The Position:

The position of Head of the Global Emergency Response Unit is located in the Humanitarian Response Division (HRD), based in Geneva. Under the overall guidance of the Director of HRD, the incumbent reports to the Deputy Director and provides substantive leadership in supporting Regional and Country Offices for their humanitarian emergency responses according to UNFPA’s Emergency Policy and Procedures and other relevant policies and frameworks.

Job Purpose:

The overall purpose of the Humanitarian Response Division (HRD) is to facilitate the delivery of the UNFPA’s mandate by leading emergency response and supporting humanitarian preparedness actions in increasingly complex humanitarian situations, within globally agreed frameworks (2030 Agenda, Grand Bargain Commitments, Sendai Framework, etc.). The HRD leads in leveraging and increasing the effectiveness, efficiency, and capacity of UNFPA staff and partners to scale up UNFPA’s role as a key global humanitarian leader. Through the Inter-Agency Standing Committee for Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (IASC) and other associated entities, the HRD acts as a point of convergence on humanitarian activities, including policy, coordination, programming, advocacy, capacity development, resource mobilization, innovation, partnerships, technical guidance and, crucially, thematic integration, ensuring complementarity between humanitarian and development action within the organization.

HRD advocates among humanitarian agencies to include sexual and reproductive health and rights needs and sexual and gender-based violence prevention and response needs and humanitarian concerns and specific needs of women, adolescents and young people into the overall humanitarian preparedness and response frameworks. The HRD facilitates the development of UNFPA capacities to prepare and respond to the emergencies and to ensure the Agency is well equipped to deal with the context of fragility and disaster risk reduction.

The Head of the Global Emergency Response Unit (GERU) is responsible for supporting the overall leadership of HRD’s emergency interventions and management of the Global Emergency Response Unit under the overall guidance of the Director of HRD and daily supervision of the Deputy Director and contributing to UNFPA’s strategic goals through the management of an emergency preparedness and response portfolio. The GERU provides a field focused, service oriented, steering and convening role focusing on forward looking preparedness and ensures a swift, coordinated, and integrated humanitarian emergency response.

The incumbent will work in close collaboration with other units in HRD and HQ, the Regional and Country Offices and other UNFPA entities. The incumbent has supervisory responsibilities.

You would be responsible for:

• Provide regular operational updates to the Director/Deputy Director on ongoing crises, and potential crises for early warning, early action, and emergency preparedness including prepositioning.
• Lead in monitoring and tracking compliance of preparedness and prepositioning action by Regional and Country Offices to identify gaps and need for additional support.
• Ensure that the organization is up to date on policy and guidance for emergency preparedness and response.
• Closely monitor, track, and ensure full implementation of the Emergency Policy and Procedures, and identify gaps for more support to Regional and Country Offices in emergencies.
• Provide support to the Director/Deputy Director to ensure effective and timely deployment of the Global Emergency Response Team (GERT).
• Lead the provision of technical assistance in emergencies, especially in IASC Scale-Up/L3/Corporate priorities and emergencies.
• In collaboration with Supply Chain Management Unit (SCMU), ensure the implementation of the Humanitarian Supply Strategy (HSS).
• In collaboration with Regional and Country Offices in emergency, provide substantive support in ensuring After Action Reviews are conducted timely and effectively.
• Identify lessons learned from previous emergencies and apply them for continuous learning and improvements for future planning and strategy development.
• In collaboration with other relevant business units within HRD and in UNFPA, ensure generated knowledge is shared and updated for UNFPA’s emergency response.
• In collaboration with other relevant units in HRD, develop humanitarian partnerships for operational strengthening of UNFPA’s emergency response.
• Contribute to resource mobilization efforts for UNFPA’s humanitarian actions.
• Provide substantive support to management for any inter agency operational requirement.
• Closely monitor, tract and ensure full implementation of recommendations of audits, reviews, and evaluations with regards to emergency preparedness and response, including the implementation of the Emergency Policy and Procedures.
• Performs any other duties as may be directed by the Director/Deputy Director, including emergency deployment.

Qualifications and Experience:

Education:

• Advanced Degree in business management, humanitarian affairs, human rights, law, economics, development studies, public administration, international relations, public health, gender, or other related disciplines.

Knowledge and Experience:

• Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in humanitarian preparedness, coordination, response and operations with field experiences of emergency response at country level.
• Proven experience and understanding of humanitarian architecture and cluster system is required.
• Proven experience in field emergency operations including on Security Risk Management (SRM) and humanitarian access.
• Proven understanding and experience of UNFPA’s mandate and thematic areas, including sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender-based violence, gender equality, adolescents and young people, etc. is a strong asset.
• Knowledge of the emergency process and roles/responsibilities of humanitarian actors required.
• Strong analytical, coordination and organizational skills required.
• Skills in building strategic alliance and partnerships, strong communications, and inter-personal skills.
• Proven leadership and management skills, including managing and directing multinational teams working in complex and insecure and rapidly changing environments.
• Coaching and mentoring experiences and skills an asset.

Languages:

Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of other UN languages is an asset.

Required Competencies:

Values:

• Exemplifying integrity,
• Demonstrating commitment to UNFPA and the UN system,
• Embracing cultural diversity,
• Embracing change

Core Competencies:

• Achieving results,
• Being accountable,
• Developing and applying professional expertise/business acumen,
• Thinking analytically and strategically,
• Working in teams/managing ourselves and our relationships,
• Communicating for impact.

Functional Competencies:

• Job knowledge & technical expertise,
• Advocacy/ Advancing a policy-oriented agenda,
• Leveraging the resources of national governments and partners/ building strategic alliances and partnerships,
• Strengthening the capacity of country office,
• Providing technical/programmatic support to humanitarian and emergency responses, resilience, and recovery,
• Delivering results-based programmers,
• Internal and external communication and advocacy for results mobilization,
• Innovation and Marketing of New Approaches,
• Promoting organizational learning and knowledge sharing,
• Knowledge Sharing/Continuous Learning.

Managerial Competencies:

• Providing strategic focus,
• Engaging internal/ external partners and stakeholders,
• Leadership, developing, and empowering people/ creating a culture of performance,
• Making decisions and exercising judgment,
• Performance management.

Compensation and Benefits:

This position offers an attractive remuneration package including a competitive net salary plus health insurance and other benefits as applicable.

UNFPA Work Environment:

UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, diversity, integrity and healthy work-life balance. We are committed to ensuring gender parity in the organization and therefore encourage women to apply. Individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community, minority ethnic groups, indigenous populations, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities in terms of appointment, training, compensation and selection for all regardless of personal characteristics and dimensions of diversity. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is at the heart of UNFPA’s workforce – click here to learn more.