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 Summary: The war in Ukraine has triggered one of the fastest-growing refugee emergencies in history, and the largest since World War II in Europe. The escalation of the conflict has caused civilian casualties, destruction of civilian infrastructures, including health facilities and maternities, disruption of Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) services and supply chain, and led to an increase in Gender Based Violence (GBV) including Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV).
Under the direct supervision of the Emergency Response Coordinator, the Security/Access Specialist will work in close collaboration with UNFPA staff, partners, and other agencies to provide guidance on matters related to security and make recommendations on access to support UNFPA’s operations.
Job Purpose:
Under the overall guidance and supervision of UNFPA country representative; under the direct supervision of the Emergency Coordinator, the incumbent will provide oversee the matters related to safety and security and make recommendations on access to support UNFPA’s operations.
You would be responsible for:
- Oversee and maintain appropriate multilateral and bilateral dialogue and coordination mechanisms with relevant humanitarian and military and other armed actors at national and sub-national levels in coordination with the heads of sub-offices.
- Ensure CMCoord and Access guidance as necessary, including through the development of SOPs, and support humanitarian and armed actors in their implementation at operational level.
- Ensure and maintain contact with humanitarian actors in their geographical area of responsibility and serve as an information and communication channel and advocate on their behalf with the relevant military and other armed actors.
- Ensure appropriate mechanisms to facilitate collaboration and exchange of information both in and outside the UN system, including on early warning and contingency planning, etc.
- Ensure sufficient coordination with logistics/supply colleagues and partners where notification/deconfliction, convoy movements or other civil-military (CM) arrangements are a requirement for supply movements.
- Engage with interagency access or CM coordination structures to ensure UNFPA operational ability.
- Support analysis of access challenges and ways to tackle them.
- Support UNFPA supply and logistics colleagues to ensure sufficient distribution of supplies in line with access or CM systems implemented in country.
- Support the development and implementation of an access strategy that will ensure implementation of high-impact GBV/SRH interventions in acute and chronic emergencies.
- Assess the context and humanitarian access strategies to advise UNFPA’s leadership how to support UNFPA’s operational responses and participation in UN coordination fora, particularly with respect to UN system-wide humanitarian access strategies and approaches.
- Ensure sufficient ability for the movement of supplies and staff in line with interagency requirements for movement and access in a manner which facilitates operational planning.
- Ensure and maintain relationships or support the identification of the relevant UNFPA staff to develop and maintain relationships with national and local authorities and communities, UN agencies, diplomatic missions, donors, relevant local and regional non-state actors, think tanks, academic institutions, and other humanitarian actors and international stakeholders to ensure context sensitivity and enable UNFPA’s operations. Directly negotiate humanitarian access, as required.
- Undertake in-country field missions and provide support and technical assistance to colleagues in sub-offices.
- Provide situation reports and other written contributions on humanitarian access.
- Contribute to discussions, trainings, briefings, etc. about humanitarian principles, international humanitarian law, and UN policies and frameworks to raise awareness of UNFPA staff on these topics, as required.
- Ensure protection concerns are appropriately incorporated into engagement strategies.
- Carry out any other duties as may be required by UNFPA leadership.
Qualifications and Experience:
Education:
Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in political science, law, international studies, or a related field.
Knowledge and Experience:
- A minimum of five years of field experience in complex emergencies is required.
- Experience in supporting with civil-military coordination in complex humanitarian crisis.
- Experience of direct engagement with affected populations and authorities required.
- Experience in supporting and advising on humanitarian issues is beneficial.
- Experience in facilitating operations in settings with notification/deconfliction or similar systems in place.
- Field experience in complex emergencies, including humanitarian emergency response.
- Demonstrated experience within a multinational and multicultural environment.
Languages:
Fluency in English; knowledge of other official UN languages, preferably Slovak/Ukrainian desirable.
Required Competencies:
Values:
- Exemplifying integrity,
- Demonstrating commitment to UNFPA and the UN system,
- Embracing cultural diversity,
- Embracing change
Core Competencies:
- Achieving results,
- Being accountable,
- Developing and applying professional expertise/business acumen,
- Thinking analytically and strategically,
- Working in teams/managing ourselves and our relationships,
- Communicating for impact
Functional Competencies:
- Excellent organizational and analytical skills with the ability to coordinate activities and multitask.
- Knowledge of a range of humanitarian assistance, emergency relief and related issues, including approaches and techniques to address difficult problems.
- Excellent interpersonal skills with ability to negotiate with and convince officials with tact and diplomacy.
- Ability to work under extreme pressure, on occasion in a highly stressful environment (e.g., civil strife, natural disasters, and human misery).
- Knowledge of UNFPA, the UN System or NGO work in the field of response relief and/or of their practices and procedures as related to the work.
Compensation and Benefits:
This position offers an attractive remuneration package including a competitive net salary plus health insurance and other benefits as applicable.
UNFPA Work Environment:
UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, diversity, integrity and healthy work-life balance. We are committed to ensuring gender parity in the organization and therefore encourage women to apply. Individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community, minority ethnic groups, indigenous populations, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities in terms of appointment, training, compensation and selection for all regardless of personal characteristics and dimensions of diversity. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is at the heart of UNFPA’s workforce – click here to learn more.
Disclaimer:
Selection and appointment may be subject to background and reference checks, medical clearance, visa issuance and other administrative requirements.
UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process and does not concern itself with information on applicants’ bank accounts.
Applicants for positions in the international Professional and higher categories, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.
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