Humanitarian Affairs Analyst (National Position) Level (ICS-8) Gaza/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 country 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 there to 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 has expanded its presence. Through its expanded presence in the field and Jerusalem, the OCHA oPt team will ensure adequate support to area-based operational coordination structures, sectoral coordination in priority areas such as health and food security etc, and national level coordination, both operational and policy.

The Humanitarian Affairs Analyst will work under the direct supervision of the Head of Gaza Sub-Office and under the guidance of the Deputy Head of Office and Head of Office.

 

The incumbent will be responsible for the following duties:  

• Monitors and assesses humanitarian developments in the area of reference (AOR) and their impact on the Palestinian population.
• Contributes to field coordination and humanitarian action
• Contributes to OCHA advocacy role in the oPt
• Supports OCHA in the strategic planning of the national office
• Provision of Administrative Functions

1. Monitors and assesses humanitarian developments in the area of reference (AOR) and their impact on the Palestinian population.

• Pro-actively reports on the political, social, economic and security development in the AOR on a daily/ad hoc basis. Assists the Head of Sub-Office (HoSO) in the development of trend analysis and provide recommendation on humanitarian action;
• Prioritizes and assists to conduct regular field assessments to gather and verify information needed to understand the impact of the humanitarian crisis. Supports and organizes joint assessments with other UN and NGOs when needed or requested. Drafts reports and conducts follow-up.
• Continuously monitors the drivers of humanitarian need in the Gaza Strip, including (inter alia) the mapping of the measures related to the blockade, the internal Palestinian political divide and other driving factors that impact the humanitarian condition of Palestinians in Gaza. Conduct specific monitoring of communities that are worst affected and most vulnerable.
• Initiates and sustains regular contact and liaison with stakeholders involved in the humanitarian sector within the AOR to share information, supports the development of a common and consistent analysis, and formulate scenarios for action.

2. Contributes to field coordination and humanitarian action

• Prepares and, when required, leads coordination meetings at the district level to identify humanitarian issues and seek for response mechanism jointly with other stakeholders;
• Supports liaison with various Palestinian authorities, on behalf of OCHA oPt, as requested by the HoSO and DHoO/HoO.
• Monitors and reports on access restrictions experienced by humanitarian organizations or critical service providers;
• Supports the HoSO, under the guidance of the DHoO/HoO, in mobilizing resources and interventions to response to a gap in existing aid programmes or a new emergency.
• Represents OCHA in the field; plans and conducts field visits and meeting with the affected population and representatives of the local communities/authorities.

3. Contributes to OCHA advocacy role in the oPt

• Participates and/or supports in field briefings for officials and diplomats. Maintains awareness of current humanitarian affairs and related issues in the AOR.
• Provides regularly inputs to the HoSO and OCHA units at the country level, as requested, for the production of weekly, monthly and ad hoc situation reports (i.e. humanitarian monitor, PoC, humanitarian updates, HPC, presentations, etc…)
• Ensures a regular and exhaustive transfer of information on closures to the Information Management Unit to support the consistency and accuracy of their mapping.
• Arranges for dissemination at the local level UN and OCHA reports and provide support to local launches of information products;
• Supports advocating at local level and in Jerusalem/Ramallah with key stakeholders (NGOs, donors, UN) for the response to emerging humanitarian gaps in the AOR.

4. Supports OCHA in the strategic planning of the national office

• Participates in the periodic future planning of OCHA office/ provide ideas to the management to help in allocating OCHA’s resources efficiently;
• Supports OCHA office in the preparation of contingency planning/Builds expected scenarios according to the emerging situations and discuss it with the humanitarian actors in the field;
• Supports the identification of emergency humanitarian needs and types of assistances required/sets up meetings with different UN agencies, INGOs and NGOs to gather information on WDWW to respond to those needs and emergencies.

5. Provision of Administrative Functions

• Assists non-Arabic speakers to communicate with the local people/Acts as interpreter and carries out translation work (Arabic/English/Arabic).
• In the absence of HoSO and upon his/her request / delegation, ensures the efficient day-to-day functioning of the OCHA Gaza office.
• Helps the UN security system/ provides updated security information from the field to the UN operation room. Responds to inquiries about security incidents from DSS and act as security Zone warden.
• Any other duties as may be requested by the Head of Gaza Sub Office.

Competencies

A.Corporate competencies:

● Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards.

● Advocates and promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UN.

● Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

● Treats all people fairly without favoritism.

 

B.Managerial competencies:

● 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.

 

C.Technical/Functional competencies:

● 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.

 

Education:

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree) in Political or Social Science, International Studies, Law, Economics, Business Administration, or other relevant field.

Short courses inStatistics, Data Management, Geographic Sciences, Humanitarian Affairs, Political Science, Information Technology, Information Systems, Engineering, Architecture, or Communications, Economicsis preferable but not required.

 

Experience

Minimum of two (2) years of relevant professional experience in humanitarian affairs, emergency preparedness, crises/emergency relief management, human rights or other related areas.

 

Experience with the United Nations is an asset.

 

Language requirements:

Fluency in the UN & National language of the duty station.

CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS:  4 October 2017

Applications received after this date will not be considered.

 Women are encouraged to apply