Vacancy Announcement Details

Org. Setting and Reporting

This position is located in the Executive Office (EO), Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), in New York. OCHA is the part of the United Nations Secretariat responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to emergencies and natural disasters. OCHA also ensures there is a framework within which each actor can contribute to the overall response effort. 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 for the rights of people in need; promote preparedness and prevention and facilitate sustainable solutions.

The Senior Humanitarian Affairs Officer/Chief of Evaluation and Oversight Section reports to the Executive Officer.

Responsibilities

Within delegated authority, the Senior Humanitarian Affairs Officer/Chief of Evaluation and Oversight Section will be responsible for the following duties: 

• Provides authoritative technical and policy advice to senior management in OCHA and other agencies in the UN system, Member State officials, international and regional organizations on programmes, projects and issues of significant impact on humanitarian, emergency relief and disaster response/management efforts, and particularly as they refer to performance/results monitoring, evaluation and guidance.
• Monitors the performance of the institution’s humanitarian mandate; influences the development and evolution of the UN approach to humanitarian affairs; designs and implements significant policy and programme changes to address country, regional, global humanitarian affairs issues, including gender considerations; conceptualizes the linkages with other entities in the Secretariat.
• Coordinates the engagement and reporting on oversight activities by OIOS, JIU and the BoA; ensures a close follow up on the action plan with the senior management on the implementation of the recommendation, work closely with the OIOS and BoA on the workplan and organizes and supports the country offices with regard to the oversight exercises.
• Provides strategic direction to the undertaking of OCHA and inter-agency humanitarian evaluations, and to the OCHA evaluation and guidance functions.
• Conceptualizes, formulates and manages major projects; leads and directs a multi-agency team in carrying out disaster assessment or other missions; prepares situation reports to the international community, apprising of situation to date and specifying unmet requirements of stricken countries.
• Leads capacity building initiatives; identifies bottlenecks and gaps and develops proposals to improve response systems and mechanisms, to include technical assistance in the design of specific coordination and other systems/mechanisms; organizes and participates as trainer/resource person in national and international training seminars.
• Serves as primary liaison with non-UN entities, including the OCHA donor support group, retreats, senior host government officials, donor representatives, NGO officials, the media, etc., in emergency situations.
• Establishes overall work plan and budget for the Section.
• Leads and directs a team of staff; oversee activities for the section; plans and allocates work assignments; coaches, mentors and evaluates staff; participates in recruitment, selection and training of new staff and in the development of training programs.
• Organizes and/or chairs inter-agency and other international meetings, conferences, task forces; presents views and policies of the unit/institution.
• Initiates, supervises and finalizes position papers and related submissions; prepares diverse reports, papers, policy guidelines, parliamentary documents, statements, presentations, etc. for senior management.

Full details available on the UN website. Application deadline 28 October.