Emergency Officer

Host entity: UNICEF Philippines

Volunteer type: National

Areas of expertise: Community development, Emergency preparedness, crisis response, Project management, programme development, strategy

Application deadline: 24/09/2026

Mission and objectives

UNICEF works to promote and protect the rights of every Filipino child, with a particular focus on those who are most vulnerable and disadvantaged.

We work with the Philippine government to improve national policies, programmes and services for children and adolescents. Together with partners, we address common barriers to the realization of their rights.

Assignment context

The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organization does, across programmes, advocacy and operations. Children in Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) continue to experience weak institutional systems, particularly in the provision of social services, resulting in limited capacity to respond to children’s needs amid protracted conflict, challenges to social cohesion, and insecurity. Significant child deprivations therefore remain in the region.

The UNICEF Mindanao Field Office (MFO) was established in 2009 to strengthen UNICEF’s presence and accelerate programme implementation at the field level, through close collaboration with the BARMM Government and other partners in the region. The office is led by the Chief of Field Office, and each team works closely with the Philippines Country Office (PCO) in Manila, serving as a key counterpart to the BARMM Government in advancing UNICEF’s programmes and priorities in the region.

At the beginning of 2026, UNICEF assumed leadership of the regional coordination platform, the Mindanao Humanitarian Team (MHT), which brings together partners working in BARMM, including various UN agencies and civil society organizations (CSOs). The MHT reports to the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) at the national level, which is led by the UN Humanitarian Coordinator.

Under UNICEF’s leadership, and with the agreement of MHT members, the platform was renamed the BARMM Humanitarian Team (BHT) to better reflect its primary coordination with the BARMM Government and other relevant authorities. The BHT convenes quarterly meetings with its members and holds a separate quarterly joint meeting with Bangsamoro READi. The BHT also convenes ad hoc meetings as needed during emergencies to ensure effective coordination among partners and facilitate timely communication and coordination with BARMM ministries through Bangsamoro READi. Apart from the BHT platform, UNICEF also co-leads the Civil-Military Coordination Cell with Bangsamoro READi, which facilitates coordination and information-sharing with security sector actors, including the police and military.

The Emergency Officer will be based in the MFO and will work under the direct supervision of the Programme Specialist leading the Cross-sectoral Team. Programme Specialist serves as the primary emergency focal point of the office, while Monitoring and Evaluation officer is an alternate. The Emergency Officer will work closely with both focal points to support emergency preparedness, response, coordination, and related activities.

The Emergency Officer will contribute to strengthening emergency preparedness and response by supporting coordination with partners before, during, and after emergencies. The position will help ensure effective and timely information-sharing, facilitate coordination among humanitarian partners and relevant BARMM authorities, and contribute to strengthening emergency coordination mechanisms across the region. The position will also contribute to the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus (HDPN) by supporting efforts to strengthen collaboration among humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding actors, enabling complementary short-term humanitarian assistance, longer-term development interventions, and peacebuilding efforts in crisis-affected areas.

Task description

Under the direct supervision of the Programme Specialist and in close collaboration with Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, the Emergency Officer will support the following tasks:

(1) Emergency Coordination
• Support the Emergency Focal Point in coordinating emergency preparedness and response with Bangsamoro READi, regional and local government institutions, UN agencies, civil society organizations, and other humanitarian partners.
• Provide secretariat and coordination support to the BARMM Humanitarian Team (BHT) and the Civil-Military Coordination Cell, including preparing draft agendas and background materials, taking concise records of discussions and decisions, updating contact list and following up with responsible colleagues on agreed actions, as directed by the Emergency Focal Point.
• Support UNICEF’s participation in relevant humanitarian coordination forums by assisting with the preparation of briefing notes, talking points, updates, presentations, and follow-up actions.
• Support in coordinating with BHT cluster/sector focal points to consolidate and share operational updates, partner mapping and 5W (Who, What, When, Where, and Why) information from BHT to Bangsamoro READi. Ensure that key decisions, information gaps, emerging risks, and operational constraints are promptly brought to the attention of the Emergency Focal Point and Chief of Field Office.

(2) Emergency Preparedness
• Support monitoring and analysing humanitarian risks, hazards, vulnerabilities, and emerging issues affecting children and communities in Mindanao, particularly in BARMM.
• Support the updating and maintenance of the Emergency Preparedness Platform, including risk analysis, preparedness actions, contingency-planning requirements, and supporting documentation.
• Assist the Emergency Focal Point and relevant programme and operations colleagues in monitoring the implementation of the Field Office’s preparedness actions and identifying gaps, bottlenecks, and required follow-up measures.
• Support in developing and updating risk-specific contingency plans, emergency scenarios, triggers, response strategies, and preparedness actions.
• Support the organization and delivery of emergency preparedness training, orientations, simulation exercises, and after-action reviews for UNICEF personnel and partners.

(3) Emergency Response
• Upon the onset or escalation of an emergency, support facilitating the timely collection and verification of information through rapid needs assessments, joint assessments, field monitoring missions, and consultations with affected communities and partners.
• Assist in consolidating assessment findings and translating them into practical programme priorities and response recommendations.
• Support in preparing and updating emergency response strategies, plans of action, workplans, monitoring frameworks, and operational trackers.
• Support follow-up with programme and operations colleagues on agreed response actions, including programme implementation, partnership requirements, supplies, missions, monitoring, and reporting.
• Support in ensuring that UNICEF’s emergency response reflects the specific needs of children, adolescents, women, persons with disabilities, displaced populations, and other vulnerable or marginalized groups.

(4) Planning Support
• Support internal planning processes, including emergency preparedness and response planning, contingency planning, and selected office planning exercises, as relevant, to strengthen programme coherence and the humanitarian-development nexus.
• Support risk-informed programme planning and the identification of programme gaps, implementation delays, operational bottlenecks, and corrective actions.
• Support the integration of emergency preparedness and response considerations into annual workplans, management priorities, programme reviews, and other planning processes.
• Support the documentation of lessons learned, good practices, and recommendations from preparedness activities and humanitarian responses.

(5) Other Related Tasks
• Perform other related tasks as assigned by the supervisor in support of the Field Office’s emergency preparedness, coordination, response, and planning functions.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities:

• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and taking active part in UNV activities, such as events that mark International Volunteer Day.
• Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country.
• Provide annual and end-of-assignment self-reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities.
• Contribute articles or write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications, websites, newsletters, press releases or other channels, as appropriate.
• Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly arrived UN Volunteers, where relevant.
• Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

Skills and experience

• A minimum of three years of relevant professional work experience in emergency preparedness and response, humanitarian coordination, programme planning, monitoring and evaluation, development planning, or another related area is required.
• Experience supporting development and/or emergency programmes in a field office, government, civil society, UN, international organization or development partner setting is an advantage.
• Experience supporting coordination processes, including preparing meeting materials, briefing notes, presentations, situation updates, meeting records, action trackers, and follow-up with partners and colleagues, is desirable.
• Solid computer literacy, including proficiency in MS Office applications. Familiarity with data analysis, survey, dashboard or information management tools is an advantage.
• Ability to work effectively with diverse teams, manage competing tasks, meet deadlines and adapt to a challenging field environment.
• Sound security awareness, willingness to undertake official travel within BARMM subject to UNICEF security procedures, and affinity with UNICEF, volunteerism and the UN System
• Proficiency in a local BARMM dialect is desirable.

Competencies and values

• Accountability
• Adaptability and flexibility
• Planning and organising
• Professionalism

Living conditions

As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials. National UN Volunteers are part of the insurance plan. The assignment is based in Cotabato City, Philippines, with area coverage in the BARMM region. Official travel within BARMM may be required, subject to UNICEF rules, operational needs and security procedures.

You may check the full benefits and allowances applicable to the duty station using the UVP calculator: https://app.unv.org/calculator
Please see the Conditions of Service for UN Volunteers for more information and details: https://app.unv.org/explore

Full eligibility requirements, conditions of service and application instructions are available on the official UNV platform.