United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Humanitarian Affairs Officer - Jobs in South Sudan
Org. Setting and Reporting
The position is located in the Operations and Advocacy Division (OAD), Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). OCHA is part of the United Nations Secretariat responsible for bringing together humanitarian actors to ensure a coherent response to emergencies. OCHA also ensures there is a framework within which each actor can contribute to the overall response efforts. OCHA's 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 and facilitate sustainable solutions.
This position-specific job opening is being advertised for the position of Humanitarian Affairs Officer/Head of Access Unit and is based in Juba, South Sudan. Under the overall supervision of the Head of Office, OCHA South Sudan, the incumbent reports to the Deputy Head of Office.
Responsibilities
Within delegated authority, the Humanitarian Affairs Officer/Head of Access Unit will be responsible for the following duties:
• Serves as a senior policy officer; advises on overall policy direction on specific issues related to humanitarian access; and, more generally, reviews and provides advice on a diverse range of policy issues related to safeguarding humanitarian principles and ensuring the effective delivery of humanitarian assistance and the linkages with other related areas (e.g. human rights).
• Prepares policy position and strategy papers on humanitarian access-related issues.
• Develops a country access network and works to promote a principled, coordinated approach to access and share best practice with partners to ensure effective humanitarian access strategies across the country
• Monitors, analyzes and reports on humanitarian access, conflict trends, humanitarian developments, disaster relief/management programmes or emergency situations in assigned country/area.
• Leads and/or participates in large, complex projects, to include disaster assessment, humanitarian access negotiations or other missions; coordinates international humanitarian/emergency assistance for complex emergency/disaster situations; ensures necessary support (e.g., staff, funding, specialized equipment, supplies, etc.); prepares situation reports.
• Develops country-specific indicators, particularly related to humanitarian access, for countries of concern in collaboration with area experts and ensures the subsequent monitoring of these indicators; recommends actions based on the analysis of pertinent information
• Assists in the production of appeals for international assistance; ensures the proper use and spending of donor contributions channeled through OCHA.
• Assists member states in capacity-building for handling emergency situations; develops country-specific indicators for countries of concern in collaboration with area experts and ensures the subsequent monitoring of these indicators; recommends actions based on the analysis of pertinent information.
• Initiates and coordinates activities related to technical cooperation and technical assistance projects in disaster response and disaster response preparedness; formulates project proposals and relevant project documents; provides technical support to field work; reviews and clears project reports for submission to governments.
• Analyzes and assists in introducing new technologies for disaster warning/management.
• Organizes and prepares studies on humanitarian, emergency relief and related issues; organizes follows-up work, including interagency technical review meetings to support policy development work and decision-making on humanitarian access-related issues; and ensures the implementation of recommendations emanating from relevant studies.
• Assists or leads, as appropriate, in the preparation of OCHA reports, studies, background papers, policy guidelines, correspondence, presentations, background papers, policy guidelines, parliamentary documents, etc.; particularly in relation to humanitarian access; with respect to the latter, takes the lead in providing support and information to relevant councils or other entities on specific issues.
• Partners with other humanitarian agencies to plan and evaluate complex humanitarian and emergency assistance programmes; helps ensure that latest findings, lessons learned, policy guidelines, etc. are incorporated into humanitarian related activities, including gender-related considerations.
• Establishes and maintains contacts with government officials, other UN agencies, non-governmental organizations, diplomatic missions, media, etc. including for negotiating humanitarian access; ensures appropriate mechanisms
Scholarship 2026/27
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