Title: Senior Emergency Officer (National candidates only)
Duty Station: Country Office – Based in the Disaster Management Center of the Ministry of Disaster Management
Grade: SC 9
Contract Type: Service Contract
Organizational Unit: Programme unit
Deadline for application: 21 October 2016
Number of Positions: 1 position
Contract Duration: 18 months
ORGANISATIONAL CONTEXT:
The Senior Emergency Officer (SEO) will work under the direct supervision of the Deputy Country Director of WFP and in consultation with Secretary to the Ministry of Disaster Management and the UN Resident Coordinator. The SEO will work closely with the DMC’s Emergency Operations Center in consultation with the Director-General of the DMC.
JOB PURPOSE:
The SEO’s responsibilities are limited to emergency response preparedness and response coordination. He/she will support the DMC in operationalization of the National Emergency Operations Plan through building awareness among the relevant Government and non-Government stakeholders, conducting simulations, identifying gaps in emergency response coordination, reviewing SOPs and fine tune SOPs based on different identified scenarios. The SEO will also liaise with the other UN agencies working with the Ministry of Disaster Management and DMC to ensure effective collaboration and avoiding any duplication of activities
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
The main functions of the SEO will be to support the DMC to:
- Commence the implementation of the National Emergency Operations Plan (NEOP) through coordination and awareness creation among relevant stakeholders;
- Strengthen coordination and information management with humanitarian agencies and private sector in emergency response and preparedness for response;
- Create awareness on UN civil-military coordination principles and guidelines in liaison with the OCHA Regional Office and support the DMC Civil Military Liaison Officer to strengthen civil-military coordination in humanitarian emergency response within NEOP.
- Develop guidelines to define and respond to major-level emergencies including procedures to receive international humanitarian assistance;
- Strengthen the capacity of the DMC, NDRSC and the military to attend the special needs of highly vulnerable groups of people (e.g. children, women, the elderly and people with disabilities) in emergency response in coordination with the mandated Government and non-government agencies;
- Coordinate with technical experts (WFP’s Vulnerability Analysis & Mapping, UNICEF, UNDP, OCHA Regional Office for Asia and Pacific, USAID/OFDA, International Advisory Group for Search & Rescue etc.) for the purpose of capacity building of the DMC and relevant stakeholders at national and sub-national levels, on UN Civil-Military Coordination, information management including producing analytical situation reports, 72 hour multi-sector initial rapid assessments, Child-Centered Disaster Risk Reduction, vulnerability analysis with special focus on highly vulnerable groups of people and private-public partnerships, scenario planning and emergency response simulation exercises through operationalizing the DMC simulation guidelines, Incident Command System and Search & Rescue skills etc.
- Review district level emergency response contingency plans and assist DMC to update those contingency plans;
- Supervise the Emergency Assistant (based in WFP) in consultation with the WFP Deputy Country Director and provide necessary guidance and adequate follow up;
- Attend weekly Head of Unit meeting in WFP Office to brief on work progress and operational issues.
Minimum qualifications:
The applicant should have an advanced university degree, preferably in disaster management, geographic information systems (GIS), international relations, development, economics, humanitarian studies etc. or other relevant field.
Language:
Fluency in English is essential, ability to converse in Sinhala and Tamil is an advantage.
Other Skills
Fully proficient in relevant computer skills
Coordination and good presentation skills are essential.
DESIRED EXPERIENCES FOR ENTRY INTO THE ROLE:
Candidates should have a minimum of 8 years of progressively responsible professional experience in humanitarian affairs, emergency preparedness, crisis/emergency relief management, rehabilitation and development, UN civil-military coordination and other related areas
Results Expected:
Organized and precise records; well analyzed data with minimum supervision.
Critical Success Factors:
Strong interpersonal skills; courtesy, tact and ability to work effectively with people of different national and cultural background. Ability to interpret and analyze a wide variety of programme issues and statistical information, and to maintain accurate and precise records. Ability to communicate in a team with people from different nationalities, cultural and ethnic backgrounds, ability to work in a team environment and achieve common goals
HOW TO APPLY:
WFP is seeking applications only from Sri Lankan National candidates to fill the positions.
To apply please send a covering letter along with your CV and Personal History form to: srilanka.application@wfp.org on or before 21 October 2016
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Qualified female candidates are encouraged to apply.
