Policy and Advocacy Senior Officer – Ukraine

Handicap International/Humanity & Inclusion (HI) is an independent and impartial international solidarity organization, which intervenes in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflicts and disasters. Working alongside people with disabilities and vulnerable populations, it acts and speaks out to meet their essential needs, improve their living conditions and promote respect for their dignity and fundamental rights. More info: www.hi.org

HI is committed to an employment policy in favour of disabled workers.

JOB CONTEXT:

Since the beginning of the war, HI has set up a two-country program covering Ukraine and Moldova. Aligning itself with the priorities of the Ukraine Flash Appeal and Regional Refugee Response Plan, HI pillars of interventions are the following:

• Health: HI aims to improve access to quality physical rehabilitation and mental health and psychosocial services (MHPSS) for conflict-affected vulnerable population.
• Protection: Given the scale of humanitarian and protection needs, HI intervenes at various levels to ensure that vulnerable conflict-affected populations have access to multi-sectoral services tailored to their needs. In addition, HI aims to foster a disability-inclusive humanitarian response.
• Armed Violence Reduction: Recent and ongoing attacks dangerously exacerbated Explosive Ordnance (EO) contamination in Ukraine. In light of this, HI is conducting a multi-pronged approach to EO Risk Education and Conflict Preparedness and Protection (CPP), adaptable to the evolution of the conflict.
• Basic needs: to respond to the most acute needs for displaced households hosted by the local population or living in collective settings, HI is providing hygiene and non-food item kits, with an approach various modalities of intervention including in-kind and/or cash-based transfers. HI also delivers multi-purpose cash assistance to vulnerable conflict-affected populations, to enable them to meet their basic needs.
• Humanitarian-to-humanitarian logistics (ATLAS Logistique): To facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance as close as possible to the most affected populations, HI proposes mutualized storage and transportation services to other humanitarian actors – with a specific focus on “last-mile transportation”.

HI Ukraine Program:

• Volume: 13M€/year – 418 staff (48 international and 370 national)
• Donors: ECHO, BHA, CDC, GmFA, GAC, EHRC
• Partners: Ministries of Health, Social Affairs and Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories. Local organizations, hospitals, collective centers.

Ukraine’s Program is still relatively young, so the main challenge is to structure the program and increase our capacity to implement activities all over the country with a priority to the East part of Ukraine, which is the most affected by the conflict.

The security situation in Ukraine variable depending on the location. There are frequent days and nights of air alerts. However, markets, restaurants and cafes are open and life continues as normal. There is a strict curfew; the hours depend on the region. There have been a few ballistic missile and drone attacks since the beginning of the war on the airport, military and logistical facilities on the outskirts, as well as a few hits on the city centers against administrative and logistical buildings. More recently, the majority of attacks have targeted energy structures, mainly power grid and power plants, which reduces the supply of electricity, water, heating system, and communication networks.

HI has 3 hubs, one in the East (based in Dnipro), in South (Mykailov) and in the West (based in Lviv) and the coordination is in Kyiv. We have activities in other cities like Kharkiv, and Poltava). HI staff is accommodated in guesthouses or in a hotel (depending on the location), usually near HI offices, restaurants, cafes, shopping centers within walking distance and near a shelter (the shelter is either in the building or very easy to reach).

Movements between sites can be made by car (Hi drivers) or by train, depending of the region and time.

YOUR MISSION:

Under the responsibility of the Technical Head of Program and in close collaboration with the HI Institute on Humanitarian Action and the Federal Advocacy and Institutional Relations team (AIR), the Policy and Advocacy Senior Officer will contribute to the design, implementation and follow-up of HI policy and advocacy strategies related to the conflict in Ukraine, on national, regional and international levels.

As PAA Senior Officer, your main responsibilities will be

• Analyse the humanitarian environment and define HI positions in accordance with HI ethical guidelines and principles of intervention, liaising with relevant stakeholders at programme level (PD/AM) and HQ levels (HI Institute and AIR).
• Work with the AIR team on developing and updating the joint advocacy strategy and ensure it is consistent across national, regional and international levels.
• Lead the design and implementation of coordinated advocacy action plans at regional and national levels, and ensure they are properly implemented, in compliance with HI advocacy quality standards and procedures.
• Ensure that advocacy is based on reliable and up-to-date evidence and data, liaising with key operational staff and external stakeholders.
• Organize the effective influence and outreach of HI vis-à-vis key decision-makers and networks by engaging in relevant fora, networks and coalitions or with key partners at national and regional levels.
• Ensure HI internal communication and advocacy ownership
• Contribute to fundraising efforts by identify funding opportunities for advocacy and positioning activities.
• Contribute to support or to implement the programme’s emergency preparedness actions, and, in case of emergency, adapt her/his way of working in order to contribute to an efficient humanitarian response from HI.
• Contribute to raising quality of advocacy work and promote HI standards

YOUR PROFILE:

• You hold a degree in International Law (IHL, IHRL, Human Rights, Refugee Law etc.), International relations, political science or equivalent degree or with significant experience.
• You have 5 years of experience in similar positions including 3 in emergency settings (field experience).
• You have experience in context analyses, policy development and in advocacy work in relation to principled humanitarian action.
• You have experience in networking and in active participation to conference/forum, including at high levels.
• You have a good resistance to stress, and experience in an emergency context.
• You are very positive, have a constructive and dynamic personality, are solution-oriented with a high level of professional maturity, flexibility and autonomy.
• You have excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.

CONDITIONS:

At HI, the conditions offered are up to your commitment and adapted to the context of your mission. https://hi.org/en/join-th

• 6 months International contract starting from March 1st 2024
• The international contract provides social cover adapted to your situation:
  • Unemployment insurance benefits for EU nationals
  • Pension scheme
  • Medical coverage with 50% of employee contribution
  • Repatriation insurance paid by HI
• Salary from 2757 € gross/month upon experience
• Perdiem: 557,13 € net/month
• Hardship: 500 € net/month paid with your salary
• Paid leaves: 25 days per year
• R&R: 5 days every 8 weeks
• Position: unaccompanied
• Housing: Collective taken in charge by HI