Operations Advisor- Victim Assistance Advisor

Peace and Security Cluster

For over 20 years, the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) Peace and Security Cluster (PSC) has provided its largest partner, UNMAS, with interlinked portfolio, programme and project management services that are reinforced by comprehensive management and oversight controls.  

Under this umbrella, the Cluster is responsible for the day-to-day management of UNMAS Field Programmes  through a comprehensive approach encompassing areas such as  human resources, procurement and contract management, as well as planning, implementation and risk management, that is supported by cross-cutting initiatives that include knowledge and information management, and gender, diversity and inclusion.  This comprehensive delivery platform is implemented  according to client requirements and in line with UNOPS rules and regulations through the leadership of the Cluster Director, who has the overall authority and accountability for the performance of PSC on behalf of its clients.

The UNMAS Sudan office is based in Khartoum and works closely with the Government of Sudan and international partners with an aim of reducing the impact of explosive hazards on civilian population. UNMAS Sudan’s main activities include land release, risk education (RE) and victim assistance (VA) in areas affected with explosive ordnance. Currently, South Kordofan, Blue Nile and West Kordofan are affected with mines and ERW while 5 Darfur states are believed to contain ERW only.  UNMAS also provides technical advice and training for Sudan National Mine Action Center (NMAC) and national mine action NGOs for improving national mine action capacity.

Victim assistance (VA) has been a challenging area in Sudan. An armed conflict in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states has contributed to a severe information gap that several explosive accidents were believed to be not reported to relevant authority due to multiple reasons, while comprehensive data management needs to be strengthened as well. Relevant stakeholders are yet to be fully identified and engaged in victim assistance while existing domestic legal framework allows room for comprehensive VA efforts. Practice of VA has been limited to provision of direct support to the survivors. The impact of current VA efforts needs to be assessed and its scope is to be expanded.

The expected outcome from this consultancy is followings: 1) Analyse the current VA practice and its impact in Sudan; 2) identify gap in the current VA practice; 3) analyse and map all relevant stakeholders at state and locality level; 4) identify need of different type of victims on the ground; 5) come up with viable solutions to address the issues/problems identified; and 6) put forward strategy and multi-year work plan for sustainable victim assistance

The Consultant will report to the Programme Manager and work in close collaboration with the Senior Operations Advisor and National Mine Action Center with frequent travel to various locations in Sudan.

The Consultant's responsibilities will include, but not be limited to the following:

• Review and analyse the existing policy framework for disability and victim assistance sector of Sudan in light of the government of Sudan’s obligations under relevant international treaties, domestic legal framework and sustainable development goals;
• Undertake consultations and discussions with the relevant stakeholders at Khartoum and capital cities of each states to gather information and understand the VA and disability assistance context in the country;
• Conduct interviews with a sizable number of victims and survivors as well as those who work for VA at implementation level to understand the needs of beneficiaries, identify gaps and assess the impact of current VA practice. 
• Identify and assess the existing victim assistance capabilities and services in the following components of victim assistance:

1. Medical Care including first aid capacity in the affected communities
2. Physical Rehabilitation
3. Psychological & Psycho-Social Support
4. Education
5. Social Inclusion
6. Economic Inclusion

• Produce an assessment report with key findings  and recommendations for short, medium and long term to be factored into programme planning;
• Produce a multi-year strategy for the country and multi-year action plan.
• Draft a project concept with budget to be used for fundraising and donor engagement;
• Prepare and undertake a presentation to the relevant stakeholders on the key findings and next steps.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Education

• Advanced University Degree (Masters Degree or equivalent) with a minimum of 7 years of relevant experience; or
• First Level University Degree (Bachelor's Degree or equivalent) with a minimum of 9 years of relevant experience is required.

Experience 

• Relevant experience is defined as experience in disability, public health, mine action, humanitarian/development, public policy, social welfare, or other fields that can be considered relevant to the area of victim assistance.
• Within relevant experience, 5 years of experience in management of disability and victim assistance stakeholders is required.
• Experience in research and/or report writing is desired.
• A general understanding of mine action is desired.
• Experience with Microsoft Office suite is required.

• Fluency in English (speaking, writing and reading) is required.
• Fluency in Arabic (speaking, writing and reading) is desired.
• Knowledge of another UN official language is desired.

• 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.
• UNOPS seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
• Work life harmonization - UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types
• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (around 4 hours) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS.
• 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.

- Contract type: International ICA Agreement (I-ICA) - Lump-sum contract type
- Contract level: IICA-3 (ICS-11)
- Contract duration: 2 months with possibility of one 1 month extension subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

Working with us

UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines.

Diversity

With over 4,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates.

Work life harmonization

UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands.