Junior Professional Officer (JPO) at P2 level, Associate Humanitarian Affairs OfficerAssociate Expert, INT-160-014-P066-01-V

I. OverviewThrough USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA), the United States sponsors qualified U.S. citizens for employment in the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) Junior Professional Officer (JPO) Program.

These fully funded JPO positions strengthen the humanitarian coordination capacity of UNOCHA. They further encourage U.S. citizens to become active members of the international community. After completing their JPO assignments, a number of JPOs successfully compete for positions at UNOCHA, and in other international and non-governmental organizations.

II. General InformationTitle: Associate Expert in Humanitarian AffairsSector of Assignment: Humanitarian AffairsOrganization/Office: UNOCHA/PRMB/DRSDuty Station: GenevaDate Required: As soon as possibleDuration: 1 year (with possibility of extension to another year)

III. Background InformationA core part of Programme Support Branch (PSB)’s work is to lead and support the implementation of the humanitarian programme cycle (HPC) in the field. We have embarked on an ambitious project to design a new suite of flexible and adaptive information services – facilitating needs analysis, informing strategic decision-making, tracking financial resources and monitoring progress.

A comprehensive vision around the entire HPC will allow both systems and processes to be improved together, ultimately facilitating the work of all stakeholders – at headquarters and in the field, across our partner agencies and in the donor community.

As part of this process, and in light of a rapidly changing policy and technology environment, PSB’s Financial Tracking Service (FTS) is working to develop common humanitarian data standards; fundamentally rebuilding its data architecture; and planning to stress test a new user interface throughout 2015 with a view to a re-launch in March 2016.

UNOCHA is the part of the United Nations Secretariat responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to emergencies. UNOCHA also ensures there is a framework within which each actor can contribute to the overall response effort. Its mission is to:

• Mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors in order to alleviate human suffering in disasters and emergencies• Advocate the rights of people in need• Promote preparedness and prevention• Facilitate sustainable solutions.

UN competencies: Professionalism: Shows pride in work and achievements. Remains calm in stressful situations. Respect for diversity: works effectively with people from all backgrounds. Treats all people with

dignity and respect. Commitment to continuous learning: Actively seeks to develop oneself professionally and

personally. Seeks feedback to learn and improve. Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively. Listens to others, correctly interprets

messages from others and responds appropriately. Client orientation: Establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining

their trust and respect. Identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions.

IV. EligibilityEducation: Graduate or law degree in fields including but not limited to humanitarian affairs,

international relations, human rights, disaster management, public policy or a related field.

Experience: Three or more years of progressively responsible professional experience working in humanitarian assistance, emergency relief, information management, data research, financial reporting and analyses, and working with a variety of diverse stakeholders, as well as field experience. Prior work experience in, or familiarity with, the UN system is also preferred.

Other Skills: Proficient in Word/Excel, including use for data analysis (e.g. pivot tables).• Some experience in financial applications is desirable (e.g. accounting or financial analysis) but not essential.• Experience using MS Office and web-based tools to create graphs, charts, tables and basic data visualization is highly desirable, but not essential.• Experience working with content management systems is desirable, but not essential.

Languages: Proficiency in at least one U.N. working language in addition to English is preferred.Work Location: Geneva, Switzerland

V. Duties The position is located in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), Geneva, and reports to the Humanitarian Affairs Officer of the Financial Tracking Service (FTS) within the Programme Support Branch (PSB).

Communicate with humanitarian organisations to obtain information on humanitarian funding and to maintain regular reporting arrangements with Financial Tracking Service (FTS).

Directly and regularly contact OCHA field offices, NGOs, donors and UN agencies that are participating in humanitarian response plans, strategic response plans and preliminary response plans to establish reporting relationships and obtain contribution information.

Contribute to the team’s outreach efforts to encourage better, more accurate and more timely reporting – notably with donors and recipients that do not regularly report to FTS (focusing on the largest humanitarian NGOs and UN Member States).

Work with the FTS team and as part of the wider accountability and transparency movement to work on commonly-accepted data standards and data reporting processes.

Assist colleagues with data queries and the preparation of financial analyses and reports – special reports, graphs, charts, tables and narrative analysis.

Provide technical help to FTS users as required. Carry out usability testing of new FTS features. Contribute to the development and production of outreach and training materials such

as FTS help tools (guide, tutorial). Create/assist others to create data-driven and other content for FTS website and social

media. Perform other tasks as required.

Learning ElementsThe assignment will provide the Associate HAO with:

• A thorough understanding of the financial tracking of humanitarian aid contributions and requirements.

• A good understanding of financial tracking in the context of the humanitarian programming cycle (HPC) and resource mobilization.

• A good understanding of the wider transparency and accountability movement.• Sound awareness of the humanitarian architecture and relationships.• A thorough understanding of OCHA’s mandate, mission and practice.

Content and methodology of supervision:On-the-job training on FTS (working with country offices, HQ colleagues and agencies to ensure successful entry of requirements data; working with colleagues to input data on pledges and contributions to response plans and appeals; working with FTS colleagues on data standards; working to ensure successful data outputs; responding to data enquiries; contributing to the overall development of FTS products and services; contributing data-driven and other content for the website and social media); daily/weekly guidance – degree of supervision will vary according to the experience of the associate and his/her learning curve/experience.

VI. Application InstructionsThe JPO Program selection process is carried out jointly by USAID/OFDA and the United Nations. To apply, please send a completed UN Personal History Statement (P11) (see link below)

to JPOCoordinator@ofda.gov. Please state which position you are applying for in the subject line of your email. If you wish to apply for both positions, please complete a Personal History Statement (P11) for each position and submit these to us in separate emails with the appropriate subject heading.

Application DetailsPlease complete the UN Personal History Statement (P11) thoroughly. The P11 provides the opportunity to include all required information in one document, including your professional work experience and references. Please attach a cover letter to explain your interest in the position and interest in working with the UN, along with a general resume. The P11 has instructions on how to complete the profile; however, please be sure to also follow the additional instructions below:

The P11 must be completed in English only. You may leave the signature/date sections blank at this time. If selected for one of the

positions, you will then need to submit a signed version. Do not submit a photograph. Please attach a cover letter to explain your interest in the position and interest in working with

the UN. Application deadline: October 29, 2015, 5:00 p.m. EDT For more information please consult the Frequently Asked Questions (hyperlink will be on

OFDAJPO jobs – www.ofdajobs.net/portal/files/forms/FAQ_JPO_OFDA92115.docx To apply please go to the OFDA job website: http://www.ofdajobs.net/portal/jpo.aspx Hyperlink to P 11: www.ofdajobs.net/portal/files/forms/P11Form.doc