Operations Associate, Mogadishu UNPOS

UNOPS mission is to expand the capacity of the UN system and its partners to implement peacebuilding, humanitarian and development operations that matter for people in need.Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, UNOPS vision is to always satisfy partners with management services that meet world-class standards of quality, speed and cost effectiveness. By assisting UN organizations, international financial institutions, governments and other development partners, UNOPS makes significant, tangible contributions to results on the ground. UNOPS employs more than 6000 personnel and on behalf of its partners creates thousands more work opportunities in local communities. With its headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark, a network of five regional offices and a further 20 operations and project centres, UNOPS oversees activities in more than 80 countries. UNOPS is committed to achieving a truly diverse workforce. 

Background Information - MAS

Mine Action Cluster

The UNOPS North America Regional Office provides services that help implement projects for a range of partners, and support operations run by the UNOPS Mine Action Cluster, Small Grants Cluster and Development Group Cluster. In addition, the office serves as a liaison between UNOPS headquarters and its Executive Board, which supports and supervises UNOPS activities globally. The Mine Action Programme in Somalia had been implemented by UNMAS since 2002. The programme started in Somaliland (1992-1993, 1997-1998 and 1999-present), and Puntland (2003-2005), and has implemented capacity building projects, provided technical assistance for the national Somaliland and Puntland Mine Action centres and the Police Explosive Ordnance disposal teams. Mine Action operations in south central Somalia were launched in 2007 with the primary objective of establishing a national Mine Action Coordination Center to cover the remaining regions of south central Somalia. The UN Somalia Mine Action Programme (UNSOMA) has transitioned and will operate under the responsibility of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), executed by UNOPS. In South Central, UNSOMA will expand the activities in support of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). In complement to the provision of capacity building and support for the AMISOM forces to undertake EOD (Explosive Ordnance) activities in Mogadishu to reduce the large amounts of ERW (Explosive Remnants of War) and stockpiles throughout the city, Police EOD teams will be deployed in Mogadishu in concert with an emergency MRE initiatives by UNMAS, UNICEF and UNHCR to reach the large numbers of returnees for provision of humanitarian assistance. UNSOMA has an office in Nairobi to provide managerial and support functions for the Regional Offices in Somalia.

Functional Responsibilities

Operations

·         Comprehensive general operational management of the UNSOMA Regional Mine Action Office (RMAO) in Mogadishu.

·         Coordinate, facilitate and prioritise all operational tasks for mine action (MA) activities in Mogadishu.

·         Responsible for all aspects of MA related activities carried out by staff under his/her supervision and control.

·         Oversee and coordinate the implementation, execution and completion of all mine related operations in Mogadishu.

·         Ensure close and effective interaction and coordination of the integral aspects of MA, such as Demining, EOD, Medical, MRE, Survey and QA activities.

·         Overseas the maintenance of the operations office filing and document control systems.

·         Overseas data entry in IMSMA of all field reports and returns.

·         When requested, conduct formal investigations of mine action incidents/accidents.

·         Develop, monitor and maintain local security networks to aid with information gathering for the safe implementation of MA activities in Mogadishu.

·         Any other duties as assigned by the UNSOMA Ops/QA Officer.

·         Acts as the primary interpreter for the UNSOMA Project Manager (PM) in strategic meetings with the local representatives of the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia.

·         Translates formal UNSOMA letters into Somali language on behalf of the Humanitarian PM.

·         Liaises directly with TFG and local authorities to facilitate the implementation of mine action operations across Mogadishu.

·         Liaise with other UN agencies, funds and programs in Mogadishu on humanitarian issues influencing MA team deployment.

Education/Experience/Language requirements

·         Certification in the relevant field or a first level University degree is desirable.

·         Minimum 5-6 years of relevant experience in Mine Action.

·         Experience in working in Mine Action operations.

·         Proven experience in leadership and operational management.

·         Experience in working under pressure to meet tight deadlines.

·         Previous experience in working in a gender-equal and multi-cultural environment is desirable.

·         Excellent command in spoken and written English is required, in addition to Somali.

Contract type, level and duration

Contract type:Local Individual Contractor Agreement (LICA) Contract level: LICA-4 Contract duration:7 months,with possibility of extension. For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link: http://www.unops.org/ENGLISH/WHOWENEED/CONTRACT-TYPES/Pages/Individual-Contractor-Agreements-ICAs.aspx 
Additional Considerations

·         Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time (CET)

·         Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.

·         Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.

·         Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

·         UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a level below the advertised level of the post

·         The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.