United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Humanitarian Advisor with Protection

Humanitarian Advisor with Protection

**Job title: Humanitarian Advisor with Protection
Location: London
Type of contract: permanent
Salary: £52,000 (pro rata) per annum
Closing Date: 22^nd February 2017**

Our business

The Conflict, Humanitarian & Security Department’s Operations Team (CHASE OT) is contracted through Crown Agents by the Department of International Development (DFID) and the Stabilisation Unit (SU) to provide support services and an operational team delivering advice and assistance on humanitarian disasters and emergencies.

Role and responsibilities include:

This role is an excellent opportunity to support DFID’s humanitarian work in acute and chronic contexts, by helping to provide a fast and effective response to humanitarian disasters and by supporting institutional and partnership work to help build an effective international humanitarian system. We are looking for a Generalist Humanitarian Adviser with significant experience in protection and protracted crises.

The post holder will:

• Provide humanitarian analysis and advice to help design and implement humanitarian response strategies for DFID. This will include conducting situation and needs assessments, identifying response gaps where the UK will have the greatest added value, drafting response strategies, and programming funds (including appraising proposals and drafting funding submissions).

• Support the development and implementation of programme monitoring activities (this will include providing partner performance feedback). On occasion the post holder might be required to plan and participate in evaluation work.

• Work with policy and programme staff to implement robust project cycle management principles. Where feasible and appropriate, the post holder will provide recommendations for improvement to systems already in place.

• Support the practical application of DFID policy and agenda particularly with regards to system-wide initiatives underway to build a more effective international humanitarian response system in protracted crisis, with a particular focus on addressing refugee and migration protection concerns.

• Where requested, assist DFID with briefings to Private Office, responding to Parliamentary Questions, MPs’ letters and enquiries from the general public.

• Maintain contacts among humanitarian policy and practice professionals, including NGOs, the Red Cross family, Multilaterals, donors and the Private Sector as required.

• Where required, support DFID in its dealings with other Whitehall departments (MoD, FCO etc.).

• Monitor displacement and migration trends, including key information networks, existing legal frameworks, humanitarian consequences of restrictive policies; access to international protection and assistance, and stimulate policy development and response in collaboration across diverse teams and departments;

• Plan and prioritise work such that assignments are undertaken efficiently and effectively, following CHASEOT procedures in the execution of all functions including financial and administrative duties.

• Contribute to overall CHASEOT activities in response to DFID requirements, including for example routine reporting, attending meetings in the UK and overseas, and preparing and delivering presentations.

• Apply knowledge and expertise in identifying and mitigating safety and security threats for self and others.

• Undertake the CHASEOT Duty Officer role, as required.

• Support the recruitment and selection of humanitarian contractors to CHASE OT’s humanitarian database (including reviewing applications, assessing tests and conducting interviews, as well as developing and refining selection tools).

• Manage small teams as required, either in the UK or overseas.

  Any other duties as appropriate to the position, as requested.

  Qualifications:

• Applicants must have a minimum of a masters degree or the equivalent level of academic and professional experience in a subject related to humanitarian work.

• Academic or professional study in protection preferred.

• In exceptional circumstances substantial experience may be accepted in lieu of higher degrees.

Experience:

• The post calls for an experienced humanitarian adviser with a credible operational record. Candiates must demonstrate a thorough understanding of humanitarian programmes across a range of chronic and acute contexts.

• The post holder must have operational experience in protection programming; furthermore experience with humanitarian protection issues faced in protracted and recurrent crises will be prioritised.

• Experience working at Headquarters level, on humanitarian policy issues, is also desirable.

• The post holder will have a solid understanding of the international humanitarian architecture including the role and the perforrmance of the various actors. S/he will also be familiar with the main initiatives underway to strenghten the international humanitarian system, including, for example, the Grand Bargain. The applicant will understand system-wide arrangements and schemes that underpin humanitarian response, including for example international humanitarian law, international financing instruments and the cluster approach.

• The candidate will be expected to work strategically and have the ability to influence internal processes, whilst at the same time have a demonstrated ability to design and implement practical programmes on the ground. S/he will have experience identifying and communicating evidence that helps inform policy.

• Applicants will be expected to have broad cross-sectoral knowledge and experience, including for example an understanding of the main themes than support DFID’s preparedness and disaster resilience agendas.

• The post holder must have the ability to work across various Departments in Whitehall (for example with the FCO and the MOD).

The technical competencies required for this post are:

• Humanitarian risk assessment and analysis;
• Planning and managing humanitarian responses;
• Disaster coordination;
• Information management and analysis;
• Cross-sectoral humanitarian advice;
• Humanitarian theory, practice and architecture;
• Contingency planning;
• Programme management cycle (including the principles of monitoring and evaluation); and,
• Security management.

The skills required for the post are:

• Team leadership, team working, strong unterpersonal skills and the ability to initiate and manage work independently;
• Critical thinking, creativity and flexibility, with the ability to work in a range of different environments;
• Effective networking at various levels of seniority;
• Excellent written and spoken communication skills;
• Briefing skills (at senior level);
• Reporting and administration skills;
• Financial management and basic bookkeeping skills.

Please go to the link below for instructions on how to apply for this role:http://www.crownagents.com/jobs/permanent-vacancies/detail/humanitarian-advisor-with-protection