Background

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) aims to help ensure that emergency response saves lives and protects people in crisis. OCHA also seeks to improve connectivity and coherence between humanitarian and development work, building on the comparative advantage of diverse actors and supporting national and local capacity, towards collective outcomes that reduce risk, need and vulnerability. OCHA Colombia works to ensure that collective, evidence-based situational awareness informs decisions on humanitarian action, seeking to ensure that streamlined data and analysis are provided to inform a rapid, effective, and principled response. OCHA Colombia works to facilitate sufficient, timely, substantial, predictable, and flexible funding that meets the needs of the most vulnerable people. In accordance with its mandate, OCHA conducts advocacy on behalf of the most vulnerable people to ensure effective and principled humanitarian action. This advocacy contributes to action that also enhances the protection of the people concerned.

This position is located in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Bogota, Colombia. The Access Associate reports to the Humanitarian Affairs Officer / Head of Coordination Unit and works in close collaboration with the other units of OCHA Colombia. The Access Associate liaises regularly with counterparts in relevant national institutions, UN agencies, funds and programs, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and donors, among others to support the Head of Coordination in issues related to humanitarian access in the country.

Duties and Responsibilities

This position will have the following key objectives:

Ensure follow up to access restrictions in country; adequate monitoring and analysis tools; support humanitarian actors in developing strategies to preserve or regain access; support local coordination teams with their analysis on access restrictions and mitigating measures; support coordination of the access working group.

Key Duties and Accountabilities

Analysis: 

  • In consultation with the Humanitarian Affairs Officer in charge of Coordination Unit, lead analysis, support and follow-up on humanitarian access constraints reported by local coordination teams.

International Humanitarian Law:

  • Promote and raise awareness of international humanitarian law and its greater respect by all actors in the territory.
  • Provide technical support to promote humanitarian principles among Local Coordination Teams (LCT). 

Humanitarian Access:

  • Lead the coordination of the National Access Working Group and provide technical assistance to local Access Working Groups (GTA). 
  • Organize meetings, seminars, conferences, work shops, etc. with other agencies and partners to facilitate exchanges of professional expertise and views on specific humanitarian access-related subjects/issues; serves as reporter to such events. 
  • Preparation of technical documents and provide inputs for regular reports on the humanitarian situation and humanitarian access.
  • Inform advocacy and communication strategies to preserve and regain access
  • Capacity strengthening on humanitarian negotiation for HCT partners.
  • Collection and analysis of data as well as identification of trends, and contribute to evidence-based decision-making within the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) through the leadership of the Coordination Unit.

Others:

  • Execute other daily operations of the OCHA-Colombia Office, according to the needs established by the Head of Office.
  • Facilitate and as required, participate in joint UNS missions, and compile or analyze information gathered through these missions.
  • Perform other duties and/or assignments as required.

Competencies

Core:

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

UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site.

Cross - Functional and Technical Competencies:

Thematic Area Name Definition
Business Management Resource Management Allocate and use resources in a strategic or tactical way in line with business needs and priorities and principles of accountability and integrity
Business Management Communication

Communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience. Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels
Business Management Operations Management Ability to effectively plan, organise and oversee different parts of corporate operations, simultaneously and in an integrated way, in order to convert the organisation’s assets into the best results in the most efficient way. Knowledge of relevant concepts and mechanisms.
Business Direction and Strategy Systems Thinking Ability to use objective problem 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
Business Direction and Strategy Effective Decision Making

Take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one's authority, area of expertise and resources and take into consideration potential wider implications. 

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • Secondary Education is required. 
  • University degree in political science, sociology, law, international relations or other related field is desirable but not mandatory, provided it is combined with sufficient years of relevant work experience

Experience:

  • A minimum of seven (7) years of relevant work experience in coordination, humanitarian affairs, and complex emergency environment for candidates with secondary education.
  • Four years (4) of relevant work experience in coordinating humanitarian emergencies in complex contexts and humanitarian related issues for candidates with a University Degree.
  • Fluency in Spanish is required and working knowledge of English is highly desirable
  • Experience working with an international organization, or national organization, and familiarity with the UN system is desirable.
  • Experience in analyzing and presenting periodic reports to high-level forums is desirable
  • Experience in a complex emergency environment in Colombia is highly desirable

Equal opportunity

All posts in the NO category are open to nationals only. 

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination. 

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles. 

Probation

For all new UNDP fixed term appointments (FTA), including for staff members being transferred or seconded to UNDP under the Inter-Organization Agreement concerning Transfer, Secondment or Loan of Staff, on an appointment of more than one year, continuation of the appointment beyond the initial 12 months is contingent upon the successful completion of a probationary period.

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP 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 UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Use of AI by candidates

Applicants are invited to read UNDP’s guidance for candidates on using AI responsibly in UNDP recruitment and selection

Scam alert

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