Overview

Through USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (USAID/BHA), the United States sponsors qualified U.S. citizens for employment in the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) Junior Professional Officer (JPO) Program.

These fully funded JPO positions strengthen the humanitarian coordination capacity of UNOCHA, and further encourage U.S. citizens to become active members of the international community. After completing their JPO assignments, a number of JPOs successfully compete for positions at UNOCHA, and in other international and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Duties, Responsibilities and Output Expectations

The JPO will be a core part of the Coordination Unit in the UNOCHA Ethiopia Country Office. Within the Coordination Unit, the JPO will assist the humanitarian community to implement the principle of centrality of protection in humanitarian action. Specifically, the JPO will support the Unit facilitating the coordination of the Protection Cluster and Areas of Responsibility (AoRs) among them, with the remaining clusters, and with the sub-clusters in the field. The JPO will also assist the Protection Cluster to improve links with the Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA)/Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) networks, with the Gender Working Groups, with the Access Working Group, with Human Rights groups (including the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights) and with the Resident Coordinator's Office (RCO) on matters of common interest.The JPO will provide regular internal notes to the attention of the senior management on protection issues across the country and propose a way forward on Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) advocacy, UNOCHA Communications public and internal reporting, and on advice to Humanitarian Coordinator, and Cluster Lead Agency members. The JPO will support the work of the Ethiopia HCT protection strategy monitoring group and support the Ethiopia HCT in delivering its commitments on protection.The JPO will maintain a close contact with international NGOs with a particular focus on protection and ensure adequate and tailored information flows among all partners with common protection interests. The JPO will also keep abreast of financial opportunities available for protection programs and facilitate the flow of fundraising information among partners. Finally, the JPO will keep a close link with the RCO, and UN Country Team partners focusing on early recovery, and long-term development programs in the area of protection

Supervision

Content and Methodology of Supervision:

Establishment of a Work Plan: During the first month of the assignment, the JPO will work jointly with his/her direct supervisor to finalize an agreed upon work plan under the United Nations (UN) e-Performance (e-PAS) the purpose of which is to encourage a higher level of involvement and staff participation in the planning, delivery and evaluation of work.The final work plan will be discussed and mutually agreed to by the JPO and his/her supervisor.

Evaluation: The UN Performance Evaluation System (e-performance) will serve as a primary platform to evaluate the JPO’s performance.

The Protection Specialist will have weekly meetings with the Head of Coordination Unit as well as quarterly, mid and end cycle dialogues on performance, which will be documented. The Protection Specialist will be assigned to a project as part of the learning process, through which regular dialogues will also serve as a supervision mechanism

Qualifications and Experience

Education:

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in human rights law, humanitarian affairs, peace and security; international law; international humanitarian assistance; development studies; international relations; or related area.

A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Work Experience

A minimum of two years of relevant work experience in protection standards and principles and demonstrated capacity to develop effective responses to identified protection needs and in accordance with the relevant frameworks.

Languages:

English and French are the working languages of the UN Secretariat. For this position, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of a local Ethiopian language is an advantage.

Other Skills:
Familiar with Microsoft programs (Word, Excel and Powerpoint)

UN Competencies:

PROFESSIONALISM: Shows pride in work and in achievements; Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; Remains calm in stressful situations;

COMMUNICATION: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; Asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; Tailors language, tone, style and format to match the audience; Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed;

TEAMWORK: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; Solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; Places team agenda before personal agenda; Supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings;

PLANNING & ORGANIZING: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; Identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; Allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; Foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; Monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; Uses time efficiently;

CLIENT ORIENTATION: Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; Establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; Identifies clients’ needs and matches them to appropriate solutions; Monitors ongoing developments inside and outside the clients’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems; Keeps clients informed of progress or setbacks in projects; Meets timeline for delivery of products or services to client.

 Workforce Diversity:

The UN believes that an inclusive culture attracts the best talent and encourages all qualified applicants, regardless of gender, disability, sexual orientation, cultural or religious backgrounds, to apply.

Learning Elements

On completion of the assignment, the JPO will have/be able to:

• Have shown two or three occasions where Protection Cluster has common/joint programs with other clusters;
• Have established a solid coordination mechanism between protection actors and PSEA/AAP, human rights and other actors;
• Have established an internal system of regular reporting on protection issues;
• Have a thorough knowledge of the humanitarian community’s work to address emergencies;
• Be able to prepare work plans for UN programs;
• Fully understand the protection architecture of the UN;
• Have a full working knowledge of the inter-governmental workings of the UN;
• Be proficient in all aspects of protection programming in humanitarian action;
• Design, coordinate and lead organizational capacity strengthening on protection programming;
• Compile regular cross branch reports on protection programming.

Application Instructions

 The JPO Program selection process is carried out jointly by USAID/BHA and UNOCHA.

 You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply. To apply please send the following to BHA.JPOCoordinator@usaid.gov:

1. completed UN Personal History Statement (P11) (see link below);
2. resume (CV) and;
3. cover letter to explain your interest in this position.

Please state which position you are applying for in the subject line of your email.  If you wish to apply for multiple USAID/BHA-sponsored JPO positions, please complete a Personal History Statement (P11) for each position and submit these to us in separate emails with the appropriate subject heading.

Application Details:

Please complete the UN Personal History Statement (P11) thoroughly.  The P11 provides the opportunity to include all required information in one document, including your professional work experience and references.  Please attach a cover letter to explain your interest in the position and interest in working with the UN, along with a general resume.  The P11 has instructions on how to complete the profile; however, please be sure to also follow the additional instructions below:

• The P11 must be completed in English only. You can find the P11 form at USAID/BHA Jobs website.
• You may leave the signature/date sections blank at this time.  If selected for a JPO position, you will then need to submit a signed version.
• Do not submit a photograph.
• Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Application Deadline: Friday, March 25, 2022, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) 

For more information please consult the Frequently Asked Questions: https://bhajobs.net/files/resources/FAQ_JPO.pdf