Humanitarian Support Officer(Oxfam) - Employment, career opportunity in USA

Job Title:  Humanitarian Support Officer
Organization: Oxfam America
Location: United States of America
Deadline: 24th Sept 2013

Reporting to the Deputy Director of the Humanitarian Response Department, the Humanitarian Program Officer (EFSVL) works to enable Oxfam America (OA) and its partners to respond quickly and appropriately to food security and livelihoods emergencies, to build Oxfam and partners’ capacity and preparedness in the area of emergency food security and vulnerable livelihoods, and to contribute to ensuring high quality humanitarian programming across the organization.

Description

Humanitarian Program Officer, Livelihoods
Humanitarian Response Department (HRD) | Boston, MA, United States

TITLE: Humanitarian Support Officer, Emergency Food Security and Vulnerable Livelihoods (EFSVL)
DEPARTMENT: Humanitarian Response Department (HRD)
LOCATION: Boston (50 – 75% of time will be spent on deployment)
REPORTS TO: Deputy Director, HRD
COORDINATES WITH: Humanitarian Livelihoods Specialist; Water, Hygiene and Sanitation (WASH) Specialists and Humanitarian Support Officer; regional/country-level humanitarian staff.
PURPOSE OF POSITION: To enable Oxfam America (OA) and its partners to respond quickly and appropriately to food security and livelihoods emergencies, to build Oxfam and partners’ capacity and preparedness in the area of emergency food security and vulnerable livelihoods, and to contribute to ensuring high quality humanitarian programming across the organization.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Provide technical advice and support on emergency food security and vulnerable livelihoods (EFSVL) to the Humanitarian Response Department, country/regional humanitarian staff, and local partner organizations to ensure effective and appropriate response, recovery, and resilience-building strategies and activities.
Support preparedness and capacity building activities at country/regional and headquarters levels, including contingency planning, leading trainings/workshops, and conducting capacity assessments.
Conduct EFSVL needs assessments and work with staff and partners to conduct response analysis, identify appropriate program strategies, and design project proposals in a rapid, culturally-appropriate and effective manner.
Lead and provide technical direction to humanitarian staff (generalists and specialists) and partners for short periods of time, including rapid recruitment and training of EFSVL staff during emergencies.
Support monitoring, evaluation, learning and accountability activities.
Contribute to the strategic direction of OA and Oxfam International’s core competency area of EFSVL, and work with staff and partners to understand Oxfam standards and guidelines in order to ensure response activities meet Oxfam expectations of quality.

EXPECTATIONS FOR THE POSITION:
The incumbent will stay abreast of professional standards, trends and issues affecting this set of responsibilities, demonstrating continuous learning of the field of EFSVL.
S/he will work effectively and collaboratively in support of building a team-based culture of work, will perform all duties appropriately for a multi-cultural environment, treating all persons with dignity and respect, and will be familiar with and committed to OA’s mission and goals.
Preparedness to travel between 50 and 75% of time to emergencies and country/regional offices in Africa and Latin America.
Preparedness for deployment to areas where living conditions might be basic.
May be asked to work extended hours, particularly during an emergency phase.

QUALIFICATIONS:
Required:
Education:
Bachelor’s degree in fields related to food security, nutrition, agriculture or agronomy, veterinary science, humanitarian response, international development and/or other relevant fields of study.

Experience and core competencies:
Five years of experience working in developing countries involved in food security and livelihoods programs.
A minimum of two years of demonstrable and successful experience in assessing, designing, implementing, and monitoring EFSVL activities in the early stages of a humanitarian response.
Experience designing, planning, and leading EFSVL assessments as part of a multi-sector program assessment.
Experience designing and implementing programs in at least two of the following thematic areas: agricultural support (crops), livestock support, food aid, social protection, and/or nutrition.
Excellent oral and written communication skills, outstanding interpersonal skills, and ability to communicate effectively with various people and in a variety of forums. Comfort providing continuous feedback and updates to achieve improved results.
Experience designing and implementing Cash Transfer Programs in emergencies.
Experience assessing markets in emergencies and knowledge of market support interventions.
Experience using key analytical tools like livelihoods frameworks, household economy analysis (HEA), Emergency Market Mapping and Analysis (EMMA), nutrition surveys and IPC, and the ability to explain them to others.
Experience building capacity of others in EFSVL.
Experience fostering collaborative, transparent, and accountable relationships with local NGOs.
Experience developing logical frameworks (logframes), identifying appropriate indicators, designing monitoring and evaluation tools, and adapting programs as a result of monitoring data.
Experience planning recovery activities and linking responses to resilience-building and/or long-term development activities.
Ability to contribute to the development of program budgets, identify human resource needs and participate in hiring, liaise with fundraisers and communications/media staff, and identify a program’s logistics needs.
Knowledge of SPHERE and other recognized humanitarian standards and principles. Ability to ensure that program objectives and activities uphold key national and international frameworks, codes, and organizational commitments and expectations.
Experience applying gender analysis and accountability standards in designing programs for women, girls, boys, and men affected by crises. Ability to communicate gender and accountability principles and influence others to apply them.
Ability to identify, document, and communicate lessons learned and apply them to future work.
Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment and under pressure.
The ability to deploy to emergencies at short notice.
Eagerness to take on challenges and work as part of a team.

Preferred:
Master’s degree in a relevant field.
An ability to communicate in French or Spanish is highly desirable. Arabic or Portuguese are also useful.
Familiarity with Oxfam.
Understanding of the linkages between EFSVL and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) and ability to conduct joint risk assessments and make appropriate program recommendations.
Knowledge of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), including Participatory Capacity and Vulnerability Assessment (PCVA).
Ability to contribute to local, national, and global advocacy messaging based on field context.
Experience participating in and representing an agency in cluster meetings and other coordination mechanisms involving UN agencies, other NGOs and government authorities, and location organizations.
Experience working in EFSVL programming in urban contexts.
Knowledge of the field of international development and human rights.

How to apply Now: