Humanitarian Affairs Analyst (National Position) - Level (NOB) - Ramallah/OCHA oPt

 

The OCHA office in the occupied Palestinian territory has responsibility for inter-agency coordination in complex emergencies and in natural disasters.  In the context of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, the OCHA Office has a specific responsibility for (a) disseminating information and policies to the humanitarian community, authorities and donors, as well as supporting resource mobilization efforts; (b) assisting in the identification of humanitarian priorities and needs and the coordination of resource mobilization efforts; and (c) disseminating information on the impact of natural disasters, response thereto and the need for international assistance.

In order to meet the increased requirements for coordination support, humanitarian advocacy and information, the OCHA office in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) has three sub-offices in the West Bank: Ramallah, Nablus and Hebron to ensure adequate support to area-based operational coordination structures, sectoral coordination in priority areas, both operational and policy.

Under the overall guidance of the Head of Office and direct supervision of the Humanitarian Affairs Officer/West Bank Field Coordinator, the incumbent will manage the Central Field Coordination sub-office in carrying out key functions, including inter-cluster contingency coordination and planning.

Under the direct supervision of the Humanitarian Affairs Officer/West Bank Field Coordinator, the Humanitarian Affairs Analyst will be responsible for the following duties and responsibilities:

1. Manage the field office in the Central West Bank, covering East Jerusalem, Ramallah and the Jordan Valley as the Area of Responsibility (AoR). 
2. Support inter-cluster coordination mechanisms that bolster accountable humanitarian preparedness and response in AoR. 
3. Support OCHA’s advocacy role in the oPt.
4. Contribute to the strategic planning of the OCHA oPt office.
5. Support specific clusters’ coordination groups at the sub-national level.  
6. Enhance effective community engagement in AoR.
7. Carry out other duties in accordance with the priorities set by OCHA oPt management.

 

1. Manage the Central West Bank field sub-office 
   • Effectively manage central field unit staff and workload to deliver on the Field Coordination Unit’s work plan;
   • Pro-actively and regularly monitor, assess, and report on the political, social, economic, security, and humanitarian developments in AoR and analyzes their impact on the Palestinian population; 
   • Support the office in the development of trend analyses and advise senior management on recommendations for humanitarian action;
   • Supervise Central Field Coordination Unit’s data entry into OCHA oPt databases, including the Protection of Civilians and Demolitions databases;
   • Conduct and supervise assessments of demolition incidents and follow up on related emergency response efforts;
   • Prioritize and conduct regular field assessments to gather and verify information needed to trigger inter-cluster responses to protection and access violations in AoR.   Support and organize joint assessments with other UN agencies and INGOs when needed or requested; Actively verify access restrictions and analyze their impact on Palestinians’ right to freedom of movement; 
   • Initiate and sustain regular contact and liaison with stakeholders involved in the humanitarian sector within the AoR to share information, support the development of a common and consistent analysis, and formulate scenarios for action. Support humanitarian partners in identifying gaps in humanitarian relief efforts and formulating proposals to address gaps or arising needs.
   • Support the prioritization of needs and emergency response thereto through evidenced-based humanitarian reporting and review of proposals submitted to the Humanitarian Fund, among others.
   • Provide comments and substantive inputs on all types of information products, produce targeted analyses on key themes in AoR, and lead the production of AoR-specific humanitarian profiles and/or field visit reports.
2. Support inter-cluster coordination mechanisms that bolster accountable humanitarian preparedness and action 
   • Convene/lead or participate in bi-lateral or inter-cluster coordination meetings in AoR to identify humanitarian issues and mobilize humanitarian response jointly with other stakeholders; Lead coordinated inter-cluster needs assessments, including on communities at risk of forcible transfer or forced displacement.
   • Represent OCHA in the field/ carry out field visits, including meetings with affected populations. Lead regular coordination with national and local institutions in AOR, including Governors’ offices and local authorities.
   • Liaise with the local offices of Palestinian District Civilian Liaison offices in AoR and the Israeli Civil Administration (where possible) 
   • Monitor and report on access restrictions experienced by local communities, humanitarian organizations, or critical service providers;
   • Actively contribute to and support the work of the West Bank Inter-Cluster Coordination Group (ICCG). Lead the production of ICCG emergency response plans on acutely vulnerable communities in AoR;
   • Alert OCHA management in mobilizing resources and interventions to respond to gaps in existing aid programmes or arising emergencies. Serve as OCHA’s focal point for specific clusters’ coordination groups at the sub-national level.
3. Support OCHA advocacy role in the oPt
   • Lead and deliver field briefings and visits on humanitarian needs and response, humanitarian space, and the root causes of humanitarian vulnerability for various stakeholders;
   • Support OCHA's advocacy, research and information management units in the production (and dissemination as appropriate) of weekly, monthly and specialized reports and maps as well as in preparations for advocacy campaigns, internal and external products, briefings and meetings.  
   • Support the Field Office in disseminating at the local level UN and OCHA reports and provide support to local launches of information products;
   • Advocate at local level and in Jerusalem/ Ramallah with key stakeholders for the response to emerging humanitarian gaps in AoR under the guidance of the West Bank Field Coordinator.
   • Support the OCHA oPt office in advocacy efforts, including in formulation of messaging, dissemination of accurate and timely updates on humanitarian developments and needs, reach-out, and/or participation in meetings with diplomats, donors, and other stakeholders.
4. Contributes to OCHA oPt’s strategic planning of the national office
   • Contribute to the OCHA oPt’s office in the preparation of contingency planning/ Build expected scenarios and the identification of emergency humanitarian needs with humanitarian actors in the field and the response;
   • Supervise and lead the provision of regular or ad-hoc humanitarian updates to OCHA management, toward ensuring that Field Coordination work is synchronized with office priorities, Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) policy, office work plan…etc.
5. Enhance effective community engagement in AoR
   • Foster and maintain a two-way dialogue with communities in AoR; 
   • Effectively communicate community concerns to humanitarian partners and other relevant stakeholders to ensure humanitarian needs are addressed.
   • Carry out joint needs assessments with stakeholders, field briefings, and other ad-hoc field visits through effective and participatory engagement with affected populations.
   • Follow up with humanitarian partners on needs assessments and response gaps in a timely and effective manner.
6. Administrative tasks in support of the Field Central Unit (FCU)
   • Assist non-Arabic speakers to communicate with the local people/ Act as interpreter and carry out translation work (Arabic/English/Arabic).
   • Maintain the administrative issues in the FCU/ Organize, manage the sub-office petty cash, pay operational expenses. Follow up on any IT/technical problems with relevant OCHA units and suppliers as required. 
   • Help the UN security system/ provides updated security information from the field to the UN operation room. Respond to inquiries about security incidents from UNDSS and act as a security Zone warden.
   • Maintain inventory of FCU non-expendable items using the agreed format;  Act as OCHA oPt’s focal point for all administrative and security issues related to the OCHA office in Ramallah.
7. Other duties as assigned by the Humanitarian Affairs Officer/West Bank Field Coordinator.

Corporate Competencies:

1. Innovation:
   1. Ability to make new and useful ideas work.
   2. Adept with complex concepts and challenges convention purposefully 
2. Leadership:
   1. Ability to persuade others to follow.
   2. Generates commitment, excitement and excellence in others 
3. People management:
   1. Ability to improve performance and Satisfaction
   2. Models independent thinking and action 
4. Communication:
   1. Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform 
   2. Synthesizes information to communicate independent analysis 
5. Delivery:
   1. Ability to get things done while exercising good judgment.
   2. Meets goals and quality criteria for delivery of products or services

Functional / Technical Competencies:

• Professionalism – Advanced knowledge of the use of information management to improve the business processes; proven and demonstrable experience in analysis of information and capacity to articulate the information management requirements of complex situations requiring a coordinated response between disparate actors; demonstrated problem-solving skills and ability to use sound judgment to ensure the effective and timely completion of complex tasks; ability to work under extreme pressure, on occasion in a highly stressful environment (e.g. civil strife, natural disasters). 
• Communication – Excellent communication (spoken and written) skills including the ability to convey complex information management concepts and recommendations to staff at all levels, both orally and in writing, in a clear, concise style that can be readily understood by non-information management practitioners.
• Teamwork – Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; places team      agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision. 
• Planning and Organizing– Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently. 
• Accountability – Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honors commitments; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates and peers, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable. 
• Client Orientation – Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; designs solutions and basis recommendations on the principles of usability; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; keeps clients’ informed of progress or setbacks in projects; meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.
• Judgement/Decision Making –  Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, gathers relevant information before making a decision; considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; checks assumptions against facts; determines that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision.

Education:

• Advanced University Degree (Master’s degree) in Political or Social Science, International Studies, Law, Economics, Business Administration, or other relevant field is required.

Experience

• Up to 5 years of progressively responsible experience at the national or international levels in humanitarian affairs, emergency preparedness, crises/emergency relief management, human rights or other related areas is required;
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages is required;
• Experience with UN or International organization is an asset;
• Knowledge of UN Rules and Regulations is an added advantage.

Additional required experiences:

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Good experience in the field and knowledge of the agency’s work.
• Ability to build and sustain effective partnerships with UN agencies and partners.
• Ability to function under work pressure and multinational environment.
• Good knowledge of the region and the Arab/Israeli conflict.
• Computer literacy and experience in GIS/ remote sensing.
• Excellent analytical skills and proven experience at delivering written reports in an accurate timely and concise manner.

Language requirements:

• Fluency in English and Arabic language both spoken and written is required

How to apply:

To start the application process, applicants are required to apply via OCHA oPt’s vacancies website by registering their profile and completing OCHA Personal History Form (P11). Only applications received through https://www.ochaopt.org/vacancies which should include an up to-date and complete P11 will be considered. Due to the large number of applications received for OCHA vacancies, only applicants short-listed for interview will be contacted.

The United Nations does not charge fees at any stage of the recruitment process. 

The United Nations does not concern itself with information related to bank accounts.

CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS:  30April 2020 

Applications received after this date will not be considered. 

Women are encouraged to apply