The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is a United Nations (UN) body established in December 1991 by the General Assembly to strengthen the international response to complex emergencies and natural disasters. It is the successor to the Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Coordinator (UNDRO).

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Head of Planning and Coordination Unit, the National Humanitarian Affairs Officer will perform the following tasks:

Assist in the coordination of humanitarian assistance in the context of Ethiopia by supporting the Inter-Cluster Coordination Group  in strengthening coordination mechanisms and by organizing, planning and ensuring the preparation of cluster and working group meetings as needed;

• Provide support to Inter-Cluster Coordinator for preparing agenda/briefing pack for regular ICCG meetings, prepare first draft minutes for ICCG meetings, and follow-up on action points as required;
• Provide support to Ethiopia Humanitarian Country Team EHCT by supporting the preparation of agenda/briefing pack for EHCT meetings, preparing first draft minutes of meetings and follow-up on action points as required;
• Facilitate and ensure appropriate coordination and information exchange regarding cluster activities and other partners working on humanitarian operations in Ethiopia.
• Provide support and contribute to the development of the Humanitarian Needs Overview and the Humanitarian Response Plan;
• Partner with other humanitarian agencies to plan and evaluate humanitarian and emergency assistance programs and help to ensure that the latest findings, lessons learnt, policy guidelines etc. are incorporated into these activities, including gender-related considerations;
• Undertake and provide support to technical assistance and other field missions, e.g., participate in inter-agency multi-sector field trips to undertake in-depth reviews of specific coverage areas coordination mechanisms;
• Support field colleagues (OCHA, partners, and clusters) in sharing information, briefing about the humanitarian programme cycle, rolling up tools for assessments, etc
• Provide support in the collection of information on humanitarian developments and relief programmes;
• Maintain the OCHA contact directory for inter-cluster and relevant government counterparts;
• Perform other duties including deployment to other duty stations in Ethiopia as requested by the Head of Unit

Job Requirement

Education: Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in political science, social science, public administration, international studies, economics or related area. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• Zero years of experience with an Advanced Degree and a minimum of 2 years with a Bachelor’s degree of progressively responsible and relevant professional experience in humanitarian affairs, emergency preparedness, rehabilitation, and development, with significant field experience in complex emergencies, including humanitarian emergencies efforts.
• UN or NGO experience required
• Proven ability to work in an inter-agency environment and experience in working with government officials and technical staff cooperatively is essential
• Availability for travel in-country
• Cultural sensitivity and diplomatic skills essential

Language Requirements

• Fluency in English and Amharic languages is required. (oral and written).
• Being able to interpret/translate relevant communications, office reports, and/or documents from local languages into English is an advantage.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

• Teamwork
• Planning and organizing
• Communication
• Accountability
• Client Orientation

Functional competencies:

• very good writing skills
• good verbal skills including the capacity to provide presentations to various audiences
• team player and strong interpersonal skills
• interested in learning
• copes well with pressure, changes, and short deadlines

Duty Station: Addis Ababa