Senior officer, community based preparedness

Purpose of position

As a result of an increasing number of disasters triggered by natural and man-made hazards, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is in the process of scaling-up its actions in disaster risk reduction as a contribution to safety and resilience. Of particular concern is the increasing incidence of smaller scale disasters, with cumulative repetitive impacts that lead to substantial loss of life and livelihoods. This is often accompanied with damage to infrastructure, the economy and the environment.

The Community Preparedness and Disaster Risk Reduction Department is seeking to support National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies by promoting community based preparedness and working with the Red Cross Red Crescent members to explore opportunities for scaling up programming. This position is to provide the overall technical support & guidance to community based preparedness efforts as well as to share the key lessons & learning across National Societies.

The purpose of the Senior Officer, Community Based Preparedness is to provide the overall technical support and guidance to community based preparedness initiatives and programming.

Description of duties

1) Technical support to Zones and NSs:

- Update concepts, frameworks, strategies, positions, standards, guidelines and tools for community based preparedness with the latest thinking on risk and vulnerability reduction approaches.
- Update existing International Federations Vulnerability and Capacity assessment guidance and tools to include climate change and assessment in urban settings. Ensure that gender relations are factored into these assessments and inform programme design and implementation. This will require cross-divisional and cross-departmental work.
- Ensure that the VCA informs IFRC community level programming and disaster management approaches while re-enforcing the link between relief and development.
- Strengthen IFRC's work on vulnerability and risk identification and tracking in cooperation with private sector and other organizations.
- Support Zones and National Societies to scale up their work on community based public awareness and education and early warning with particular focus on using vulnerability analysis and communicating risks at the community level.
- Provide technical advice and support to Zones and National Societies on community based contingency planning, this must be done in close collaboration with the focal point for contingency planning.
- Reinforce existing partnerships with OCHA, WMO, IASC and others to promote Strategy 2020 and Federation/Movement policies
- Work closely with the Community Based Health & First Aid (CBHFA), water and sanitation, discrimination, gender, organization development and standards such as Sphere to ensure proper integration at community level.
- Work closely with the Disaster Services Department to support disaster operations on request in order to ensure mainstreaming of CBDRR, consistency and coherence in community based approaches.
- To support the development and running of a cross-divisional Federation's Community Saftey & Resilience Trust Fund.
- Any other duties, in DRR, Climate Change, Food Security & Livelihood as directed by the Head, in a multi-function team context.

2) H2P Programme Support:

- Provide analysis, recommendations and implementation guidance/advice to the pandemic unit on community preparedness approaches.

3) Capacity Building:

- Ensure that Zone and NSs community preparedness and capacity assessments are conducted and training needs are identified.
- Organize inter Zonal or global community preparedness programming trainings and enhance the capacity of RC/RC staff and volunteers.
- Support Surge Capacity functions and Human Resources to develop relevant profiles for delegates and other specialists, criteria for selection and performance, skills development and other technical training, briefing and debriefing.
- Compile community preparedness practice and lessons learnt, provide analysis, policy recommendations and implementation guidance/advice and make learning available and ensure that management, Zones and National Societies have access to this knowledge.

4) Representation and Networking:

- Represent the IFRC in different and relevant international fora. Network and coordinate with NGOs, UN and other International organisations to ensure the International Federation is kept informed of new or different approaches and issues related to community based preparedness programming.
- Build and coordinate a virtual Global community preparedness network with Zones and National Societies.

5) Resource Mobilization:

- Mobilize resources from global partners such as EU, WB, Corporate funders etc.
- Support Zone offices in selection and deployment of appropriate community preparedness delegates and officers.

Required qualifications

Education:

- Masters Degree in Disaster Management or a similar relevant field.

Experience:

- Minimum of 10 years relevant international experience in the field and capital from working in the humanitarian and development area, including at least 3 years on community based preparedness programming.
- Demonstration of Federation values, core and management competencies.

Skills:

- Proven ability to link humanitarian and development practice, theory and policy.
- Sound analytical and synthetic skills linked to pragmatic approach, adapted to RCRC realities.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills.
- Team working skills (including matrix management structures) - leadership and followership.
- Knowledge of working with standards and quality tools such as Sphere.

Languages:

- Fluent written and spoken English.
- Working knowledge in another Federation language (Spanish/Arabic/French) would be an asset.