Field Assistant

Job Summary:

Under the supervision of the Officer in Charge (OiC) and in accordance with instructions received from the Chief of Mission, the Field Assistant will support the mission in implementation of emergency activities, within the framework of IOM's role in inter-agency response coordination mechanisms. He/she will support the OiC in implementation of emergency activities. The Field Assistant will be tasked with collecting information regarding humanitarian situations and will liaise with other humanitarian actors to ensure participation in and coordination with wider humanitarian initiatives in place.

Duties & Responsibilities:

The Field Assistant will form strong links with relevant parties to meet IOM’s objectives with respect to overall policy coordination and delivery of humanitarian and emergency assistances. The position requires frequent field missions to provinces in northeastern region.

Specific duties include:
1. In collaboration with UN Specialized Agencies, national and provincial government
authorities as well as international and national NGOs, facilitate effective delivery of international humanitarian/emergency assistance for emergency/disaster situations; prepare situation reports, apprising of situation to date and specifying requirements of stricken areas.
2. In coordination with supervisor (OiC), participate and/or assist in organizing meetings, work groups and consultations regarding the planning and implementation of humanitarian assistance.
3. In coordination with supervisor, oversee and monitor distribution of humanitarian assistance and provide written reports with details of distribution process and any associated issues.
4. In coordination with supervisor (OiC), assist national, provincial government authorities and Community Development Councils (CDCs)/community elders in handling emergency situations; ensure appropriate mechanisms to facilitate collaboration and exchange of information both in and outside the IOM system.
5. In coordination with supervisor (OiC), join the assessment and distribution team formed of international and national counterparts when needed.
6. In coordination with supervisor (OiC), monitor, analyze and report on humanitarian developments, disaster relief/management activities or emergency situations; develop and maintain a “watch list” of areas with potential humanitarian crisis and report this information accordingly.
7. In collaboration with international and national counterparts, collect the assessment reports and distribution documents at the end of the tasks mentioned above.
8. In close coordination with supervisor (OiC), keep tracking of warehouse incoming and outgoing items as well as having the updated balance of items in stock sheets related to the items in warehouse
9. Liaise with other IOM sub-offices, including country office in Kabul and other departments within IOM such as Finance, Logistics, Security, etc as required.
10. Any other related task that may be assigned by the supervisor in sub-office.

Job Requirement:

Education
1. Bachelor Degree in Development, International Studies or related field (Essential).

Work Experience:
1. Experience working with UN agency, NGO or international organization (Essential).
2. Experience of liaising with related government departments (DoRR, ANDMA) is desirable.

Language Skills:
1. Fluency in English (Essential).
2. Fluency in Dari and Pashto (Essential).

Computer Skills:
1. Excellent IT skills (e-mail, internet, word etc) (Essential).
2. Experience in database management (Access) (Desirable).

Personal Skills:
1. An ability to work with a variety of stakeholders – humanitarian beneficiaries and senior national and international governmental and humanitarian agencies (Essential).
2. An ability to travel extensively throughout the northeastern region (Essential).
3. An awareness of humanitarian issues in Afghanistan (Desirable).
4. Knowledge of contingency planning and needs assessment (Desirable).
5. Excellent time management and organization skills (Essential).
6. Administrative skills (Essential).

Job Location: