to reduce risks and vulnerabilities, while safeguarding humanitarian principles.Initiates and coordinates activities related to technical cooperation and technical assistance projects in disaster response and preparedness; formulates project proposals and relevant project documents; provides technical support to field work; reviews and clears project reports for submission to donors.Analyzes and assists in introducing new technologies and approaches for disaster warning/management.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; and ensures the implementation of recommendations emanating from relevant studies.Assists or leads, as appropriate, in the preparation of OCHA reports, studies, background papers, policy guidelines, correspondence, presentations, parliamentary documents, etc.Partners with other humanitarian agencies to plan and evaluate complex humanitarian and emergency assistance programmes; helps ensure that latest findings, lessons learned, policy guidelines, etc. are incorporated into these activities, including gender-related considerations.Establishes and maintains contacts with government officials, other UN agencies, nongovernmental organizations, diplomatic missions, media, etc.; ensures appropriate mechanisms to facilitate collaboration and exchange of information both in and outside the UN system, including on early warning and contingency planning.Serves as the primary focal point on specific topics or policy-related issues, including safeguarding humanitarian principles, humanitarian access, and ensuring the effective delivery of humanitarian assistance; keeps abreast of latest developments, liaises with other humanitarian organizations, donors, etc.; ensures appropriate monitoring and reporting mechanisms; provides information and advice on a range of related issues.Organizes and participates in work groups, meetings, conferences, consultations with other agencies and partners on humanitarian and emergency relief-related matters, as well as development organizations.Undertakes and provides support to technical assistance and other field missions, e.g. participates in field trips to undertake in-depth reviews of national and sub-national coordination mechanisms.Provides leadership and work direction to assigned work team, and/or mentors and supervises the work of new/junior officers.Performs other duties as required.Competencies:PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of full range of humanitarian and emergency relief assistance and related human rights issues. Ability to advise senior management and other senior officials on approaches and techniques to address highly complex/sensitive issues.TEAMWORK: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others' ideas and expertise.PLANNING & ORGANIZING: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required.JUDGEMENT/DECISION-MAKING: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; gathers relevant information before making a decision.Education:Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in political science, social science, public administration, international studies, economics, engineering, earth sciences or a related field. 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.Work Experience:A minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in humanitarian affairs, emergency preparedness, crisis/emergency relief management, rehabilitation, development, or other related area is required. Experience representing a UN agency, NGO or similar organization at the national level is required.Languages:English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in English and Spanish is required.Assessment:The evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by a competency-based interview.Special Notice:This position is funded for 6 months and may be subject to extension. Extension of the appointment is subject to the extension of the mandate and/or the availability of the funds.
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