Humanitarian Affairs Officer

Job Description
Background

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Yemen facilitates humanitarian action across the country. OCHA mobilizes and coordinates principled humanitarian response in partnership with national and international actors in order to alleviate human suffering in disasters and emergencies, advocates the rights of people in need, supports emergency preparedness and response, and facilitates sustainable solutions for vulnerable people adversely affected by conflict and natural disasters. OCHA supports the work of the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT), the Inter-Cluster Coordination Mechanism (ICCM) national authorities, and other humanitarian partners including NGOs in Yemen.

Under the direct supervision of the Head of Unit, the national Humanitarian Affairs Officer will be based in Aden and be Deputy Head of the OCHA Yemen, Aden Humanitarian Access and Civil Military Coordination Unit. The Unit comprises of a national CMCoord Officer, a national Government of Yemen Liaison Officer, and the Head of Unit. Deputizing for the Head of Unit, s/he will be expected to work across the team’s core functions - humanitarian access (physical, bureaucratical and logistics), civil-military coordination, liaison, and analysis in line with OCHA’s Minimum Package of Services on Access.

Building evidence bases of access-related issues, s/he will analyze access-related data, identify trends and recommend solutions. S/he will draft daily and weekly inputs to OCHA Yemen access reporting, analysis, and briefings. S/he will also lead frequent field missions to areas of concern such as ‘hard to reach’ geographies. S/he will be expected to provide support across the wider workstreams of the OCHA Yemen, Aden team, especially to the Field Coordination Unit.

OCHA Yemen strives to foster a diverse and inclusive work environment. Female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.”

Job Purpose
Deputizing for the Head of the OCHA Aden Humanitarian Access, Civil Military Coordination Unit, s/he will facilitate humanitarian aid throughout Government of Yemen controlled areas; advocate for the centrality of IHL and for a principled humanitarian response; conduct trend analysis; represent OHCA and humanitarian partners with security, political and military interlocuters and at UN Security Management System fora; and trouble-shoot humanitarian access (physical, bureaucratical and logistical) and civil military challenges.
Duties and Responsibilities

1. Conduct humanitarian access trend analysis
- Monitor and analyze humanitarian access developments in the area of responsibility (AOR);
- Working with humanitarian partners, establish evidence bases to identify trends associated with humanitarian access impediments and make recommendations to remedy them.
- Initiate, coordinate, and lead, where appropriate, humanitarian assessment missions.
- Prepare briefing materials and presentations with analysis on trends and developments on the humanitarian situation in the country or in specific governorates.

2. Advocate for adherence to IHL obligations and for a principled humanitarian response

- Develop relationships with political, security, military, and humanitarian organization
- Chair, co-chair, and support humanitarian coordination forums, such as the Humanitarian Access Working Group.
- Participate in the UNDSS Security Risk Management umbrella forums, including the Aden Security Cell.
- Support advocacy initiatives on issues impacting humanitarian needs and response efforts through the collection of information, and liaison with humanitarian partners and government officials.
- Organize and participate in working groups, meetings, conferences, consultations with other agencies and partners on humanitarian and emergency relief-related matters.
- Support the sub-office in monitoring the respect and safeguarding of humanitarian principles.

3. Facilitate humanitarian aid across GoY areas
- Lead engagement and negotiations to facilitate humanitarian assistance (physical, bureaucratical, and logistical).
- Coordinate the development of policy positions for humanitarian partners (UN and non-UN) and assist organizations to adhere to the common policy.
- Assists in the preparation, implementation, and monitoring of work plans, strategies, and contingency plans for the area.
- Track information required for early warning of potential humanitarian emergencies; promote preparedness measures, including inter-agency contingency planning.
- Develop and maintain liaison activities with government officials, armed groups/military, interlocuters, UN agencies, non-governmental organizations, and partners active in the AOR.
- Conduct relevant training and capacity building for humanitarian organizations, and other relevant non-humanitarian actors.

4. Conduct humanitarian reporting
- Contribute to the preparation of written reports, documents, and official communication, including concept papers and various reports.
- Conduct routine daily and weekly reporting, and additional reporting when requested, including visual supporting information.
- Support the development of political, economic, and security analysis and reporting.

5. Other duties as required
- Other duties commensurate with the position.
Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities:
- Perform Head of Aden Humanitarian Access, CMCoord and Analysis OiC duties.

Competencies

Core Competencies

Achieve Results: LEVEL 2: Scale up solutions and simplifies processes, balances speed and accuracy in doing work
Think Innovatively: LEVEL 2: Offer new ideas/open to new approaches, demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking
Learn Continuously: LEVEL 2: Go outside comfort zone, learn from others and support their learning
Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 2: Adapt processes/approaches to new situations, involve others in change process
Act with Determination: LEVEL 2: Able to persevere and deal with multiple sources of pressure simultaneously
Engage and Partner: LEVEL 2: Is facilitator/integrator, bring people together, build/maintain coalitions/partnerships
Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 2: Facilitate conversations to bridge differences, considers in decision making

Show Managerial Courage

Face up to organizational and people problems.
Not be afraid to take decision and action when and as needed.
Not hold back anything that needs to be said, respectfully and diplomatically.
Address conflict in a timely manner, not allow conflicts in teams linger
Help others through emotional or tense situations, tactfully bringing. disagreements into the open and finding solutions all can endorse.

Demonstrate Empathy and Emotional Intelligence

Genuinely care about people; demonstrate empathy with joys and pains of others.
Enable the wellbeing of the team(s).
Read a group’s emotional currents and power relationships, identifying influencers, networks, and organizational dynamics; adapt leadership styles at the appropriate times.
See the positive in people, situations, and events.

Motivate and Direct

Create and communicate a compelling vision and purpose.
Align people and resources with organizational vision, strategy, objectives.
Understand and proactively builds the team/organization culture.

Build an Enabling Workplace

Create a working environment where people are engaged and want to do their best; empower and enables team members to perform and have a positive workplace experience.
Promote honestly, openness, trust and psychological safety and create opportunities to innovate and learn.
Recruit and promotes individuals based upon objective measures and meritocracy; acknowledge and utilise the talent of others Encourage collective action and integration.

Build Capability

Identify and develop talent in individuals, providing positive support to enable them to achieve their potential.
Foster learning or development of others by giving feedback, guidance, and support; support career development of others.
Have willingness and ability to delegate to help people learn, including from failure.

Manage Performance and Ensure Accountability

Ensure regular conversations with people about work.
Provide positive and constructive feedback.
Discuss poor performance in a timely manner.
Provide praise and recognition, as well as ensure accountability.

Lead with Humility

Be authentic and transparent, act with integrity
Be accessible and available to team members they lead
Encourages debate and discussion, creating a culture where people are comfortable to challenge senior leaders and feel listened too
Be modest, giving credit for success to others and admit own shortcomings

Business Direction and Strategy: Systems Thinking: Ability to use objective problem-solving analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system
Decision Making: Ability to take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one’s authority, area of expertise and resources
Negotiation and Influence: Ability to reach an understanding, persuade others, resolve points of difference, gain advantage in the outcome of dialogue,
negotiates mutually, acceptable solutions through compromise and creates win-win situations.
Business Management: Partnership Management: Ability to build and maintain partnerships with a wide network of stakeholders, governments, civil society and private sector, partners, experts, and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies.
External Relations and Advocacy: Advocacy strategy and implementation: Ability to create and implement advocacy strategies which lead to impactful change.
Security Services: Security information management: Analytical capabilities to process diverse security information and develop recommendations.
Business Development: Knowledge generation: Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s Degree preferably in Political or Social Science, Law, International Studies, Public Administration, Security, Military, or another relevant area is required.
A first-level university degree in the field of Political or Social Science, Law, International Studies, Public Administration, Security, Military, or another relevant area, in combination with 4 years of relevant and qualifying experience will be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

With a Master’s degree, a minimum of two (2) years of relevant professional experience in emergency preparedness, crisis/emergency relief management, humanitarian response, development, security, military or field coordination in a complex humanitarian emergency, conflict or post-conflict setting; or with a Bachelor’s degree, four (4) years of relevant progressively professional experience is required.
Fluency in English and Arabic Languages (Oral and Written) is required.
Relevant experience in working with an UN agency or other humanitarian agency is highly desirable.
Experience of the full range of humanitarian access issues and best practices to resolve them is highly desirable.
Experience of Civil-Military Coordination is highly desirable.
Excellent command of Office suite applications (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint) and virtual platforms (MS Teams, Zoom, WEBEX) is desirable.

Applicant information about rosters

Note: UNOCHA reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNOCHA at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.