• Under the overall supervision of the OCHA ROSEA Head of Office, and as part of the Access/CMCoord and Analysis Unit (ACA), the Humanitarian Affairs Officer/PSEA reports to the Head of ACA and works in close conjunction and liaison with all units within OCHA ROSEA, especially the ACA and EPR Unit, including when providing surge and support to countries across the region with a specific focus on PSEA. The Humanitarian Affairs Officer/PSEA is expected regularly deploy to support humanitarian preparedness and response – with respect to PSEA – across the region (and beyond as required). He/She will work to support and strengthen coordination of the collective PSEA activities for the East and Southern Africa region. The PSEA Coordinator will work closely with the IASC Secretariat PSEAH team, and PSEA taskforce co-chairs.
• The candidate will be based in Nairobi, Kenya. This position will require regular surge deployments within and potentially outside the region. Candidates are expected to be available and willing to surge for up to three months at a time.
• OCHA ROSEA strives to foster a diverse and inclusive work environment. Female and multilingual candidates are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.

Duties And Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Head of Access/CMCoord and Analysis Unit, the National Humanitarian Affairs Officer/PSEA will be responsible for the following duties:
Country Surge and Support

• Provide frontline surge in response to new emergencies, the escalation of existing emergencies and/or to fill critical gaps, particularly to facilitate/lead coordination arrangements related to PSEA.
• Support coordinated humanitarian operational preparedness for, and response to, emergencies in Southern and Eastern Africa, including through frontline surge, and support (remote and in-person), with a focus on PSEA, including in relevant processes and products such as operational coordination, inter-cluster coordination, contingency plans, the Humanitarian Programme Cycle, flash updates, humanitarian financing (e.g. CERF) etc. with the aim to mainstream PSEA in humanitarian preparedness and response;
• Monitor analyze and report on PSEA developments and arrangements in assigned areas of Southern and Eastern Africa ;
• Follow developments in countries assigned by the supervisor, keep country profiles up-to-date; and engage with the Resident Coordinator’s Office coordination specialist for assigned countries, and highlight any issues of concern to feed into the daily operational update and flag for the attention of OCHA’s senior leadership; Support OCHA ROSEA to partner with other humanitarian agencies to plan and evaluate PSEA programmes in countries in Southern and Eastern Africa, and help ensure that latest findings, lessons learned and policy guidelines, etc. are incorporated into these activities, including gender-related considerations.
• Support engagement with relevant authorities and humanitarian partners to triangulate humanitarian information and effectively identify and map PSEA needs and response activities in assigned areas of Southern and Eastern Africa;
• Manages the production of appeals for international assistance; ensures the proper use and spending of donor contributions channeled through OCHA.including incorporating PSEA activities and considerations;
• Support as appropriate the preparation of relevant Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) applications and reports in countries under ROSEA’s coverage without OCHA country offices, including providing advice and guidance on including PSEA arrangements and programs.
• Prepare briefing materials and presentations providing up-to-date analysis on trends and developments on PSEA situation in the region;
• As appropriate, support, organize and/or participate in coordinated assessment missions to build consensus on humanitarian needs and priorities in assigned areas, including in relation to PSEA needs and activities.

Coordination

• Under the guidance of the head of the ACA section, provide assistance and support to OCHA Country Offices, OCHA Humanitarian Advisory Teams (HATs) on PSEA and related policy issues, upon request;
• Under the guidance of the head of the ACA section, support OCHA Country Offices, OCHA Humanitarian Advisory Teams (HATs) to identify operational challenges and gaps in PSEA;
• Support the Regional PSEA Task Team co-chairs in the implementation of the Regional PSEA Task team-work plan;
• Establishes and maintains contacts with government officials, other UN agencies, non-governmental organizations, diplomatic missions, media, etc., with a particular emphasis on ongoing engagement with experts and practitioners on PSEA.
• Under the guidance of the head of the ACA section support the integration of cross-cluster issues and cross cutting issues (e.g. gender, protection, accountability to affected people) in humanitarian programming in the region related to PSEA issues,, including through identifying opportunities (and challenges) with the use of cash and voucher assistance;
• Organizes and participates in work groups, meetings, conferences, consultations with other agencies and partners on humanitarian and emergency relief-related matters.
• Serves as the primary focal point on specific topics or policy-related issues for PSEA; keeps abreast of latest developments, liaises with other humanitarian organizations, donors, etc., ensures appropriate monitoring and reporting mechanisms; provides information and advice on a range of related issues.
• Perform other tasks that may be assigned by the Head of Unit to support the coordination of humanitarian action in the region, or any other duties requested by the OCHA Head of Office or Deputy Head of Office.

Requirements

Competencies

Corporate Values

• Integrity
• Professionalism
• Respect for diversity

Functional Competencies

• PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of a range of humanitarian assistance, emergency relief and related humanitarian issues, including approaches and techniques to address difficult problems. Analytical capacity and in particular the ability to analyze and articulate the humanitarian dimension of issues which require a coordinated UN response. Ability to identify issues and judgment in applying technical expertise to resolve a wide range of problems. Ability to conduct research, including ability to evaluate and integrate information from a variety of sources and assess impact on the humanitarian rights situation in assigned country/area. Ability to work under extreme pressure, on occasion in a highly stressful environment. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.
• PLANNING & ORGANIZING: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.
• CLIENT ORIENTATION: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; 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.

Recruitment Qualifications

Education

• Master’s Degree preferably in Political or Social Science, Law, International studies or other relevant science with 5 years of relevant and qualifying experience is required; a Bachelor’s degree in combination with 7 additional years of relevant and qualifying experience in the field of humanitarian affairs may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience, Knowledge, And Skills

• A minimum five years of relevant progressively professional responsible experience in humanitarian affairs roles (especially those dealing with Protection, Safeguarding and/or Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse), or other related areas is required.
• Experience working directly on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse is highly desirable.
• Experience working with a UN organization, NGO or civil society organization is desirable.
• A thorough understanding of the humanitarian situation in Southern and Eastern Africa, excellent communication, report writing & analytical skills are necessary.

Language Requirements

• Fluency in written and spoken English and Swahili is required.
• Knowledge of French and/or Arabic is highly desirable.