Switzerland: UN Junior Professional Officer (JPO)

Through USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA), 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. They 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.

The position is located in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), Geneva, and reports to the Humanitarian Affairs Officer of the Financial Tracking Service (FTS) within the Programme Support Branch (PSB).

· Communicate with humanitarian organisations to obtain information on humanitarian funding and to maintain regular reporting arrangements with Financial Tracking Service (FTS).

· Directly and regularly contact OCHA field offices, NGOs, donors and UN agencies that are participating in humanitarian response plans, strategic response plans and preliminary response plans to establish reporting relationships and obtain contribution information.

· Contribute to the team’s outreach efforts to encourage better, more accurate and more timely reporting – notably with donors and recipients that do not regularly report to FTS (focusing on the largest humanitarian NGOs and UN Member States).

· Work with the FTS team and as part of the wider accountability and transparency movement to work on commonly-accepted data standards and data reporting processes.

· Assist colleagues with data queries and the preparation of financial analyses and reports – special reports, graphs, charts, tables and narrative analysis.

· Provide technical help to FTS users as required.

· Carry out usability testing of new FTS features.

· Contribute to the development and production of outreach and training materials such as FTS help tools (guide, tutorial).

· Create/assist others to create data-driven and other content for FTS website and social media.

· Perform other tasks as required.

Learning Elements

The assignment will provide the Associate HAO with:

• A thorough understanding of the financial tracking of humanitarian aid contributions and requirements.

• A good understanding of financial tracking in the context of the humanitarian programming cycle (HPC) and resource mobilization.

• A good understanding of the wider transparency and accountability movement.

• Sound awareness of the humanitarian architecture and relationships.

• A thorough understanding of OCHA’s mandate, mission and practice.

Eligibility

Education: Graduate or law degree in fields including but not limited to humanitarian affairs, international relations, human rights, disaster management, public policy or a related field.

Experience: Three or more years of progressively responsible professional experience working in humanitarian assistance, emergency relief, information management, data research, financial reporting and analyses, and working with a variety of diverse stakeholders, as well as field experience. Prior work experience in, or familiarity with, the UN system is also preferred.

Other Skills:

· Proficient in Word/Excel, including use for data analysis (e.g. pivot tables).

• Some experience in financial applications is desirable (e.g. accounting or financial analysis) but not essential.

• Experience using MS Office and web-based tools to create graphs, charts, tables and basic data visualization is highly desirable, but not essential.

• Experience working with content management systems is desirable, but not essential.

Languages: Proficiency in at least one U.N. working language in addition to English is preferred.

Work Location: Geneva, Switzerland

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 may leave the signature/date sections blank at this time. If selected for one of the positions, you will then need to submit a signed version.

· Do not submit a photograph.

· Please attach a cover letter to explain your interest in the position and interest in working with the UN.

· Application deadline: October 13, 2015, 5:00 p.m. EDT

· For more information please consult the Frequently Asked Questions (hyperlink will be on OFDAJPO jobs – www.ofdajobs.net/portal/files/forms/FAQ_JPO_OFDA92115.docx

· To apply please go to the OFDA job website: http://www.ofdajobs.net/portal/jpo.aspx

· Hyperlink to P 11: www.ofdajobs.net/portal/files/forms/P11Form.doc