Humanitarian Affairs Officer (Civil-Military Coordination) – Mogadishu

Job Description
Agency:  UNOCHA
Title: Humanitarian Affairs Officer (Civil-Military Coordination) – Open to Somali Nationals Only
Practice Area – Job Family: UN Coordination – HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS
Vacancy End Date: (Midnight New York, USA) 31/07/2020
Duty Station: Mogadiscio, Somalia
Education & Work Experience: G-Bachelor’s Level Degree – 2 year(s) experience, I-Master’s Level Degree – 1 year(s) experience
Languages
Required:
Desired: English, Somali
Grade: NOA
Vacancy Type: FTA Local
Posting Type: External
Bureau: Arab States
Contract Duration” 1 Year with possibility for extension
Humanitarian Affairs Officer (Civil-Military Coordination)

Background
The humanitarian situation in Somalia remains fragile. OCHA’s role is to support humanitarian actors to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches the people who need it in a timely and effective manner. OCHA’s support includes reporting on the humanitarian situation and raising awareness on humanitarian needs and gaps in the provision of assistance. OCHA will continue to:

Advocate for access to basic services, especially water, sanitation, education and health for vulnerable communities, including the collection, analysis and dissemination of information to humanitarian partners, and negotiation of access.
Support the government efforts and humanitarian organizations in advocating for humanitarian assistance and protection services for people in vulnerable circumstance.
Coordinate the implementation of humanitarian public information in Somalia with UN agencies and programmes, national and international NGOs and local authorities/communities as appropriate, with focus on strengthening the cluster approach.
Contribute to enhancing a protective environment that respects the human rights of all, including IDPs, returnees and minority clans

 

Duties and Responsibilities
The NO-A National Civil-Military Coordination (CMCoord) Officer works under the leadership, supervision, strategic and operational direction of the Head of the Access and CMCoord Unit. Within limits of delegated authority, the National CMCoord Officer will be responsible, in whole or in part, for the following:

Summary of key functions:

Strategy Implementation, Review, and Update
Civil-Military Actors Mapping
Dissemination of Guidelines and Feedback
Liaison with Humanitarian Organizations
Support Humanitarian Coordination
Military Liaison
Reporting and Analysis
Humanitarian negotiations
Preparedness
Training and Learning
Miscellaneous
Strategy Implementation, Review, and Update:

Support the ongoing assessment and analysis of the humanitarian-civil-military operating environment in order to contribute to implementation, review and update, as needed, of the UN-CMCoord strategy.
Civil-Military Actors Mapping:

Support and build on the mapping of civil-military actors and  monitor developments in military operations undertaken in Somalia, with a view to analysing their potential impact on humanitarian space and access and thus, inform the current approach on humanitarian operations.
Dissemination of Guidelines and Feedback: :

Contribute to the CMCoord Unit’s efforts in disseminating and promoting civil-military coordination guidelines and Somalia specific Guidance on the Interaction  and Coordination between the Humanitarian Country Team and the Somali National Army (SNA), the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and other bilateral forces operating in Somalia, they are properly 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 and solicit feedback.
Liaison with Humanitarian Organizations:

Establish and maintain a focal point network within the HCT members, SNA, AMISOM, EUTM and bilateral forces, the INGO Community and other operationally relevant organizations in Somalia who are responsible for civil-military relations/interaction.
Support Humanitarian Coordination:

Support the overall humanitarian coordination at Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) and Federal Member States (FMS) by advising on the appropriate approach, liaison and interface with military representatives. Provide an analysis on the appropriateness of the use of military assets to support humanitarian activity, including an analysis of alternatives. Support Field Offices, where needed, in their appropriate interaction with military units and formations and in troubleshooting operational issues that may crop up in the course of undertaking humanitarian assistance activities at the FMS level.
Military Liaison:

Facilitate the establishment and maintenance of lines of communication with SNA chains of command through the most appropriate liaison approach. Establish mechanisms for information sharing to promote common situational awareness on mutually relevant operational issues. Where possible and feasible, establish and/or support mechanisms designed to resolve and/or troubleshoot operational issues. Establish and sustain a healthy dialogue with SNA and other military forces to create awareness and understanding on the humanitarian community’s approach to humanitarian assistance, operationalizing the humanitarian principles and humanitarian coordination.
Reporting and Analysis:

Monitor, analyse and report on conduct of humanitarian civil-military coordination activities as well as identify challenges and good approaches in the humanitarian community’s interaction with military forces. Contribute to the OCHA Somalia’s IM and PI products, where relevant, and ensure the currency of analysis and inputs provided.
Humanitarian negotiations:

Support negotiations with relevant stakeholders to establish/ maintain humanitarian access and resolve any arising constraints, while working to promote a principled, coordinated approach to access and share best practice with partners to ensure effective humanitarian access strategies across the country
Preparedness:

Participate in and contribute to humanitarian contingency planning processes to ensure that appropriateness of the use of military assets to support humanitarian response operations are discussed and analyzed for appropriateness and relevance. This includes approaches to ensuring appropriate interaction with military forces for the scenarios considered.
Training and Learning:

Identify, support and when required, deliver, UN-CMCoord training and learning needs of both humanitarian actors and military forces (most particularly SNA) and recommend/design a training strategy and materials to meet the identified needs.
Miscellaneous:

Perform other duties as may be requested by the Head of the Access and CMCoord Unit, Deputy Head of Office or Head of Office, as applicable
Competencies
Professionalism

Knowledge of a range of humanitarian assistance, emergency relief and related human rights issues, including approaches and techniques to address difficult problems.
Analytical capacity and in particular the ability to analyse 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 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 persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges.
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.
Planning & Organizing

Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies;
Identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required;
Allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks
Allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:

Master’s degree or equivalent in Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Sciences, Law or a related field would be desirable;
A first-level university degree with relevant academic qualifications and a combination of 2 years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree
Completion of the UN-CMCoord Course e-course is essential; in-person completion of the UN-CMCoord Course and the UN-CMCoord Skills Workshop is desirable
Experience:

Minimum 2 years of relevant experience at the national or international level
Previous experience with OCHA in the field of civil-military coordination is desirable; or previous experience in major humanitarian operations
Excellent command of Office suite applications (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint)
Familiarity and good knowledge of social, political and economic conditions in Somalia
Proven abilities in data collection, compilation, analysis and reporting with ability to write in a clear and concise manner and with effective oral communication;
Proven skills in reporting and facilitating meetings, including learning sessions
Operational Skills:

Knowledge of the Somali National Army’s structure is essential
The ability to live and work in a highly stressful operating environment is an advantage.
Language Requirements:

Fluency in both Somali and English (in both verbal and written) are required;
Working knowledge of at least one other official UN language is an asset.
Disclaimer
Important applicant information

All posts in the GS categories are subject to local recruitment.

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: UNDP 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 UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Workforce diversity

UNDP is committed to achieving diversity within its workforce, and encourages all qualified applicants, irrespective of gender, nationality, disabilities, sexual orientation, culture, religious and ethnic backgrounds to apply. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Scam warning

The United Nations does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Should you receive a solicitation for the payment of a fee, please disregard it. Furthermore, please note that emblems, logos, names and addresses are easily copied and reproduced. Therefore, you are advised to apply particular care when submitting personal information on the web.

APPLY NOW