Senior Humanitarian Affairs Officer / Humanitarian Financing-UNOCHA-(Nationals Only)

This position is open to Syrian Nationals ONLY

BACKGROUND

This post is located in the Humanitarian Financing Unit (HFU) in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs OCHA Syria. The post is based in Damascus, with possible travel to field locations. Under the overall supervision of the Head of Humanitarian Financing Unit/Syria Humanitarian Fund Manager, the incumbent reports to the Humanitarian Affairs Officer/Pooled Fund Manager P3.

Position Purpose:

To oversee programme-related tasks of the Syria Humanitarian Fund (SHF) including allocation strategy development, allocation processes, grant management, monitoring and reporting; as well as support the development of the SHF policy and guidance.

Key Duties and Accountabilities:

Under the overall supervision of the Head of Office, and under the day-to-day guidance of the Head of HFU/ Pooled Fund Manager, the incumbent is expected to perform the following tasks:

Summary of Key Functions:

• Ensure compliance with CBPF Guidelines and Operational manual
• Assist in Preparation of fund related policies and Strategies
• Assist in the general Management of the Fund

Under the overall guidance of the OCHA Head of Office (HoO) and oversight of the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator (HC), the Humanitarian Affairs Officer – Humanitarian Financing will be responsible for the following duties:

I. Fund Management and Coordination:

• Under the supervision of the Fund Manager, support the overall management of the (SHF) in coherence with the humanitarian context (i.e. priorities and critical needs) and work on all aspects of programming, allocations and monitoring.
• Support the overall administration of the HFU and liaise as necessary requested with relevant OCHA HQ.
• Support and implement standardized policy in line with SHF guidelines
• Assist in the management and supervision of HFU support staff as per the unit organogram.
• Support fund allocation processes ensuring necessary coordination with relevant counterparts in line with the Terms of Reference and/or allocation guidelines (i.e. Review and/or Advisory Boards, cluster or sector leads, humanitarian organizations, and OCHA).
• Liaise with NGOs, Red Cross/Red Crescent and UN partners as well as sectors and OCHA field offices to follow-up on project progress and overall SHF progress.
• Overseas and supervises all field focal points and ensure all projects are monitored as per set operational modalities set.
• Conduct periodic field visits to promote the knowledge and support the appropriate use of the SHF in line the set guidelines.
• Support proper communication during the allocation process to all stakeholders.
• Liaise with and provide necessary support to recipient organizations of the Fund throughout the life-cycle of the projects, promoting coherence between humanitarian needs and response.
• Advise the recipient organizations and stakeholders on measures to mitigate foreseeable operational risks.

II. Monitoring, Reporting and Evaluation:

• Oversees compliance with monitoring and reporting requirements in place for the SHF.
• Ensures timely overall project reporting as per set timelines
• Research, analyse and present humanitarian financing information, funding trends and requirements, gathered from diverse sources.
• Assist in development of monitoring mechanisms in line with the country context to ensure accountability and efficient implementation of projects
• Liaise with OCHA field offices and recipient organizations in order to disseminate full information on SHF activities.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Head of the Office.

Work implies frequent interaction with the following:

• UN agencies.
• International and national NGOs.
• Relevant government departments.

Impact of Results:

The key impact is a timely and coordinated humanitarian response, which responds to assessed needs, identifies gaps and addresses these in a coherent manner.

COMPETENCIES

Core Competencies:

• Achieve Results: LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact
• Think Innovatively: LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems
• Learn Continuously LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences
• Adapt with Agility LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands
• Act with Determination LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results
• Engage and Partner LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion- LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies:

Partnership management -Strategic engagement

• Ability to capture and sustain attention, interest and agreement of high-level, influential policy and decision makers and secure their buy-in of high-level vision and objectives.

Programme and Policy  Crisis management / Country Management Support

• Crisis programming.

Programme and Policy Effectiveness

• Aid Coordination.

Business Direction & Strategy-Strategic Thinking

• Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, potential risks and opportunities; linking the vision to reality on the ground, and creating tangible solutions. Ability to leverage learning from a variety of sources to anticipate and respond to future trends; to demonstrate foresight in order to model what future developments and possible ways forward look like.

Business Direction & Strategy-Integration within the UN             

• Ability to identify and integrate capacity and assets of the UN system, and engage in joint work; knowledge of the UN System and ability to apply this knowledge to strategic and/or practical situations.

Business Management  Results-based Management

• Ability to manage programmes and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable results.

Business Management-Project Management

• Ability to plan, organize, prioritise and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals.

Qualifications

Education:

• Master’s Degree or equivalent in political science, business administration & economics, law, international relations, or any other related field is required.

OR

• A first-level university degree in combination with an additional 2 years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• A minimum of five (5) years (Master's degree) or seven (7) years (First-level university degree) of progressively responsible experience in political science, business administration & economics, low, international relations, or any other related field is required.
• Relevant experience in humanitarian affairs, emergency preparedness, crisis/emergency relief management, project management, budget management, or related area, is required.
• Experience in 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 an asset.
• Solid relevant experience and managerial skills are highly desirable.
• Ability to work in complex multi-cultural environment is highly desirable.
• Solid analytical and writing skills are highly desirable.
• Female candidates are encouraged to apply.

Language requirements

• Fluency in written and spoken Arabic and English is required.

Applicant information about UNOCHA 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.

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