Junior Professional Officer- Humanitarian Affairs Officer

I. Overview

Through USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (USAID/BHA), the United States (U.S.) sponsors qualified U.S. citizens for employment in the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Junior Professional Officer (JPO) Program.

These fully funded JPO positions strengthen the capacity of OCHA and further encourage U.S. citizens to become active members of the international community. After completing their JPO assignments, a number of JPOs successfully compete for positions at OCHA and in other international and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

II. General Information

Title: Humanitarian Affairs Officer

Organization/Office: OCHA / Operations and Advocacy Division (OAD) / Policy Advice and Planning Section (PAPS)

Duty Station: New York, United States

Start Date Required: As soon as possible

Duration: One year, with possibility of a one-year extension

The USAID/BHA sponsored JPO will be an employee of OCHA, not of the U.S. Government.

III. Duties, Responsibilities, and Output Expectations

Duties and Responsibilities:

Under the supervision of the Access Adviser and in close coordination with the Section Chief, the JPO will contribute to OCHA’s work on humanitarian access and negotiations/engagement with armed groups.

The JPO will conduct research, draft notes and analysis, and will put together or contribute to putting together various documents and studies that strengthen the global analysis on access. The JPO will participate in United Nations (UN) processes related to the work of the Section. In particular, the JPO will be tasked with:

Access – Field Support

• Providing timely advice, support and analysis to country offices and senior management on humanitarian access, negotiations, and operationalization of humanitarian principles.
• Participating in regular calls with regional and country offices;
• Participating in the development of policies and guidance notes related to humanitarian access and negotiations in support to field operations;
• Supporting the preparation and implementation of the annual Global Access Workshop.

Access – Data Collection and Analysis

• Contributing to developing systems and tools to collect, monitor, and visualize access issues in a systematic manner;
• Drafting quarterly analysis on humanitarian access;
• Contributing to thematic analysis on humanitarian access and engagement with armed groups;
• Identifying tools, partners and opportunities to support OCHA’s analysis on access.

Other

• Representing the Access team in discussions with and processes involving UN Secretariat departments, including the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPO), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict (OSRSG-CAAC), and the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict (OSRSG-SVC) as well as UN agencies, funds and programs, diplomatic missions, regional organizations, and NGOs;
• Contributing to the preparation of written reports, studies, documents and communications on humanitarian access;
• Participating in meetings, consultations, and follow-up work with other agencies and partners on humanitarian access;
• Performing other duties as required.

IV. Supervision

Work Plan: During the first month of the assignment, the JPO will work jointly with the Access Advisor to finalize an agreed upon work plan. The final work plan will be discussed and mutually agreed to by the JPO, Access Advisor, and Section Chief.

Evaluation: The United Nations Performance Evaluation System (e-performance) will serve as a primary platform to evaluate the JPO’s performance.

An evaluation of the plan’s implementation will be conducted by the Access Adviser and will be discussed with the JPO after six months. The final evaluation will be conducted by the Access Adviser at the end of the year and will be discussed with the associate expert, under the supervision of the Section Chief. This evaluation will be reflected in the e-performance document of the associate expert.

V. Qualifications and Experience

Education:

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in political science, social science, law, international studies, statistics, or any other relevant field is desired.

A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

Work Experience:

A minimum of two years of relevant work experience in humanitarian affairs, research, or statistics is required. Field experience is an advantage.

Languages:

English and French are the working languages of the UN Secretariat. For this position, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of Arabic, French, or Spanish is an advantage.

Additional Desired Technical Skills:

• Knowledge of Microsoft Office, Microsoft Power BI, geographic information system (GIS) software, and online learning platform and tools is an advantage.

UN Competencies:

• PROFESSIONALISM: Shows pride in work and in achievements; Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; Remains calm in stressful situations.
• 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 the 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.
• CREATIVITY: Actively seeks to improve programmes or services; Offers new and different options to solve problems or meet client needs; Promotes and persuades others to consider new ideas; Takes calculated risks on new and unusual ideas; thinks “outside the box”; Takes an interest in new ideas and new ways of doing things; Is not bound by current thinking or traditional approaches
• TECHNOLOGICAL AWARENESS: Keeps abreast of available technology; Understands applicability and limitations of technology to the work of the office; Actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks; Shows willingness to learn new technology.

Workforce Diversity:

The United Nations believes that an inclusive culture attracts the best talent and encourages all qualified applicants, regardless of gender, disability, sexual orientation, cultural or religious backgrounds, to apply.

VI. Learning Elements

On completion of the assignment, the JPO will have/be able to:

• Understand, analyze, and communicate key issues related to humanitarian access and engagement with armed groups;
• Apply elements of international humanitarian law and other bodies of international law to policies and operations;
• Understand the decision-making and other processes and dynamics of the UN’s principal intergovernmental organs (Security Council; General Assembly, Economic and Social Council);
• Coordinate the development of humanitarian policies and their implementation on the ground;
• Draft Secretary-General reports, policy position papers, and UN correspondence on these issues.

VII. Background Information

The Policy Advice and Planning Section (PAPS) reports to the Director of Operations, Chief of the Operations and Advocacy Division (OAD). PAPS works closely with the Civil-Military Coordination Services (CMCS) and all geographical desk officers to support OCHA on the access agenda.

The JPO will be integrated in the PAPS team. The JPO will have daily contacts with the Access Adviser and other members of the team, and will attend weekly OAD and PAPS meetings. Ad-hoc meetings with the Chief of Section and/or other members of the team will be convened according to the needs of the team.

In the next couple of years, the Access team will focus its effort on strengthening data collection and analysis on access; strengthening inter-agency coordination efforts; ensuring a more systematic and predictable access response across country offices. The JPO will actively contribute to these efforts with a particular focus on data collection and analysis.