Overview
Supports the regional scale-up and mainstreaming of the anticipatory approach within the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The role involves facilitating the development of anticipatory action frameworks and supporting emergency response.
Key Responsibilities
- Supports the regional scale-up and mainstreaming of the anticipatory approach, including through facilitating the revision of existing and the development of new coordinated anticipatory action frameworks.
- Deploys to support emergency response, particularly in response to triggering anticipatory action frameworks, to ensure learning and integration of anticipatory approaches with early action, response, and recovery.
- Supports regional mechanisms related to the anticipatory approach, including anticipatory action working group and other bodies as appropriate.
- Monitors, analyzes and reports on the anticipatory approach, especially on the complementarity of disaster risk finance, humanitarian finance, IFI and climate finance.
- 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.
- Participates in large, complex projects, to include disaster preparedness or other missions facilitating an anticipatory approach; 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 the situation to date and specifying unmet requirements of stricken countries.
- Partners with other humanitarian agencies to plan and evaluate humanitarian and emergency assistance programmes, including anticipatory approaches, and help ensure that latest findings, lessons learned, policy guidelines, etc. are aggregated, disseminated, and incorporated into these activities, including gender-related considerations.
- Assists in the production of appeals for international assistance; supports and engages with OCHA-managed pooled funds, ensures the proper use and spending of donor contributions channeled through OCHA.
- Provides capacity building support on anticipatory approaches and establishes and maintains contacts with government officials, other UN agencies, non-governmental organizations, diplomatic missions, media, etc.
- Undertakes and provides support to technical assistance and other field missions, e.g. participates in field trips to undertake in-depth reviews of specific country coordination mechanisms.
- Prepares or contributes to the preparation of various written reports, documents and communications, e.g. drafts sections of studies, background papers, policy guidelines, parliamentary documents, briefings, case studies, presentations, correspondence, etc.
- Serves as the primary focal point on specific topics or policy-related issues; keeps abreast of latest developments, liaises with other humanitarian organizations, donors, etc., ensures appropriate monitoring and reporting mechanisms; provides information and advice on a range of related issues.
- Reviews and provides advice on policy issues related to safeguarding humanitarian principles and ensuring the effective delivery of humanitarian assistance.
- Organizes and participates in work groups, meetings, conferences, consultations with other agencies and partners on anticipatory action and other humanitarian and emergency relief-related matters.
- Provides guidance to, and may supervise, new/junior staff.
- Performs other duties as required.
Required Experience
- A minimum of (5) five years of progressively responsible experience in humanitarian affairs, emergency preparedness, crisis/emergency relief management, rehabilitation, development, or other related area is required.
- Experience in developing or implementing inter-agency anticipatory humanitarian action is required.
- Experience in humanitarian financing, climate finance, or disaster risk finance is required.
- Experience coordinating inter-agency anticipatory humanitarian action in the field (actual setting where a mission and/or project is being implemented) in the last five (5) years is desirable.
- Experience working with International Financial Institutions (IFIs) is desirable.
- Experience working in Eastern and/or Southern Africa region is desirable.
Qualifications
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 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.
