Job Description

Job no: 556759
Contract type: Temporary Appointment
Duty Station: Mogadishu
Level: P-4
Location: Somalia
Categories: Emergency

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfil 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, hope

On 7 April 2022, UNICEF activated its Corporate Emergency Level 2 Scale-up Procedure for the Horn of Africa drought crisis (Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia), following one of the worst droughts in recent history. While the delivery of lifesaving assistance has scaled up significantly across the affected countries since the L2 activation, the situation in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia has continued to deteriorate. The three countries are facing their fourth consecutive failed rainy season, while weather forecasts already point to a fifth failed season between October and December 2022.

In Somalia, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) confirmed a famine-like situation (IPC5) affecting more than 230,000 people with some 7.2 million people acutely food insecure. On 14 September 2022, ED approved the activation of a Level 3 (L3) Corporate Emergency Activation Procedure (CEAP) Scale-up for the Horn of Africa drought crisis for 6 months (from 14 September 2022 to 13 March 2023).

How can you make a difference?

Under the direct supervision of the Country Representative, the “Emergency Manager – Access & Engagement” will proactively advance the humanitarian access workstream (capacity building, knowledge creation, planning and implementation) through direct contributions and by coordinating and pooling the needs and contributions of others, including UNICEF staff sections and offices, implementing partners (e.g., CSO and third-party providers), strategic humanitarian partners and communities.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities:

Support and conduct engagement and acceptance activities in line with UNICEF’s core commitment on humanitarian access.

• Produce, coordinate inputs, and organize recommended analysis and provide support to implementors and the Representatives office on the decision-making process found the “Guidelines for UNICEF Engagement with Armed Non-State Actors.”

• Network and maintain working relationships on behalf of UNICEF to obtain higher quality and more timely contextual information and to increase UNICEF’s possible channels of influence in support of humanitarian outcomes.

• Develop clear access, negotiation and coordination guidance and framework for the CO, including sector specific guidance that is risk informed.

• Provide technical support to UNICEF programs and operations with regard to the planning of engagement activities such as networking, private advocacy and Access negotiations.

• Engage effectively in private advocacy and humanitarian access negotiations with all actors, including non-state actors, with or on behalf of UNICEF Representative office.

• Ensure relationship between UNICEF and all actors, including non-state actors, continues to grow effectively, desensitize conflict situations, remove access barriers through active communication and efficient coordination with focal points.

• Participate in planning negotiation strategies and tactics for higher level engagement with non-state actors, including provision of in-depth analysis, identification of red flags and adherence to humanitarian principles

• Ensure effective preparation of required documentation, notes, talking points for UNICEF Representative office needed for high level engagement with or about non-state actors.

• Ensure application of a harmonized approach in UNICEF field offices with regard to engagement with non-state actors.

Contribute to the generation of context-specific analysis

• Generate access-relevant analysis and mapping (geographic or actor networks), using field contact networks and other resources, to identify and understand access gaps (i.e. geopgrahic areas, populations, programmes or logistial cooridors), constraints (e.g., security risks, administrative policies or interference, environmental hazzards and protections risks, etc.), actors (spoilers and enablers), conflict dynamics, and other factors. Analysis should be timely, regular, data-driven (as available), triangulate and verified to the extent possible.

• As necessary, coordinate with internal and external stakeholders, and senior management to plan engagement activities in support of access to hard-to-reach areas and hard-to-reach-populations.

• Use information from various sources (security, programme, field offices, partners etc.) to contribute to the delivery of access coverage mapping, actor mapping, conflict mapping, early warning and trend analysis that may have an impact on UNICEF programme implementation This includes collecting and documenting and reporting on access issues and incidents as necessary.

• Coordinate the collection of inputs and dissimenation of access analysis through a consenous-based access analysis mechanism which should involve Access Focal Points, Civil-Military Liaison Focal Points, function-specific access resource people, and the Contextual Expertise Working Group.

• Contribute to the understanding and analysis of other teams by using information gained through regular maintainence and use of the staff members contact network, and by regularly supporting and participating in field needs assesments, in support of Field Office and in coordination with inter-agency coordination mechanisms.

• Disseminate generated analysis and conduct briefings for the Representative office to ensure they have access to up-to-date information and analysis related to the Somalia operational environment including, any risks factors, political sensitives, implication for humanitarian principles (particularly neutrality, and impartiality), and any recommended red flags for which they should be especially aware.

Proactively advance and coordinate access-related planning among internal and external stakeholders

• Maintain the UNICEF Somalia Access Strategy so that is stayed up-to-date and relevant, by ensuring regular review, adaptation and endorsement (approximately in line with the programme planning cycle) by internal stakeholders and contributors, and by ensuring approval by the Country Representative after endorsement is obtained.

• Maintain and update, on a rolling basis, sub-district level Access Action Planning, in support or programmes and operations, in coordination with the CO and FO stakeholders to gather inputs, feedback and to problem-solve when encountering issues during implementation.

• Ensure both the Access Strategy and Action Planning documents and discussions are informed by regular analysis to facilitate effective prioritization and results.

• Provide technical assistance and advise when seeking to devise actions to improve access during the planning process.

• Facilitate sustained dialogue with all stakeholders of relevance to UNICEF operations, including non-state armed actors.

• Support the UNICEF Representative’s office in the development of position papers, official statements, and internal/external reports, advocacy papers, etc.

Coordinate and harmonize an integrated access approach within UNICEF programs and operations

• Support creating an integrated comprehensive approach of reaching and fulfilling the rights of unreached women and children.

• Ensure clarity and unified position among sections on risk factors.

• Ensure smooth and transparent channel of information between programmes, operations, security and the Representative’s office on regular basis related to humanitarian access.

• Support inter-sectoral coordination and regular exchange of knowledge among sections on access negotiation and coordination issues during analysis, planning and implementation.

• Provide strategic guidance to management and communication unit for higher-level advocacy with authorities.

 Provide support to and coordinate work with inter-agency Access teams in Somalia

• Maintain bilateral relationships with other external humanitarian counterparts relevant to humanitarian access for the purposes of information sharing and to formulate opportunities to work together to ensure better humanitarian outcomes from children and populations at large.

• Devise, lead or participate in the formulation or implementation of ad hoc coalitions of humanitarian actors working on a similar operational goal or approach when in the best interest of children (e.g., Integrated Rapid Response Mechanism).

• Ensure representation of UNICEF, and advocate for positions and approaches in line with humanitarian principles at interagency access forums like the Access Working Group.

• Perform any actions within the inter-agency working group related to UN coordination on engagement with non-state actors on behalf of UNICEF.

• Coordinate any necessary joint engagement and harmonize access negotiations with any other humanitarian-UN agencies.

• When and as necessary, advocate for and provide advise related to the maintenance of an appropriate level of UNCEF and humanitarian “distinction” and “operational distance” from non-humanitarian entities, including those of the UN, or non-principled humanitarian entities generally, when necessary to maintain humanitarian principles and acceptance as called for with overall UN guidance.

Ensure access-enhancing enablers are in place

• Conduct or arrange for capacity building for UNICEF staff and NGO partners, as needed, on topics related to access such as humanitarian principles, private advocacy, use of contact and influence networks, negotiations practices in humanitarian context, risk assessment and mitigation, etc.

• Develop and provide trainings/capacity building and learning tools pertaining to basic access negotiations and best practices to staff and partners in coordination with UNICEF Emergency operations (EMOPS) and regional office RO Humanitarian Action, Resilience and Peacebuiliding (HARP).

• Coordinate the intneral Access Technical Team with focal points and function-special access resource people.

• Lead access related analytical work, making use of the recently formed “Contextual Experts Group” and the wider Access Technical Team.

• Ensure Access Focal Points and Civil-Military Liaison Focal Points are maintained and capacitited as necessary on their roles and their topic area, and ensure relevant functional areas and offices maintaining function-special access resource people.

• As available, dissiminate opportunities for staff to advance in access related knowledge.

Perform other related duties as required.

Skills and Qualifications

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Education

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in social sciences (e.g., anthropology, sociology, psychology, political science, etc,), strategic management, negotiation or mediation, or other disciplines relevant to complex environments. 

  OR

  A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.

Experience:

• A minimum of eight years of relevant professional experience in areas related to emergency contexts, and emergency response, preferably with background of engagement (e.g., private advocacy, access negotiations, etc.) with non-state actors and/or armed actors.

• Field experience in complex, high-risk and/or conflict-affected environments. 

• In-depth knowledge of the Somalia conflict or regions of comparable complexity is highly desirable. 

• Working experience in Emergency contexts is desirable

Language Proficiency 

• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS). To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

How to apply

Remarks:

Eligible UNICEF National Officer (NO) and General Service (GS) Staff Members on fixed-term, continuing or permanent contracts applying to this TA, which is dedicated to L3 Response, may be able to retain a lien on their existing post for the duration of this TA.

Please note that this is a non-family duty station. The successful candidate for this emergency recruitment MUST be available to commence work within 31 days of receiving an offer.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

UNICEF appointments are subject to medical clearance.  Issuance of a visa by the host country of the duty station, which will be facilitated by UNICEF, is required for IP positions. Appointments are subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid). Government employees that are considered for employment with UNICEF are normally required to resign from their government before taking up an assignment with UNICEF. UNICEF reserves the right to withdraw an offer of appointment, without compensation, if a visa or medical clearance is not obtained, or necessary inoculation requirements are not met, within a reasonable period for any reason.

Advertised: 01 Nov 2022 E. Africa Standard Time
Deadline: 08 Nov 2022 E. Africa Standard Time