Internal and External VA: Regional Advisor Emergency, P-5, FT, ESARO, Nairobi, Kenya, post# 21407

UNICEF works in some of the worldâs toughest places, to reach the worldâs most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, a safe home

The UNICEF East and Southern African region has been subject to an increasing number of emergencies in recent years, including climate change-related emergencies, armed conflicts, public health emergencies, etc. 

The increased number of emergencies and their complexity (mostly multi-countries crises) increase the responsibility of the HARP (Humanitarian Action Resilience and Peacebuilding) section to ensure that all the 21 country offices in the region follow a thorough preparedness process and respond efficiently and timely to emergency onsets.

Under the general supervision of the Deputy Regional Director, and in close coordination with the Emergency Operations Division, NYHQ, the incumbent will initiate and provide high-level policy and programme planning support in matters related to humanitarian action resilience and peacebuilding in the ESAR region. The post focuses on support to ESAR Country Offices and ESARO in addressing the underlying causes associated with the high vulnerability of populations recurrently or chronically affected by crises and emergencies whilst ensuring close links and a clear continuum between prevention, preparedness, and response activities before, during and after emergencies. The post will support the development of risk analyses; guide contingency planning and the development of preparedness strategies; and support emergency responses through technical advice in planning, advocacy, resource mobilization, and coordination of surge capacity. The incumbent will provide support to ESAR Country Offices and ESARO in risk-informed planning to promote resilience linking humanitarian action with regular development programming.

How can you make a difference?

Under the general supervision of the Deputy Regional Director, and in close coordination with the Emergency Operations Division, the incumbent will initiate and provide high-level policy and programme planning support in matters related to humanitarian action resilience and peacebuilding in the ESAR region. The post focuses on support to ESAR Country Offices and ESARO in addressing the underlying causes associated with the high vulnerability of populations recurrently or chronically affected by crises and emergencies whilst ensuring close links and a clear continuum between prevention, preparedness, response and resilience activities before, during and after emergencies. The post will support the development of risk analyses; guide contingency planning and the development of preparedness strategies; and support emergency responses through technical advice in planning, advocacy, resource mobilization, application of field accountability frameworks and the coordination of surge capacity. The incumbent will provide support to ESAR Country Offices and ESARO to roll out risk-informed planning to effectively link humanitarian action with regular development programming.

More precisely, the incumbent will:

Initiate and prepare detailed situation and risk analyses of trends and possible emergencies in the Eastern and Southern African Region. Collaborate with regional office programme sections to ensure that emergency-related needs are proactively assessed, identified addressed using existing support channels at the RO and HQ levels. Provide policy and programme advice and recommendations for preparedness and anticipatory actions to the Regional Office, EMOPS, and concerned Country Offices, as well as inputs to Regional Situation Analyses and Reports, and presentations to Country Representatives at the RPMT. In conjunction with Country Offices, provide policy and technical guidance in the development of detailed contingency and preparedness plans and plans for operational and programmatic response in the event of emergency in ESAR countries, taking into account available resources, and including specific recommendations on actions to be taken by Country Offices, the Regional Office and HQ. Advise Country Office Representatives, Deputy Representatives, Emergency and Operations focal points on the incorporation and strengthening risk-informed programming approaches including emergency preparedness, resilience programmes, and activities and related operational provisions in country programmes. Monitor preparedness and emergency response elements in planning and reporting documents including Country Programme Documents, Country Programme Management Plans, and Annual, and Mid-Term Reviews. In conjunction with the other Regional Advisers, participate in reviews and evaluations of UNICEF emergency-related responses in the region. Support and encourage emergency-related monitoring and evaluations. Implement emergency activities-related monitoring and evaluations, including development, field testing, and application of new tools and methodologies. Participate UNICEF emergencies After Action reviews and evaluations in the region, as well as regional and global policy reviews of such responses. Manage the Humanitarian Action Resilience and Peacebuilding Section within the Regional Office. Develop, coordinate, implement, and monitor emergency preparedness and response procedures within the Regional Office to enable it to provide timely and priority operational and programmatic support to Country Offices and countries affected by emergencies. Advise the Regional Management Team on the management and improvement of such procedures. Provide support for staff training programmes to strengthen programming skills and familiarize staff with appropriate programmatic responses to emergency situations, including modes of interagency cooperation. In close collaboration with the Regional Chief of Communications, monitor and provide current information on emergency situations in the region and respond to childrenâs needs. Support Country Offices, Regional Offices, and HQ to develop high-level advocacy strategies.  In collaboration with the Regional Advisor Public and private Partnerships assess priority resource needs related to different countries and areas of programmatic interventions. Ensure and advocate for mobilization of financial resources for the implementation of appropriate sectoral Emergency Preparedness and Response interventions in the Region. In collaboration with the Regional Adviser for Health, ensure proper support is provided to preparedness and response for public health emergencies, and encourage cross-border coordination among relevant countries and COs. Coordinate and represent UNICEF in building strategic regional and sub-regional alliances for coordination and cooperation in DRR, humanitarian response, and humanitarian advocacy. Consult, coordinate, and liaise with international, multi, and bilateral agencies, donors, government and inter-governmental counterparts, NGOs, and other groups to advocate for children's well-being, rights, protection, and interests on onsets of emergencies and ensure the needs of children are taken into account in the preparation and launching of inter-agency appeals In collaboration with Operations sections ensure surge and emergency staffing and supply items are prepositioned and ready to be allocated/deployed based on existing emergency threats and scenarios.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will haveâ¦

Advanced University degree in one of the following fields: social sciences, public administration, law, public health, nutrition, international relations, business administration or other related disciplines. Preferably a combination of management, administration, and relevant technical fields. A minimum of ten years of progressively responsible professional work experience at the national and international levels in programme/project development, planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and administration. Specialized training/experience in emergency response management is required. Developing country work experience and familiarity with emergency is required. Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another UN official language is considered an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEFâs Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust and Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post areâ¦

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships (2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness (3) Drive to achieve results for impact (4) Innovates and embraces change (5) Manages ambiguity and complexity (6) Thinks and acts strategically (7) Works collaboratively with others (8) Nurtures, leads and manages people.