Director, Humanitarian Sector Division

This position is located in the Humanitarian Sector Division (HSD) of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). OCHA’s mission is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors to reduce human suffering in disasters and emergencies; support the rights of people in need; promote preparedness and prevention; and facilitate sustainable solutions. The Division plays a central role in advancing the Humanitarian Reset, ensuring that humanitarian coordination and policy work is streamlined, country-focused, and fit for purpose. Through simplified structures and closer linkages across operational, policy, and data functions, the Division promotes a coherent, efficient, and impactful humanitarian system. The Director works under the overall strategic guidance of the Under-Secretary-General/Emergency Relief Coordinator (USG/ERC) and the direct supervision of the Assistant Secretary-General/Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator (ASG/DERC).

Within delegated authority, the Director will provide strategic leadership on humanitarian sector reform activities and oversee the newly structured Humanitarian Sector Division. S/he will represent and collaborate on OCHA’s global support to humanitarian assistance with other entities of the United Nations system, as well as humanitarian actors and organizations in the wider international humanitarian ecosystem. The Director will lead and manage the Division, working collaboratively with other functional leads. Specifically, the Director will be responsible for the following:

• Directs and manages the Humanitarian Sector Division, leading a large cross-functional and geographically dispersed workforce and, ensuring integrated delivery across OCHA’s coordination, policy, negotiation, and information functions in line with the Humanitarian Reset.
• Provides strategic and technical leadership to ensure effective international humanitarian response systems, context-specific coordination mechanisms, and readiness to rapidly respond to emerging crises.
• Contributes to the formulation of OCHA’s overall strategies and policies by providing coherent guidance, preparing strategic policy inputs, and advising the USG/ASG on cross-cutting operational and diplomatic priorities. Provides leadership to OCHA’s humanitarian diplomacy strategy, including geopolitical analysis, strategic engagement with actors with influence, and support to principled humanitarian access.
• Provides leadership to the development of innovative and change management initiatives that strengthen coherence, efficiency, and agility under the Humanitarian Reset, and which modernize field coordination and inter-agency mechanisms.
• Formulates and implements the substantive work programme of the Division under his/her supervision, determining priorities, and allocating resources to ensure the timely delivery of outputs aligned with OCHA’s Strategic Plan, Results Framework, and Reset objectives.
• Oversees the management of activities undertaken by the Division, ensuring that programmed activities are carried out in a timely fashion and that work across branches and sections is coordinated with other parts of OCHA, the IASC, and external partners.
• Co-ordinates and oversees the preparation of reports for presentation to intergovernmental bodies such as the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budget Questions, Committee for Programme Coordination, Economic and Social Council, the General Assembly and other policy-making organs, as appropriate ensuring that analysis reflects system-wide coordination and policy.
• Reports to intergovernmental bodies on budget/programme performance or issues, as appropriate, particularly those presented in biannual and/or annual reports and provides briefings on OCHA’s coordination and policy.
• Ensures that the outputs produced by the Division maintain high-quality standards; that reports are clear, objective and based on comprehensive data. Ensures that all outputs produced by the division under his/her supervision meet required standards before completion to ensure they comply with the relevant mandates and reflect integrated analysis across coordination, policy, and information management functions.
• Undertakes or oversees the programmatic tasks necessary for the Division, including preparation of budgets, assigning and monitoring of performance parameters and critical indicators, reporting on budget/programme performance, preparation of inputs for results-based budgeting, evaluation of staff performance (PAS), interviews of candidates for job openings and evaluation of candidates.
• Oversees the recruitment of staff for the Division taking due account to geographical and gender balance and other institutional values.
• Manages, guides, develops and trains staff under his/her supervision; foster teamwork and communication among staff in the Division and across organizational boundaries promoting a culture of collaboration, inclusion, and accountability across coordination, policy, and information streams.
• Perform other related duties as requested by the senior management of the Organization.

PROFESSIONALISM: Knowledge of the humanitarian system. Shows ability to produce reports and papers on technical issues and to review and edit the work of others. Shows ability to apply UN rules, regulations, policies and guidelines in work situations. Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations.

ACCOUNTABILITY: Takes ownership of all responsibilities and honours commitments; delivers outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards; operates in compliance with organizational regulations and rules; supports subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments; takes personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable.

LEADERSHIP: Serves as a role model that other people want to follow: empowers others to translate vision into results; is proactive in developing strategies to accomplish objectives; establishes and maintains relationships with a broad range of people to understand needs and gain support; anticipates and resolves conflicts by pursuing mutually agreeable solutions; drives for change and improvements; does not accept the status quo; shows the courage to take unpopular stands. Provides leadership and takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work; demonstrates knowledge of strategies and commitment to the goal of gender balance in staffing.

VISION: Identifies strategic issues, opportunities and risks; clearly communicates links between the Organization’s strategy and the work unit’s goals; generates and communicates broad and compelling organizational direction, inspiring others to pursue that same direction; conveys enthusiasm about future possibilities.

BUILDING TRUST: Provides an environment in which others can talk and act without fear of repercussion; manages in a deliberate and predictable way; operates with transparency; has no hidden agenda; places confidences in colleagues, staff members and clients; gives proper credit to theirs; follows through on agreed upon actions; treats sensitive or confidential information appropriately.

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in administration, international affairs, social or natural sciences or related area. A first-level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Over fifteen (15) years of progressively responsible experience in leadership, management, operations, or related field is required. At least seven (7) years of experience in senior leadership roles leading large, cross-functional and geographically dispersed teams, with responsibility for significant human and financial resources, in a large international organization is required. Experience managing complex inter-agency coordination, system-wide crisis response, public diplomacy, and large-scale humanitarian programmes at the international level is required. Experience engaging with Member States, donors, and senior government officials on humanitarian policy or operational issues is desirable. Experience advising senior leadership on humanitarian coordination, policy and operational issues is desirable. Experience leading large-scale humanitarian operations with significant budgetary and workforce responsibilities is desirable. Experience serving in senior leadership positions at both headquarters and in the field within the United Nations or a comparable international organization is desirable.

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this job opening, English is required. French is desirable.

Evaluation of qualified candidates may include an assessment exercise which may be followed by competency-based interview.