Background The situation in Somalia remains fragile with continued political instability, climatic variability, and lack of basic social services. In 2017, drought has impacted Somalia and Bay and Bakool regions are some of the most affected. OCHA’s role is to coordinate effective and principled inter-agency humanitarian response and ensure that relief assistance reaches the people who need it in a timely manner including through the management of the Somalia Humanitarian Fund (SHF), a multi donor pooled fund that is a critical source of predictable, quick and flexible funding to address the most urgent humanitarian needs in Somalia.
In line with OCHA’s global mission, OCHA Somalia continues to:
- Advocate for access to basic services, especially water, sanitation, education and health for vulnerable communities, including the collection, analysis and dissemination of information to humanitarian partners, and negotiation of access.
- Support the government efforts and humanitarian organizations in relocation of internally displaced and return.
- Support Government efforts in dealing with the ongoing drought and building the capacity of Government focal points on humanitarian issues.
- Coordinate the implementation of humanitarian response in Somalia with UN agencies and programmes, national and international NGOs and local authorities/communities as appropriate, with focus on strengthening the cluster approach.
- Enhance a protective environment that
Under the direct supervision of the Head of Humanitarian Financing Unit/SHF Manager and oversight of the Head of Office, the Humanitarian Affairs Officer will play a key role in ensuring the primary objectives of OCHA Somalia are met.
Duties and Responsibilities Summary of Key Functions:
- Support with the management of the Somalia Humanitarian Fund (SHF) and grants from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF);
- Contribute to effective liaison with the SHF, OCHA Somalia and other humanitarian donors;
- Contribute to the implementation of the SHF accountability framework through cross-cutting support with the SHF assurance activities;
- Manage external communications relevant to the SHF and CERF, and act as the lead for the humanitarian financing analysis in OCHA Somalia.
Support with the management of the Somalia Humanitarian Funds and grants from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), focusing on achievement of the following results:
- Under the supervision of the Senior HAO, support and advise the HC on the overall management of the Somalia Humanitarian Fund (SHF) and grants from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) vis-à-vis the humanitarian context (i.e. priorities and critical needs);
- Ensure the overall administration of the Fund and liaise as necessary with relevant OCHA HQ sections (i.e. OCHA Humanitarian Financing and Resource Mobilization Division; OCHA Operations and Advocacy Division, OCHA Executive Office, or Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) Office);
- Support and implement standardized policy in line with HQ guidance and decisions;
- Manage and supervise Fund-related support staff;
- Manage fund allocation processes ensuring necessary coordination with relevant counterparts in line with the SHF Operational Manual and/or allocation strategy papers (i.e. Review and/or Advisory Boards, cluster leads; humanitarian organizations; and OCHA);
- Liaise with NGO, UN partners as well as clusters and OCHA field offices to follow-up on project progress and overall Fund progress;
- Ensure recipient organizations compliance with operational modalities and the applicable financial rules.
Ensure effective liaison with donors, focusing on achievement of the following results:
- Support liaison with donors to keep them informed of humanitarian needs, response operations, and the funding status and funding requirements of the Humanitarian Response Plan and the SHF by contributing to donor briefings, preparing funding requests and reports;
- Coordinate, compile, review and comment on project submissions for CERF and recipient’s inputs, as well as support of other CERF processes (reporting);
- Support OCHA resource mobilization, including through the drafting of proposals and submission of reports to donors on behalf of OCHA.
Contribute to the implementation of the SHF accountability framework through cross-cutting support with the SHF assurance activities, focusing on achievement of the following results:
- Contribute to ensuring compliance with the operational modalities and assurance activities in place for the Fund;
- Systematically provide information on project status to the HoO and the HC, donors, and relevant governing bodies of the Fund;
- Ensure timely overall project reporting, including acting as the lead for the SHF annual reporting exercise.
Manage external communications relevant to the SHF and CERF, and act as the lead for the humanitarian financing analysis in OCHA Somalia:
- In collaboration with other OCHA Somalia Communications units, as well as with support from relevant OCHA HQ sections, document and disseminate results, best practices and results of the Fund across internal and broader audiences through information and communication products/pieces (i.e. bulletins, feature stories, photographs/videos, web-sites, etc.);
- Liaise with OCHA field offices and recipient organizations in order to disseminate full information on Fund activities:
- Perform, on a periodic basis, humanitarian financing analysis to inform stakeholder decision-making.
Impact of Results
The key results of the post are support in the management of pooled funds (SHF and CERF); formulation of strategies for the SHF allocations; ensuring smooth allocation processes, contribution to the implementation of the SHF accountability framework; and partnership building and advocacy.
Competencies
Functional Competencies:
Advocacy
- Identifies and communicates relevant information for a variety of audiences for advocating UN’s priorities;
- Maintains a functioning network of contacts with a variety of stakeholders to promote a better understanding of OCHA’s development agenda and to support advocacy efforts.
Building Strategic Partnerships
- Maintains an established network of contacts for general information sharing and to remain up-to-date on partnership related issues;
- Analyzes and selects materials for strengthening strategic alliances with partners and stakeholders.
Innovation and Marketing New Approaches
- Generates new ideas and proposes new, more effective ways of doing things;
- Documents and analyses innovative strategies/best practices/new approaches.
Resource Mobilization
- Collects, researches and analyzes information on resource mobilization and utilization, drafts reports and documents and maintains information/databases on potential and actual donors and donor funded projects;
- Provides data and information needed for preparation of fund raising activities and resource mobilization documents ensuring needs of donors are met.
Promoting Organizational Learning and Knowledge Sharing
- Generates new ideas and approaches, researches best practices and proposes new, more effective ways of doing things;
- Documents and analyses innovative strategies and new approaches.
Job Knowledge/Technical Expertise
- Understands and applies fundamental concepts and principles of a professional discipline or technical specialty relating to the position;
- Possesses basic knowledge of organizational policies and procedures relating to the position and applies them consistently in work tasks;
- Strives to keep job knowledge up-to-date through self-directed study and other means of learning;
- Demonstrates good knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments;
- Demonstrates in-depth understanding and knowledge of the current trends.
Client Orientation
- Researches potential solutions to internal and external client needs and reports back in a timely, succinct and appropriate fashion;
- Organizes and prioritizes work schedule to meet client needs and deadlines;
- Establishes, builds and sustains effective relationships within the work unit and with internal and external clients.
Core Competencies
- Demonstrating/safeguarding ethics and integrity
- Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment
- Self-development, initiative-taking
- Acting as a team player and facilitating team work
- Facilitating and encouraging open communication in the team, communicating effectively
- Creating synergies through self-control
- Managing conflict
- Learning and sharing knowledge and encourage the learning of others. Promoting learning and knowledge management/sharing is the responsibility of each staff member.
- Informed and transparent decision making
Required Skills and Experience
Languages – Essential: English
Languages – Desirable:
More Information
- Job City Nairobi
