Job opening for a Humanitarian Affairs Officer / Civil-Military Coordination at UNOCHA in Borno state

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he United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) is the part of the United Nations Secretariat responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to emergencies. OCHA also ensures there is a framework within which each actor can contribute to the overall response effort.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Humanitarian Affairs Officer / Civil-Military Coordination (TJO)

Location: Maiduguri
Grade: P4
Slot: 20-Humanitarian Affairs-OCHA-134958-J- (X)

Org. Setting and Reporting

• This position is located in the Operations and Advocacy Division (OAD), Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which is the part of the United Nations Secretariat responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to emergencies. OCHA also ensures there is a framework within which each actor can contribute to the overall response efforts. OCHA's mission is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors in order to alleviate human suffering in disasters and emergencies; advocate the rights of people in need; promote preparedness and prevention and facilitate sustainable solutions.
• This temporary job opening is being advertised for the position of Humanitarian Affairs Officer/Civil-Military Coordination and is located in Maiduguri with OCHA Nigeria. The HAO/Civil-Military Coordination Officer reports to the OCHA Head of Access/Civil Military Coordination Unit.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Humanitarian Affairs Officer/Civil-Military Coordination will be responsible for the following duties:

• Serve as the operational focal point for the conduct of a UN-CMCoord assessment, formulation and implementation of a UNCMCoord strategy and action plan, and related operations in the area of responsibility in accordance with any higher level UNCMCoord strategy as outlined by the RC/HC through the Head of Office, OCHA Nigeria.
• Development of Strategy: Conduct an assessment and analysis of the civil-military environment in order to formulate and implement a UN-CMCoord strategy and action plan, which should be fully integrated with the activities of the OCHA Nigeria and include specific UN-CMCoord outputs in the OCHA Nigeria Work Plan. Continually evaluate the implementation and effect of the plans and revise as appropriate.
• Development of Guidance: Assist, advise and facilitate the development of country-specific guidance on civil-military relations and use of Military and Civil Defense Assets (MCDA), based on the current “IASC Reference Paper on Civil-Military Relationship in Complex Emergencies”, “Guidelines on The Use of Military and Civil Defense Assets in Disaster Relief (Oslo Guidelines)”, “Guidelines on the Use of MCDA to Support UN Humanitarian Activities in Complex Emergencies” and the “Use of Military or Armed Escorts for Humanitarian Convoys”, and any applicable Security Council resolutions and other relevant instruments.
• Dissemination of Guidelines: Ensure that applicable civil-military coordination guidelines, country-specific or generic guidelines are properly disseminated and understood by both, humanitarian actors and the military and/or police forces present, as well as by local actors, as appropriate. Promote and advocate for adherence to the applicable guidelines within the entire humanitarian community and advise on potential consequences if the guidelines are compromised.
• Liaison with Humanitarian Organisations: Establish and maintain a contact network with other UN Agencies, Mission-based personnel, who is responsible for civil-military relations, as well as, NGO focal points responsible for civil-military relations in Nigeria.
• Support Humanitarian Coordination: Support the Humanitarian Coordination structure in Nigeria, by advising on an appropriate mechanism to interface with military representatives. Advise both humanitarian actors and military representatives on the appropriateness of the use of military access to support humanitarian activities. Support Cluster Leads and/or humanitarian organisations in requesting military support for humanitarian activities, ensuring the requests are appropriate and in line with applicable guidelines. Monitor activities by military forces to support of humanitarian organisations. As directed by the line management, establish a Civil-Military Working Group with relevant civil and military stakeholders to raise civil-military coordination operational issues and report policy and strategic issues to the HCT through the Head of Office and the UN-CMCoord Team Leader. Participate in work groups, meetings and consultations with other UN agencies and humanitarian partners; organize meetings with Heads of Agencies on UN-CMCoord matters.
• Military Liaison: Facilitate the establishment and maintenance of communication with the military forces in South
• Nigeria and establish mechanisms to resolve operational issues and ensure appropriate mutual exchange of information, regarding ongoing relevant activities. Advise and educate the military and/or exchange of information regarding ongoing relevant activities. Advise and educate the military and/or police forces in Nigeria on the structures and dynamics of coordination with and within the international humanitarian community and the practicalities of implementation. Monitor the
• military presence in Nigeria by communicating with incoming / outgoing international military forces.
• Reporting: Monitor, analyze and report on implementation of humanitarian civil-military coordination activities well as identify difficulties and challenges in the interaction between the humanitarian and military communities. Provide periodic situation reports to the OCHA Head of Office, and/or the UN-CMCoord Team Leader on ongoing civil-military activities and the overall civil-military relations situation in Nigeria. Upon concurrence with the OCHA Head of Office and/or UNCMCoord Team Leader, these reports should be disseminated to the UNCT, HCT, UNOCHA/CMCS, CRD Desks and PDSB as appropriate. Reports may also be disseminated to other agencies if relevant and appropriate.
• Serve as the advisor to the OCHA Head of Office for UN-CMCoord issues in Nigeria; support the development of a CNCoord strategy in Nigerian line with the priorities of the RC/HC of OCHA Head of Office and international humanitarian community; advise humanitarian agencies on policy or specific civil-military coordination issues related to UNCMCoord; undertake monitoring of Military support to Humanitarian organisations and assessment missions of civil-military coordination needs in Nigeria on a regular basis or as required by the UN-CMCoord Team Leader and/or the OCHA Head of Office.
• Monitors, analyzes and reports on humanitarian developments, disaster relief/management or emergency situation in Nigeria.
• Organizes and prepares studies on humanitarian, emergency relief and related issues; organizes follow-up work, including interagency technical review meetings to support policy development work and decision-making on important issues.
• Participate in large, complex projects, to include disaster assessment or other missions; assists in the coordination of international humanitarian/emergency assistance for complex emergency/disaster situations and in ensuring the necessary support (e.g. staff, funding, specialized equipment, supplies, etc.); drafts situation reports to the international community, apprising of situation to date and specifying unmet requirements of stricken countries.
• Partners with other humanitarian agencies to plan and evaluate humanitarian and emergency assistance programmes and help ensure that latest findings, lesson learned, policy guidelines, etc. are incorporated into these activities, including gender-related considerations.
• Performs other tasks 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 which 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 ability to evaluate and integrate information from a variety of sources and assess impact on the humanitarian rights situation in 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 in 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.
• 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.
• 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; tailor's language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

Education

• Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in Political Science, Social Science, Public Administration, International Studies, Economics, Engineering, Earth Sciences or a related field. A first-level university degree in combination with two (2) years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience:

• A minimum of seven (7) years of progressively responsible professional experience in humanitarian affairs is required.
• Experience in humanitarian or other fields at the international level is required.
• Humanitarian experience in the field (actual setting where a mission and/or project is being implemented) in complex emergency is required.
• At least four (4) years experience in civil-military coordination is desirable.
• Experience in working with military and humanitarian organizations at senior level is desirable.
• Experience in dealing with armed actors in complex emergencies is desirable.
• Completion of the UN-CMCoord Course and UN-CMCoord Officers’ Course is desirable.
• Experience in the UN Common System is desirable.
• Experience in the region (West and/or Central Africa) is desirable.

Languages:

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another UN official language is desirable.

Assessment:

• Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.

Special Notice

• This position is temporarily available for 364 days with possibility of extension (subject to extension of the mandate and/or availability of funds). If the selected candidate is a staff member from the United Nations Secretariat, the selection will be administrated as a temporary assignment.
• A staff member holding a temporary appointment shall be regarded as an external candidate when applying for other positions, and may apply for other temporary positions at any level, subject to section 5.7 below and staff rule 4.16 (b) (ii). Therefore, a staff member holding a temporary appointment in the General Service or related categories may only apply to positions within those categories. For full information on eligibility requirements, please refer to section 5 of ST/AI/2010/4Rev.1 on Temporary Appointments. In its resolution 66/234, the General Assembly further "stressed that the Secretary-General should not recur to the practice of temporarily filling posts in the Professional and higher categories with General Service staff members who have not passed the General Service to Professional category examination other than on an exceptional basis, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure that temporary occupation of such posts by the General Service staff shall not exceed a period of one year, effective 1 January 2013…" Consequently, eligible candidates in the General Service or related categories for temporary job openings in the Professional category that have not passed the competitive examination may be selected only on an exceptional basis endorsed by the Office of Human Resources Management where no other suitable candidate could be identified.
• Upon separation from service, including, but not limited to, expiration or termination of, or resignation from, a fixed-term, continuing or permanent appointment, a former staff member will be ineligible for re-employment on the basis of a temporary appointment for a period of 31 days following the separation. In the case of separation from service on retirement, a former staff member will be ineligible for re-employment for a period of three months following the separation. This equally applies, mutatis mutandis, with respect to a former or current staff member who has held or holds an appointment in another entity applying the United Nations Staff Regulations and Rules and who applies for a temporary position with the Secretariat.
• While this temporary assignment may provide the successful applicant with an opportunity to gain new work experience, the selection for this position is for a limited period and has no bearing on the future incumbency of the post. An external candidate selected for this position is bound by the prevailing condition of the staff selection system under ST/AI/2010/3, as amended, and ST/AI/2010/4/Rev.1. A staff member holding a temporary appointment who is recruited in the Professional and above categories on a temporary appointment, and placed on a position authorized for one year or longer may not apply for or be reappointed to his/her current position within six months of the end of his/her current service. This provision does not apply to staff members holding temporary appointments and placed on positions authorized for one year or more in duty stations authorized for peacekeeping operations or special political missions.
• The expression "Internal candidates", shall mean staff members who have been recruited after a competitive examination under staff rule 4.16 or after the advice of a central review body under staff rule 4.15.
• Please note that candidates will be required to meet the requirements of Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter as well as the requirements of the position. The United Nations is committed to the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity for all its human resources, including but not limited to respect for international human rights and humanitarian law. Candidates may be subject to screening against these standards, including but not limited to whether they have committed, or are alleged to have committed criminal offences and/or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
• For information on special post allowance, please refer to ST/AI/1999/17. For more details on the administration of temporary appointments please refer to ST/AI/2010/4/Rev.1.
• The Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and administrative issuances governing staff appointments can be viewed at: https://hr.un.org/handbook.
• Candidates will be required to meet the requirements of Article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter as well as the requirements of the position. The United Nations is committed to the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity for all its human resources, including but not limited to respect for international human rights and humanitarian law. Candidates may be subject to screening against these standards, including but not limited to whether they have committed, or are alleged to have committed criminal offences and/or violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
• Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, Inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the At-a-Glance on "The Application Process" and the Instructional Manual for the Applicants, which can be accessed by clicking on "Manuals" hyper-link on the upper right side of Inspira account holder homepage.
• Applications are pre-screened by the system according to the published requirements of the job opening on the basis of the information provided in the application. In relation to the requirements of the job opening, applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their qualifications, including their education, work experience, and language skills. Each applicant must bear in mind that submission of incomplete or inaccurate applications may render that applicant ineligible for consideration for the job opening. Initial screening and evaluation of applications will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted. Applications cannot be amended following submission. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to a reference-checking process to verify the information provided in the application.
• Job openings advertised on the Careers Portal will be removed at midnight (New York time) on the deadline date.
• Candidates found suitable and not selected for the announced duty station, may be selected for deployment to other duty stations. The selection will be for similar functions with similar requirements at the same level.
• Please note that due to the ongoing situation with COVID-19 and the travel restrictions imposed by national authorities, selected candidates may be required to start the assignment/appointment remotely, in agreement with the hiring manager, and until further notice.

United Nations Considerations

• According to article 101, paragraph 3, of the Charter of the United Nations, the paramount consideration in the employment of the staff is the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Candidates will not be considered for employment with the United Nations if they have committed violations of international human rights law, violations of international humanitarian law, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment, or if there are reasonable grounds to believe that they have been involved in the commission of any of these acts. The term “sexual exploitation” means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. The term “sexual abuse” means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. The term “sexual harassment” means any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, and when the gravity of the conduct warrants the termination of the perpetrator’s working relationship. Candidates who have committed crimes other than minor traffic offences may not be considered for employment.
• Due regard will be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible. The United Nations places no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in any capacity and under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.
• Applicants are urged to follow carefully all instructions available in the online recruitment platform, inspira. For more detailed guidance, applicants may refer to the Manual for the Applicant, which can be accessed by clicking on “Manuals” hyper-link on the upper right side of the inspira account-holder homepage.
• The evaluation of applicants will be conducted on the basis of the information submitted in the application according to the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations including the Charter of the United Nations, resolutions of the General Assembly, the Staff Regulations and Rules, administrative issuances and guidelines. Applicants must provide complete and accurate information pertaining to their personal profile and qualifications according to the instructions provided in inspira to be considered for the current job opening. No amendment, addition, deletion, revision or modification shall be made to applications that have been submitted. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to reference checks to verify the information provided in the application.