Chief of Strategic Prioritization and Practices Branch

About the role

This temporary full-time position is based in the Strategic Prioritization and Practices Branch (SPPB), Humanitarian Sector Division, OCHA, in Geneva. OCHA brings humanitarian actors together for a coherent response to emergencies. Acting with delegated authority of the Humanitarian Sector Division Director, the Chief of Branch leads the reform of the humanitarian programme cycle and strengthens and streamlines humanitarian coordination in line with the Humanitarian Reset, trains OCHA and IASC personnel, documents and shares best practice, shepherds interagency negotiations, leads cash coordination, promotes humanitarian-development collaboration and provides technical support to Humanitarian Coordinators, Humanitarian Country Teams and OCHA Country and Regional Offices. The position reports to the Director, Humanitarian Sector Division.

Key responsibilities

• Streamline the Branch's functions and drive change management to reform the humanitarian programme cycle, applying the Humanitarian Reset's four D's (Define, Devolve, Deliver, Defend)
• Promote localization, accountability to affected people, gender, age and disability sensitivity, and cross-cultural responsiveness
• Provide strategic leadership on the humanitarian programme cycle: coordinated needs assessment, analysis and prioritization, joint strategic response planning, resource mobilization and joint response monitoring
• Guide the Branch's work plan, priorities and resource allocation, supervise staff and foster teamwork and links between country, regional and headquarters offices
• Handle programme and administrative tasks such as budget preparation, performance reporting, staff evaluations and candidate interviews
• Represent OCHA in the IASC, coordinate IASC policies and tools, and engage with governments, diplomatic missions, UN entities, NGOs and the media
• Work closely with the Development Coordination Office and lead OCHA's secretariat support to the Joint Steering Committee and transition work
• Develop normative guidance, procedures and tools for Resident/Humanitarian Coordinators and Country Teams, and share best practice and innovations
• Oversee training plans for OCHA headquarters and country/regional offices on the humanitarian programme cycle and coordination, including cash coordination and humanitarian-development collaboration
• Contribute to OCHA's corporate policy development as a member of the General Management Team and Management Committee, and advise the ERC and Senior Leadership Group

Required profile

• In-depth knowledge of international humanitarian emergency response, the humanitarian programme cycle and humanitarian coordination
• Ability to apply UN rules, regulations, policies and guidelines
• Views affected people, communities, civil society, governments, UN agencies and INGOs as partners, prioritizing localization through shared leadership, resources and decision-making