Associate Emergency Preparedness Officer

Organizational Context

UNHCR Ethiopia hosts over 1 million refugees and asylum seekers, with significant numbers of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and returnees due to conflict and climate events. The operation focuses on integrating humanitarian, peace, and development initiatives, aligning with national strategies and the Sustainable Development Goals. The region faces ongoing armed conflicts and climate change impacts, increasing humanitarian needs.

Job Purpose

The Associate Emergency Preparedness Officer supports UNHCR's Emergency Services by enhancing emergency preparedness, developing guidance and tools, and strengthening response capacity. The role involves assisting country operations and Regional Bureaux in preparing for emergencies, contributing to global crisis horizon scanning, and fostering innovation in preparedness strategies and resources. The incumbent will provide technical advice on drafting preparedness and contingency plans, monitor preparedness levels, and liaise with stakeholders to develop effective preparedness products. This position aims to improve UNHCR's ability to anticipate, analyze, and respond to emerging crises, ensuring that global strategic priorities, including protection and Age Gender and Diversity considerations, are integrated into preparedness methodologies and situational analyses.

Responsibilities

The Associate Emergency Preparedness Officer will provide crucial support to country operations and Regional Bureaux in emergency preparedness and response. This includes offering technical advice and assistance in developing preparedness action plans and contingency plans for high-risk situations, and monitoring the preparedness levels in field operations. The role involves liaising with internal and external stakeholders to define appropriate analysis and preparedness strategies, and contributing to the development of new approaches for emergency risk analysis. The incumbent will support the innovation and enhancement of UNHCR’s early warning and preparedness platforms and tools, and assist in horizon scanning for potential new and escalating emergencies relevant to UNHCR. This includes open-source monitoring of situations of concern and emerging risks, and participating in discussions on risk detection and analysis. The position ensures that UNHCR's Global Strategic Priorities, including protection, accountability, and Age Gender and Diversity, are integrated into preparedness methodologies and situational analyses. Support will also be provided for innovating standardized training approaches and undertaking short missions for preparedness, training, and capacity building. In some instances, the role may involve deployment to humanitarian emergency field situations for up to three months. Additionally, the officer will support the development and updating of emergency policies and tools, contribute to the emergency management system by updating tracking matrices and drafting guidance notes, and analyze lessons learned and best practices in preparedness.

Work Experience

Two years of relevant working experience is required, with at least one year preferably in humanitarian field operations or similar experience outside the home country.

Skills

Emergency preparedness Contingency planning Risk analysis Horizon scanning Open source monitoring Stakeholder liaison Guidance development Policy development Training and capacity building Inter-agency coordination Protection principles Age Gender and Diversity

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