The Humanitarian Affairs Officer (Cash Coordination) reports to the Head of the Emergency Preparedness and Response Unit and works in close conjunction and liaison with all units within OCHA ROSEA, including when providing surge and support to countries across the region. The Humanitarian Affairs Officer (Cash Coordination) is expected to be a senior and highly experienced member of the ROSEA EPR team and to regularly deploy to support humanitarian preparedness and response—particularly with respect to cash coordination—across the region (and beyond as required).
The candidate will be based in Nairobi, Kenya. This position will require regular surge deployments within and potentially outside the region. Candidates are expected to be available and willing to surge for up to three months at a time.
OCHA ROSEA strives to foster a diverse and inclusive work environment. Female and multilingual candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.
Position Purpose
Key Duties And Accountabilities
Under the supervision of the Head of Emergency Preparedness and Response Unit, the National Humanitarian Affairs Officer will be responsible for the following duties:
Provide frontline surge in response to new emergencies, the escalation of existing emergencies, and/or fill critical gaps, particularly to facilitate/lead coordination arrangements related to cash and voucher assistance and localization, as well as linkages with social protection.
Support coordinated humanitarian operational preparedness for, and response to, emergencies in Southern and Eastern Africa, including through frontline surge, and support (remote and in-person), with a focus on cash coordination, including in relevant processes and products such as operational coordination, inter-cluster coordination, contingency plans, the Humanitarian Programme Cycle, flash updates, humanitarian financing (e.g. CERF), etc.;
Monitor analyze and report on humanitarian developments and cash coordination arrangements in assigned areas of Southern and Eastern Africa;
Follow developments in countries assigned by the supervisor, regularly update on active cash coordination arrangements, keep relevant country profiles up-to-date, lead interactions with the Resident Coordinator’s Office coordination specialist for assigned countries, and highlight any issues of concern to feed into the daily operational update and flag for the attention of OCHA’s senior leadership;
Support OCHA ROSEA to partner with other humanitarian agencies to plan and evaluate humanitarian and emergency assistance programmes in countries in Southern and Eastern Africa, and help ensure that the latest findings, lessons learned and policy guidelines, etc. are incorporated into these activities, including gender-related considerations, particularly with respect to cash coordination and linkages with social protection.
Support engagement with relevant authorities and humanitarian partners to triangulate humanitarian information and effectively identify and map humanitarian needs and response activities in assigned areas of Southern and Eastern Africa, particularly with respect to cash coordination and linkages with social protection.
Support the preparation or contribute to the preparation of various written reports, response monitoring, and gap analysis. particularly with respect to cash coordination and linkages with social protection;
Contribute to the review of various documents on policy issues related to safeguarding humanitarian principles and ensuring the effective delivery of humanitarian assistance, particularly with respect to cash coordination and linkages with social protection;
Support as appropriate the production of appeals for international assistance – including Humanitarian Needs Overviews, Humanitarian Response Plans, and Flash Appeals – in the region, including incorporating humanitarian cash assistance (especially multi-purpose cash) and linkages to social protection.
Support as appropriate the preparation of relevant Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) applications and reports in countries under ROSEA’s coverage without OCHA country offices, including providing advice and guidance on the use of cash as a modality in relevant responses;
Participate in work groups, meetings, conferences, trainings, and consultations with other agencies and partners with the aim of improving humanitarian and emergency relief-related matters in the region, particularly as it pertains to the coordination of cash and voucher assistance;
Track information required for early warning of potential humanitarian emergencies in assigned areas and as appropriate promote preparedness measures, including inter-agency contingency planning;
Prepare briefing materials and presentations providing up-to-date analysis of trends and developments in the humanitarian situation and the use of cash and voucher assistance in assigned areas;
As appropriate, support, organize, and/or participate in coordinated assessment missions to build consensus on humanitarian needs and priorities in assigned areas, including in relation to cash and voucher assistance;
Maintains a network of contacts among key stakeholders, including national and international NGOs, national and regional authorities, and the humanitarian community, with a particular emphasis on ongoing engagement with experts and practitioners in cash and voucher assistance;
Cash Coordination
Under the guidance of the head of the EPR section provide assistance and support to OCHA Country Offices, OCHA Humanitarian Advisory Teams (HATs) on humanitarian cash coordination and related policy issues, upon request;
Under the guidance of the head of the EPR section support OCHA Country Offices, and OCHA Humanitarian Advisory Teams (HATs) to identify operational challenges and gaps in humanitarian cash preparedness and response;
Under the guidance of the head of the EPR section support the integration of cross-cluster issues and cross-cutting issues (e.g. gender, protection, accountability to affected people, and prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse) in humanitarian programming in the region, including through identifying opportunities (and challenges) with the use of cash and voucher assistance;
Support the engagement with relevant inter-governmental organizations (including IGAD and SADC), when requested, on issues related to humanitarian cash preparedness and response;
Attend relevant meetings on issues related to humanitarian cash preparedness and response in the region and represent OCHA ROSEA, when requested, at the same.
Meetings
Participate in meetings convened by ROSEA—including the Regional Humanitarian Partnerships Team (RHPT) for the Horn of Africa and Great Lakes and Regional Inter-Agency Standing Committee (RIASCO) for Southern Africa–to strengthen the linkages between decision-making and operational coordination forums, and provide expertise on cash and voucher assistance, as requested;
Participate in meetings focused on cash and voucher assistance at the regional and country levels and represent OCHA in the same;
Participate, as requested, in other relevant regional forums convened by humanitarian partners on key issues, especially those with cross-border implications and consequences (e.g. coordination of health crises across borders, coordination of refugee responses in the region etc.).
EPR Duties:
Early Warning Preparedness & Contingency Planning
Support the EPR unit work to enhance early warning and operational readiness for emergencies in the region, including contingency planning processes and Standard Operating Procedures, with a particular emphasis on readiness for cash and voucher assistance.
Analysis & Planning
Promote and contribute to comprehensive multi-threat risk analysis as the basis for humanitarian analysis and planning in the region, including issues related to the feasibility of cash and voucher assistance;
Contribute to the identification of high-risk, low-capacity areas in the region—including with respect to cash and voucher coordination capacity—to help identify priorities for OCHA ROSEA’s support;
Advocacy & Reporting
Highlight key humanitarian issues in countries of concern through inputting to the Daily Operational Update and other relevant updates for OCHA’s management;
During emergencies, support the preparation of updates on crises, including Flash Updates, Situation Reports, Dashboards, and Snapshots, in close coordination with ROSEA’s Communication and Information Management Unit (CIMU).
Other tasks that may be required
Act as OCHA ROSEA Focal Point on cash coordination;
Perform other tasks that may be assigned by the Head of Unit to support the coordination of humanitarian action in the region, or any other duties requested by the OCHA Head of Office or Deputy Head of Office.
Qualifications
Education:
Master’s Degree preferably in Political or Social Science, Law, International Studies or other relevant science is required;
A bachelor’s degree in combination with 2 additional years of relevant and qualifying experience in the field of humanitarian affairs may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Experience, Knowledge, And Skills
A minimum of five years of directly relevant progressively professional responsible experience in humanitarian affairs roles (especially those dealing with humanitarian cash and voucher assistance), or other related areas is required.
Experience implementing or coordinating humanitarian cash programming is highly desirable.
Experience working with a UN organization, NGO, or civil society organization is desirable.
A thorough understanding of the humanitarian situation in Southern and Eastern Africa, excellent communication, report writing & analytical skills are necessary.
Necessary personal qualities should include diplomacy, tact, integrity, and the ability to work effectively in a multicultural environment, under pressure, and sometimes in arduous circumstances.
Language Requirements
Fluency in written and spoken English and Swahili is required. Knowledge of French and/or Arabic is highly desirable.
COMPETENCIES
Corporate Values
Integrity
Professionalism
Respect for diversity
Functional Competencies
PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of a range of humanitarian assistance, emergency relief, and related humanitarian issues, including approaches and techniques to address difficult problems and knowledge of cash and voucher assistance. Analytical capacity and in particular the ability to analyze and articulate the humanitarian dimension of issues that 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 the ability to evaluate and integrate information from a variety of sources and assess the impact on the humanitarian rights situation in an assigned country/area. Ability to work under extreme pressure, on occasion in a highly stressful environment. 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.
PLANNING & ORGANIZING: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.
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.
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