Humanitarian Affairs Officer / Access

Background

OCHA is the part of the United Nations Secretariat responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to emergencies. OCHA's mission is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors to alleviate human suffering in disasters and emergencies; advocate for the rights of people in need; promote preparedness and prevention; and facilitate sustainable solutions.

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has responsibility for inter-agency coordination in complex emergencies and natural disasters. In the context of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, the OCHA Office has specific responsibility for (a) disseminating information and policies to the humanitarian community, authorities, and donors, as well as supporting resource mobilization efforts; (b) assisting in the identification of humanitarian priorities and needs and the coordination of resource mobilization efforts; and (c) disseminating information on the impact of natural disasters, response there too and the need for international assistance.

This fixed term job opening is being advertised for the position of Humanitarian Affairs Officer, Access in East Jerusalem, occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). Under the overall supervision of the Head of OCHA oPt, the incumbent reports to the Head of Civil-Military Coordination and Access Unit.

Duties and Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Humanitarian Affairs Officer, Access will be responsible for the following duties:

• Supports in the analysis of access issues faced by humanitarian organizations, highlights trends, coordinates with key stakeholders, and supports efforts to improve operational space for humanitarian actors.
• Supports the provision of guidance for the collection of information on operational constraints and supports approaches and strategies to address access issues.
• Supports the maintenance of the humanitarian notification system; and other access tools and outputs as necessary.
• Maintains and updates the Access Monitoring and Reporting Framework (AMRF), including engagement with humanitarian partners to collect data, and supports in the contribution of analysis of regular Humanitarian Access Snapshots as well as other products to support the AWG(s) and HCT as required.
• Supports the coordination and management of the Access Working Group(s), including collecting information from UN agencies and NGOs regarding operational/bureaucratic/administrative incidents across West Bank and Gaza, tracking trends, and contributing to analytical papers/talking points on the evolution of the humanitarian space in the country.
• Supports in maintaining the necessary linkages and working relationships with Access focal points in humanitarian organizations as well as other relevant stakeholders.
• Maintains a network of contacts among key partners and stakeholders, including national and international NGOs, UNDSS, access focal points, the humanitarian community, and OCHA hubs.
• Supports in the contribution to drafting of a wide range of written reports, documents, and communications providing up-to-date analysis on access and contextual trends and developments in the humanitarian situation, e.g. letters, speeches, background papers, briefings, presentations, etc.
• Supports engagement with NGOs (particularly Local NGOs), civil society, and local communities, to strengthen local-level networks and gather information from the field; supports maintaining humanitarian information flow from OCHA to partners and supports their participation in the operations and coordination mechanisms.
• Supports in organizing and participating in field trips to undertake in-depth reviews of specific coverage areas and coordination mechanisms.
• Participate in relevant humanitarian sectoral meetings and other related coordination forums, as required.
• Supports the updating of country specific civil-military coordination guidelines and other related documents as necessary.
• Provides secretariat support to the Humanitarian Access Working Group and the Civil-Military Advisory Group, if relevant, including organizing meetings (agendas and invitations), preparing documents and presentations, drafting minutes, and following up on agreed action points.
• Perform other duties as required.

Competencies

Professionalism: Knowledge of a range of humanitarian assistance, emergency relief, and related human rights issues, including approaches and techniques to address difficult problems. Solid understanding of Civil-Military Coordination issues. Knowledge and understanding of the UN Security Management System. 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 (e.g. civil strife, natural disasters, and human misery); ability to provide guidance to new/junior staff. Shows pride in work and 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.

Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others, and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style, and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

An advanced university degree (master's degree or equivalent) in Political Science, Social Science, Law, International Studies, or a related field is required. or A first-level university degree in the above-mentioned fields of study, in combination with two years of relevant qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• Applicants with a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in a relevant field of study are not required to have professional work experience.
• Applicants with a Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) are required to have a minimum of two (2) years of relevant, progressively responsible professional experience in humanitarian affairs (including Humanitarian Access, Civil-Military Coordination, or Protection), emergency preparedness, crisis/emergency relief management, or other related areas.
• Familiarity and good knowledge of social, political, and economic conditions in the region are required.
• Proven skills in facilitating meetings and reporting are desirable.
• Proven skills and experience in dealing with interactive online dashboards and compilation of humanitarian access analysis are desirable.
• Experience in a humanitarian context within the UN common system or a comparable international organization is desirable.
• Knowledge of Access Monitoring & reporting Framework.

Language:

• Fluency in English and Arabic (both oral and written) is required.

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNOCHA 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.

UNOCHA 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

UNOCHA 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 UNOCHA fixed term appointments (FTA), including for staff members being transferred or seconded to UNOCHA 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

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.

Use of AI by candidates

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

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