Emergency Specialist

The Emergency Specialist is responsible for establishing and implementing emergency preparedness and response in the Gaza Field Office. The role involves planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating emergency interventions to ensure the survival and well-being of children, mothers, and affected communities during emergencies.

Responsibilities

• Develop and update sub national contingency plans and establish early warning mechanisms for emergency preparedness.
• Formulate and develop plans of action for emergency preparedness and response, monitor compliance including financial resources, and coordinate emergency management.
• Provide technical advice on emergency preparedness and response and programme management.
• Develop and maintain databases on country/regional information and ensure communication flow for emergency management.
• Plan and conduct training for staff capacity building in emergency preparedness and response.
• Act as member of Emergency Response Team during emergencies to establish UNICEF presence and implement initial operational tasks.
• Assess local emergency and security situations affecting children and mothers, conduct initial assessments, and determine corporate priorities and interventions.
• Apply emergency preparedness and response plans, identify staffing needs, execute assistance delivery, monitor resource use, and certify fund disbursement.
• Participate in implementation and management of emergency projects, conduct field visits, prepare inputs for appeals, and advocate for children’s needs.
• Identify longer-term requirements of emergency operations and propose operational and staffing structures.
• Maintain coordination and liaison with authorities, UN agencies, NGOs, donors, and partners for effective emergency response.
• Participate in humanitarian and recovery forums and keep management informed of developments.
• Mainstream disaster prevention, mitigation, preparedness and response strategies in office workplans and contribute to related documents.

Requirements

• Master or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) in social sciences, public administration, international law, public health, nutrition, international relations, business administration or other related disciplines, preferably combining management, administration, and relevant technical fields.
• At least 5 years of progressively responsible professional work experience at national and international levels in programme/project development, planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and administration.
• Fluency in English and Arabic is required.
• Knowledge of another official UN language (Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is desirable.
• Specialized training/experience in emergency response management is highly desirable.
• Experience in developing country or field work, cluster approach, international humanitarian law, and security operations is desirable.
• Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.

Skills

• Emergency Response
• Program Development
• Project Planning
• Project Implementation
• Monitoring and Evaluation
• Programme Administration
• International Humanitarian Law
• Cluster Approach
• Security Operations
• Field Work Experience
• Emergency Preparedness
• Humanitarian Contexts
• Experience in Fragile Settings

Languages

English, Arabic