Org. Setting and Reporting

These positions are located in the Crisis Response Division (CRD), Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). OCHA is the 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 multiple duty station temporary job opening is being advertised for five (5) positions of Humanitarian Affairs Officer (Pooled Fund Manager/Envelope Manager) located in OCHA Humanitarian Financing Units in Kampala (Uganda), Panama City (Panama), Port au prince (Haiti), Ndjamena (Chad), Dhaka (Bangladesh). Under the overall supervision of OCHA Heads of Country or Regional offices, the envelope manager closely supports the Head of the Humanitarian Financing Unit (HFU) or the Regional Humanitarian Financing Unit (RHFU). The Humanitarian Fund Units in OCHA Regional and Country Offices manage multi-donor country-based pooled funds under the leadership of the Resident Coordinator and/or Humanitarian Coordinator. These funds receive unearmarked contributions from donors. The funds are allocated to humanitarian actors for ongoing humanitarian operations and to respond to new emergencies. The Humanitarian Affairs Officer/Pooled Fund Manager (Envelope Manager) may supervise staff. The incumbent is expected to surge to other countries in the region as needed and at short notice.

Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of the HoO and oversight of the Humanitarian Coordinator (HC), the Humanitarian Affairs Officer (Pooled Fund Manager/Envelope Manager) will be responsible for the following duties: I. Representation and Coordination

• Advise the HC/HC on the Funds management and CERF processes, in conformity with prevailing policies and guidelines and aligned to the local context;
• Liaise as necessary with relevant OCHA Headquarters (HQ) sections including CRD, Humanitarian Financing Unit (HFU), CERF Secretariat, Donor Relation Section (DRS), and External Relations and Partnerships Section (ERPS);
• Represent the Fund, coordinating with all stakeholders, such as sectors/clusters, humanitarian partners, donors etc.;
• Assist the HC/RCin preparing and facilitating Advisory Board (AB) meetings and other processes; II. Allocations
• Manage and oversee allocation processes, ensuring necessary coordination with relevant counterparts in line prevailing guidelines and best practices;
• Monitor the implementation of Fund allocation strategies as endorsed by the HC/RC, in consultation with HoO, promoting coherence between humanitarian needs and response;
• Review and analyze humanitarian financing and programming issues at the country level to support HFU and CERF allocations; III. Financial Management
• Ensure proper financial management, overseeing recipient organizations’ compliance with applicable financial rules and undertaking verification activities in accordance with the HFU Operational Manual;
• Develop audit plans of NGOs, oversee their timely implementation, and analyze findings to ensure proper follow-up and compliance with financial rules and regulations; IV. Compliance and Risk Management
• Advise the HC/RC and the HoO on compliance and risk management;
• Ensure the implementation of and the compliance with global policies and guidelines;
• Develop the HFU Operational Manual in line with the HFU Global Guidelines;
• Ensure proper communication with, and support to, Fund recipients and other stakeholders throughout projects life cycles, promoting compliance with applicable rules and governance documents;
• Oversee the development, update, and implementation of the HFU risk management framework;
• Ensure that grant agreements and supporting documents are accurate and in conformity with Global Guidelines and the HFU Operational Manual;
• Conduct due diligence reviews, capacity assessments and performance assessments to establish eligibility of, and assign risk levels to NGO partners;
• Implement OCHA’s Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on Suspected Fraud and Misuse of Funds, and on Response to Concerns of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, involving partners;
• Support the review of the Fund by the UN oversight bodies including the Board of Auditors (BoA) and Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS); V. Monitoring, Reporting and Evaluation:
• Develop monitoring plans in line with CERF and HFU guidance;
• Oversee the monitoring of projects to ensure the appropriate use of resources provided and promote learning and best practices;
• Systematically provide information on project status to the HC/RC, the HoO, donors, and relevant advisory bodies;
• Establish reporting schedules for projects and review and clear project reports;
• Support evaluations, reviews and studies as requested by the HC/RC and governing bodies, ensuring due consultation with HQ; VI. Information Management, Analysis and Communications:
• Ensure the appropriate use of the Grant Management System (GMS), maintaining all relevant information and data in a timely and accurate manner and performing data analyses as required;
• Conduct and update periodic analyses of humanitarian financing information, funding trends and requirements, gathering data from all relevant sources;
• Prepare and disseminate information, reports, and other communication products to different stakeholders about the Fund and its processes, including allocations and achievements (i.e., dashboards, feature stories, photographs/videos, websites, HFU Annual Report etc.); VII. Donor Relations
• Strengthen relationships with contributing donors through consistent and proper communication, ensuring timely reporting on the Funds activities and funding requirements;
• Develop key strategic partnerships with new donors to achieve a broader donor base for the HFU;
• Coordinate with other donors, as necessary, to promote coordinated and complementary use of funding;
• In collaboration with DRS, support the HC/RC and the HoO in developing and implementing Resource Mobilisation Action Plans; VIII. Management of HFU
• Plan staffing and operational requirements and corresponding budget for review by the Advisory Boards and approval by the HoO;
• Ensure timely recruitment, induction, training, and performance management in line with corporate frameworks;
• Promote a positive and respectful working environment, upholding OCHAs duty of care relating to security, health, safety and well-being;
• Perform other duties as assigned by the HoO. Competencies PROFESSIONALISM: Sound knowledge of and exposure to a range of humanitarian assistance, emergency relief and related humanitarian issues, to include approaches and techniques to address difficult problems; conceptual and strategic analytical capacity and in particular the ability to analyze and articulate the humanitarian and protection dimension of issues which require a coordinated UN response; ability to identify issues and to use sound judgment in applying technical expertise to resolve a wide range of problems; ability to evaluate and integrate information from a variety of sources and assess impact on the humanitarian rights and protection situation in assigned country/area; ability to work under extreme pressure, on occasion in a highly stressful environment (e.g. civil strife, natural disasters and human misery); ability to provide guidance to new/junior staff; Proven drafting skills. Knowledge of institutional mandates, policies and guidelines pertaining to humanitarian assistance. Knowledge of the UN common system and NGOs, and commonly used computer applications including MS Word and Excel. Takes responsibility for incorporating…