Back Special Assistant to the Deputy Special Coordinator, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator

Position Information

Job Title: Special Assistant to the Deputy Special Coordinator, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator 
Reports to: UNOCHA Head of Office         
Grade Level: NOC    
Duty Station: Beirut, Lebanon
Career Track: Professional/Expert
Career Stream: Administration, Communication, and Coordination    
Contract Modality: FTA Local 
Contract Duration: 12 months

Background and Organizational Context

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA)‘s overall goal in Lebanon is to support the Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator (RC/HC) in his/her function to ensure a principled, efficient and accountable collective humanitarian response to all people in need in Lebanon.

OCHA Lebanon’s focus is to:

• Enhance coordination mechanisms at the strategic and operational levels, in support of the HC and the HCT, to support planning, implementation and monitoring of a principled, efficient and accountable collective response to humanitarian needs in Lebanon.
• Under the purview of the HC and the HCT, support the coordination of emergency response to the compound crisis in Lebanon and facilitate an early transition out of emergency response into longer-term recovery and development activities.
• Strengthen situational awareness in a fluid context, and support a coherent collective analysis of humanitarian needs, gaps and response, with the view to facilitate the development of a coherent narrative shared across the aid community on humanitarian needs and response priorities. 
• Mobilize flexible and predictable humanitarian funding for the collective response to humanitarian needs in Lebanon; and,  
• Advocate for improved protection and operational space for all humanitarian actors involved in the collective response under the RC/HC purview.

  Position Purpose

  The Special Assistant works under the guidance of the Deputy Special Coordinator, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator and direct supervision of the OCHA Head of Office, and works in close collaboration with OCHA, RCO, and UNSCOL front offices as required to support the DSCL/RC/HC in implementing his/her duties in Lebanon. The Special Assistant position is embedded within the OCHA office and reports to the OCHA Head of Office regarding administrative, security, welfare, staff development and performance appraisal issues.

  Key Duties and Accountabilities

  The Special Assistant to DSCL/RC/HC will be responsible for performing the following duties:

  Provide Strategic engagement, coordination and operational support for the DSCL/RC/HC

  • Provide consistent and coherent direct and practical support across the full spectrum of the DSCL/RC/HC’s portfolio
  • Serve as a key focal point to keep the DSCL/RC/HC informed of critical political and humanitarian developments, while ensuring timely
    follow-up 
  • Coordinate strategic engagements and high-level meetings, liaising across different entities to ensure thorough preparation, follow-through, and documentation.
  • Maintain effective working relations with government institutions, international and local organizations, and embassies etc. 
  • Support the planning and execution of senior-level visits and missions, from conceptualization to completion, including accompanying the DSCL/RC/HC as required and ensuring timely reporting. 
  • Attend meetings and discussions alongside the DSCL/RC/HC, upholding a high standard of discretion, confidentiality, and diplomacy.
  • Coordinate field-level visits with relevant counterparts, ensuring strategic alignment with the DSCL/RC/HC’s vision and effective engagement with communities and stakeholders.
  • Provide substantive input to policy briefs, background notes, and talking points, ensuring alignment with the DSCL/RC/HC’s priorities and strategic direction.
  • Ensure close synchronization between the DSCL/RC/HC’s three functions (“triple-hatted” roles) and respective offices, fostering cohesive front office operations.
  • Oversee day-to-day coordination needs, including preparation of briefings, agenda-setting, logistics for field engagement, and correspondence management.

    Assist in Analytical support, briefing materials, and strategic timely reporting

    • Conduct research and analysis on political, humanitarian, and development issues, identifying key trends and emerging risks.
    • Contribute to the drafting of thematic reports, issue-specific analyses, notes to file, and other internal documents to inform decision-making.
    • Provide technical legal and policy analysis to support the DSCL/RC/HC in advancing institutional reform, humanitarian priorities, and political-level engagements; according to the DSCL/RC/HC preference, style and requests. 
    • Monitor and track progress on priority files under the DSCL/RC/HC’s mandate, ensuring timely follow-up and coordination with relevant counterparts.
    • Ensure timely preparation and submission of reporting obligations, while tracking deadlines and coordinating inputs across relevant teams.
    • Prepare and coordinate briefing packages, analytical summaries, background notes, and talking points in consultation with relevant UN agencies and partners.
    • Synthesize information from diverse sources to support strategic advice and timely recommendations to the DSCL/RC/HC, ensuring informed positioning on cross-cutting political, humanitarian, and development issues.
    • Identify gaps, overlaps, and opportunities across reporting and analysis processes, ensuring that advice to the DSCL/RC/HC is forward-looking, contextually grounded, and aligned with evolving UN priorities.
    • Perform other duties as requested by the DSCL/RC/HC.

      Facilitate External communication, messaging, and internal information flow

      📚 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯! 🌍🤝 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗨𝗡𝗛𝗖𝗥, 𝗪𝗙𝗣, 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗘𝗙, 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗦𝗦, 𝗨𝗡𝗙𝗣𝗔, 𝗜𝗢𝗠 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀! 🌐

      ⚠️ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐰: 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐍𝐎𝐖!

      • Manage internal and external communications for the DSCL/RC/HC, including drafting and reviewing correspondence, internal notes, and official messaging.
      • Serve as liaison to the UN Communications Team to ensure alignment of key messages, public engagements, and social media content with the DSCL/RC/HC’s priorities.
      • Support the development and implementation of media engagement strategies, including preparation for interviews and public statements.
      • Provide interpretation support during high-level meetings, field visits, and public engagements involving English, Arabic, and occasionally French, ensuring accurate and contextually appropriate communication.
      • Provide guidance to Communications Officers on speech writing and coordinate with relevant offices and agencies for inputs to speeches, media lines, and interviews.
      • Contribute to updates to UN Headquarters and external stakeholders, ensuring alignment between national developments and global reporting requirements.
      • Promote information sharing and knowledge management across the Triple Hat offices to enhance coordination and institutional memory.
      • Monitor key developments and ensure all messaging and communications are grounded in accurate, timely, and contextually relevant information.
      • Provide timely input for UNHQ materials, including surveys, reporting requests, and other requested submissions.

        Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: No

        Requirements:

        Education

        • Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in law, political science, development studies, social science or other related fields; or A first level University degree (Bachelor’s degree or equivalent) in the related fields with additional 2 years of relevant experience will be given due consideration in lieu of Master’s degree.

          Experience, Knowledge, and Skills

          • Minimum five (5) years with a Master’s degree or 7 years with a Bachelor’s degree of progressive relevant experience in Operations, Coordination, Reporting and Analysis is required.
          • Demonstrated experience supporting senior officials in advisory, coordination, legal, or strategic support roles is desirable.
          • Proven ability to deliver high-quality analytical inputs, and to draft complex briefing materials, talking points, and political or legal reports in fast-paced, high-pressure environment is required.
          • Solid understanding of political, humanitarian, and development dynamics in Lebanon and the broader Middle East region is desirable.
          • Strong knowledge of national legal frameworks, governance processes, and institutional reform dynamics is desirable.
          • Demonstrated capacity for cross-office coordination and alignment of communications, advocacy, and stakeholder engagement across humanitarian, development, and political portfolios is desirable.
          • Experience in managing correspondence, data, and knowledge products; and research skills in both English and Arabic is required.
          • Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with government, UN, and NGO stakeholders is desirable.
          • Experience working with the UN system is required.
          • Advanced computer literacy, including proficiency in MS Word, Excel, Outlook, and familiarity with UN reporting tool is required.

            Language:

            • Fluency in written and spoken English, French and Arabic is required.

              Expected Demonstration of Competencies

              Core

              • Achieve Results:
                LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact
              • Think Innovatively:
                LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems
              • Learn Continuously
                LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences
              • Adapt with Agility 
                LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands
              • Act with Determination     
                LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results
              • Engage and Partner
                LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration
              • Enable Diversity and Inclusion
                LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity

                Cross-Functional & Technical competencies

                • Business Direction & strategy: System Thinking    
                  Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system
                • Business Development: Knowledge Generation    
                  Ability to research and turn information into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or responsive to a stated need
                • Business Management: Project Management    
                  Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals
                • Business Management: Partnerships Management    
                  Build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with agency strategy and policies
                • Business Management: Communication    
                  Communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels
                • Business Management: Customer Satisfaction/Client Management    
                  Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfil and understand the real customers' needs. Provide inputs to the development of customer service strategy. Look for ways to add value beyond clients' immediate requests. Ability to anticipate client's upcoming needs and concerns.
                • Legal: Legal analysis skills 
                  Ability to digest a large amount of information and facts to frame and understand an issue, apply the legal framework to the set of facts and present a coherent and comprehensive analysis of the situation presented to deliver practical and meaningful advice. This skill includes the ability to provide an objective assessment of the case, the organization's best arguments for proceeding and a recommended course of action. It also includes the capacity to think creatively and flexibly, within the applicable legal framework.

                  Keywords
                  Humanitarian Coordination, Partnership, Reporting, Communication, Analysis
                   

                  Non-discrimination 

                  • UNOCHA has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 
                  • UNOCHA is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin, or other status.

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