Closing date:

Senior disaster risk management specialist

City/location:
Jakarta
Organization:
World Bank, the

This job posting has closed

Background

Since 1980 the World Bank has lent more than US$26 billion for projects related to natural disasters. The Bank has been a leader in providing reconstruction assistance, and is working actively to integrate risk reduction into its development strategies and projects so that all development activities contribute to reducing hazard impacts in our client countries.

The East Asia and the Pacific (EAP) region is extremely vulnerable to the impacts of 'natural' disasters, ranging from earthquakes to floods to drought. Since 1990, natural disasters in the region have caused more than $50 billion in damage and affected more than 2 billion people (CRED – EM-DAT database). From FY04-07, the Bank has provided financing (or managed trust fund resources of) about $1.5 billion in the region to support primarily post-disaster interventions in response to floods, typhoons, earthquakes, and the 2004 Asia tsunami. In addition, climate change adds an additional burden on low lying Pacific island countries, where the impacts of sea level rise and more frequent, intense cyclones, rainfall and other hazards threaten to wipe out development gains.

The region is taking a more strategic approach to disaster risk management, shifting from focusing on post-disaster recovery and reconstruction to supporting clients to address ex ante disaster risk management efforts and policies. Focus is also given to enhancing the resilience of client countries to the potential impacts of climate change through targeted adaptation and vulnerability reduction programs.

The East Asia and Pacific Disaster Risk Management Team, housed in the Sustainable Development Department in Washington, DC, provides proactive leadership in the region to introduce disaster risk management (DRM) and mitigation practices in development activities and improve emergency response efforts.

The team also works closely with the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), which has allocated $11 million in trust fund resources to the region to support strategic risk reduction activities at the regional and country levels from FY07-10. The new GFDRR strategy (2009-11) aims at developing comprehensive DRM programs in focus countries by leveraging relatively large amounts of grant resources. In EAP these include Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Philippines and the Pacific Islands.

Indonesia is one the most vulnerable countries in the world with respect to natural disasters. The Indonesia Country Assistance Strategy Progress Report (September 2006) identified “Disaster Risk Management” as a fourth pillar for the CAS. Indonesia has successfully accessed US$1.25 million in resources from the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) at the end of 2007. The GFDRR assists countries prone to disaster risks to integrate risk reduction in their development strategies and build a culture of disaster prevention. The Phase II funding will broaden and deepen the mainstreaming engagement to cover key development sector such as housing and infrastructure, as well as linking DRR to Climate Change Adaptation.

This will include four project components, namely: 1) mainstreaming of DRR in regular development and through post disaster recovery, 2) Capacity building of national and local DRM agencies, including in risk assessment and risk response, 3) Support to comprehensive risk financing strategy linked to DRR actions, and 4) linking DRR and Climate Adaptation.

The key priorities of the DRM team are:

1. Mainstreaming disaster resilience into key government investment programs as well as the bank’s portfolio through investments and technical assistance
2. Strengthening disaster preparedness in the countries of the region
3. Knowledge and learning
4. GFDRR monitoring and follow-up
5. Building regional partnerships

The Regional Coordinator and EAP DRM team in Washington DC is supported by Country Focal Points for Disaster Risk Management within each country, by the cross-sectoral, virtual network of staff working across the region on disaster management issues, and by the regional Quick Response Team (QRT) in the event of an emergency.

The EAP region is highly decentralized, and much of the program is managed by staff based in country offices. To this end, the World Bank is seeking to recruit a local co-term Senior Disaster Risk management Specialist to work out of its office in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Duties and responsibilities

Reporting to the Sustainable Development Manager based in Jakarta and working under the supervision of the Regional Coordinator for Disaster Risk Management, based in Washington, DC.

The adviser would be responsible for three sets of activities:

1. Building internal capacity for disaster risk reduction and response (50% of effort). The Bank has a new policy on Rapid Response to Crises and Emergencies (OP/BP 8.00, January 2007). The last few years have provided the World Bank in Indonesia with intensive experience in responding to a range of emergencies and crises (Aceh and Nias tsunami & earthquake, Yogyakarta/Central Java earthquake, avian flu, Jakarta floods, etc.).
-There is continued need to capitalize on the new policy and existing resources to ensure that the Bank can effectively respond to future disasters and integrate disaster risk reduction as part of the lending and grant portfolio.

The consultant would:
-Provide and facilitate expertise on disaster risk reduction/climate change adaptation for task teams to mainstream disaster preparedness and mitigation as part of their ongoing and planned operations.
-Serve as DRM focal point for World Bank Jakarta Office;
-Organize training and raising awareness about OP/BP 8.00, disaster risk reduction and adaptation to climate change;
-Liaise with Bank teams working on climate change adaptation programs to synergize efforts; and,
-Provide operational support in the event of an emergency in the region, by participating in emergency response activities like the performance of damage and loss assessments.

2. Facilitating the implementation of GFDRR Phase II program in Indonesia (40% of effort). The Phase II program has received principle approval from GFDRR CG, and will soon enter a final grant application process in line with GFDRR procedure. The adviser would be responsible for facilitating the preparation of the program design documentation as well as managing the application process, and the subsequent formal agreement with the government counterpart:
-Ensure that GFDRR resources are used strategically to support GoI’s overall DRM program in a manner that leverages investments for DRM on the ground in a coordinated and coherent manner.
-Organizing meetings of the program’s Steering Committee (Bappenas, BNPB, DNPI, Public Works, MoHA, UNDP, World Bank), including setting the agenda, assembling background materials, managing minutes of meetings, and following up on recommendations;
-Advising counterparts on preparing the relevant implementation arrangement, including setting up child trust funds, work plans, designing terms of reference, identifying and assessing consultants and firms, and contracting through appropriate procurement systems (i.e., government or Bank executed);
-Undertaking monitoring and evaluation of the program by finalizing performance indicators and preparing progress reports as well as other information required by the Regional Coordinator.

3. Supporting external partners to reduce and manage disasters (10% of effort). The OPCS paper, “Toward a New Framework for Rapid Bank Response to Crises and Emergencies,” calls on the Bank to promote a proactive approach to reducing disaster risk in high-risk countries and to work with all development partners to mainstream risk reduction. The Government of Indonesia, with the assistance of GFDRR grant Phase I, is preparing a new National Action Plan for Disaster Reduction (2010-2012). UNDP, with support from DfID, is implementing the program on Safer Communities through Disaster Risk Reduction (SCDRR) in Development, and AusAID has started the implementation of its Australia Indonesia Facility for Disaster Reduction (AIFDR). Thus, there is a mandate and opportunities to support external partners in reducing and managing disasters through these programs. The adviser would take the lead in:
-Identifying new opportunities to support the Government in implementing the National Action Plan, e.g. joint cross-sectoral program, advice key sector in planning and budgeting;
-Using GFDRR resources to enhance the role of non-governmental actors in disaster management;
-Coordinating with development partners, e.g. active participation in the UN Technical Working Group on Disaster Risk Reduction (UNTWG-DRR), and the Convergence Group which includes the international donors and INGOs.
-Serve as the local point of contact for the EAP DRM team with the ASEAN Secretariat on implementation of the Regional Memorandum of Cooperation on DRM

Outcomes and accountability

The expected outcome of the first activity would be:
-better resilient communities and public sector programs in facing disasters;
-application of the new policy in order to streamline the Bank’s response to crises and emergencies in Indonesia; and
-piloting and eventual mainstreaming of disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation in operations and the new Country Partnership Strategy.

The expected impact/outcomes of the second activity would be successful implementation of the GFDRR-financed program for Phase II. The key impact would be improvement of disaster management, in particular DRR, in Indonesia.

The anticipated results of the third activity are:

-strengthened policy dialogue and technical assistance to GoI on disaster preparedness and mitigation;
-increased civil society capacity to contribute to disaster reduction and recovery initiatives; and
-development of at least one partnership with one or more members of the international community on either disaster response or disaster risk reduction. The adviser would report to the SD Sector Manager in Jakarta and the EAP Regional Disaster Risk Management Coordinator.

Qualifications

The candidate should possess the following characteristics:

- Advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in a relevant discipline such as urban planning, engineering, management, public policy, economics, environmental science, etc.;
- At least eight years of relevant experience including work on disaster prevention, relief, recovery, or management and/or the mitigation/adaptation for climate change;
- Extensive field experience, including relations and work with government agencies, NGOs, donors, and academia in the area of disaster management;
- Ability to work across sectors and to think about issues in terms of outcomes, not just in terms of outputs and inputs;
- Some familiarity with the World Bank’s disaster and climate policies;
- Good diplomatic and analytical skills, with the ability to work in a multi-cultural environment and an inter-disciplinary team;
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and Indonesian with an appropriate level of office information technology skills;
- Demonstrated capacity to independently manage and assignments and meet tight deadlines;
- Willingness to travel in order to fulfill the assignment. Language (essential): Bahasa (Indonesian)

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