Dutystation: Multiple duty stations (Yangon, Myitkyina, Taunggyi), Myanmar
Functional responsibilities
Emergency Preparedness and Response Leadership
Lead the design and delivery of LIFT’s emergency response programming in Myanmar, ensuring coherence with LIFT’s 2024–2028 Programme Operational Approach (POA) and its localisation, inclusion, and resilience-building goals.
Oversee field-based rapid needs assessments during emergencies, coordinating closely with implementing partners, UN agencies, and relevant authorities to ensure evidence-driven prioritization
Design and deploy fit-for-context emergency response packages (e.g. cash, in-kind support, early recovery inputs) with sensitivity to conflict dynamics, displacement trends, and gendered impacts
Lead the development of emergency response strategies and standard operating procedures, ensuring timely activation and alignment with global humanitarian standards and UNOPS operational policies
Serve as the focal point for conceptualizing, launching, and managing emergency-focused calls for proposals, including surge cost extensions or recovery bridging mechanisms
Coordinate emergency deployments and operational support for implementing partners, ensuring agility and accountability in high-pressure or rapidly evolving contexts
Anticipate risks to partner delivery in volatile environments and recommend mitigation or reprogramming measures to LIFT senior management and the Fund Board
Ensure integration of Do-No-Harm principles, gender-responsive approaches, and community engagement across all emergency interventions
Lead technical review and negotiation of emergency project proposals and budgets, ensuring strategic alignment, value for money, and context appropriateness
Ensure full compliance with UNOPS policies and emergency delivery protocols, including safety/security, environmental safeguards, and fiduciary controls
Ensure real-time monitoring systems are in place for emergency response activities, and that MEAL plans are designed to enable timely course correction
In collaboration with the MEAL team, lead post-response evaluations and after-action reviews, distilling learning and best practices for institutional use
Capture and communicate field-level insights through internal reports, case studies, or external knowledge products, contributing to LIFT’s thought leadership in emergency preparedness and response
Develop and maintain a knowledge management system for emergency lessons learned, response models, and contextual risk updates
Provide technical coaching to partners and LIFT staff on emergency preparedness, delivery standards, humanitarian coordination, and community engagement
Lead targeted training and simulations to strengthen readiness of partner staff for future emergency activations, especially in high-risk zones
Strengthen the internal architecture for LIFT’s emergency response, including surge staffing protocols, pre-vetted implementing partners, and emergency budgeting templates
Promote local actor leadership and inclusive partnerships in all emergency programming, in line with LIFT’s commitment to localisation and GEDSI principles
Represent LIFT in emergency-related coordination platforms, sector working groups (e.g. Shelter/NFI, Food Security, Early Recovery), and inter-agency forums
Foster strategic linkages with humanitarian and development actors to ensure complementarity, avoid duplication, and leverage synergies across response efforts
Support the LIFT Fund Board with updates, strategic briefs, and technical inputs on emergency response contexts and investment options
Engage with national and sub-national authorities to ensure alignment with government-led coordination and disaster management structures
Education/Experience/Language requirements
An advanced university degree (e.g. Masters) in Agriculture, Rural Development, Natural Resource Management, Political or Social Sciences, or other related fields from an accredited academic institution is required.
A first-level university degree (e.g. Bachelor’s) in the above fields with an additional two years of relevant professional experience may be accepted in lieu of a Master’s degree.
A minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in the Myanmar context in emergency response, humanitarian work or programme management is required.
Experience with strategic planning, results-based management and reporting, formulation and monitoring of projects/programmes, in complex contexts is required.
Experience in conducting crisis assessments and partner coordination is required.
Vast knowledge of the local context (Geopolitical, Social, economic) is required.
Experience with LIFT thematic areas (nutrition, food security, etc.) is highly desirable.
Experience in international organizations and/or international contexts is an advantage.
Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (e.g. MS Office newer versions) is required. Experience with Google Suite is highly preferred.
Fluency in both written and spoken English and Burmese is required.
TOGETHER, WE BUILD THE FUTURE
UNOPS – an operational arm of the United Nations – supports the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by successfully implementing its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world.
Our mission is to help people build better lives and countries achieve peace and sustainable development.
We are proud of our people and embrace diversity and are committed to equal employment opportunities. Our workforce brings together approximately 160 nationalities, represented by over 5,000 UNOPS personnel as well as some 7,800 personnel recruited on behalf of our partners. Spread across 80 countries from a range of backgrounds, and languages and have different gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities.
We encourage women and candidates from underrepresented groups in UNOPS to apply. These include candidates from racialized and/or indigenous groups, members of minority gender identities and sexual orientations, and people with disabilities.