Organization: UNICEF – United Nations Children’s Fund
Location: Istanbul
Grade: Mid level – P-3, International Professional – Internationally recruited position
Occupational Groups:
Border and Customs
Medical Practitioners
Humanitarian Aid and Coordination
Disaster Management (Preparedness, Resilience, Response and Recovery)
Emergency Aid and Response
Project and Programme Management
Closing Date: 2024-12-23
Description
The Emergency Specialist (Risk Analysis and Preparedness) will facilitate UNICEF’s global political risk monitoring and analysis, including research and analysis of political, administrative and legislative risks potentially affecting UNICEF’s humanitarian response, focusing on fragile or otherwise high-risk settings including UNICEF’s corporate priority emergency responses. The Emergency Specialist will research and draft analytical reports, liaise with key partners, and support the development of UNICEF’s analytical systems and related analytical capacity, policies and technologies.
UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children’s lives, defend their rights, and help them fulfill their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.
At UNICEF, we are committed, passionate, and proud of what we do. Promoting the rights of every child is not just a job – it is a calling.
UNICEF is a place where careers are built, we offer our staff diverse opportunities for personal and professional development that will help them develop a fulfilling career while delivering on a rewarding mission. We pride ourselves on a culture that helps staff thrive, coupled with an attractive compensation and benefits package.
Job organizational Context:
The Emergency Specialist (Risk Analysis and Preparedness) is based in UNICEF Headquarters, Office of Emergency Programmes (EMOPS), Risk Analysis and Preparedness Section (RAPS) and reports to the Emergency Specialist (Risk Analysis).
Summary of key functions/accountabilities:
- Produce briefings for senior UNICEF managers on political risk, in varied formats and modalities.
- Develop analyses and scenarios to support UNICEF CO and RO in contingency planning and emergency preparedness.
- Participate in inter-agency risk analysis processes including the IASC Early Warning Early Action / Horizon Scanning and Regional Monthly Review processes.
- Enhance UNICEF collection and collation of political risk information through improved use of technology.
- Build partnerships with external actors in the political risk analysis space to enhance UNICEF’s access to information.
- Produce briefings for senior UNICEF managers on political risk, in varied formats and modalities:
- Monitor, research and analyze information related to conflict, political, legislative and administrative risk that could affect UNICEF operations.
- Develop briefings about conflict and political risk in media such as written documents, briefing notes, visuals, and audio/video.
- Ensure that briefing materials are integrated into other Risk Analysis and Preparedness Section products, including interagency work.
- Ensure confidential management of sensitive materials.
- Develop analyses and scenarios to support UNICEF CO and RO in contingency planning and emergency preparedness:
- Research and draft conflict and political risk-related scenarios that include context, humanitarian impacts, and operational impacts, in collaboration with UNICEF RO and CO, and HQ sections.
- Regularly communicate with other sections, and other staff in the Risk Analysis and Preparedness section, using or producing political risk or otherwise relevant information, to ensure common understandings and avoid duplication
- Consult with other sections as relevant in the production of briefing materials as above
- Participate in inter-agency risk analysis processes including the IASC Early Warning Early Action / Horizon Scanning and Regional Monthly Review processes:
- Contribute to research, analysis, and report drafting for IASC risk analysis processes
- Coordinate day to day aspects of UNICEF engagement in the Regional Monthly Review process, including liaising with other UNICEF RO, CO and HQ sections as needed, attending meetings, and research and drafting risk analyses.
- Enhance UNICEF collection and collation of political risk information through improved use of technology, in collaboration with OPSCEN:
- Identify and exploit opportunities to develop technological solutions related to political risk information collection, filtering, storage, and analysis
- Support integration of the above into existing and new systems in the Risk Analysis and Preparedness Section
- Build partnerships with external actors in the political risk analysis space to enhance UNICEF’s access to information:
- As needed, work with the Humanitarian Field Support Section and EMOPS Director’s Office on political analysis for Level 3 and Level 2 crises
- Identify partners that could enhance UNICEF’s political risk analysis outputs and develop and manage informal and formal partnerships as appropriate.
Impact of Results:
The efficient and effective analytical support provided by the Emergency Specialist (Political Risk Analysis) impacts on the timeliness and effectiveness of the humanitarian action for children in emergencies.
Requirements
Minimum requirements:
- Education: Advanced degree in Political Science, Economics, International Relations or another relevant Science/Social Science field.
*First level university degree with relevant combination of academic qualifications and experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
- Work Experience:
- At least five years of experience in international political risk analysis, with emphasis on fragile/high-risk environments
- Experience producing political risk briefings for senior management
- Experience with a humanitarian agency and an understanding of the impacts of political and conflict risk on humanitarian operations
- Demonstrated data analysis skills
- Experience in economic risk analysis is an asset
- Ability to code using tools such as Python, SQL, Databricks, etc., and connect these to e.g. PowerBI is an asset
- Language Requirements: Fluency in English and Arabic required; proficiency in French is highly desirable.
Desirables:
- Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency
- Experience working with UNICEF and in inter-sectoral positions is sees as an advantage
- Experience at regional and/or HQ level in addition to field locations is an advantage
- Specialized training/experience in emergency preparedness/response management highly desirable
- Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) would be a strong asset
All UNICEF positions are advertised, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. An internal candidate performing at the level of the post in the relevant functional area, or an internal/external candidate in the corresponding Talent Group, may be selected, if suitable for the post, without assessment of other candidates.
How to apply
Simply click on the apply button, fill out of the form, and upload your documents