Chief, Humanitarian Policy Section – P5

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

 

For every child, hope

In the capacity of Chief of the Humanitarian Policy Section (HPS) of EMOPS, accountable for leadership and managerial support to the organization in a broad range of humanitarian policy areas.

Accountable for overall leadership and guidance on humanitarian policy direction. Will take into account new initiatives and emerging issues with a view to positioning UNICEF as a relevant and trusted voice, with a particular focus on children’s concerns, in the humanitarian policy discourse.

Accountable for the effective integration of humanitarian principles, gender and right-based approaches into UNICEF’s humanitarian programmes and advocacy and the provision of timely, reliable, effective and relevant support to HQ divisions, Country and Regional Offices on humanitarian action related issues.

 

How can you make a difference?

Within the delegated authority and under the given organizational set-up, the incumbent may be assigned the primarily, shared, or contributory accountabilities for all or part of the following areas of major duties and key end-results.

1. Managerial Guidance, Policy Advice and Coordination

• Supports the development and implementation of policies, procedures, tools, strategies and approaches to enable effective and mainstreamed humanitarian action and activities that address the underlying causes of vulnerability, fragility and conflict to strengthen resilience. Help promote quality of response through implementing the organisation’s focus on equity, gender sensitive humanitarian action, human rights, and enhancing systems to operationalize UNICEF’s accountability to affected populations and localization of aid.
• Coordinates with partners at HQ, Regional and Country levels and provides managerial and technical advice and support to the Organization in the development of humanitarian policy and strategy to address priority issues in the area of humanitarian action. Promotes the adherence to the CCCs, promotes UNICEF’s concerns and positions on the situation of children in crisis in interagency and intergovernmental policy making fora and mechanisms, particularly the IASC, OCHA and other Executive Committees, Security Council, General Assembly and ECOSOC humanitarian affairs’ segment, as well as with the OSRSG for Children and Armed Conflict.
• Provides timely, regular evidence-driven analysis for effective prioritization, planning, and development; facilitates results-based management for planning, adjusting, and scaling-up specific humanitarian policy initiatives. Determines specific needs for support on humanitarian policy issues either directly through country visits or through assistance from global or regional consultations.

2. Humanitarian policy dialogue and programme development

• Assures that UNICEF remains centrally positioned in humanitarian policy circles notably by promoting clear and strong positions that help the system advance on risk management and protection of civilians and applying these policy positions in country specific contexts.
• Develops and updates guidance and tools that support COs working in complex and high threat environments and build organizational capacity on International Humanitarian Law, access negotiations, engaging with armed non-state actors, the Programme Criticality Framework, civil military cooperation, working with UN integrated presences, protection of civilians, humanitarian action for child/human rights, and children and armed conflict.
• Analyzes the global context of humanitarian programmes and its impact as well as implications for children and proposes and promotes appropriate responses in respect of such issues and concerns, including resource allocation policies and the effect of humanitarian policies on the rights of children.
• Participates in the refinement discussion on the framework for the UN humanitarian reform, the humanitarian leadership in particular, as well as UN Development System and Peace and Security pillars’ reforms and their implications for UNICEF’s humanitarian work and ensures that policy issues relevant to children and UNICEF’s mandate and contributions to the reform are addressed in a result focused and timely manner.

3. Advocacy and communication

• Recommends UNICEF advocacy positions and contributes to the development of messaging in humanitarian crises on established and emerging humanitarian issues in close collaboration with various divisions at HQ and from operational inputs of Regional and Country offices.
• Ensures effective and timely development of briefing notes and talking points for UNICEF executives when requested and reports for donors and internal needs in accordance with given schedules.

4. Partnerships

• Establishes effective partnerships with the relevant stakeholders at the global level to support sustained and proactive commitment to humanitarian action in accordance with the CCCs and obligations of the Convention of the Rights of the Child and to achieve global humanitarian agendas. Identifies other critical partners, promotes awareness and builds capacity of partners, and actively facilitates effective collaboration within the UN family. Contributes to system-wide thinking on the humanitarian policy issues.

5. UNICEF Programme Management

• Ensure the achievement of humanitarian policy related programme and project goals by effective and efficient planning, management, coordination, monitoring and evaluation of the humanitarian policy objectives. Working with relevant HQ divisions, support reviews of UNICEF’s programmatic and operations systems to clarify accountabilities and simplify business processes, making sure they are appropriate to humanitarian situations. Continuously update UNICEF’s procedures for effective response and support to major emergencies as well as chronic acute crises. On all the topics above, provide real-time support to country and regional offices, help develop country specific policy positions, inform situation specific and global advocacy and communications priorities, and implement a continuous dissemination plan which includes training, on demand support, coaching, and feedback loops into the policy and tools development.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• Advanced University Degree in Social Sciences, Law or other related field (e.g., international relations, political science, public affairs, and/or international development)

A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible professional work experience at national and international levels with regard to:

 Humanitarian advocacy, including on human rights/child rights issues.

Managing in and on complex humanitarian crises.

Advising Senior leadership on humanitarian policies in humanitarian crises.

• Fluency in English is required. Fluency in another UN language an advantage.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3) Drive to achieve results for impact (4) Innovates and embraces change (5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (6) Thinks and acts strategically (7) Works collaboratively with others (8) Nurtures, leads and manages people

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

 

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.
We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.
UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

Previous applicants need not re-apply as their applications are being considered.

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are also subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

 

 

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