Head of Humanitarian- Oxfam in Africa At Oxfam

The Role

Oxfam International Oxfam International’s Africa Platform is looking for a Head of Humanitarian to ensure readiness on decision making in all humanitarian matters. This position will provide leadership to ensure that Oxfam and its partners are both ready and able to respond to humanitarian crises in a timely, proportionate, and professionally competent manner, wherever and whenever they occur in the Sub-Sahara region of Africa.

The role will also contribute to humanitarian influencing and practicing LHL agenda and delivering on global commitments.

This role will be the link with the Global Humanitarian Team and affiliates and will work towards ensuring the adequate humanitarian capacity is available in Oxfam in Africa, with special focus in the countries.

Who we’re looking for a person with

Humanitarian Strategy

• Ensures a good level of analysis of the humanitarian situation in the region, ensuring awareness raising and clear communication on challenges faced and foreseen in the Sub-Sahara region.
• Ensure Preparedness Plans and Response Strategy for Africa Regional Platform is available and regularly updated.
• Support SAF Cluster and Country Directors and Humanitarian Programme Managers in their ongoing analysis of humanitarian trends through the provision of research and data analysis tools.
• Lead on regional humanitarian response and preparedness, linking country, regional, affiliate and Oxfam’s Global Humanitarian Team (GHT) where needed.

• Contribute to relevant humanitarian policy debates and represent Oxfam on humanitarian issues.
• In coordination with People and Culture team, support the humanitarian structure (roles and responsibilities) and lead and manage the humanitarian team.
• Ensure resilience building and triple nexus thinking is part of response and preparedness planning for fragile countries and contexts.

Emergency Preparedness

• Ensure Africa regional preparedness plan is available covering in and out of presence countries with readiness to response in 72 hours of onset of any crises.
• Coordinate training sessions and workshops in order to achieve the objectives set in the preparedness plan, especially to provide staff with training and leadership on contingency planning and emergency
response.
• Work with countries to identify and build a portfolio of humanitarian/resilience partners from government, civil society and private sector and ensure appropriate investments in their preparedness
and collective planning and capacity.

Humanitarian Response

• Ensure all ongoing humanitarian responses and any future crises are delivering in line with Oxfam’s and sector wide humanitarian standards and connectedness to rights and resilience.

• Lead and ensure regional response strategies and propose the categorization/re-categorization process with GHT, Affiliates, COs etc. to ensure response at scale.
• In major unforeseen Sub Sahara regional emergencies requiring scaled-up response, lead process of assessment, programme design and resourcing, preparation of concept papers and support to proposal
writing.

-In major emergencies work with the country staff to ensure that Oxfam has the necessary capacity to meet the management, logistical and technical requirements of any humanitarian programme undertaken

– Collaborate with Programmes & Influencing Director and the GHT to develop policy and advocacy strategy and content.

Program Quality

• Ensure that Oxfam’s humanitarian work in the Sub Sahara region of Africa adheres to relevant policy commitments and minimum standards

• Ensure that humanitarian protection analysis, Safe programming risk analysis and management, conflict analysis is conducted and mainstreamed in programming
• Ensure that gender analysis and understanding of HIV/Aids is a core component of all humanitarian programme development.
• Play a key role in ensuring timely information flow to the confederation in the event of an emergency.

Management

•Maintain an advisory overview of Humanitarian Program finances, including annual budgeting for “plannable” humanitarian response work within regional budgets and liaison with Humanitarian Department (GHT).
•Develop, manage, and monitor the Sub-Sahara regional Humanitarian program and associated Projects.
•Develop and manage the Humanitarian Team budget and ensure effective and efficient expenditure of the same, including recoveries from response budgets, where appropriate.

• Assist in the design of new strategies at local, country, and regional level to address issues related to Oxfam’s core competencies.
• Ensure shared work with the rest of the platform to unpack how other teams linked to the responses and work across the Nexus.

Experience, Knowledge & Competences

• Proven strong experience of managing humanitarian response work in a range of environments – including field-level management of complex humanitarian response programmes and all phases of the project/programme cycle.
• Demonstrable skills in gender analysis in humanitarian response or preparedness programming, and a clear understanding of the practical significance of gender issues in humanitarian environment.
• Demonstrated facilitation and coaching skills
• Demonstrated ability to think strategically, a high level of analytical skills
• Demonstrated financial management skills.
• Willingness and ability to travel frequently
• Ability to handle complexity
• Strong influencing skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication
• Fluent in English and French is highly desirable

What we offer

At Oxfam, we believe that every aspect of our work can lead to a positive outcome. If you have the same opinion, together with the ability to meet the challenges involved, this role offers scope for immense personal fulfilment – as well as outstanding opportunities to develop your career.

Oxfam is committed to providing a fair compensation package and to providing a flexible, supportive, working environment

Kindly note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted- usually within 2 weeks of the closing date.