Overview
Serve as the Head of Office for OCHA Syria in Damascus, responsible for overseeing humanitarian coordination, policy, and office management to ensure effective response to emergencies.
Tasks Summary
- Serve as senior policy advisor to the UN RC/HC, UNCT and humanitarian country team on humanitarian principles and initiatives.
- Develop and maintain contacts with the international community to raise awareness and advocate for humanitarian concerns.
- Strengthen cooperation among the humanitarian community on policy issues and serve as a key interlocutor with Government partners.
- Advise, promote and provide guidance on humanitarian reform initiatives.
- Provide strategic support to the UN RC/HC in the preparation, implementation and monitoring of the humanitarian community's work plan.
- Consult with the RC/HC, Heads of UN Agencies, NGOs, government and donors on humanitarian activities.
- Support the planning, monitoring, and evaluation of humanitarian programs.
- Promote best practices in humanitarian planning, response and evaluation.
- Facilitate inter-agency resource mobilization efforts.
- Develop, reinforce and maintain effective coordination mechanisms with the humanitarian country team and other key stakeholders.
- Establish/manage information management systems to map humanitarian needs and response activities.
- Foster and reinforce linkages between field monitoring, information management and coordination efforts.
- Ensure timely and appropriate assistance to the UN RC/HC, local authorities and the humanitarian community.
- Support inter-agency efforts to build in-country UN capacity to manage natural disaster response.
- Provide substantive support and leadership to government institutions and local humanitarian entities to build national capacity for emergency/disaster management.
- Promote dialogue, regional alliances, and sharing of knowledge and resources among national and regional humanitarian actors.
- Promote and lead contingency planning processes.
- Develop joint initiatives on disaster management with other UN and regional actors.
- Reinforce regional networks and mechanisms for swift, effective response to emerging humanitarian situations.
- Serve as the OCHA Head of Office, providing oversight of all programmatic/administrative tasks for efficient office functioning.
- Lead work planning and budgeting, support resource mobilization, and ensure sound financial management.
- Ensure regular and effective supervision of OCHA staff, fostering teamwork and communication.
- Promote OCHA's mandate, objectives and tools through contacts with government, diplomatic missions, UN entities, NGOs and the media.
- Ensure the Office produces timely, high-quality outputs including workplans, situation reports, analytical papers, and information products.
- Perform other duties as requested.
Experience Requirements
- A minimum of fifteen (15) years of progressively responsible experience in humanitarian affairs, emergency preparedness, crisis/emergency relief management, rehabilitation, development, or other related area is required.
- At least five (5) years of humanitarian experience at the international level in the field (actual setting where a mission and/or project is being implemented) in aid operations (complex emergency or natural disaster) in a humanitarian context within the UN Common system or other comparable international organization is required.
- Experience leading and coordinating humanitarian relief operations at management level in complex emergency or natural disaster situation is required.
- Experience in the MENA region (Arab States) is desirable.
Qualification Requirements
An advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in political science, social science, international studies, public administration or management, 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.
