OCHA-CMCoord Officer-P3/P4-Jerusalem, OPT (with frequent travel to the WB and Gaza)

Jerusalem, Palestine

Position Title: Civil-Military Coordination Officer
Receiving Agency: OCHA
P Level: P3
Location: Jerusalem with frequent travel to the WB and Gaza
Duration: until October 31
Language: Fluency in English; working knowledge of Arabic and/or Hebrew desirable.

DESCRIPTION OF EMERGENCY

Brief Description of Emergency Outbreak/Upsurge and the Consequences for OCHA:

Since 7 October 2023, the landscape in Gaza has fundamentally changed. Decades of occupation, repeated cycles of conflicts, political instability, and isolation due to the Gaza blockade, barrier wall and movement restrictions had left the population heavily reliant on aid to meet basic needs. The protection and humanitarian access concerns which previously existed have been exponentially exacerbated, both in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. In particular, the intensity and frequency of military operations have increased in the West Bank. Sharp rises in the use of lethal force by Israeli forces, and incidents of settler violence and demolitions, correlate with a sharp rise in fatalities and forced displacement. 2024 and 2025 also saw the longest and largest military operations in the West Bank since the Second Intifada alongside approval and the construction of new settlements. OCHA needs to ramp up its capacity in order to face current and foreseen increase in access and protection challenges in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

Brief Surge Need Justification:

Additional capacity is required to address the needs stemming from this emergency, in particular the entry into force of UNRWA laws, which enforced a no contact policy. This has increased the demand for OCHA’s civil-military coordination and engagement capability in the West Bank. Other OCHA offices will continue to provide surge and remote support as and when required. With the recent increase in military operations in the West Bank and foreseen developments in Gaza, the needs for additional Access and CMCoord capacity is critical to address access constraints and protection gaps. The Country Office will revisit the staffing requirements and succession planning over the course of the SBP deployment.

OCHA’s Role and Key Challenges:

OCHA’s overall goal in oPt is to ensure the delivery of effective and principled humanitarian action that meets the needs of the most vulnerable people. To achieve this, OCHA supports the humanitarian partners in operational coordination, humanitarian financing, public information, humanitarian analysis, advocacy and information management, access and Civil-Military Coordination. OCHA develops civil-military coordination mechanisms with the parties to the conflict to facilitate humanitarian access in Gaza and the West Bank, coordinating movements of operational partners and ensuring civilians have access to live saving services. Increased
military operations and kinetic activities have had grave impacts on humanitarian operations and protection of civilians.

Main Partners and Stakeholders in the Field:

Israeli Defense and security forces. Humanitarian partners, UN Funds Agencies and Programs, UNDSS, INGOs, ICRC.

ROLE REQUIREMENTS

Main Tasks and Duties to be Executed:
-Ensures the establishment of the necessary links with relevant interlocutors from armed forces and civilian entities and adjust as needed to adapt to the evolving situation in OPT. Can serve as the primary focal point (in the absence of the Head of Unit) for all matters related to civil-military coordination including policy, in close consultation with the OCHA Deputy Head of Office and West Bank Heads of Sub-Offices. Establishes and maintains relationships with humanitarian partners and support in trouble shooting access-related issues and incidents for negotiation in OPT -Maintains contact and dialogue with the different military actors present in the Area of Responsibility (AOR) and maintains mechanisms to resolve operational issues and ensure appropriate mutual exchange of information regarding ongoing relevant activities and access constraints. -Advises and alerts the military and/or police forces in the AOR on the structures and dynamics of coordination with and within the international humanitarian community and the practicalities of implementation. -Supports the operationalization and effectiveness of the Access Monitoring and Reporting Framework in the OPT. -Prepares or provides regular analysis on humanitarian access and civil-military coordination matters, including access issues, and produces reports, snapshots, and other internal / public products. -Advocates for humanitarian issues with relevant military and civilian interlocutors for facilitating humanitarian access in coordination with other OCHA entities and humanitarian actors in the OPT. - Provides back-up for access and CMCoord related work carried out by the Access and CMCoord Unit in support of the Gaza humanitarian operation when required. - Any other duties as required.

Expected Outcome of the Deployment:
-Effective support to the Head of Unit on the West Bank access and CMCoord-related tasks. - High-quality information analysis and production of reports related to access that supports advocacy efforts and humanitarian operations. -Strong relationships with relevant stakeholders, supporting negotiations and troubleshooting, including with parties to the conflict -Run robust Civil-Military coordination mechanisms to address access and protection issues with armed actors at strategic and operational levels. -Relationships with parties are established in order to negotiation and trouble shoot access-related issues.

Specific Required Skills:
-Advanced knowledge of Access and Civil-Military coordination systems, policies, and mechanisms. -Solid communication, coordination, and inter-personal skills. -Capacity to train others -Creativity to find solutions to Access and CMCoord problems. -Excellent organizational and planning skills and attention to detail. -Experience in Middle East countries and oPt in particular is desirable. -Teamwork and flexibility in a highly fluid environment. -Ability to remain calm in particularly stressful and challenging situations. -Willingness to travel to the field, including to very challenging environments. -Willingness to work outside regular working hours, including weekends. -OCHA UN-CMCoord or Global Access Training would be a plus. -Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of Arabic and Hebrew is desirable

OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENT

Security Level:

3-Moderate

Overall Security Situation:

Duty Travel:

The post will be in Jerusalem with frequent travel to the WB and Gaza

Visa Requirements:

A multiple entry service visa is required for Israel

R&R Cycle and Location/Destination:

N/A

Is SSAFE Training Required?

False

Living Conditions:

Renting a house or apartment in Jerusalem can be expensive due to the limited accommodation available and the difficulties imposed on new construction. There are several real estate agents available in the market.

Accommodation Provision:

UN personnel on official duty may overnight in a RSM compliant residence or a security cleared hotel only in the cities in the oPt/West Bank and Jerusalem. mentioned below. UNDSS has recommended a list of hotels in West Bank that meet the security standards in each city after a security risk.

CANADEM and its partners have a no-tolerance policy for inaction to prevent, respond to and follow up on alleged cases of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment (SEAH). For this reason, we adhere to all policies, procedures and training of the United Nations on The Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment (PSEAH). CANADEM mandates all deployees successfully complete the PSEA online course. This e-learning course is composed of a set of lessons designed to raise awareness about SEAH, become familiar with a range of measures to combat SEAH, understand the impact on victims and the consequences for UN Personnel who commit Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment.

OCHA-CMCoord Officer-P3/P4-Jerusalem, OPT (with frequent travel to the WB and Gaza)

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