UNICEF ESARO

terms of Reference

Emergency specialist, P3- temporary appointment

Position Title          : Emergency Specialist

Contract Type        : Temp/Short-term Staff

Level                :  P3

Duration            : 364 Days

Duty Station        : Nairobi

Supervisor            : Regional Adviser Emergency

Purpose of the Position

Under the general guidance of the Regional Emergency Advisor, provide support to UNICEF Country Offices (CO) engaged in humanitarian action encompassing preparedness, response and post-crisis recovery.  The Emergency Specialist will work as part of the Humanitarian Action Resilience and Peace Building (HARP) Section as well as with sectoral emergency focal points within the Regional Office (RO), inter-agency partners and Country Office staff.

Key Expected Results

• Support and contribute to effective and strategic coordination of support to Country Offices undertaking humanitarian action.  Provide dedicated support to the preparation, documentation and follow-up of emergency management mechanism within the RO including Emergency Management Team, Humanitarian Action Team and other mechanism as required.  Focus will be placed on supporting coordination for South Sudan and neighboring countries, Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes.

• Support resource mobilization for humanitarian action by consolidating information on various humanitarian contexts, priority humanitarian needs, UNICEF and partners' ongoing response and priority resource needs and develop clear communication products for internal and external dissemination.  Focus will be placed on supporting coordination for South Sudan and neighboring countries, Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes.

• Undertake analysis of key risks and monitor emerging humanitarian trends and potential socio-political instability in the region. Support triggering of early action in response to early warning information and support Country Offices in undertaking enhanced preparedness actions.
  Ensure UNICEF representation in key technical-level inter-agency fora related to emergency preparedness and response. Support management engagement with high-level mechanisms by ensuring appropriate analysis is available.

• Support country specific, regional and inter-agency preparedness processes by tracking progress, providing support to implementation of key actions and engagement with inter-agency processes at the regional level.

• Support quality assurance and monitoring of preparedness and humanitarian response planning and implementation including analysis of humanitarian performance monitoring data and situation reports.

• Participate in the preparation of all regional reports, budget reviews, regional analyses, and regional office work planning exercises

Qualifications of Successful Candidate

• Advanced University degree in International Relations, Public Administration/Public Policy, Humanitarian Affairs, Development, Social Sciences, or a related technical field.

• Five years professional work experience at national and international levels in humanitarian response. Preferred experience in preparedness, complex emergencies, including experience in early recovery.

• Fluency in both written and spoken English, and another UN language as a strong asset.

Competencies of Successful Candidate

• Communicates effectively to varied audiences, including during formal public speaking.

• Able to work effectively in a multi-cultural environment.

• Sets high standards for quality of work and consistently achieves project goals.

• Has good leadership and supervisory skills; co-ordinates group activities, ensuring that roles within the team are clear.

• Translates strategic direction into plans and objectives.

• Analyzes and integrates diverse and complex quantitative and qualitative data from a wide range of sources.

• Quickly builds rapport with individuals and groups; maintains an effective network of individuals across organizational departments.

• Identifies urgent and potentially difficult decisions and acts on them promptly; initiates and generates team- and department-wide activities.

• Demonstrates, applies and shares expert technical knowledge across the organization.

How to apply:

Application deadline: 22 July, 2015

Applicants are requested to send their submissions to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.g  with subject line: “Temporary Appointment: Emergency Specialist, P-3”.

Applications must include:

• Cover letter
• CV
• P-11 form (available at http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/P11.doc )

Please note that acknowledgement of application will be extended only to short-listed candidates.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.