Regional Emergency and Post-Crisis Specialist

Position Title: Regional Emergency and Post-Crisis Specialist

Duty Station: Pretoria, South Africa

Classification: Professional Staff, Grade P4

Type of Appointment: Fixed term, one year with possibility of extension

Estimated Start Date: As soon as possible

Closing Date: 31 August 2022

Established in 1951, IOM is a Related Organization of the United Nations, and as the leading UN agency in the field of migration, works closely with governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental partners. IOM is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It does so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants.

IOM is committed to a diverse and inclusive work environment. Read more about diversity and inclusion at IOM at www.iom.int/diversity.

Applications are welcome from first- and second-tier candidates, particularly qualified female candidates as well as applications from the non-represented member countries of IOM. For all IOM vacancies, applications from qualified and eligible first-tier candidates are considered before those of qualified and eligible second-tier candidates in the selection process.

For the purpose of this vacancy, the following are considered first-tier candidates:

1. Internal candidates
2. External female candidates:
3. Candidate from the following non-represented member states:

Antigua and Barbuda; Aruba (Netherlands); Botswana; Cabo Verde; Comoros; Congo (the); Cook Islands; Cuba; Curaçao; Fiji; Grenada; Guinea-Bissau; Holy See; Iceland; Kingdom of Eswatini; Kiribati; Lao People’s Democratic Republic (the); Latvia; Madagascar; Marshall Islands; Micronesia (Federated States of); Montenegro; Namibia; Nauru; Palau; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Samoa; Sao Tome and Principe; Seychelles; Solomon Islands; Suriname; The Bahamas; Timor-Leste; Tonga; Tuvalu; Vanuatu

Second-tier candidates include:

All external candidates, except candidates from non-represented member states of IOM and female candidates.

Context:

Under the direct supervision of the Regional Director for Southern Africa (RD) and overall supervision of the Directors of the Department of Operations and Emergencies (DOE) and Department Peace and Development Coordination (DPDC) in Headquarters (HQ), the successful candidate will be responsible for providing technical guidance and support for the development and implementation of IOM’s emergency and post-crisis activities and services in the Southern Africa region. This will entail the provision of strong leadership in needs assessment and strategic planning functions in support of emergency and crisis preparedness response, climate resilience and recovery programming in natural and man-made hazards and conflict settings.

The Regional Emergency and Post-Crisis Specialist will be responsible for providing technical support in all aspects of the regional migration-crisis-management (preparedness, response, transition/recovery, DRR and climate resilience programming), including the achievement of expected results as a contribution to the areas identified by d by the IOM Strategic Vision and the ROSA Strategic Priorities, guided by the IOM Migration Crisis Operational Framework (MCOF) and relevant humanitarian policies as well as providing strategic and coordination support to the COs under ROSA in relation to the emergency and post-crisis portfolio and supporting regional-level coordination and policy development.

In light of global restructuring and efforts to strengthen the integration across IOM’s Divisions and Departments, the candidate will pro-actively identify opportunities for strengthened collaboration across IOM’s operations Departments including Department of Programme Support and Migration Management, Department for Operations and Emergencies and Department for Peace and Development Coordination.

Enabling background

The position requires a high degree of technical and contextual knowledge of human security and disaster risk management and climate change adaptation and their linkages with development trends in southern Africa region. Hazards affecting countries in the region include internal conflicts (community violence) as well as natural disasters.

The position requires expertise in how societal exposure and vulnerability to these hazards combine to create humanitarian crisis. This requires an understanding of how conflicts and disasters affect development, and how both can be mitigated through a population stabilization and development approach and process. Recurring key themes include community stabilization and community violence reduction; DDR; security sector reform; creation or stimulation of livelihood opportunities; mitigation and/or the addressing of natural disaster-related losses across human settlements; resolution of land and property disputes and addressing gender-related disparities in key sectors such as land, shelter, agriculture, health, and community infrastructure.

The position requires continuous interaction with technical UN staff, government officials, donor governments, civil society, academia, and other key partners involved in humanitarian emergency and recovery assistance. Particular interaction is needed with UN-OCHA offices, UN-specialized agencies, IASC-Cluster Lead agencies, WFP (UNHRD), the Red Cross Movement and UNDRR in the Region. It will also require interaction with external partners ranging from local stakeholders to regional organizations and international organizations involved in humanitarian assistance and programming in the Southern Africa Region.

Core Functions / Responsibilities:

1. Provide substantive technical input for the assessment, design and development of IOM migration-crisis-management and transition/recovery initiatives at the national and regional level within Southern Africa region, in line with IOM agreements, policies and standards.
2. Guide and support the national capacity and programme development in key thematic areas including, amongst others, disaster risk reduction; relief and mitigation assistance in the context of migration crisis; peacebuilding and durable solutions for displacement including community stabilization and the resolution of land and property issues; civil-military coordination; resilience-building, climate change migration and displacement, in collaboration with the Regional Inter-Agency Standing Committee for Southern Africa (RIASCO) partners and other stakeholders.
3. Manage the DOE and DPDC crisis-related thematic programme development in the Region, in close coordination with other relevant thematic specialists, by providing technical support and coordination to Country Offices within the Region.
4. Provide technical support, in case of new emergencies, through inter-agency collaboration for needs assessment and strategic planning and programming of response and recovery interventions. This includes defining priority responses for camp coordination and camp management (or otherwise defined temporary settlement areas for/of affected population), land, WASH, shelter, protection, health, logistic services, stabilization, early recovery and support for durable solutions to displacement.
5. Provide advice and support IOM Country Offices in the formulation of national technical assistance programmes, ensuring relevance to IOM’s thematic strategies in Demobilization Disarmament and Reintegration (DDR), Community Violence Reduction (CVR), social cohesion and peacebuilding within host government’s priorities.
6. Provide technical support and guidance to on-going IOM Country Office migration-crisis-management. As necessary, monitor progress towards pre-determined results and advise compliance with IASC adopted mechanisms, relevant peace and stability frameworks and donor requirements.
7. Provide substantive inputs to the RIASCO and relevant United Nations Country Team (UNCT) and Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) inter-agency mechanisms on contingency planning processes including on the IASC Sub-Working Group on Preparedness’ Early Warning/Early Action report with regard to potential humanitarian emergencies ensuring IOM presence and highlighting core migration-crisis-management issues as well as IOM response capabilities in the Country Offices and/or Region.
8. Identify relevant emerging issues; participate actively in the preparation of DOE and DPDC annual regional activity plans relating to migration crisis management in the region including the provision of emergency and post crisis training to IOM staff and cluster partners. Support regional strategic planning exercises.
9. Provide substantive inputs from the region for the development of a roster of personnel for migration crisis-management as contribution to the overall IOM Institutional Roster.
10. Review lessons learned from previous migration crises in the Region and prepare background information for developing appropriate Regional initiatives focusing on relevant thematic areas.
11. Develop and operationalize regional DOE and DPDC knowledge network on themes and issues that have been identified for the SADC region. In collaboration with the Departments in Geneva, ensure that the knowledge network in the region is fully integrated into the DOE global electronic knowledge network.
12. Participate in periodic knowledge networking e-discussions of IOM national focal points, project managers and national and regional partners; exchange experiences and lessons on migration crisis, including humanitarian response and transition recovery management.
13. Provide relevant substantive inputs to knowledge networking, including responding to Country Office requests for information on best practice and offering referrals to experts and expert institutions.
14. Contribute to IOM knowledge management at the regional level, in coordination with Regional Programme Development Officer.
15. Provide project endorsement on behalf of and in coordination with DOE and DPDC on relevant projects for the region.

Advocacy and Resource Mobilization:

1. Undertake working level negotiations with counterparts in multi- and bilateral agencies located in the region, in coordination with the Regional Director (RD) and RTSs, to contribute to the preparation of appeals in coordination with Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) regional office, ensuring that IOM’s migration crisis needs are adequately reflected.
2. Represent DOE and DPDC on crisis related technical matters in inter-agency, regional and international meeting/workshops, in coordination with the RD and relevant thematic specialists; present DOE and DPDC operational policies, strategies, results and lessons learned in workshops, seminars and conferences; and contribute to inter-agency publications and reports ensuring that IOM global and Regional capabilities are well reflected.
3. Technically support the production and dissemination of both regular and occasional reports on related activities in migration crisis management, including climate resilience and transition/recovery in the Region.
4. Provide justification for increased investment in IOM activities in prevention, emergency preparedness and response, disaster risk reduction, resilience-building, climate change migration and displacement towards achieving durable solutions for displaced people in the Region.
5. Identify and follow up on potential opportunities for resource mobilization in support of national and regional programmes, in coordination with the RD for Southern Africa). In collaboration with DOE and DPDC Geneva, produce funding proposals and briefings in support of resource mobilization efforts.

Partnership Building:

1. Represent DOE and DPDC on matters of crisis related technical inter-organizational working groups and participate in task forces within established inter-organizational bodies and networks towards developing common programming principles and approaches and joint programmes.
2. Engage with UN-mandated missions and participate in operational UNCTs and HCTs inter-agency mechanisms at the field level, including humanitarian country team working groups, the Strategic Response Plan (SRP) or the equivalent, and the Humanitarian Program Cycle (HPC) to ensure IOM is adequately reflected and the Divisions of responsibilities within the inter-agency response includes IOM activities. As appropriate, in coordination with RTSs and CoMs participate in the relevant UNCT/HCT thematic group(s) and contribute to common planning tools for operational activities for development such as CCAs and UNSDCFs.
3. As a cluster lead agency in CCCM, IOM is accountable to the Humanitarian Coordinator to carry out its cluster responsibilities. Ensure that the cluster lead functions are carried out and reported regularly to IOM HQ and to the HC (through OCHA).
4. Including through engagement with UN-mandated Peacekeeping and Special Political Missions, support the development of strategic partnerships and alliances relevant to the achievement of overall strategy of the Organization and the DOE Department and of policies in the region.
5. Promote and facilitate internal IOM cooperation and synergies in the emergency and post-crisis field.
6. Perform other duties as may be assigned.

Required Qualifications and Experience:

Education

• Master’s degree in Political or Social Sciences, Business Administration, Migration Studies, International Relations, and/or Law, or a related field from an accredited academic institution with seven years of relevant professional experience; or,
• University degree in the above fields with nine years of relevant professional experience.

Experience

• Experience in the field of crisis migration issues with demonstrated expertise in preparedness and response, transition and recovery and climate resilience programming; including operational and field experience, project development, and management;
• Experience in liaising with governmental authorities, other national/international institutions and NGOs; and,
• Demonstrated expertise in the thematic area relevant to project development.

Skills

• Ability to write and speak clearly and concisely in English, strong computer skills;
• Proven high-level representation skills, such as speaking at meetings and providing situational analysis; and,
• Proven capacity to work effectively in small teams;
• Knowledge of monitoring and evaluation; and,
• Knowledge or experience of regional issues an advantage.

Languages

IOM’s official languages are English, French, and Spanish.

External applicants for all positions in the Professional category are required to be proficient in English and have at least a working knowledge of one additional UN Language (French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian or Chinese).

For all applicants, fluency in English is required (oral and written). Working knowledge of French and local language is an advantage.

Proficiency of language(s) required will be specifically evaluated during the selection process, which may include written and/or oral assessments.

Notes

Accredited Universities are the ones listed in the UNESCO World Higher Education Database (https://whed.net/home.php).

Required Competencies:

Values – all IOM staff members must abide by and demonstrate these three values:

• Inclusion and respect for diversity: respects and promotes individual and cultural differences; encourages diversity and inclusion wherever possible.
• Integrity and transparency: maintains high ethical standards and acts in a manner consistent with organizational principles/rules and standards of conduct.
• Professionalism: demonstrates ability to work in a composed, competent and committed manner and exercises careful judgment in meeting day-to-day challenges.

Core Competencies – behavioural indicators level 3

• Teamwork: develops and promotes effective collaboration within and across units to achieve shared goals and optimize results.
• Delivering results: produces and delivers quality results in a service-oriented and timely manner; is action-oriented and committed to achieving agreed outcomes.
• Managing and sharing knowledge: continuously seeks to learn, share knowledge and innovate.
• Accountability: takes ownership for achieving the Organization’s priorities and assumes responsibility for own action and delegated work.
• Communication: encourages and contributes to clear and open communication; explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring and motivational way.

Managerial Competencies – behavioural indicators level 3

• Leadership: provides a clear sense of direction, leads by example and demonstrates the ability to carry out the organization’s vision; assists others to realize and develop their potential.
• Empowering others & building trust: creates an atmosphere of trust and an enabling environment where staff can contribute their best and develop their potential.
• Strategic thinking and vision: works strategically to realize the Organization’s goals and communicates a clear strategic direction.

IOM’s competency framework can be found at this link.

https://www.iom.int/sites/default/files/about-iom/iom_revised_competency_framework_external.pdf

Competencies will be assessed during a competency-based interview.

Other:

Internationally recruited professional staff are required to be mobile.

Any offer made to the candidate in relation to this vacancy notice is subject to funding confirmation.

This selection process may be used to staff similar positions in various duty stations. Recommended candidates endorsed by the Appointments and Postings Board will remain eligible to be appointed in a similar position for a period of 24 months.

The list of NMS countries above includes all IOM Member States which are non-represented in the Professional Category of staff members. For this staff category, candidates who are nationals of the duty station’s country and who do not have prior experience outside the duty station’s country as staff member in the Professional category cannot be considered eligible.

Appointment will be subject to certification that the candidate is medically fit for appointment, accreditation, any residency or visa requirements, and security clearances. Subject to certain exemptions, vaccination against COVID-19 will in principle be required for individuals hired on or after 15 November 2021. This will be verified as part of the medical clearance process.

Vacancies close at 23:59 local time Geneva, Switzerland on the respective closing date. No late applications will be accepted.