Policy and Advocacy Seniot Officer – Ukraine

Place: Kyiv, Ukraine
Starting date: 15th November 2024
Duration of contract: 6 months
Closing date for applications: 4th October 2024

Humanity & Inclusion is an independent and impartial aid organisation working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster. The organisation works alongside people with disabilities and vulnerable populations, taking action and bearing witness in order to respond to their essential needs, improve their living conditions and promote respect for their dignity and fundamental rights.

Since its creation in 1982, HI has run development programmes in more than 60 countries and responded to numerous emergencies. Today, we have a budget of approximately 255 million euros, with 4794 employees worldwide.

At Handicap International-Humanity & Inclusion, we truly believe in the importance of inclusion and diversity within our organisation. This is why we are engaged to a disability policy to encourage the inclusion and integration of people with disabilities.

Please indicate if you require any special accommodation, even at the first interview. For more information about the organisation: www.hi.org

JOB CONTEXT:

Since February 2022 HI has re-opened a Country Programme in Ukraine to respond to the humanitarian needs triggered by the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation. In 2024, HI pillars of interventions are

• Health: HI aims to improve access to quality physical rehabilitation and mental health and psychosocial services (MHPSS) for conflict-affected vulnerable population.
• Protection: Given the scale of humanitarian and protection needs, HI intervenes at various levels to ensure that vulnerable conflict-affected populations have access to multi-sectoral services tailored to their needs. In addition, HI aims to foster a disability-inclusive humanitarian response.
• Armed Violence Reduction: Recent and ongoing attacks dangerously exacerbated Explosive Ordnance (EO) contamination in Ukraine. In light of this, HI is conducting a multi-pronged approach to EO Risk Education and Conflict Preparedness and Protection (CPP), adaptable to the evolution of the conflict and is looking at extending the AVR scope with NTS (Non-Technical Survey) activities (subject to accreditation approval) and Victim Assistance.
• Basic needs: to respond to the most acute needs for displaced households hosted by the local population or living in collective settings, HI is providing cash-based transfers, including MPCA (Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance) and a disability top-up.
• Humanitarian-to-humanitarian logistics (Atlas Logistique): To facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance as close as possible to the most affected populations, HI proposes mutualized storage and transportation services to other humanitarian actors – with a specific focus on “last-mile transportation”, as well as capacity building.

Ukraine’s Program is a 2-year old program. One of the current goals is to stabilize the structure and operational strategy while increasing our capacity to implement activities in the country with a priority to the East and South East parts of Ukraine which are the most affected by the conflict.

YOUR MISSION:

Responsibility 1: Strategy and steering 

– Analayse the humanitarian environment and define HI positions. 

• Monitor and analyze the humanitarian context, architecture and actors at play to identify the main positioning and ethical issues to ensure a principled humanitarian action
• Define and produce policy papers laying down HI positions in accordance with HI ethical guidelines and principles of intervention.
• Contribute to the risk-analysis for the adaptation of the advocacy strategies and products

-Develop and update advocacy strategies and action plans

• Work with the AIR team on developing and updating the joint advocacy strategy related to Ukraine and ensure it is consistent across national, regional and international levels
• Lead the design and implementation of coordinated advocacy action plans at regional and national levels, and ensure they are properly implemented, in compliance with HI advocacy quality standards and procedures
• Identify key issues emerging from HI operations that would require advocacy for policy changes

Responsibility 2: Operational Implementation

-Ensure that advocacy is based on reliable and up-to-date evidence and data

• Regularly liaise with key operational staff and external stakeholders to gather timely information and data to feed into federal and country based advocacy strategies
• Ensure that the programme produces reliable and consistent data for advocacy purposes and that it is shared with the AIR team
• Lead or contribute to the preparation of advocacy tools

-Organize the effective influence and outreach of HI

• Engage in relevant fora, networks and coalitions or with key partners at national and regional levels to feed the analyses and promote HI positions.
• Take part in events and conferences and ad hoc meetings with decision makers at global level in coordination with the AIR team
• When appropriate, liaise with the medias on advocacy related issues with the support of the federal Communication, and AIR teams

-Ensure HI internal communication and ownership

• Disseminate advocacy- and policy- related information within the HI network through appropriate channels, including by feeding HI internal communication tools and platforms
• Contribute to internal advocacy related working structures, and other relevant internal meetings to provide updated information and discuss advocacy
• Assess needs and provide trainings accordingly on principled humanitarian action and HI ethical guidelines to staff as well as local/national partners when appropriate

-Contribute to fundraising efforts

• Identify funding opportunities for advocacy and positioning activities and staff, including through incorporating advocacy activities into field projects and new project proposals
• Participate to the production of Policy Check lists of fundings

Contribute to support or to implement the programme’s emergency preparedness actions, and, in case of emergency, adapt her/his way of working in order to contribute to an efficient humanitarian response from HI.

Responsibility 3: Standard and Expertise

-Contribute to raising the quality and internal ownership oh HI advocacy work

• Comply with and promote HI quality standards and internal procedures relating to advocacy
• Report to line manager and the AIR Humanitarian Advocacy Manager / AIR focal point any issues of compliance
• Contribute to the design and delivery of presentations and training tools on advocacy

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE POSITION:

The security situation in Ukraine remains relatively stable, although there are frequent days and nights of air alerts. However, markets, restaurants and cafes are open, and life continues as normal. There is a strict curfew, the hours depend on the region. During the winter, most attacks target energy structures, mainly power grids and power plants, resulting in sporadic disruptions of electricity, water, heating and communications.

HI has 3 hubs, one in the East (based in Dnipro with a sub base in Poltava), one in the North-East (based in Kharkiv), one in the South East (based in Mikolaiv) and the coordination is in Kyiv. HI staff is accommodated in guesthouses or in hotel (during business trips), usually near HI offices, restaurants, cafes, shopping centers within walking distance and near a shelter (the shelter is either in the building or easy to reach). Movements between sites can be made by car (HI drivers) or by train, depending of the region and time.

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