UNOCHA Chief, Surge Capacity Section

Chief, Surge Capacity Section (P-5)

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA)

Duty station: Geneva, Switzerland

Duration: Two years

Entry on Duty: 17 July 2012

Vacancy Notice number: OCHA/G/29/2012

Deadline for applications: 13 June 2012

Special Mention: Appointment against this post is limited to the temporary replacement of fixed-term staff member on special leave for duration of two years. Should an external candidate be selected, s/he may be granted a temporary appointment which shall not exceed 364 days.
United Nations Core Values: INTEGRITY / PROFESSIONALISM / RESPECT FOR DIVERSITY

ORGANIZATIONAL SETTING AND REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS: This Chief of Surge Capacity Section (SCS) position is located in the Emergency Services Branch (ESB) of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), Geneva. Within the limits of delegated authority, under the direct supervision of the Chief of ESB, the incumbent will be responsible for the main functional areas as follows:
RESPONSIBILITIES: a) Management of the Surge Capacity Section (SCS) and the maintenance and development of field oriented OCHA surge capacity modalities (e.g. ERR, SBPP, ASP, RESO); b) Coordination of OCHA's surge capacity deployment in support of the OCHA and UN system's response to natural disaster and complex emergency situations; c) Promote and sustain cooperation with surge capacity and regular staffing systems of key internal actors and other humanitarian partners; d) Advocate and promote, with internal ‘clients’ and humanitarian agencies and donors, OCHA's integrated surge capacity systems; e) Oversee a varied set of surge staff development measures and the promotion of a ‘Surge Package of Care’.

In particular, the SCS Section Chief reports to the Chief of ESB and will be responsible for the following: Mobilising and coordinating emergency deployments of OCHA surge capacity to fill gaps in OCHA field presence responding immediately to new and escalating complex emergencies, taking over from UNDAC teams after major disasters within 1-3 weeks; Manages, plans and oversees the activities undertaken by the Section, which includes: Developing policy and guidelines related to OCHA surge capacity; Promoting and advocating for the Surge Capacity structures with senior OCHA, Humanitarian Agencies, and government staff; Coordinating surge capacity deployment; Managing, supervising and carrying out the work and formulation of the cost plan of the Section; Coordinating the work carried out by the Section; Providing programmatic/substantive reviews of drafts prepared by the Section’s members; Fostering teamwork and communication among staff in the Section and across organizational boundaries; Managing, guiding and developing staff under his/her supervision; Establishes the Section’s annual work plan and budget, monitoring compliance with performance standards, and providing supervision and guidance to ensure work plan objectives are met; Leads, directs and provides overall technical and policy guidance to team of professional staff, consultants conducting special studies and activities, and general service staff of the Section; Coaches, mentors, and evaluates staff; Providing policy guidance to ESB management and staff on conceptual strategy development and the Section’s mission and key objectives; Provides substantive input in the preparation of position papers and reports for presentation to intergovernmental bodies such as Economic and Social Council, the General Assembly and other policy making organs, as appropriate; Represents the Section, Branch and Office as required in various meetings (inter-agency, donor) in Geneva, and elsewhere; Establishes and maintains contacts with government officials, UN agencies, non-governmental organizations, etc.; Ensures appropriate mechanisms to facilitate collaboration and exchange of information regarding policy developments related to surge capacity in the UN system; Supervises the management of the various HQ-administered OCHA surge mechanisms which provide humanitarian response experts for short mid-term assignments in OCHA field offices; In close collaboration with ESB Section Chiefs and OCHA Heads of Offices s/he: Advocates, provides advice and makes recommendations to OCHA Senior Management and member states for resource mobilization for Surge Capacity strengthening services in OCHA; Directs and supervises the implementation of those recommendation; Initiates, supervises and finalizes lessons learnt related to Surge Capacity deployments, reflects them in preparation and guidance for future surge OCHA missions, as well as in relevant training programmes; Performs other duties as required.
Competences

PROFESSIONALISM: Good knowledge of OCHA and UN humanitarian system, exposure to a wide range of preparedness and response activities. Strong interpersonal skills are required; Proven record of managing and building teams; Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds; Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; Remains calm in stressful situations; Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; Must be available for surge deployments.

COMMUNICATION: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; Asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; Tailors language, tone, style and format to match the audience; Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

PLANNING & ORGANIZING: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; Identifies priority activities and assignments - adjusts priorities as required; Allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; Foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; Monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary - Uses time efficiently.

JUDGEMENT/DECISION MAKING: Identifies the key issues in a complex situation, and comes to the heart of the problem quickly; Gathers relevant information before making a decision; Considers positive and negative impacts of decisions prior to making them; Takes decisions with an eye to the impact on others and on the Organization; Proposes a course of action or makes a recommendation based on all available information; Checks assumptions against facts; Determines that the actions proposed will satisfy the expressed and underlying needs for the decision; Makes tough decisions when necessary.

LEADERSHIP: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow; Empowers others to translate vision into results; Is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; Establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; Anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; Drives for change and improvement; does not accept the status quo; Shows the courage to take unpopular stands.

Qualifications & Experience
EDUCATION: Advanced university degree (i.e. Master's degree or equivalent) preferably in public administration, economics, social sciences, political science or international affairs or a related area is required; A first-level university degree (i.e. Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in one of the above mentioned academic disciplines in combination with qualifying relevant professional experience may be accepted in lieu of advanced university degree.

WORKING EXPERIENCE: A minimum ten (10) years of progressively responsible professional experience at the international level, preferably within in the United Nations, in the areas of coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance, inter agency coordination, disaster management and resource mobilisationis required; Experience in different cycles of disaster/emergency management and in related response and preparedness management with relevant experience in major humanitarian operations is highly advantageous.

LANGUAGE: For this position fluency in English (both oral and written) and working knowledge of French is required; Knowledge of another official UN language is an advantage.

***SPECIAL NOTICE ***
Please note that applications received after the deadline will not be accepted. All posts are subject to availability of funds.
Applicants will be contacted only if they are under serious consideration. This vacancy announcement may be used to fill similar positions at the same level in other field duty stations.
Upon selection candidates will be subject to satisfactory reference checks to be completed by the recruiting department/office which shall include verification of the highest required academic qualification(s) and record with the last employer.

Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context all staff members are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures.

Applications from qualified female candidates and from nationals of non- and under-represented countries are particularly encouraged.
How to apply: All applicants are requested to email the following documents to clavier@un.org with a copy to ochavacancies@un.org
Please state your full name and the OCHA vacancy notice number (OCHA/G/29/2012) as the subject in your e-mail application and send one email application for every vacancy announcement.
Documents titles should be formatted as follows:

LASTNAME_Firstname_ DOCUMENT;
For example:
GREEN_Joseph_PHP.doc; GREEN_Joseph_SUPP.doc; GREEN_Joseph_SPIF.doc; GREEN_Joseph_PAS.doc and; GREEN_Joseph_COVERLETTER.doc.
Note that an applicants’ eligibility cannot be fully assessed if the standard United Nations recruitment documents are not submitted or properly completed i.e. Personal History profile and Supplementary Sheet.

All Application Forms can be found by clicking on the following link:http://ocha.unog.ch/OCHAvacancies/
Applications received after the deadline will not be accepted.
"The United Nations does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, meeting, processing, training or any other fees). Also, the United Nations does not concern itself with information on bank accounts".

How to apply:
Please note that applications received after the deadline will not be accepted. All posts are subject to availability of funds.
Applicants will be contacted only if they are under serious consideration. This vacancy announcement may be used to fill similar positions at the same level in other field duty stations.
Upon selection candidates will be subject to satisfactory reference checks to be completed by the recruiting department/office which shall include verification of the highest required academic qualification(s) and record with the last employer.

Staff members are subject to the authority of the Secretary-General and to assignment by him or her. In this context all staff members are expected to move periodically to new functions in their careers in accordance with established rules and procedures.

Applications from qualified female candidates and from nationals of non- and under-represented countries are particularly encouraged.
How to apply: All applicants are requested to email the following documents to clavier@un.org with a copy to ochavacancies@un.org
Please state your full name and the OCHA vacancy notice number (OCHA/G/29/2012) as the subject in your e-mail application and send one email application for every vacancy announcement.
Documents titles should be formatted as follows:

LASTNAME_Firstname_ DOCUMENT;
For example:
GREEN_Joseph_PHP.doc; GREEN_Joseph_SUPP.doc; GREEN_Joseph_SPIF.doc; GREEN_Joseph_PAS.doc and; GREEN_Joseph_COVERLETTER.doc.
Note that an applicants’ eligibility cannot be fully assessed if the standard United Nations recruitment documents are not submitted or properly completed i.e. Personal History profile and Supplementary Sheet.

All Application Forms can be found by clicking on the following link:http://ocha.unog.ch/OCHAvacancies/
Applications received after the deadline will not be accepted.
"The United Nations does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview, meeting, processing, training or any other fees). Also, the United Nations does not concern itself with information on bank accounts".

Job Email id:

clavier(at)un.org