Cash and Vouchers Assistance (CVA) Manager

Organizational context

The Polish Red Cross is an organization associated in the world’s largest humanitarian movement, one of the oldest in the history of mankind. Its constituent parts are the internationally operating: the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (Federation) and national Red Cross or Red Crescent Societies.

The Main Board of the Polish Red Cross operates at the national level, 16 District Branches in voivodships, and over 200 District Branches at the poviat level. The fourth level, the lowest in the hierarchy, and thus its foundation, are the basic units: PCK School Circles, Youth Community Instructors (SIM), Blood Donor Clubs, Rescue Group and Humanitarian Aid Groups.

The mission of the Polish Red Cross is to prevent and alleviate human suffering, and to protect human dignity, without any discrimination on the basis of nationality, race, gender, religious or political beliefs.

Professional duties and responsibilities

The CVA Manager specifically brings in CVA strategic, technical and operational expertise building on the Polish Red Cross’ approach, enabling the transition and scale up from pre-disaster operations to emergency response, through to recovery and transition to longer´-term development programming.

The CVA Manager ensures effective coordination and harmonisation of CVA response component sin relief and recovery links with the external CVA stakeholders including government actors, the private sector and the CVA humanitarian community, informing, aligning and coordinating CVA components as necessary to avoid duplication and maximize the impact of the overall humanitarian response.

Assessment and CVA Feasibility

• Lead the cash feasibility assessment considering the needs, priorities and preferences of affected population, the market conditions, the government policies, the available payment mechanisms, the Polish Red Cross organizational capacity, and other relevant key criteria using the RCRC guidance and existing tools and templates for cash feasibility.
• Lead the market analysis together with Procurement/Logistics unit, engaging staff in identifying key
• commodities and markets, collect the market information and consolidate the market findings in order to determine whether the market will be able to respond to the needs, as well as to identify market-based interventions to assist the shock affected population.
• Support the initial financial service provider assessment based on existing cash preparedness plans and SOPs of the Polish Red Cross and identify viable delivery mechanisms for the relief and recovery response.
• Support the Polish Red Cross team to analyse the risks and complete the risk assessment including the measures to mitigate the potential risks. Engage the community as well as all relevant departments in the risk analysis and identification of measures to mitigate security and other potential programmatic risks.

Response Analysis and design

• Support the operational team to conduct a robust response options analysis, based in a series of agreed criteria (i.e. timeliness, preferences of affected population, value for money, etc.) to compare responses and assistance modalities and identify the most appropriate, effective and efficient modality and transfer mechanism or combination thereof.
• Ensure key internal and external stakeholders are engaged in the response options analysis.

Operational set up

• Identify specialist skills that may be required in different operational contexts (IM, registration systems, delivery mechanisms) and ensure adequate human resource capacity is identified for CVA implementation.
• Support and provide technical support and inputs in the ongoing operation. Be responsible for setting up the CVA component including development of the plan of action and budget. Ensure programme delivery follows the Plan of Action, and beneficiary selection and transfer mechanisms follow agreed NS procedures and SOPs.
• Maintain overall oversight of all CVA elements ensuring targets are met and identified risks are mitigated.
• Work with the Polish Red Cross to ensure that all necessary tools and systems (financial, logistics and M&E) are adapted for assessment, are in practice and disseminated. This includes SOPs, operational guidelines, risk register, beneficiary registration tools, monitoring tools, CEA tools, information management tools in line with data protection requirements, communication materials).

Monitoring and PMER links

• Together with PMER, outline the PMER plan and adapt the necessary M&E tools from the RCRC toolkit. This includes tools for baseline and verification visit, exit survey (at distribution/encashment location), site observation, post distribution monitoring (HH-level), focus group and key informants’ interviews, beneficiary feedback and response mechanisms and market and price monitoring.
• Identify the context data indicators relevant to the CVA response including market analysis, beneficiary satisfaction and feedback, safety and security and ensure findings are fed into the operations when data suggests the need for changes and improvements.

Capacity building and future cash preparedness

• Identify the initial CVA specific capacity and gaps in NS to implement a CVA response and provide relevant training on CVA and markets as required. Assess the NS cash capacity and gaps, propose and implement cash preparedness activities if relevant.

Reporting, Learning and Dissemination

• Support reporting, documentation and learning of the CVA to guide and inform future CVA efforts.

Advocacy and Coordination

• Advocate for and raise awareness for the appropriate use of CVA to support decision-making for CVA scale up and transition and ensures the Polish Red Cross ownership of CVA strategic direction for the future.
• Work with the NS, the Government and other humanitarian actors in the country to determine the transfer value which best meets the project objectives and decide on the frequency of the transfer.
• Coordinate with Movement and non-Movement programme partners. Together with the NS cash focal point, participate in the cash coordination structure when/if established and any other coordination meetings.

Duties applicable to all staff

• Actively work towards the achievement of the Polish Red Cross goals
• Abide by and work in accordance with the Red Cross and Red Crescent principles
• Perform any other work related duties and responsibilities that may be assigned by the line manager

Position requirements

Education

University degree in relevant areas such as Disaster Management, Project Required

Management, Sociology, Agriculture, IT/Computer Science, Finance, technical

qualification or equivalent experience Required

Experience

At least 5 years´ international experience in disaster management or response in humanitarian operations managing teams Required

At least 5 years´ experience leading and influencing the uptake of different aspects of CVA design and implementation (i.e.: CVA feasibility assessments, market analysis, response design including setting targeting criteria, transfer values and delivery mechanisms, encashment, and monitoring) and in developing CVA responses that that are inclusive and gender sensitive Required

Experience in the coordination of teams to collect and analyse CVA related data and ensuring findings feed into the overall disaster management response through the RCRC Movement channels Preferred

Experience in supporting others to deliver an emergency response with early recovery / recovery transition planning including integrated approaches to disaster management Preferred

Knowledge and Skills

Computer software skills Required

Coordination and people management Required

Strong planning and attention to details Required

Strong communication skillls Required

Teamwork Required

Languages

Required: English, Polish

Preferred: Ukrainian