Responsibilities
Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based) H (no hardship) Family Type (not applicable for home-based) Family Staff Member / Affiliate Type UNOPS IICA1 Target Start Date 2025-08-15 Deadline for Applications July 26, 2025 Terms of Reference TERMS OF REFERENCE International Individual Contractor Agreement Title: Assistant Emergency Preparedness Officer Project: DESS/2025/01 Duty station: Geneva, Switzerland Section/Unit: Emergency Preparedness, Deployments and Partnerships Section Division of Emergency, Security and Supply (DESS) ICA Level: IICA-I Corresponding level: P1 Duration: from 15/08/2025 to 31/12/2025 (extendable) Supervisor: Mrs Rosa Angela Murru, Snr. Emergency Preparedness Officer, ES, DESS 1.General Background The Emergency Preparedness Unit under the Emergency Management Section in the Division ofEmergency, Security and Supply has the overall responsibility of providing strategic direction, guidanceand support to Regional Bureaux and Country Offices to enhance their emergency preparedness capacityin line with Refugee Coordination Model (RCM) for refugee crises and the inter-agency framework of thefor IDP crises, within the framework of UNHCR’s Policy on Emergency Preparedness and Response(UNHCR/HCP/2023/01). The Emergency Preparedness Unit is responsible for establishing global standards, developing supporting tools, providing early warning and horizon scanning and supporting contingency planning process to ensure UNHCR’s preparedness for refugee and IDP emergencies. It represents UNHCR in the IASC Early warning, early action and readiness group, which provides recommendations to the IASC Emergency Directors Group on emerging risks. We are seeking for a dynamic and proactive team player, with excellent drafting skills and knowledge of English, strong inter-personal and analytical skills, to support the work of the Emergency Preparedness Unit. 2. Purpose and Scope of Assignment • Carry out global horizon scans regularly and produce emergency outlooks and reports to inform UNHCR early warning discussions; • Participate in the IASC Early Warning, Early Action and Readiness (EWEAR) calls, providing quality inputs to the early warning discussions, and contributing to reports (drafting, peer-reviewing, consultations with the field, analytical meetings etc) ; • Participate in and contribute to climatic early warning and action initiatives (i.e. Centre of Excellence on Climate and Disaster Resilience, Early Warning for All, etc.); • Support the roll-out of the Preparedness Guidance, which will include drafting of materials and trainings and provision of support to colleagues at country, regional and HQ levels; • Contribute to updates of relevant entries in UNHCR's Emergency Handbook; • Maintain /compile a weekly calendar of emergency-related events for the attention of Senior Management • Support coordination meetings with the Regional Bureaux /country operations, including taking notes and preparing meeting minutes as required; • Act as the focal point for internal communications on emergency preparedness and response; • Prepare analytical materials and reports on emergency preparedness and response related issues, including for identification of best practices, trends and ideas for improvement of UNHCR emergency engagement; • Take part in and/or facilitate capacity development activities. 3. Monitoring and Progress Controls • Update the Emergency Handbook and emergency preparedness training materials; • Conduct surveys and monitoring of emergency processes and relevant reports are prepared; • Produce global horizon scanning of the situations of concern regularly; • Contribute to IASC Early Warning, Early Action and Readiness (EWEAR) calls and reports, coordinated the outcomes with the Regional Bureaux; • Monitor the operational risk register and provide advice on risk levels based on situational analysis. 4. Qualifications and Experience a. Education (Level and area of required and/or preferred education) University degree at the advanced level, in Political Science, International Relations, Conflict Analysis or other relevant fields; b. Work Experience Minimum of 1-year relevant work experience in humanitarian agencies. Essential: experience in handling complex datasets, sensitive data and maintaining discretion. Proven research skills in conflict analysis and experience in presenting analysis of results through visualizations. For P1 - 1 year relevant experience with Undergraduate degree; or no experience with Graduate degree; or no experience with Doctorate degree. c. Key Competencies Required: ▪ Proven ability to work well under pressure in a busy, multicultural environment and under tight deadlines; ▪ Analytical thinking, data driven oriented with the ability to analyze data; ▪ Excellent organizational skills, accuracy and attention to detail; ▪ Strong understanding of risk management; ▪ Excellent drafting skills and knowledge of English (written, oral and comprehension). Knowledge of other UN working languages is a plus; ▪ An outgoing personality and a team player with service-oriented attitudes. ▪ Familiarity with UNHCR Emergency policy and Emergency Preparedness Guidance; ▪ Proficiency with Microsoft Office tools. Desirable: - Very good communication and organizational skills. Able to communicate and listen effectively; very good written, verbal and presentation skills; - Incumbent who operates within a certain level of autonomy in a rapidly evolving environment - Knowledge of French is desirable; knowledge of other UN working languages is a plus. Standard Job Description Required Languages , , Desired Languages , , Additional Qualifications Skills Education Certifications Work Experience Other information This position doesn't require a functional clearance Remote No Important notice: Please note that UNHCR does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process (application, interview, meeting, travelling, processing or training). Read about how to avoid scams and fraudulent job offers. Please note that applications are only accepted via the UNHCR online recruitment platform. CVs and/or application requests sent via email will not be answered, reviewed nor considered. For external applicants: We would like to call your attention on the eligibility of International Professional (P) category: According to our Recruitment and Assignments Policy, P staff members will not normally serve in the country of their nationality, and the first regular appointment in the P category must be outside the staff member's country of nationality. In practical terms this means that you are not eligible to apply for International Professional vacancies advertised in the country where you are national of. In case of technical difficulties when applying, external applicants (not current UNHCR workforce members) can write to recruitmentcase@unhcr.org. For former UNHCR Colleagues: Former UNHCR employees who are on mandatory break-in service or have separated from UNHCR after 1 October 2022 should create an account through this platform. Once you fill in your basic personal information (employee ID, birth date, name, email address), Workday will identify you as prior personnel and merge your employee account with your external applicant account. The UNHCR workforce consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages and opinions. UNHCR seeks to sustain and strengthen this diversity to ensure equal opportunities as well as an inclusive working environment for its entire workforce. Applications are encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on grounds of race, colour, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity. UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, takes the lead in protecting people forced to flee wars and persecution around the world, providing life-saving aid including shelter, food and water to ensure their basic safety, rights and dignity. With 18,879 women and men working in 137 countries, we work tirelessly to make a difference in the lives of 89.3 million forcibly displaced people worldwide. Our dedicated and professional staff work around the clock in roles including legal protection, community services, public affairs, health and more. Despite the challenges they can face, our staff are proud to work for UNHCR and determined to make a positive impact. Why a career with UNHCR? Our dedicated staff work to protect and assist people fleeing conflict and persecution at a time when global forced displacement is at a record high. Our colleagues bring a wide range of specialized skills, including expertise in legal protection, administration, community services, public affairs, health and other disciplines. Disability inclusion If you are a person with a disability and you expect you may face challenges during the recruitment process, you can indicate it in your application form. There are options to select any health conditions you may have and outline any necessary adjustments related to disabilities during the recruitment phases. Providing this information is optional. It will be treated as strictly confidential and used only for the purpose of finding out how to better assist you during the recruitment process. Adjustments for candidates with disabilities will be provided as best as possible and as needed upon request. All candidates will be assessed based on meeting the requirements for each vacancy in relation to experience, skills, and education.
