Associate Emergency Preparedness Officer

Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Organization: UNHCR

Deadline: July 18, 2026

Job Description

Associate Emergency Preparedness Officer

Organizational Setting and Work Relationships

The Associate Emergency Preparedness Officer focuses on emergency preparedness, development of guidance and tools, strategic planning and emergency response capacity development in the Division of Emergency, Security and Supply, specifically in UNHCR’s Emergency Services.  The incumbent will support the operations and Regional Bureaux to prepare for emergencies, contribute to global crisis horizon scanning by the section, contribute to innovation and development of emergency preparedness guidance, preparedness tools and resources. The Associate Emergency Preparedness Officer normally reports to a higher-grade professional staff.

All UNHCR staff members are accountable to perform their duties as reflected in their job description. They do so within their delegated authorities, in line with the regulatory framework of UNHCR which includes the UN Charter, UN Staff Regulations and Rules, UNHCR Policies and Administrative Instructions as well as relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, staff members are required to discharge their responsibilities in a manner consistent with the core, functional, cross-functional and managerial competencies and UNHCR’s core values of professionalism, integrity and respect for diversity.

Duties

Preparedness

• Provide support to country operations and RBs on emergency preparedness and response, providing technical advice and support in drafting preparedness action plans and contingency plans for identified priority high risk situations.
• Contribute to monitoring of preparedness levels in field operations.
• Liaise with relevant internal and external stakeholders to determine the most appropriate analysis and preparedness strategy and products to assist in organisational and country level preparedness.
• Contribute to the development of new approaches for emergency risk analysis.
• Support the development and innovation of UNHCR’s early warning and preparedness platforms and tools.
• Assist in undertaking regular horizon scanning of potential new and escalating emergencies of relevance to UNHCR.
• Contribute to open source monitoring of situations of concern and emerging risks.
• Participate in section’s discussions on risk detection and analysis, and review risks submitted by field operations.
• Ensure that UNHCR’s Global Strategic Priorities and commitments on protection, accountability and Age Gender and Diversity are reflected in relevant preparedness methodologies and situational analyses.
• Support in innovating approaches to standardized training.
• Undertake short missions in relation to preparedness, training and capacity building.
• Possibly, deploy as a team member to humanitarian emergency field situations (max. 3-month field mission).

Guidance, Emergency Policy and Preparedness Tools Development

• Support the development and updating of UNHCR (and, where appropriate, inter-agency) emergency policies and tools, in collaboration with UNHCR internal experts and external stakeholders.
• Contribute to the emergency management system: Support updating the Emergency Tracking Matrix and overview of required actions and DESS support and drafting guidance notes on activations.
• Through research and consultation with UNHCR internal and external experts, participate in the collection and analysis of information regarding lessons learned and best practice on preparedness in UNHCR and conflict settings.
• Draft a variety of documents ranging from emergency cell meeting notes, summaries on emergency preparedness progress and briefing notes.
• Support the identification and management of risks and seek to seize opportunities impacting objectives in the area of responsibility. Ensure decision making in risk based in the functional area of work. Raise risks, issues and concerns to a supervisor or to relevant functional colleague(s).
• Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

Years of Experience / Degree Level

• For P2/NOB – 3 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 2 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 1 year relevant experience with Doctorate degree

Field(s) of Education

• Humanitarian Aid;                            
• Development Studies;             
• Law;                    
• Political Science;                             
• Social Science;                                
• International Relations;                          
• Conflict Management or another relevant field.

Certificates and/or Licenses

Not specified.

Relevant Job Experience

Essential

Two years of relevant working experience; preferably including at least one year in humanitarian field operations or similar outside the home country.

 

Desirable

Not specified.

 

Functional Skills

• PR-Developing Strategic Protection Framework
• TR-Training and Capacity Building of Governments and/or national programs
• TR-Training and Capacity Building of refugees and/or persons of concern
• ER-Inter-Agency Leadership/Coordination
• PR-Accountability to Affected People – Principles and Framework
• PR-Community-based Protection – Principles and methodologies
• PR-Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Operations
• PR-Assessment of IDPs Status, Rights, Obligation
• MG-Coordination
• CL-Protection Cluster Coordination
• PR-Refugee Coordination Model

(Functional Skills marked with an asterisk* are essential)

 

Language Requirements

For International Professional and Field Service jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English.

For National Professional jobs: Knowledge of English and UN working language of the duty station if not English and local language.

For General Service jobs: Knowledge of English and/or UN working language of the duty station if not English.

Competency Requirements

All jobs at UNHCR require six core competencies and may also require managerial competencies and/or cross-functional competencies. The six core competencies are listed below.

Core Competencies

• Accountability
• Communication
• Organizational Awareness
• Teamwork & Collaboration
• Commitment to Continuous Learning
• Client & Result Orientation

Managerial Competencies

• Empowering and Building Trust

Cross-Functional Competencies

• Analytical Thinking
• Policy Development and Research
• Political Awareness

 

All UNHCR workforce members must individually and collectively, contribute towards a working environment where each person feels safe, and empowered to perform their duties. This includes by demonstrating no tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, harassment including sexual harassment, sexism, gender inequality, discrimination, and abuse of power.

As individuals and as managers, all must be proactive in preventing and responding to inappropriate conduct, support ongoing dialogue on these matters and speaking up and seeking guidance and support from relevant UNHCR resources when these issues arise.

This is a Standard Job Description for all UNHCR jobs with this job title and grade level. The Operational Context may contain additional essential and/or desirable qualifications relating to the specific operation and/or position. Any such requirements are incorporated by reference in this Job Description and will be considered for the screening, shortlisting and selection of candidates.

 

This job is advertised in the framework of the JPO Programme and reserved exclusively for candidates with Canadian nationality.

• Strong understanding of the humanitarian and development nexus.
• Application of the GCR/CRRF principles in advancing protection and solutions for persons we serve.
• Proven capacity in emergency preparedness and response, while planning for solutions from the start.
• Ability to work with and motivate communities for their active participation in protection, assistance provision and in working towards refugee self-reliance.
• Stakeholder management and multi-agency co-ordination skills, with internal and external stakeholders such as Government counterparts, NGOs, UN Agencies, development actors and donors.
• Show high levels of political awareness, leadership, communication, negotiation, and decision-making skills to handle complex challenges on a regular basis, in liaison with government, security organs, host and refugee leaders.
• Ability to work in an area with fragile security and be able to motivate staff to deliver under difficult conditions. Manage diverse teams and maintain a positive work environment.
• Demonstrate Ability to articulate complicated issues in a simple and convincing manner to internal and external stakeholders.

 

Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

 

To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit this link: Travelers’ Health | CDC

Nature of Position:

Ethiopia hosts over 1 million refugees and asylum seekers, predominately from South Sudan, Somalia, and Eritrea. About 85 per cent of the refugees live in 20 refugee camps and 4 sites and settlements across five regional states, while about 80,000 others reside in Addis Ababa as urban refugees. Ethiopia also has 3.4 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and over 1.5 million IDP returnees, largely resulting from conflicts and climate events in various parts of the country.

The Ethiopia operation recently completed its 5-year Multi- Year Strategy-MYS (2025 – 2029). This Strategy is aligned with Ethiopia’s 2023 Global Refugee Forum pledges covering: climate action, human settlement, national system inclusion, private sector engagement, land access, and digital connectivity and documentation. UNHCR’s interventions over the course of this Strategy seek to address long-term displacement by integrating climate-sensitive humanitarian, peace and development initiatives in providing assistance, seeking durable solutions and addressing protection risks. A sustainable programming approach will be employed throughout the plan to encourage refugee self-reliance and access to livelihoods and to ensure services are embedded within existing national systems, capacitated through partnerships and development funding in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. Since the end of a two-year civil war in the Tigray region, Ethiopia continues to grapple with armed conflicts and insecurity in parts of the country, including Oromia, Benishangul-Gumuz, and Southern Nations and Nationalities (SNNP) regions. Since the last quarter of 2023, insecurity has also spread to the Amhara region. External conflicts in Sudan, Somalia, South Sudan have also created displacements into Ethiopia.

Climate change also presents a serious challenge to Ethiopia’s development. Both flooding and droughts in different parts of the country have drastic effects on vulnerable populations. The combined effects of conflict and climate-related shocks have increased the number of people requiring humanitarian assistance.

Under the direct supervision of the Senior Operations Officer, the incumbent will support Ethiopia operation to coordinate emergency responses including solutions from the start and ensure adequate oversight of the technical assistance intervention in compliance with the global and regional policy and strategic direction.

An understanding of the political sensitivities and cultural awareness of the region are essential for effective performance in this role. Therefore, prior experience in politically sensitive operations and/or in the region is essential for this position.

 

Living and Working Conditions:

Addis Ababa is the capital of Ethiopia. The city has an estimated population of 5.7million inhabitants. It is where the African Union is headquartered. It also hosts the headquarters of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), as well as various other continental and international organizations. Staff members reside in commercial accommodation available in town (Check the Travel Advisory for Addis Ababa on UN TRIP site). There is an UN Clinic in Addis and there are limited medical facilities in Addis that are equipped to deal with moderate medical cases. Evacuation opportunities are also limited but the official destination for medical evacuations – Nairobi, Kenya – both, in case of health as well as mental health complications and note that such travels are approved in line with rules and regulations of the UNHCR Medical Section. Candidates with conditions requiring regular treatment or medical supervision should be appropriately advised.

The climate of Ethiopia and the regions varies greatly. It is temperate on the plateau and hot in the lowlands. Generally, the high elevation of the land affects one’s adjustment to the environment. At Addis Ababa, which ranges from 2,200 to 2,600 m (7,218 to 8,530 ft), the maximum temperature is 26 °C (78.8 °F) and minimum 4 °C (39.2 °F). The weather is usually sunny and dry, but the short (belg) rains occur from February to April, and the large (meher) rains are from mid-June to mid-September. The economy of Ethiopia is a mixed and transition economy with a large public sector. The Government of Ethiopia is in the process of privatizing many of the state-owned businesses and moving toward a market economy. However, the banking, telecommunication, and transportation sectors of the economy are dominated by Government-owned companies.

The local currency is the Ethiopian Birr. Foreign currency may only be changed at authorized banks and hotels. The exchange of foreign currency outside the regulated banks (Black Market) is a criminal offense, and international UN personnel caught by police sting operations have been known to be arrested and detained for several days. Any entry or exit of cash in excess of US$3,000 (or the equivalent in other foreign currencies) must be declared to the customs authority. ATM cash withdrawals are largely available in Addis with withdrawal limit per day of 12,000 Birr from the Zemen Bank ATM. AMEX is generally not accepted. Payment with credit card is possible in a few selected shops and tourism areas, but this form of payment is expanding. There is acceptable access to communication means, such as the internet, telephone sim cards, etc. PAMA is also available at the Offices. Rental housing price ranges from USD1,600 to USD3,000 and higher, depending on the number of bedrooms and of course location. And it is also important to note that there is a custom of 3 to 6 months payment of rent in advance.

 

Additional Qualifications

Skills

• CL-Protection Cluster Coordination,
• ER-Inter-Agency Leadership/Coordination,
• MG-Coordination,
• PR-Accountability to Affected People – Principles and Framework,
• PR-Assessment of IDPs Status, Rights, Obligation,
• PR-Community-based Protection – Principles and methodologies,
• PR-Developing Strategic Protection Framework,
• PR-Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Operations,
• PR-Refugee Coordination Model,
• TR-Training and Capacity Building of Governments and/or national programs,
• TR-Training and Capacity Building of refugees and/or persons of concern

• Bachelor of Arts: Development Studies,
• Bachelor of Arts: International Relations,
• Bachelor of Arts: Law,
• Bachelor of Arts: Political Science,
• Bachelor of Arts: Social Science

Competencies

Accountability, Analytical thinking, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Empowering & building trust, Organizational awareness, Policy research & development, Political awareness, Teamwork & collaboration

https://icsc.un.org/Home/SalaryScales

This position doesn’t require a functional clearance

 

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