Senior Operations Officer -Shire, Ethiopia

Job Description

E (most hardship)

Non Family with Residential Location

Non Family with Residential Location Danger Pay

Addis Ababa, Eth Fed Dem Rep

PR4

Professional

Reason

Regular > Regular Assignment

No

2022-11-24-08:00

December 15, 2022

Senior Operations Officer Organizational Setting and Work Relationships The Senior Operations Officer normally works under the direct supervision of the Senior Operations Coordinator or Head of the Office and may have alternative reporting relationships depending on the structure and size of the Operation.

S/he and will be the focal person responsible for liaising with Partners through sector meetings and other coordination mechanisms in the Area of responsibility (AoR).

S/he will liaise with relevant sections at HQ/Region/Field on a wide range of issues concerning the operations such as protection, resource mobilization and allocations, human resources, budget, compliance, staff welfare and security matters.

The incumbent may supervise professional and/or support staff. S/he will actively support the regional operational planning process, reporting and monitoring as well as mapping of areas where persons of concern are currently located in the AoR.

The incumbent will contribute to progress on issues such as negotiations on Partnership Project agreements, contractual service agreements, and management of Administrative Budgets related to the AoR. Within UNHCR, the incumbent has regular contact with other sections/units at Headquarters and with field offices on issues related UNHCR’s programme in the operations/countries within the AoR. External contacts are with, UN agencies and NGOs on UNHCR’s programmes in the operations/countries covered under the AoR.

Duties

– Serve as the focal point for the operations within the AoR and follow up on situational realities, challenges and developments which may have an impact on the refugees, IDP situations, and other persons of concern.

– Analyse information received concerning new refugee situations in the AoR and present coherent, consistent and credible proposals to address the emergency needs.

– Manage the process of gathering information, preparation of analytical papers and formulating recommendations for action for the operations within the AoR.

– Contribute to the preparation of action plans to address any operational/legal gaps that have been identified; and ensure advice/guidance is provided to field offices to improve the delivery of assistance of refugees and other persons of concern (PoCs).

– Provide guidance and support for communication, and sharing of best practices amongst countries/operations in the AoR as well as with other entities in the field and at Headquarters.

– Coordinate with field offices for provision of timely, coherent, consistent, quality information about their operations.

– In the bureaux, support senior staff in the preparation of the official submissions to the meetings of the Budget Committee and Contracts’ Committee, and advocate for resources required for the operations to meet their objectives, especially during Annual Planning Reviews, Mid-Year Reviews and ad hoc resource allocation consultations. Analyse Country offices’ requests concerning material requirements and staffing and initiate/coordinate appropriate action to provide Country offices with relevant and timely decisions and direction.

– In the field, coordinate and supervise the field activities in the areas of protection and programme in the AoR. Build the capacity of local partners and civil society through training and other initiatives. Liaise with local Government authorities and operational partners on issues relating to the protection and assistance of PoCs. Supervise and monitor the implementation of UNHCR projects.

– Monitor the implementation of programmes within the AoR through regular missions and participate in on-going needs assessments.

– Keep the various sections and technical units at the Bureau and HQ informed on issues related to the implementation of UNHCR’s programmes within the AoR.

– Maintain a wide range of external contacts with Permanent Missions, donors, and civil society organization. – Perform other related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications Years of Experience /

Degree Level For P4/NOD – 9 years relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or 8 years relevant experience with Graduate degree; or 7 years relevant experience with Doctorate degree Field(s) of Education Political Science; Economics; Social Science; Business Administration; Law; or other relevant field.

Certificates and/or Licenses: Programme Management;

Relevant Job Experience

Essential: Experience in field operations. At least 5 years of relevant experience in an international capacity. Understanding of UNHCR mandate and operations.

Desirable: Strong operational background and political awareness. Experience working with UNHCR; or other UN entities or partners preferably in the area of refugee or humanitarian operations. Proven track record in emergency preparedness, response and management.

Functional Skills

MG-Field Operations Management; MG-Coordination; (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.

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.

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Operational context

Occupational Safety and Health Considerations:

To view occupational safety and health considerations for this duty station, please visit this link:

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel

Nature of Position:

The Senior Operations Officer manages the operation in the Afar Region, including staff, the office, and its field units. Considering the high-risk level in the region, staff welfare and security are essential key area of priority to the head of the office. The living conditions in Semera and Asiata are harsh, with limited access to decent accommodations for national staff. At the same time, international staff are not authorized to rent privately-owned residences. Incumbent must lead the team and keep motivation high amidst all listed hardship.

The incumbent will manage a mixed refugee/IDP and returnee situation. While supporting the emergency response to meet the needs of former Barhale refugees s/he will be watchful to the protracted refugee caseload at Asiata in dire need of solutions instead. In parallel, s/he will ensure UNHCR leadership within cluster system in CCCM, Protection and ES/NFI. S/he will ensure the delivery of UNHCR Protection and assistance is well coordinated with all stakeholders, notably the Government counterpart Refugee and Returnee Services (RRS).

S/he will closely monitor some priority activities such as the relocation of former Berhale refugees currently living in various woredas to newly established Serdo refugee camp.

S/he will coordinate efforts aimed at ensuring better living conditions in Serdo refugee camp, by planning for the provision of services that meet the minimum standards in shelter, health, sanitation, water, and education. Access of refugees to food and nutrition services will be a priority area.

Key skills and competencies required for the position:

This position requires a candidate with good liaison skills, strong interpersonal, negotiation, communication, as well as diplomacy skills.  Incumbent will be required to liaise with relevant senior Afar regional government officials, security organs in the area, the Head of various Non-Governmental Organisations (both national and internationals based in the area), local media network to ensure his/her assigned responsibilities are effectively and efficiently discharged. S/He must have the capacity to work in the context where inter-agency coordination and collaboration are difficult yet essential. The operation is politically very sensitive and humanitarian organizations must maintain their neutrality to prevent being accused by officials of side-lining. S/he must also have the capacity to communicate via an interpreter, especially during meeting with local officials and community leaders who mostly speak Amharic or Afar language.

Living and Working Conditions:

This position requires a candidate with good liaison skills, strong interpersonal, negotiation, communication, as well as diplomacy skills. Incumbent will be required to liaise with relevant senior Afar regional government officials, security organs in the area, the Head of various Non-Governmental Organisations (both national and internationals based in the area), local media network to ensure his/her assigned responsibilities are effectively and efficiently discharged. S/He must have the capacity to work in the context where inter-agency coordination and collaboration are difficult yet essential. The operation is politically very sensitive and humanitarian organizations must maintain their neutrality to prevent being accused by officials of side-lining. S/he must also have the capacity to communicate via an interpreter, especially during meeting with local officials and community leaders who mostly speak Amharic or Afar language.

Additional Qualifications

Skills

EM-Coordination of sectoral emergency response activities, FO-Complex field emergency operations, FS-High Risk Environment Operations, MG-Large-scale Operations Management

BA: Business Administration (Required), BA: Economics (Required), BA: Law (Required), BA: Political Science (Required), BA: Social Science (Required)

Certifications

Programme Management – Other

Annual Budget OL in Operation/Office, Number of Persons of Concern Served, Number of Workforce in Operation/Work Setting, Workforce to Supervise, Working with Persons of Concern: Internally Displaced Persons, Working with Persons of Concern: Refugees

Competencies

Accountability, Analytical thinking, Client & results orientation, Commitment to continuous learning, Communication, Empowering & building trust, Judgement & decision making, Managing performance, Managing resource, Negotiation & conflict resolution, Organizational awareness, Planning & organizing, Teamwork & collaboration

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

Compendium

Bi-annual Compendium 2022 Part B – November 2022

This position doesn’t require a functional clearance