Job: Contingency Planning Consultant

Location: Jordan
Organization: UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East Country: Jordan Closing date: 31 Oct 2013

TERMS OF REFERENCE

UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and is mandated to provide assistance and protection to a population of some 5 million registered Palestine refugees. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip to achieve their full potential in human development, pending a just solution to their plight. UNRWA's services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance and emergency assistance. UNRWA is the largest UN operation in the Middle East with more than 30,000 staff. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions

Contingency Planning Consultant, Jordan

BACKGROUND UNRWA provides humanitarian assistance and protection services to Palestine refugees who have fled Syria to Jordan (currently 9,200). In response to the escalation of hostilities in Syria, UNRWA has ramped up its contingency plans to enhance its preparedness for a potential large inflow of Palestine refugees from Syria into Jordan. The Agency's Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) Framework articulates an emergency management structure, check lists of emergency preparedness actions for all functional units, standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the first 72 hours and concepts of operations. In September 2013, the Agency updated the situational analysis and scenarios that underpin these plans, reviewed the status of preparedness actions, reassessed its absorption capacity and developed cost estimates for each scenario which provided a platform to approach donors to finance preparedness actions, particularly the prepositioning of supplies. These analyses are yet to be consolidated into a detailed contingency plan, however.

The incumbent of this post reports directly to the Senior Emergency Coordinator, Jordan Field.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES In accordance with Agency policy and procedures, the incumbent supports the Senior Emergency Coordinator in:

• Undertaking a desk review of existing contingency planning and emergency preparedness documents
• Consulting key stakeholders (including UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, WHO, OCHA and other parties) in an effort to develop a coordinated response and secure support for UNRWA's contingency plan
• Refining contingency scenarios for UNRWA to respond to a potential large influx/crisis and compounded humanitarian needs
• Strengthening operational plans for each scenario, including work plans and budget, and consolidating these into a detailed concept of operations
• Ensuring that the Jordan contingency plans are coherent with the regional contingency planning of UNRWA and other humanitarian agencies
• Presenting the contingency plan to headquarters, head office and area office staff

OUTPUT A contingency plan which includes (a) Emergency Preparedness Gap Analysis, (b) Contingency Planning/Early Action Planning Concept and (c) Guidelines for functional units/UNRWA staff

TIMELINE

• Work plan including time-table developed and agreed with the Senior Emergency Coordinator within three days after the starting date
• Emergency Preparedness Gap Analysis carried out within two weeks after the starting date;
• Contingency Planning/Early Action Planning Concept developed within three weeks after the starting date
• Guidelines for implementing partners developed within four weeks after the starting date
• Presentation and delivery of finalized and edited contingency plan within 30 days of starting date

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Advanced degree in a relevant field;
• Extensive experience with developing and overseeing emergency/disaster contingency strategies for complex emergencies;
• Strong analytical and writing skills (English).

DESIRABLE COMPETENCIES

• Solid understanding of the Syria crisis and Jordanian context, with previous experience in Jordan or the Middle East preferred;
• Ability to respond to changing requirements and assignments given;
• Ability to identify key strategic issues, opportunities and risks;
• Demonstrated strong interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to develop relations with humanitarian agencies.

CONDITIONS OF SERVICE

• Duration: 1 month
• Entry date: as soon as possible
• Remuneration for this consultancy will be approximately USD 5,000.

APPLICATION PROCESS Applicants should submit a cover letter and CV or UN Personal History Form demonstrating clearly the knowledge and experience required to meet the consultancy requirements via consultancy@unrwa.org clearly indicating the title of this consultancy 'Contingency Planning Consultant' in the subject line of the message. The deadline for the submission of applications is 31 October 2013 (late applications will not be considered).

UNRWA is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from both women and men. UNRWA encourages applications from qualified and experienced female candidates. Only those applicants short-listed for interview will be contacted. UNRWA is a non-smoking environment.

How to apply:

Applicants should submit a cover letter and CV or UN Personal History Form demonstrating clearly the knowledge and experience required to meet the consultancy requirements via consultancy@unrwa.org clearly indicating the title of this consultancy 'Contingency Planning Consultant' in the subject line of the message. The deadline for the submission of applications is 31 October 2013 (late applications will not be considered).

UNRWA is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from both women and men. UNRWA encourages applications from qualified and experienced female candidates. Only those applicants short-listed for interview will be contacted. UNRWA is a non-smoking environment.

More Info and Application