Operations Advisor – Training at UNOPS

Background Information – Job Specific

Established in 1997, the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) works to eliminate the threat posed by mines, explosive remnants of war and improvised explosive devices by coordinating United Nations mine action, leading operational responses at the country level, and supporting the development of standards, policies and norms. As a specialized service of the United Nations located within the Department of Peace Operations, UNMAS operates under UN legislative mandates of both the General Assembly and the Security Council. UNMAS also responds to specific requests for support from the UN Secretary-General or designated official. UNMAS is mandated to coordinate the mine action work of the United Nations system as Chair of the Inter-Agency Coordination Group on Mine Action (IACG-MA) and its subsidiary groups, a responsibility established by the General Assembly (A/RES/72/75) and confirmed by the Security Council in SCR 2365 (2017). UNMAS is also the global lead for the Mine Action Area of Responsibility within the Global Protection Cluster, as well as the Chair of the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) Review Board and its Steering Committee. UNMAS supports the entire UN system through a small team at headquarters, a humanitarian hub in Geneva, and some 3,000 women and men employed through UNMAS funding in the field. UNMAS is a specialized, agile organization, which delivers concrete results in dynamic operating environments across the world. UNMAS approach is needs driven and people centered, guided by humanitarian principles. UNMAS Afghanistan is a programme implemented by UNMAS via the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) under the Financial Regulations and Rules of UNOPS.

Functional Responsibilities

Due to the urgency of this need, applications will be considered on a rolling basis (i.e. prior to closure of vacancy announcement); if you’re interested, please apply as soon as possible.

FEMALE CANDIDATES ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY! CANDIDATES WITH NO UN EXPERIENCE ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY!**

Intense conflict over the past 3-4 months added to the already existing explosive hazard contamination across the country, particularly through the use of IEDs by anti-government elements. It has been already recognized that IEDs are and will remain one of the main threats to the civilian population, hindering mobility and humanitarian delivery. The aim of the initiative is to prepare humanitarian agencies with the necessary knowledge, skills and capabilities to operate safely in an environment where explosive risks are high, thereby enabling the delivery of humanitarian assistance in the context of the deteriorating security environment within Afghanistan.

In this context, the Operations Advisor -Training (& IED) will support the UNMAS programme in Afghanistan and will work under the direct supervision of the Deputy Programme Manager. S/he will be expected to go on extended mission to Afghanistan. S/he will work closely with the Afghan Directorate of Mine Action Coordination/ Emergency Mine Action Coordination Center (DMAC/EMACC) and humanitarian actors and agencies across various sectors in Afghanistan.

This individual will be responsible for delivering a project in response to the request from a number of humanitarian NGOs for the delivery of a safety and security training with a focus on the risks posed by explosive ordnance, particularly improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

Under this project, UNMAS will conduct the Training of the Trainer (ToT) safety and security training with regard to managing/mitigating the threats presented by explosive hazards in Afghanistan and to develop Afghanistan-specific training modules to be further used to instruct UN agencies, national and international NGOs, and other relevant stakeholders. Topics will include:

• Basic recognition of explosive ordnance, including landmines, IEDs and explosive remnants of war (ERWs), and safe behaviour when encountering one.
• Minimum safety equipment while on a mission and safe behaviours depending on travel type (by vehicle, foot, and other means) and different environments.
• Incident management (actions in a dangerous area, how to respond after an explosion or another type of incident, etc.), with basic first aid/triage.
• Other topics identified at the assessment phase of the project, based on the inputs from relevant stakeholders.

Reporting to PSC’s Head of Project Unit, the Operations Advisor -Training (& IED) is expected to carry out the below major activities over the course of a 10 month period:

Creating the Training Materials to be Used

• Conduct a thorough assessment of existing training materials and synthesize key gaps in knowledge or training material availability as pertains to threats – particularly IED threats – in Afghanistan facing humanitarian actors. (to be completed within one month of appointment)
• Develop Package 1 – Explosive Hazard Awareness Training (EHAT)
  • These training materials pertainto the below-mentioned topics in line with international conventions and standards:
  • Basic recognition of explosive ordnance, including landmines, IEDs and explosive remnants of war (ERWs), and safe behaviour when encountering one
  • Minimum safety equipment while on a mission and safe behaviours depending on travel type (by vehicle, foot, and other means) and different environmentsIncident management (actions in a dangerous area, how to respond after an explosion or another type of incident, etc.), with basic first aid/triage
  • Other topics identified at the assessment phase of the project, based on the inputs from relevant stakeholders.
  • The target audience of this training is NGO and UN Personnel
  • This package shall be completed within the second month of appointment.
• Develop Package 2 – Train the Trainer for EHAT
  • These training materials pertain to the below-mentioned topics in line with international conventions and standards:
  • Detailed understanding of the topics covered within the EHAT Package 1
  • Methods of instructions and learning styles.
  • Public speaking
  • Adult learning process
  • Course management and planning
  • Develop, revise and print materials, allowing risk educators to have a ‘toolbox’ of education materials to tailor sessions to humanitarian workers’ (newly trained trainers) needs;
  • Completed within the second month of appointment.
• Both packages must be developed with an understanding that the needs vary from location to location, organization to organization, beneficiaries to beneficiaries across regions of Afghanistan;
• Work closely with national personnel in the programme to ensure cultural responsiveness of the training materials; work with translators to ensure the material is in the appropriate language
• Ensure that the materials facilitate a training-of-trainers approach to enhancing knowledge in the humanitarian sector.
• Carry out a mission to assess the context and meet with relevant partners to ensure that the materials are suitable.
• Review and revise the training materials following the delivery of the Training of Trainers module as well as following the sessions delivered by trainers

Manage and Provide (Training of Trainers) Training to Humanitarian Actors

This task will be expected to take place during an extended mission to the country. The Operations Advisor -Training (& IED) may be expected to support training of trainer support remotely in some cases.

• Provide multiple training to 100 trainers from UN agencies, national and international NGOs, and other relevant organizations;
• Travel to Kabul as well as other locations – potential Kandahar, Jalalabad, Kunduz for the training.
• Advise humanitarian organisation on the selection of individuals to be trained who can then become trainers themselves;
• Train these selected trainers to recognize threat indicators to enhance their situational awareness
• Train these selected trainers on best practice procedures to carry out when a suspicious item is located or in the event of an explosion, as well as other key knowledge and skills to protect themselves and others
• Be responsible for ensuring that humanitarian agencies who are targeted by the training – and those being trained – are prepared with the necessary knowledge and skills to operate safely in an environment where explosive hazard risks are high, thereby enabling the delivery of humanitarian assistance in the context of the deteriorating security environment within Afghanistan

Advise Programme Stakeholders and Team Members on IED and Improvised Mine Response

• Advise the UNMAS Afghanistan Programme team on other aspects related to IED, in particular anti-personnel landmines of an improvised nature (also known as Improvised Mines (IM) in Afghanistan) response and mitigation efforts.
• Review and provide advice on procurement related to this work; participate in procurement and selection processes for contracts and grants in this area
• Support the programme, DMAC and MAPA partners on advice regarding IED and IM response as well as safety protocols and monitoring of achievements
• Review and provide advice to MAPA implementing partners on their internal trainings related to IED and IM clearance
• Liaise with partners in humanitarian, protection, mine action sectors who may benefit from further knowledge about IED and IM response or require technical advice or assistance on related operations
• Provide detailed threat assessments on the explosive hazards which may impact the humanitarian community operations within Afghanistan.
• Present on explosive hazard issues to senior mission leadership and partners as required

Education/Experience/Language Requirements

Education

• Advanced university degree (Master Degree or equivalent) with seven years of relevant experience; OR
• A First-level university degree (Bachelor Degree or equivalent) with a minimum of nine years of relevant experience; OR
• Military Experience with 13 years of relevant experience

Certifications

• Improvised Explosive Device Disposal operator certification by an internationally recognized and accredited military or civilian institution is required
• Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Level 3 (or equivalent) is required
• Advanced IED Operator qualification is required

Work Experience

• Relevant experience is defined as experience in training, capacity development, project management, or general operations in an IED context
• Experience in conducting training and training needs analysis is required
• Previous experience working in Afghanistan or a post-conflict IED environment is desired

Languages

• Fluency in English is required.

Additional Considerations

Due to the urgency of this need, applications will be considered on a rolling basis (i.e. prior to closure of vacancy announcement); if you’re interested, please apply as soon as possible.**

Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time
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 seeks to reasonably accommodate candidates with special needs, upon request.
Work life harmonization – UNOPS values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. We have a progressive policy on work-life harmonization and offer several flexible working options. This policy applies to UNOPS personnel on all contract types
For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
For retainer contracts, you must complete a few Mandatory Courses (around 4 hours) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS.
The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns.
Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

Contract type/level/duration

Contract type: International ICA

Contract level: IICA-3 (ICS-11)

Contract duration: ‘Open-ended, subject to organizational requirements, availability of funds and satisfactory performance.’

For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link:
https://www.unops.org/english/Opportunities/job-opportunities/what-we-offer/Pages/Individual-Contractor-Agreements.aspx **

UNOPS Background Information

UNOPS is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve sustainable development.

UNOPS areas of expertise cover infrastructure, procurement, project management, financial management and human resources.

Working with us

UNOPS offers short- and long-term work opportunities in diverse and challenging environments across the globe. We are looking for creative, results-focused professionals with skills in a range of disciplines.

Diversity

With over 4,000 UNOPS personnel and approximately 7,000 personnel recruited on behalf of UNOPS partners spread across 80 countries, our workforce represents a wide range of nationalities and cultures. We promote a balanced, diverse workforce — a strength that helps us better understand and address our partners’ needs, and continually strive to improve our gender balance through initiatives and policies that encourage recruitment of qualified female candidates.

Peace and Security Cluster

The UNOPS Peace and Security Cluster (PSC) is a principal service provider in the field of mine action with the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS), UNDP, UNICEF, Governments of mine-affected countries and other mine action partners. It is led by the Director, who has overall authority and accountability for the performance PSC on behalf of its clients. The Director is responsible for administering and providing oversight of the day-to-day management of the Project Field offices, both according to the client requirements and in line with UNOPS rules and regulations.