The Position:
The Emergency Response Specialist post is located in the Global Emergency Response Unit in the Humanitarian Response Division (HRD), based in Geneva. Under the guidance of the Head of the Global Emergency Response Unit the Incumbent provides substantive support in areas ranging from emergency coordination, humanitarian supply chain and logistics, humanitarian programming and advisory services on organizational operational guidelines, policies, and procedures.
The position reports directly to the Head of the Global Emergency Response Unit.
How you can make a difference:
UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled. UNFPA’s strategic plan (2022-2025), reaffirms the relevance of the current strategic direction of UNFPA and focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. These results capture our strategic commitments on accelerating progress towards realizing the ICPD and SDGs in the Decade of Action leading up to 2030. Our strategic plan calls upon UN Member States, organizations and individuals to “build forward better”, while addressing the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on women’s and girls’ access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, recover lost gains and realize our goals.
In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff, who embody these international norms and standards, and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction.
UNFPA is seeking candidates that transform, inspire and deliver high impact and sustained results; we need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them and who commit to deliver excellence in programme results.
Job Purpose:
The overall purpose of the Humanitarian Response Division (HRD) is to facilitate the delivery of the UNFPA mandate by leading emergency response and supporting humanitarian preparedness actions in increasingly complex humanitarian situations, within globally agreed frameworks (2030 Agenda, Grand Bargain Commitments, Sendai Framework, etc.). The HRD leads in leveraging and increasing effectiveness, efficiency and capacity of UNFPA staff and partners to scale up UNFPA's role as a key global humanitarian leader. Through the Inter-Agency Standing Committee for Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (IASC) and other associated entities, the HRD acts as a point of convergence on humanitarian activities, including policy, coordination, programming, advocacy, field capacity development, resource mobilization, innovation, partnerships, technical guidance and, crucially, thematic integration, ensuring complementarity between humanitarian and development action within the organization.
HRD advocates among humanitarian agencies to include sexual and reproductive health and rights needs and sexual and gender-based violence prevention and response needs and humanitarian concerns and specific needs of women, adolescents and young people into the overall humanitarian preparedness and response frameworks. The HRD facilitates the development of UNFPA capacities to prepare and respond to the emergencies and to ensure the Agency is well equipped to deal with the context of fragility and disaster risk reduction.
The Emergency Response Specialist is responsible for supporting the overall coordination in the HRD and providing the support to country and regional offices dealing with emergencies and protracted crises. The incumbent is expected to provide support to the Global Emergency Response Unit in emergency preparedness and response. The Incumbent is also responsible of the substantive support to ensure timely, effective, and efficient programme delivery in the field through sound leadership to achieve measurable results for emergency response and regular humanitarian programme. S/he works in close collaboration with other work streams in HRD and has supervisory responsibilities.
Qualifications and Experience:
Education:
An advanced university degree in International Relations/Development, Business Administration, International Law, or other related social sciences field is required.
Knowledge and Experience:
- At least seven (7) of progressive experience in field operations, humanitarian supply chain/procurement/logistics, emergency preparedness, project management, advisory services in emergency/humanitarian settings with a minimum of four (4) years in country office humanitarian operations.
- Concrete experience and knowledge in emergency response and field coordination is a must.
- Proven managerial experience in decentralized operations.
- Expertise in managing supply operations/logistics/procurement with pre-positioning of supplies and last mile delivery.
- Proven experience and understanding of humanitarian supply chain and cluster system is required.
- Proven experience in Security Risk Management (SRM).
- Strong interpersonal and organizational skills.
- Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to operate under stressful conditions.
- Computer literacy - Word, Excel, Power-point, etc., and good knowledge of Atlas/PeopleSoft an asset.
- Experience with SURGE deployment an advantage
- Proficient writing and communication skills.
Languages:
Fluency in English is required; Knowledge of other official UN languages an asset.
We are no longer accepting applications for this position.
