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OCHA-HAO-P4-Dili, East Timor (ROAP)
Position Title: Humanitarian Affairs Officer
Receiving Agency: OCHA
P Level: P4
Location: Dili, East Timor (ROAP)
Duration: until 31 March 2027
Language: Fluency in English required
Receiving Agency: OCHA
P Level: P4
Location: Dili, East Timor (ROAP)
Duration: until 31 March 2027
Language: Fluency in English required
Brief Description of Emergency Outbreak/Upsurge:
A strong El Niño is developing and expected to peak in November–December 2026, with impacts continuing into 2027. WMO and IRI indicate it could be very strong or exceptional. A joint OCHA, FAO, WFP, WMO and UN Women analysis of 28 August 2026 identifies Timor-Leste among the countries of highest concern for dry conditions from September to November, compounded by rising food, fuel and fertilizer prices linked to the Middle East crisis. Below- normal rainfall and higher temperatures since August are already affecting horticulture and increasing fire risks. A late or weak rainy season could disrupt the October–December maize and rice planting window and worsen water shortages for households and livestock. Drought indicators are deteriorating across the north-west, central and eastern areas, Oecusse, Manufahi, Covalima and Viqueque, with drought declarations expected from October. The drought will deepen existing vulnerability: about 360,000 people—27 per cent of the population —already face high acute food insecurity, and many lack reliable water. More than half a million people could face high food insecurity, while 85,000–115,000 children under five may face greater nutritional risk. Women and girls, young children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, persons with disabilities, older people and remote farming families are likely to be most affected, including by heightened protection risks. Timor-Leste’s dependence on imported food, fuel and agricultural inputs will intensify household pressures.
Since the Middle East crisis began, diesel and gasoline prices have risen by about 27 and 39 per cent respectively, increasing transport and production costs. Long procurement and shipping lead times, combined with unclear Government drought triggers, risk delaying national funding and donor support. The Government has begun preparedness and early action through the CPA and MALFF, including an October 2026 national El Niño workshop with the RCO and UNDRR. The Resident Coordinator has requested OCHA support. A CERF request under preparation could assist 105,500 people directly and about 200,000 indirectly across up to eight municipalities but would meet only part of the need. The RC and UNCT therefore require a broader, costed plan linking preparedness, response and early recovery to donor engagement and additional financing, including the Asia- Pacific Humanitarian Fund. OCHA-ROAP has no presence in Timor-Leste, yet the next six months require sustained coordination among the Government, UNCT, NGOs and donors; timely analysis and funding decisions; and engagement with affected communities. Without dedicated in-country capacity, planning and financing may be delayed or fragmented, leaving critical gaps. A surge Humanitarian Affairs Officer is therefore needed in Dili to link national leadership with regional OCHA support and drive preparedness, response planning, resource mobilization and accountability during the highest-risk period.
Brief Surge Need:
Temporary, urgent assistance for a new and escalating emergency. The preparedness window is closing, with the October–December planting season, a projected November–December 2026 El Niño peak and the lean season beginning in early 2027. Financing and operational decisions are therefore required within weeks, particularly given long procurement lead times. OCHA has no presence in Timor-Leste, and the small, development-focused Resident Coordinator’s Office lacks dedicated capacity for humanitarian coordination, financing and accountability to affected people; there is no Humanitarian Country Team. The Resident Coordinator has requested a humanitarian adviser to lead an inter-agency operational plan supporting appeals and wider resource mobilization. ROAP cannot sustain an in-country presence from Bangkok because much of its capacity is deployed across the region for El Niño response and other corporate priorities. This is not an established staffing gap, but a six-month surge requirement tied to a specific climate emergency; coordination will then transition to the RCO and UNCT with remote ROAP support.
Main Partners and Stakeholders in the Field:
Office of the Resident Coordinator and UNCT agencies (FAO, WFP, UNICEF, UNDP, WHO, UNFPA, UN Women, IOM, UNDRR, UNESCO); the Government of Timor-Leste – Civil Protection Authority, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry and Fisheries, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Social Solidarity and Inclusion, Ministry of Public Works, the national meteorological service and municipal administrations; the Timor-Leste Red Cross (CVTL) and IFRC; international and national NGOs active in food security, WASH, nutrition and protection and organizations of persons with disabilities; donors and diplomatic missions in Dili (including Australia, the European Union, Japan, New Zealand, Portugal, the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States) and the international financial institutions (ADB, World Bank).
Main Tasks and Duties to be Executed:
Under the overall guidance of the United Nations Resident Coordinator (RC) for Timor-Leste, and with technical supervision and backstopping from the Head of Office, OCHA Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP), the Humanitarian Affairs Officer will be embedded in the Office of the Resident Coordinator (RCO) in Dili as Humanitarian Advisor. The incumbent will support the RC, the UN Country Team (UNCT) and the Government of Timor-Leste to prepare for, coordinate and resource the response to the 2026/27 El Niño-induced drought. Humanitarian coordination. Serve as the principal adviser to the RC and the UNCT on humanitarian coordination for the El Niño drought. In collaboration with the Emergency Preparedness and Response Group, establish and facilitate a light, fit-for-purpose inter-agency coordination architecture concentrating on El Niño, under the RC, with sectoral working arrangements for food security and agriculture, WASH, nutrition and health, and protection – ensuring that it complements and reinforces the national coordination led by the Civil Protection Authority (CPA) and builds on the outcomes of the CO/UNDRR/Government national El Niño workshop and lessons learned from 2023-2024 drought. Government liaison. Act as the UN system’s day-to- day operational counterpart to the Government on El Niño preparedness and response – the CPA, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry and Fisheries (MALFF), the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Social Solidarity and Inclusion (MSSI), the Ministry of Public Works and the national meteorological service – including by supporting the Government to define drought- declaration triggers and thresholds, aligning national and UN actions, and ensuring that international assistance complements Government-led response, including the CPA’s in-kind food assistance plans for the lean season. Preparedness and response planning. Lead the development of a joint El Niño plan with the UN Country Team and the Government. The plan must set out likely scenarios and clear triggers for action, identify priority areas and people, define agency roles, cost priority activities, and show funding gaps. It must cover preparedness, early action, emergency response and early recovery, and support appeals and resource mobilization. Analysis, monitoring and information management. Consolidate climate, food security, nutrition, water and market monitoring into a regular evidence base for decision- making; produce situation updates, a country-level El Niño snapshot that complements the OCHA ROAP regional snapshot, and a 5W of partner activities; and track the evolution of needs against the planning scenarios, alerting the RC and OCHA ROAP when triggers are reached. Resource mobilization and donor liaison. Prepare a funding overview and gap analysis for the El Niño response; develop a resource mobilization strategy with the RC and the UNCT; support engagement with bilateral donors represented in Dili and in the region; facilitate access by eligible national and international NGOs to the OCHA-managed Asia-Pacific Regional Humanitarian Fund (APHF). Community engagement and accountability to affected people (AAP). Design and lead, with CPA municipal structures, UN agencies, the Timor-Leste Red Cross and NGOs, a series of community consultations in affected municipalities to understand how women, men, girls and boys – including subsistence farmers, livestock-owning households, pregnant and lactating women, persons with disabilities and older persons – are experiencing the drought and what they prioritize; integrate their perspectives into the operational plan, targeting and assistance modalities; and support partners to agree on collective AAP arrangements (information provision, feedback and complaints channels, and linkages to PSEA referral pathways) in line with IASC commitments. Field monitoring and joint assessments. Plan and take part in joint field missions and rapid assessments in the priority municipalities (Bobonaro, Covalima, Ermera, Lautém, Liquiçá, Manufahi, Oecusse and Viqueque, to be adjusted as conditions evolve) to verify impacts, identify gaps and overlaps, and feed findings back into planning, prioritization and advocacy. Advocacy, reporting and communication. Draft briefing notes, talking points, key messages, situation reports and donor updates for the RC, the UNCT, OCHA ROAP and headquarters; contribute Timor-Leste inputs to the OCHA ROAP regional El Niño snapshot and analysis; and support the Government and the UNCT in public messaging and early-warning communication to communities, through trusted local channels. Capacity strengthening, continuity and handover. Strengthen the capacity of the RCO and the UNCT to sustain coordination after the deployment – standard operating procedures, mentor RCO staff; and deliver an end-of-deployment report with a handover package and recommendations for the remainder of the El Niño period into 2027.
Expected Outcome of the Deployment:
By the end of the six-month deployment: An inter-agency El Niño coordination mechanism, led by the RC and linked to the CPA-led national coordination, is functioning with agreed roles, regular meetings and clear decision-making, and the UN system speaks with one voice to the Government and donors. An inter-agency El Niño Preparedness and Response Plan for Timor- Leste is endorsed by the RC and the UNCT and shared with the Government and donors, with scenarios and triggers, prioritized municipalities and target populations, costed priority actions and a financing-gap analysis that can underpin appeals. A funding overview and a resource mobilization strategy are in place; donors in Dili and the region have been briefed; eligible NGOs have been supported to access the Asia-Pacific Humanitarian Fund. The perspectives and priorities of affected communities, captured through consultations in at least four priority municipalities, are reflected in targeting, assistance modalities and messaging, and partners have agreed on collective AAP and feedback arrangements. Regular situation updates and a country-level El Niño snapshot give the RC, the UNCT, the Government and donors a shared evidence base. The RCO and the UNCT are better equipped to sustain humanitarian coordination after the deployment: standard operating procedures, trained focal points, and a handover package with recommendations for the remainder of the El Niño period.
Language(s) Required:
English
Language(s) Desired:
Portuguese; Tetum, the official languages of Timor-Leste; knowledge of Bahasa Indonesia is an asset.
Specific Required Skills:
Proven ability to work independently in a small office, with remote technical support from OCHA ROAP, exercising independent judgement and managing a broad portfolio under time pressure. Strong facilitation, negotiation and diplomatic skills, with the experience and knowledge to credibly engage senior Government officials, heads of UN agencies, NGOs and donors. Excellent analytical and drafting skills, with the ability to turn climate, food-security and market data into clear planning documents, briefings and funding proposals. Willingness and physical ability to undertake regular travel by road to remote municipalities, including overnight stays in basic conditions. Core competencies: professionalism, communication, planning and organizing, teamwork and client orientation. Mandatory UN security training (BSAFE) must be completed before arrival.
OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENT
Overall Security Situation:
Security level: Timor-Leste is a low-risk environment. UNDSS will confirm applicable measures through security clearance before travel. BSAFE is mandatory; SSAFE is not required. Main threats: Petty crime, occasional unrest, harassment, road accidents, flooding, landslides, heat, water shortages and fires. Poor rural roads are the main field-travel risk. Security arrangements: UNDSS briefing on arrival, compliance with residential and travel procedures, and inclusion in the UN security plan and warden system.
Duty Travel:
Approximately 25–30 per cent of the time on duty travel within Timor-Leste to the priority municipalities – Bobonaro, Covalima, Ermera, Lautém, Liquiçá, Manufahi and Viqueque by road (two to eight hours from Dili) – including overnight stays, for community consultations, joint assessments and coordination with municipal authorities. No international travel is foreseen. In- country travel costs will be covered by the RCO.
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.
A strong El Niño is developing and expected to peak in November–December 2026, with impacts continuing into 2027. WMO and IRI indicate it could be very strong or exceptional. A joint OCHA, FAO, WFP, WMO and UN Women analysis of 28 August 2026 identifies Timor-Leste among the countries of highest concern for dry conditions from September to November, compounded by rising food, fuel and fertilizer prices linked to the Middle East crisis. Below- normal rainfall and higher temperatures since August are already affecting horticulture and increasing fire risks. A late or weak rainy season could disrupt the October–December maize and rice planting window and worsen water shortages for households and livestock. Drought indicators are deteriorating across the north-west, central and eastern areas, Oecusse, Manufahi, Covalima and Viqueque, with drought declarations expected from October. The drought will deepen existing vulnerability: about 360,000 people—27 per cent of the population —already face high acute food insecurity, and many lack reliable water. More than half a million people could face high food insecurity, while 85,000–115,000 children under five may face greater nutritional risk. Women and girls, young children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, persons with disabilities, older people and remote farming families are likely to be most affected, including by heightened protection risks. Timor-Leste’s dependence on imported food, fuel and agricultural inputs will intensify household pressures.
Since the Middle East crisis began, diesel and gasoline prices have risen by about 27 and 39 per cent respectively, increasing transport and production costs. Long procurement and shipping lead times, combined with unclear Government drought triggers, risk delaying national funding and donor support. The Government has begun preparedness and early action through the CPA and MALFF, including an October 2026 national El Niño workshop with the RCO and UNDRR. The Resident Coordinator has requested OCHA support. A CERF request under preparation could assist 105,500 people directly and about 200,000 indirectly across up to eight municipalities but would meet only part of the need. The RC and UNCT therefore require a broader, costed plan linking preparedness, response and early recovery to donor engagement and additional financing, including the Asia- Pacific Humanitarian Fund. OCHA-ROAP has no presence in Timor-Leste, yet the next six months require sustained coordination among the Government, UNCT, NGOs and donors; timely analysis and funding decisions; and engagement with affected communities. Without dedicated in-country capacity, planning and financing may be delayed or fragmented, leaving critical gaps. A surge Humanitarian Affairs Officer is therefore needed in Dili to link national leadership with regional OCHA support and drive preparedness, response planning, resource mobilization and accountability during the highest-risk period.
Brief Surge Need:
Temporary, urgent assistance for a new and escalating emergency. The preparedness window is closing, with the October–December planting season, a projected November–December 2026 El Niño peak and the lean season beginning in early 2027. Financing and operational decisions are therefore required within weeks, particularly given long procurement lead times. OCHA has no presence in Timor-Leste, and the small, development-focused Resident Coordinator’s Office lacks dedicated capacity for humanitarian coordination, financing and accountability to affected people; there is no Humanitarian Country Team. The Resident Coordinator has requested a humanitarian adviser to lead an inter-agency operational plan supporting appeals and wider resource mobilization. ROAP cannot sustain an in-country presence from Bangkok because much of its capacity is deployed across the region for El Niño response and other corporate priorities. This is not an established staffing gap, but a six-month surge requirement tied to a specific climate emergency; coordination will then transition to the RCO and UNCT with remote ROAP support.
Main Partners and Stakeholders in the Field:
Office of the Resident Coordinator and UNCT agencies (FAO, WFP, UNICEF, UNDP, WHO, UNFPA, UN Women, IOM, UNDRR, UNESCO); the Government of Timor-Leste – Civil Protection Authority, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry and Fisheries, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Social Solidarity and Inclusion, Ministry of Public Works, the national meteorological service and municipal administrations; the Timor-Leste Red Cross (CVTL) and IFRC; international and national NGOs active in food security, WASH, nutrition and protection and organizations of persons with disabilities; donors and diplomatic missions in Dili (including Australia, the European Union, Japan, New Zealand, Portugal, the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States) and the international financial institutions (ADB, World Bank).
Main Tasks and Duties to be Executed:
Under the overall guidance of the United Nations Resident Coordinator (RC) for Timor-Leste, and with technical supervision and backstopping from the Head of Office, OCHA Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP), the Humanitarian Affairs Officer will be embedded in the Office of the Resident Coordinator (RCO) in Dili as Humanitarian Advisor. The incumbent will support the RC, the UN Country Team (UNCT) and the Government of Timor-Leste to prepare for, coordinate and resource the response to the 2026/27 El Niño-induced drought. Humanitarian coordination. Serve as the principal adviser to the RC and the UNCT on humanitarian coordination for the El Niño drought. In collaboration with the Emergency Preparedness and Response Group, establish and facilitate a light, fit-for-purpose inter-agency coordination architecture concentrating on El Niño, under the RC, with sectoral working arrangements for food security and agriculture, WASH, nutrition and health, and protection – ensuring that it complements and reinforces the national coordination led by the Civil Protection Authority (CPA) and builds on the outcomes of the CO/UNDRR/Government national El Niño workshop and lessons learned from 2023-2024 drought. Government liaison. Act as the UN system’s day-to- day operational counterpart to the Government on El Niño preparedness and response – the CPA, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry and Fisheries (MALFF), the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Social Solidarity and Inclusion (MSSI), the Ministry of Public Works and the national meteorological service – including by supporting the Government to define drought- declaration triggers and thresholds, aligning national and UN actions, and ensuring that international assistance complements Government-led response, including the CPA’s in-kind food assistance plans for the lean season. Preparedness and response planning. Lead the development of a joint El Niño plan with the UN Country Team and the Government. The plan must set out likely scenarios and clear triggers for action, identify priority areas and people, define agency roles, cost priority activities, and show funding gaps. It must cover preparedness, early action, emergency response and early recovery, and support appeals and resource mobilization. Analysis, monitoring and information management. Consolidate climate, food security, nutrition, water and market monitoring into a regular evidence base for decision- making; produce situation updates, a country-level El Niño snapshot that complements the OCHA ROAP regional snapshot, and a 5W of partner activities; and track the evolution of needs against the planning scenarios, alerting the RC and OCHA ROAP when triggers are reached. Resource mobilization and donor liaison. Prepare a funding overview and gap analysis for the El Niño response; develop a resource mobilization strategy with the RC and the UNCT; support engagement with bilateral donors represented in Dili and in the region; facilitate access by eligible national and international NGOs to the OCHA-managed Asia-Pacific Regional Humanitarian Fund (APHF). Community engagement and accountability to affected people (AAP). Design and lead, with CPA municipal structures, UN agencies, the Timor-Leste Red Cross and NGOs, a series of community consultations in affected municipalities to understand how women, men, girls and boys – including subsistence farmers, livestock-owning households, pregnant and lactating women, persons with disabilities and older persons – are experiencing the drought and what they prioritize; integrate their perspectives into the operational plan, targeting and assistance modalities; and support partners to agree on collective AAP arrangements (information provision, feedback and complaints channels, and linkages to PSEA referral pathways) in line with IASC commitments. Field monitoring and joint assessments. Plan and take part in joint field missions and rapid assessments in the priority municipalities (Bobonaro, Covalima, Ermera, Lautém, Liquiçá, Manufahi, Oecusse and Viqueque, to be adjusted as conditions evolve) to verify impacts, identify gaps and overlaps, and feed findings back into planning, prioritization and advocacy. Advocacy, reporting and communication. Draft briefing notes, talking points, key messages, situation reports and donor updates for the RC, the UNCT, OCHA ROAP and headquarters; contribute Timor-Leste inputs to the OCHA ROAP regional El Niño snapshot and analysis; and support the Government and the UNCT in public messaging and early-warning communication to communities, through trusted local channels. Capacity strengthening, continuity and handover. Strengthen the capacity of the RCO and the UNCT to sustain coordination after the deployment – standard operating procedures, mentor RCO staff; and deliver an end-of-deployment report with a handover package and recommendations for the remainder of the El Niño period into 2027.
Expected Outcome of the Deployment:
By the end of the six-month deployment: An inter-agency El Niño coordination mechanism, led by the RC and linked to the CPA-led national coordination, is functioning with agreed roles, regular meetings and clear decision-making, and the UN system speaks with one voice to the Government and donors. An inter-agency El Niño Preparedness and Response Plan for Timor- Leste is endorsed by the RC and the UNCT and shared with the Government and donors, with scenarios and triggers, prioritized municipalities and target populations, costed priority actions and a financing-gap analysis that can underpin appeals. A funding overview and a resource mobilization strategy are in place; donors in Dili and the region have been briefed; eligible NGOs have been supported to access the Asia-Pacific Humanitarian Fund. The perspectives and priorities of affected communities, captured through consultations in at least four priority municipalities, are reflected in targeting, assistance modalities and messaging, and partners have agreed on collective AAP and feedback arrangements. Regular situation updates and a country-level El Niño snapshot give the RC, the UNCT, the Government and donors a shared evidence base. The RCO and the UNCT are better equipped to sustain humanitarian coordination after the deployment: standard operating procedures, trained focal points, and a handover package with recommendations for the remainder of the El Niño period.
Language(s) Required:
English
Language(s) Desired:
Portuguese; Tetum, the official languages of Timor-Leste; knowledge of Bahasa Indonesia is an asset.
Specific Required Skills:
Proven ability to work independently in a small office, with remote technical support from OCHA ROAP, exercising independent judgement and managing a broad portfolio under time pressure. Strong facilitation, negotiation and diplomatic skills, with the experience and knowledge to credibly engage senior Government officials, heads of UN agencies, NGOs and donors. Excellent analytical and drafting skills, with the ability to turn climate, food-security and market data into clear planning documents, briefings and funding proposals. Willingness and physical ability to undertake regular travel by road to remote municipalities, including overnight stays in basic conditions. Core competencies: professionalism, communication, planning and organizing, teamwork and client orientation. Mandatory UN security training (BSAFE) must be completed before arrival.
OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENT
Overall Security Situation:
Security level: Timor-Leste is a low-risk environment. UNDSS will confirm applicable measures through security clearance before travel. BSAFE is mandatory; SSAFE is not required. Main threats: Petty crime, occasional unrest, harassment, road accidents, flooding, landslides, heat, water shortages and fires. Poor rural roads are the main field-travel risk. Security arrangements: UNDSS briefing on arrival, compliance with residential and travel procedures, and inclusion in the UN security plan and warden system.
Duty Travel:
Approximately 25–30 per cent of the time on duty travel within Timor-Leste to the priority municipalities – Bobonaro, Covalima, Ermera, Lautém, Liquiçá, Manufahi and Viqueque by road (two to eight hours from Dili) – including overnight stays, for community consultations, joint assessments and coordination with municipal authorities. No international travel is foreseen. In- country travel costs will be covered by the RCO.
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.