Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Closing date: 05 Mar 2018
Org. Setting and Reporting
This position is located in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Kinshasa, DRC. The Humanitarian Affairs Officer/ Pooled Fund Manager reports to the Head of Office.
Responsibilities
Within delegated authority, the Humanitarian Affairs Officer/ Pooled Fund Manager, will be responsible for the following duties:
I. Fund Management and Coordination:
Under the supervision of the HoO, advise the HC on the management of the DRC Humanitarian Fund (DHF);
Manage and oversee fund allocation processes ensuring necessary coordination with relevant counterparts in line with the Terms of Reference and/or allocation guidelines (i.e. Review and/or Advisory Boards, cluster or sector leads; humanitarian organizations; and OCHA);
Manage the overall administration of the Fund and liaise as necessary with relevant OCHA HQ sections
Supervise the fund management team;
Monitor the implementation of Fund strategies as endorsed by the HC, in consultation with OCHA HoO, promoting coherence between humanitarian needs and response;
Lead in policy development, including the review and analysis of humanitarian issues at the country level, ensuring proper coordination with FCS;
Advise the HC and the HoO on risk management and risk mitigation;
Ensure implementation and compliance with policies and standard guidelines in accordance with HC decisions and HQ guidance;
Oversee recipient organizations’ compliance with financial rules applicable to the Fund;
Ensure proper communication and support during the allocation process to all stakeholders;
Support recipient organisations throughout project life-cycle promoting compliance with applicable rules;
Liaise with contributing donors in and outside the country as necessary; Ensure coordination and information exchange with other donors aiming to promote coordinated and complementary use of funds (including CERF when appropriate);
Represent the Fund management unit before stakeholders (NGO, UN Agencies, donors) and external actors as required;
Undertake periodic field visits to promote the knowledge and appropriate use of the Fund in line with its Terms of Reference; field visits should focus on key actors (i.e. OCHA field colleagues, recipient organisations, local governments, communities).
II. Monitoring, Reporting and Evaluation:
Ensure compliance with monitoring and reporting requirements in place for the Fund;
Oversee and ensure timely project reporting cycle, including the annual report of the Fund;
Systematically provide information on project status to the HC, the HoO, donors and relevant governing bodies of the Fund;
Support the preparation of evaluations, reviews and studies as requested by the HC and governing bodies ensuring due consultation with relevant HQ sections.
III. Analysis, communications and public information:
Conduct and update periodic analyses of humanitarian financing information, funding trends and requirements, gathering data from all relevant sources;
Liaise with OCHA field offices aiming at the largest dissemination of information about the scope, the access and the allocation process of the Fund;
In collaboration with relevant OCHA, field offices and OCHA HQ sections ensure appropriate dissemination of information about the Fund through different communication products (i.e. bulletins, feature stories, photographs/videos, websites, CHF Annual Report etc.);
Perform other duties as assigned by the OCHA Head of Office.
Competencies
PROFESSIONALISM: Sound knowledge of and exposure to a range of humanitarian assistance, emergency relief and related humanitarian issues, to include approaches and techniques to address difficult problems; conceptual and strategic analytical capacity and in particular the ability to analyse and articulate the humanitarian and protection dimension of issues which require a coordinated UN response; ability to identify issues and to use sound judgment in applying technical expertise to resolve a wide range of problems; ability to evaluate and integrate information from a variety of sources and assess impact on the humanitarian rights and protection 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; take responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work. Proven drafting skills. Knowledge of institutional mandates, policies and guidelines pertaining humanitarian assistance. Knowledge of the UN common system and NGOs, and commonly used computer applications including MS Word and Excel. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.
ACCOUNTABILITY: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments; delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.
CLIENT ORIENTATION: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.
Education
An advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in political science, social science, public administration, international studies, economics or a related field, is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Work Experience
A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in humanitarian affairs, emergency preparedness, crisis/emergency relief management, rehabilitation, development, project management, budget management, or related area is required. Experience in humanitarian emergencies in the field is required. Previous experience of working in humanitarian financing, e.g. grant management, fundraising, and donor relations for the humanitarian programmes, is required. Direct project management or project supervision experience is required. Previous work experience in areas of project management, monitoring and evaluation, and administration is desirable. Experience in the design of policies and guidelines pertaining to humanitarian assistance is desirable. Experience in the region is desirable. Experience with the UN common system is desirable.
Languages
French and English are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in both English and French is required. Knowledge of another UN official language is desirable.
Assessment
Evaluation of qualified candidates may include a desk review of the applications, an assessment exercise and/or a competency-based interview.
Special Notice
This temporary position is intended to fill the functions of short-term duration until 31/12/2018, with the possibility of extension. The selected candidate is expected to start as soon as possible. The duration of the appointment is subject to the availability of funds.
Candidates should have no expectation of any fixed-term appointment possibility after the end of this temporary assignment. If the selected candidate is an internal staff member of the UN Secretariat, the selection will be recorded as a temporary assignment.
Subsequent to the initial temporary appointment, new and successive temporary appointments may be granted for service in the same office or in a different office any number of times, for any duration, provided that the length of service does not exceed the period of 364 calendar days.
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.
A current staff member who holds a fixed-term, permanent or continuing appointment may apply for temporary positions no more than one level above his or her current grade. However, a current staff member who holds an appointment at the G-6 or G-7 level may also apply to temporary positions in the Professional category up to and including the P-3 level, subject to meeting all eligibility and other requirements for the position.
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.
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 conditions 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.
For more details on the administration of temporary appointments please refer to ST/AI/2010/4/Rev.1.
For information on special post allowance, please refer to ST/AI/1999/17. The Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and administrative issuances governing staff appointments can be viewed at: http://www.un.org/hr_handbook/English.
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.
The screening and 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, including but not limited to, their education, work experience, and language skills, according to the instructions provided on Inspira. Applicants will be disqualified from consideration if they do not demonstrate in their application that they meet the evaluation criteria of the job opening and the applicable internal legislations of the United Nations. Candidates under serious consideration for selection will be subject to a reference-checking process to verify the information provided in the application.
United Nations Considerations
The United Nations shall place 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. (Charter of the United Nations - Chapter 3, article 8). The United Nations Secretariat is a non-smoking environment.
No Fee
THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, TRAINING OR ANY OTHER FEES). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON BANK ACCOUNTS.
How to apply: