Humanitarian Affairs Officer

The Humanitarian Affairs Officer is responsible for coordinating international humanitarian assistance in complex emergency situations, supporting the humanitarian program cycle, monitoring humanitarian developments, and liaising with various stakeholders to ensure effective humanitarian response in the Central African Republic. The role involves drafting reports, supporting policy development, and providing guidance to junior staff.

Responsibilities

• Participates in large, complex projects, including disaster assessment or other missions; assists in coordination of international humanitarian/emergency assistance for complex emergency/disaster situations and ensures necessary support.
• Supports the implementation of the humanitarian program cycle (HPC), including drafting the Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) and the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) documents.
• Supports Ebola preparedness and other epidemics.
• Supports the work of the Accountability and Impact Team (AIT).
• 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 and decision-making.
• Partners with other humanitarian agencies to plan and evaluate humanitarian and emergency assistance programmes, ensuring incorporation of latest findings, lessons learned, policy guidelines, including gender-related considerations.
• Establishes and maintains contacts with government officials, UN agencies, NGOs, diplomatic missions, media, etc.
• Undertakes and provides support to technical assistance and other field missions, including in-depth reviews of specific country coordination mechanisms.
• Prepares or contributes to preparation of various written reports, documents and communications.
• Serves as primary focal point on specific topics or policy-related issues; liaises with humanitarian organizations, donors; ensures monitoring and reporting mechanisms; provides information and advice.
• Reviews and provides advice on policy issues related to safeguarding humanitarian principles and effective delivery of humanitarian assistance.
• Organizes and participates in work groups, meetings, conferences, consultations with other agencies and partners on humanitarian and emergency relief-related matters.
• Provides guidance to, and may supervise, new/junior staff.
• Performs other duties as required.

Requirements

• An advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in political science, social science, international studies, public administration, economics, engineering, earth sciences or a related field.
• A first-level university degree in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• 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.
• Humanitarian experience in the field (actual setting where a mission and/or project is being implemented) in emergency situations (complex emergency or natural disaster) is required.
• Experience with Humanitarian Response Planning (HPC) and the cluster system is desired.
• Experience in a humanitarian context within the UN Common System is desirable.
• Experience in the West and Central Africa region is desirable.
• English and French are required at UN Level II proficiency in reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
• Either Arabic, Spanish, Russian, or Chinese (Mandarin) is desirable at UN Level I proficiency in reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

Skills

• Humanitarian Affairs
• Emergency Preparedness
• Crisis Relief Management
• Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP)
• Cluster System Coordination
• Humanitarian Program Cycle (HPC)
• Humanitarian Experience
• Policy Development
• Report Writing
• Stakeholder Liaison
• Emergency Situation Management
• Development Project Management
• Rehabilitation Management

Languages

English, French, Arabic, Spanish, Russian, Chinese (Mandarin)