Humanitarian Affairs Officer - Coordination

The UNOPS Hub in Amman implements projects on behalf of UN agencies and bilateral donors and in close coordination with the Government and national authorities. With an established presence across the region, the office runs operations including large-scale procurement, project development and technical management, and provides financial, human resources and infrastructure-related services. The functional objective of UNOPS Hub in Amman is to deliver its projects in an efficient and effective manner and in line with the principles, rules and regulations of UNOPS, so as to achieve the outcomes sought by the clients.

The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS. 

The HAO P3 reports to the HAO P4 / Head of the Mosul Office

Retaking Mosul from ISIL will create one of the  largest humanitarian operations in the world. Government sources confirm that over 600,000 civilians were residing in the eastern parts of Mosul city before military operations started in October, and that close to 900,000 are concentrated in the densely populated west. Cumulatively some 700,000 people have been displaced since October. As the fighting progressed in Mosul city, giving new access, Government and humanitarian partners worked to reach all people in need with assistance. The drive to retake West Mosul started on 19 February and operations to retake Tal Afar, Hawija and Anbar are imminent; all of which will result in acute humanitarian needs. By late May humanitarian partners were reporting over 500,000 people displaced from West Mosul, the majority to camps to the south and east of Mosul.

The uncertain duration of these and future military operations against ISIL, and the complexity of the humanitarian needs created by the operations require a humanitarian response that can rapidly adapt; coordination for the response to needs that will result from military operations in West Mosul, Tal Afar, Hawija and Anbar needs to be strengthened however OCHA budget constraints have negatively impacted on continuity with most staff deployed on a short-term basis.

OCHA established a Mosul Office to coordinate the humanitarian response.

OCHA coordination provides a liaison function with Government and local coordination structures and brings together Cluster Coordinators, Emergency Coordinators from UN agencies, NGO Coordination Committee of Iraq (NCCI); International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO);IOM DTM; Returns Working Group; Civil-Military Coordination cell; UN Mine Action Service; and UNDSS.

Humanitarian access is facilitated by the CMCoord Cell which has expanded the network of civil-military interlocutors and works through these contacts to open the way for aid to reach affected populations.

The HAO  will serve as a member of the Mosul Office created to ensure a cohesive humanitarian response to the Mosul crisis.  The post will assist in the coordination of the emergency response for the influx of displaced people from Mosul, as military operations for the city rapidly progress.

The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS. 

The HAO P3 reports to the HAO P4 / Head of Mosul Office

The responsibilities for the post include

• provide regular information-sharing to humanitarian  partners on the ground, on the situation, needs and response, as well as any gaps identified;
• ensure liaison with local authorities and liaise with lead agencies and partners  in affected areas
• contribute to  regular reports highlighting relevant operational factors affecting the humanitarian situation and response effort and to advisory briefings for the OCHA Head of Office and Humanitarian Coordinator
• support advocacy initiatives on issues impacting humanitarian needs and response efforts through the collection of information, liaison with humanitarian partners and government officials;
• monitor, analyse and report on humanitarian developments, emergency situations and /or response in Iraq and of relevance to the Mosul situation;  
• participate in interagency meetings and sectoral meetings to support decision making and advocacy on specific issues
• support planning for and  participate in  interagency assessments and response missions to affected areas
• participate in humanitarian contingency planning to enhance preparedness and response
• provide guidance and mentoring  to national Humanitarian Affairs Officers and UNVs working in the Mosul Office  (knowledge transfer / coaching )
• contribute to lessons learnt documents following specific response operations
• encourage humanitarian partners to consider   cross cutting issues and accountability /do no harm in all activities
• participate in the production of funding documents
• maintains contact with local authorities and humanitarian partners to facilitate exchange of relevant information
• Perform other related duties as requested by the HAO P4 / Head of Mosul Office

Drive with energy

• Ability to Learn: keeps abreast of new practices in his/her functional area; is able to apply past learning in current situations and get work done; constantly delivers on assignments that are challenging and require trying out new methods.
• Creativity and Innovation: develops multiple approaches to problems-solving; networks and explores variety of sources to deliver, solve problems; can create new, efficient processes and systems that are the best practices of the organization.

Focus and execute

• Ability to analyse: able to distribute time effectively and adhere to deadlines; able to match the scope of the project by optimal use of organization’s resources.
• Organizing and quality orientation: provides accurate information on a timely basis; has penchant for precise, quality-oriented and throughout work; translates ideas into specific tasks to improve operations & takes initiative.
• Results orientation: handles multiple projects and delivers them; is persistent and shows tenacity to achieve results in a project or task; is efficient and successful in handling time-bound projects; identifies critical factors and focuses energy to achieve them.

Impact and energize

• Communication skills: consistently delivers accurate, clear and concise messages in written or oral form; shares information with colleagues.
• Networking skills: consciously extends oneself o building rapport with others; creates common ground for understanding at a inter-personal level.
• Teamwork skills: always works with others to accomplish goals/tasks; treats all members of team ina  professional manner and with respect; is open to different points of view.
• Situational sensitivity: remains calm in stressful situations; is open to working with people from diverse background and cultures.

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns. 
• Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.