Emergency Specialist: Accountability to Affected Populations, Localization, and Inclusion, P-4, TA, Amman, Jordan, MENA (364 days))

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 Middle East and North Africa (MENA) protracted conflicts, climate change and social and natural hazards continue to threaten the lives and well-being of children. Consequently, 50 million children, including 6.4 million refugees and approximately 6.4 million internally displaced children, need humanitarian assistance. As emergencies become more frequent in the MENA region, and resources invested in humanitarian action grow, expectations for UNICEF to deliver on the Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action (CCCs) in a timely and effective manner increase. Regional Office support to the preparedness and response efforts of the country offices in the MENA region significantly enhances UNICEF’s ability to meet these expectations, delivering effective emergency operations.

As a leading actor in the response, UNICEF is committed to ensuring accountability to and inclusion of people affected by crisis and ensuring they are firmly at the center to ensure relevant, timely, effective and efficient response. UNICEF follows a rights-based, inclusive, and active approach to AAP in recognition that the persons we serve are rights-holders rather than passive “aid recipients”. Everyone – regardless of their gender, age, disability, nationality, or other differences – must be empowered to express their views and make their own choices, supported by reliable and accessible information, and have a genuine say in decisions.

UNICEF invests in the institutional and technical capacity of local actors (authorities, CSOs, communities and private sector), to better address the needs of children affected by humanitarian crisis and to prepare national and sub-national actors for future humanitarian responses. UNICEF commits to localizing its humanitarian response by recognizing, respecting and strengthening the leadership and coordination of humanitarian action by national and local authorities, CSOs, and communities. UNICEF achieves localization by supporting participation, leadership and capacity-strengthening of local partners in humanitarian action, including in coordination mechanisms, engaging in principled partnership, adopting comprehensive risk management and, where possible, supporting multi-year agreements and funding.

How can you make a difference?

Responsibilities and Tasks

Support the development, updating and implementation of strategies and action plans to scale up accountability

to affected population (AAP) across MENA

• In line with Regional office AAP strategy, facilitate the development of CO strategies and plans of action

for mainstreaming and scaling up AAP that has clear deliverables, indicators and timeframes to enable

timely marked improvement in AAP/CE performance

• Support the integration of AAP in CO annual work plans and processes ensuring each programme (and

operation) section have specific AAP outputs, activity and budgets for effective implementation

• Ensure COs have functioning Complaints and Feedback Mechanisms in place, that feedback is provided

to beneficiaries, and that the feedback is shared and taken into account in future programming and

advocacy

• Ensure coherence and articulation of AAP and localization agendas at country and regional levels

• Facilitate scale up of “Voices of Change” pilot project undertaken in 2023 in collaboration with Office of

Innovation

• Identify additional resources (human, financial, technical, etc.) needed to implement the AAP/CE plan

and explore options to mobilize these

 

Support the rollout and scale up of localization interventions and processes across MENA

• Support the operationalization of UNICEF technical note on localization in humanitarian action, the

strategic document for the localization agenda

• Support country offices to identify opportunities for strategic engagement with local actors, as well as

barriers that may hinder their engagement with UNICEF

• In conjunction with other sections, lead the development of localized surge capacity (e.g. local-level

emergency response teams/roster of local first responders) to complement other institutional

mechanisms and ensure faster response to children’s needs during crisis

• With supply team, explore local supply and logistics preparedness including arrangements to promote

local production and local procurements

• Contribute to the documentation of country case studies on the operationalization of the localization

agenda

• Work closely with cluster coordinators to identify and support opportunities to connect local CSOs with

cluster coordination at national and sub-national level

 

Act as focal point for inclusion within the Humanitarian team

• Support Country offices in ensuring a) inclusive needs assessments, planning and monitoring, b) inclusive

and safe access to information and services and c) children at risk of exclusion, including children with

disabilities, across all genders, ages, and nationalities, including refugees and internally displaced –

participate in the design of programmes and in the decisions that affect their lives

• Liaise with RO sections to support inclusive preparedness and response

 

Lead advocacy, networking and capacity building efforts on AAP, localization and inclusion in humanitarian

action

• Facilitate capacity building to strengthen the knowledge of, and commitment to AAP/CE approaches for

UNICEF and partner staff

• Develop context-specific capacity building materials by contextualizing global and national tools and

support capacity strengthening on inclusive and localized humanitarian response.

• In collaboration with Planning and Reports teams, facilitate AAP inclusive monitoring and reporting

efforts across MENA

• Identify opportunities to integrate AAP into existing training and tailor content to specific audiences.

• Facilitate staff capacity strengthening (including orientation sessions) on localization, and disseminate

global and regional guidance

• Support and coordinate operationalization of UNICEF local partners capacity institutional strengthening

guidance to facilitate local actors’ ability to respond to results for children.

• Collaborate with internal, regional and global partners to update, harmonize, link and coordinate

activities, tools and processes designed to enhance communication and community engagement in

humanitarian response including use of multiple media and communication platforms

• Maintain and strengthen partnerships and stakeholder engagement through networking and proactive

collaboration and engagement with strategic partners including NGOs, including the organization of

marginalized groups – women, children, displaced and stateless people, refugees, people with

disabilities, and people of all genders and sexualities, local authorities, community and religious leaders

and others to promote accountability to affected population.

 

Partner and coordinate with relevant stakeholders on AAP and localisation in humanitarian action

Explore and enhance opportunities for inter-agency collaboration on AAP.

• Serve as the primary focal point with headquarters, participate in monthly AAP Technical Group meeting,

support preparations of the bi-annual Steering Group meeting for MENARO

• Lead regular AAP and Localization meetings with all COs in the region

• Liaise with other relevant colleagues in Regional Offices to ensure coherence and consistence in

operationalizing UNICEF AAP global strategy in close collaboration with headquarters (EMOPS Geneva,

AAP lead)

• Liaise with other relevant colleagues in Regional Offices to ensure coherence and consistence in

operationalizing UNICEF Localization approach in close collaboration with headquarters (EMOPS HPS

lead)

• Coordinate with other cross-cutting/people-centred specialists and focal points e.g. PSEA, gender,

disability inclusion etc., and harmonize training, approaches, and advocacy

• Represent UNICEF at inter-agency Working Groups, clusters and other relevant fora in formulating and

articulating AAP/CE and Localization plans and outcomes and in disseminating key results and lessons

learnt

• Identify and build partnerships with global/regional institutional pools of expertise who could contribute

to advancing AAP and Localization agendas

• Explore and enhance opportunities for Inter-Agency collaboration on localization, and support clusters

to increasingly integrate localization in humanitarian action

 

Lead on evidence generation, innovation and knowledge management

• Support Country Offices (remotely or on the ground) in conducting inclusive needs assessment to

understand community information needs, communications preferences, community dynamics, social

norms, cultural beliefs, superstitions and other anthropological factors that could impact programmes

• Support Country Offices in ensuring systematic collection and analysis of key community feedback data

through integration of core AAP questions in cluster assessments, surveys and other data collection tools

and activities and their inclusion in IMEP, ensuring it is routinely disaggregated by age, sex, and disability

• Support the analysis and dissemination of community perception surveys of UNICEF and quality of

UNICEF supported programmes

• Facilitate the implementation and documentation of innovative practices, approaches and latest

technology on multiple media and social/digital platforms and networks that are appropriate/available

for the humanitarian context and audience (e.g. U-Report)

• Institutionalize/share best practices and knowledge, including for the VoC pilot, through the MENA

compendium of AAP practices with global/regional/national/local partners and stakeholders to build

capacity of partners and disseminate these products to key audiences including donors and national and

global partners

• Coordinate the documentation of good practices and lessons learnt, on the different components of the

localization approach

 

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

1. Education:

Advanced University degree in one of the following fields: social and behavioral sciences, anthropology, psychology, international relations or other related disciplines. Preferably a combination of management, administration and relevant technical fields.

2. Work Experience:

Eight years of progressively responsible professional work experience at national and international levels in Humanitarian programme/project development.

Work experience in complex emergencies is required.

Demonstrable field experience in developing and implementing evidence-based AAP strategies and interventions in humanitarian contexts.

Experience in designing and facilitating participatory capacity-building sessions at different levels with diverse, multicultural teams. Professional field experience in strategic engagement with local actors, on the operationalization of a comprehensive localization agenda.

Demonstrable field experience in advancing inclusive emergency preparedness and response.

3. Language Proficiency:

Fluency in English and fluency/knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic and/or French) is required.

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.

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 promoting the protection and safeguarding of all children. 

Remarks:

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). Should you be selected for a position with UNICEF, you either must be inoculated as required or receive a medical exemption from the relevant department of the UN. Otherwise, the selection will be cancelled.

All selected candidates will 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.

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.