Senior Humanitarian Affairs Officer / Deputy Head of Office

The Senior Humanitarian Affairs Officer / Deputy Head of Office in OCHA Afghanistan is responsible for strategic coordination, field coordination, communication, humanitarian financing, and information management. The role involves providing technical and policy advice, managing humanitarian programmes, leading multi-agency teams, and liaising with government and non-UN entities in emergency situations.

Responsibilities

• Acts as Deputy Head of Office for OCHA Afghanistan, covering files related to strategic coordination, field coordination, communication, humanitarian financing (pooled funding), and information management.
• Provides authoritative technical and policy advice to senior management in OCHA and other agencies in the UN system, Member State officials, international and regional organizations on programmes, projects and issues of significant impact on humanitarian, emergency relief and disaster response/management efforts including the humanitarian programme cycle.
• Monitors the performance of the institution’s humanitarian mandate; influences the development and evolution of the UN approach to humanitarian affairs; designs and implements significant policy and programme changes to address country, regional, global humanitarian affairs issues, including gender considerations; conceptualizes the linkages with the political and peacekeeping functions in the Secretariat.
• Develops/ensures implementation of coherent humanitarian/disaster response strategies and procedures especially related to strategic coordination.
• Conceptualizes, formulates and manages major projects; leads and directs a multi-agency team in carrying out disaster assessment or other missions; initiates, mobilizes and coordinates international humanitarian/emergency assistance for exceptionally complex situations or major disasters; ensures necessary support (e.g. staff, funding, specialized equipment, supplies, etc.); prepares situation reports to the international community, apprising of situation to date and specifying unmet requirements of stricken countries.
• Manages the production of appeals for international assistance; ensures the proper use and spending of donor contributions channeled through OCHA.
• Leads capacity building initiatives; identifies bottlenecks and gaps and develops proposals to improve response systems and mechanisms, to include technical assistance in the design of specific coordination and other systems/mechanisms; organizes and participates as trainer/resource person in national and international training seminars.
• Serves as primary liaison with non-UN entities, including senior host government officials, donor representatives, NGO officials, the media, etc., in emergency situations, especially on matters related to strategic coordination.
• Supports in the establishment of OCHA Afghanistan’s overall work plan and supports the budget preparations.
• Leads and directs a team of staff including overseeing the Coordination, Communication, Cash Coordination, Information Management Units; oversees activities for a discrete work section or equivalent; plans and allocates work assignments; coaches, mentors and evaluates staff; participates in recruitment, selection and training of new staff and in the development of training programs.
• Organizes and/or chairs inter-agency and other international meetings, conferences, task forces; presents views and policies of the unit/institution.
• Initiates, supervises and finalizes position papers and related submissions; prepares diverse reports, papers, policy guidelines, parliamentary documents, statements, presentations, etc. for senior management.

Requirements

• An advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in political science, social science, international studies, public administration, economics, engineering, earth sciences or a related field is required.
• A first-level university degree in combination with an additional two (2) years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• A minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in humanitarian affairs, emergency preparedness, crisis/emergency relief management, rehabilitation, development, or other related area is required.
• Five (5) years of relevant experience at the international level is required.
• Experience in humanitarian operations and coordination in a senior management role is required.
• Experience working with Inter‑Agency Standing Committee (IASC) policies and processes is required.
• At least four (4) years in the past ten (10) years of international field experience (actual setting where a mission and/or project is being implemented) in aid operations (complex emergency or natural disaster) is desirable.
• Experience in a humanitarian context within the UN Common System or other comparable international organization is desirable.
• Experience in Asia and the Pacific region is desirable.
• English is required at UN Level III proficiency in reading, writing, listening and speaking.
• Either Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), French, Russian or Spanish is desirable at UN Level II proficiency in reading, writing, listening and speaking.

Skills

• Humanitarian Affairs
• Emergency Preparedness
• Crisis Relief Management
• Humanitarian Operations Liaison
• Humanitarian Coordination
• Inter-Agency Standing Committee Policies
• International Field Experience
• Humanitarian Financing
• Information Management
• Strategic Coordination
• Policy Advice
• Programme Management
• Multi-Agency Team Leadership
• Government Liaison
• Non-UN Entity Liaison

Languages

English, Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), French, Russian, Spanish