Senior Adviser Emergency

Under the guidance of the MENA Regional Director, the Senior Adviser Emergency P5 is accountable for managing UNICEF’s response to the humanitarian operations in Northwest Syria and coordinating closely with all stakeholders involved to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency in humanitarian operations and any post crisis recovery efforts. As such, the Senior Adviser Emergency collaborates with the Regional Advisors and Syria country office staff to support ensuring strategic planning, positioning of UNICEF in this crisis and provide policy guidance in relation to humanitarian support, complex emergencies, risk reduction, post crisis-situations and recovery in this context. He/She ensures that strategic partnerships are developed and sustained in the area of coordination of humanitarian response in this complex emergency and post crisis/conflict situation.

Key functions, accountabilities and related duties/tasks

Leadership, Strategic Planning, Policy guidance and Representation

• Ensures that UNICEF’s role in the WoS complex emergency and post crisis-agenda is fulfilled by contributing to strategic planning and decision making of the Organization. Advises the MENA Regional Director Regional Office Management Team (ROMT)on strategic analysis and positioning of UNICEF in this specific context, linking political, humanitarian and security agendas. More specifically:
• Prepare political analysis/scenarios outlining risks and mitigation measures to ensure programme continuity.
• Provides leadership in developing and maintaining inter-agency partnerships in the areas of cross border humanitarian response, post-disaster/post conflict agenda in Syria, proactively ensuring a strategic approach to advocacy with HQ and high-level external fora, including donors and NGOs.
• Organize quarterly joint planning/review meetings to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of crossline and cross-border operations.
• Provide policy advice on emergencies and programme as well as guidance related to implementation of emergency preparedness measures.
• Provide strategic support to ensure that needs assessment is effectively conducted to determine priorities and an appropriate intervention by UNICEF based on the local emergency situation affecting children and their families and communities.
• Ensure that regional office management is kept informed of humanitarian developments in relevant policies, situation developments, potential threats, and opportunities/issues in the country.
• Support the work of Regional Director’s Office with briefing notes and talking points, representation, and advice.

Management and Coordination:

• Promotes the effective and efficient management and coordination around the Whole of Syria operations including:
• Coordinate with all the stakeholders in UNICEF concerned with Syria and update the Regional Director on progress or issues.
• Collaborate with UNICEF Syria country office on fundraising, coherent programme under HAC.
• Understand the challenges in the different locations from which work is done for Syria’s children and promote a culture of flexibility to enable them to do their work.
• Promote a risk management approach to the operations in Northwest Syria as per UNICEF’s policy.
• Review HNA, HRP analysis and present briefing notes to the Regional Director.
• Provide support on critical access negotiation/challenges that cannot be addressed from one location alone.
• Coordinate and manage emergency preparedness and response for the hubs and ensure a consistent flow of information on the humanitarian situation is effectively maintained within the office.
• Provide all necessary assistance to the Regional Director in emergency operations oversight and programme management with clear accountabilities.
• Ensure that emergency appeals and project proposals are prepared, and concrete efforts are put forward to mobilize donor response and recovery/rehabilitation-related funding.

Support and oversight of the Gaziantep outpost:

• Ensure that programme workplans are in place for the UNICEF MENARO outpost in Gaziantep and that their implementation is properly supervised with at least one annual review being held.
• Ensure a robust monitoring system is in place for programme monitoring and reporting, including HPM.
• Monitor the overall allocation and disbursement of program funds, making sure that the funds are properly coordinated monitored and liquidated.
• Undertake field visits and ensure that staff in MENARO outpost in Gaziantep conduct field visits to monitor and assess programme implementation.
• Meeting periodically with the non-state actors and negotiate programme action.
• Prepare and submit viable recommendation to the Regional Director on programme implementation, alternative approaches and optimal utilization of resources hat contribute effectively to the fulfillment of the rights of children and women, and recommendations on programme, new initiatives, and managements issues to ensure achievement of objectives.
• Participates and represent the Regional Director in critical meetings held with partners at the level of the MENARO outpost in Gaziantep.

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

The following minimum requirements:

Education:

• Advance university degree in Social Sciences, Economics, Public Administration, International Relations, Management or other related fields.
• Work Experience: A minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible senior managerial experience essentially in emergency programme operation, public relations, and management of human, financial and institutional resources at national and international levels. Prior UNICEF field experience is highly desirable. Working in transition context is an asset.

Skills:

• Thorough knowledge about current theories, practices in specialized field(s) of profession related to UNICEF work in emergencies.
• Demonstrated ability for leadership, negotiation, advocacy, and social mobilization.
• Demonstrated ability to manage diverse functional groups and supervise groups of senior level professional and technical staff.
• Demonstrated ability to innovate and communicate ideas effectively.
• Demonstrated ability to conceive, plan and implement programmes.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural environment and establish harmonious and effective working relations inside and outside the organization.
• Knowledge of computer literacy and applications.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English and another UN working language required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian of Spanish) is an asset.

Source: https://jobs.unicef.org/cw/en-us/job/571825