Consultancy: Disaster Risk Management Technical Advisor – Save the Children

TITLE: Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Technical Advisor

REPORTS TO: Response Team Leader, Deputy Response Team Leader, Director of Operations, Head of AA or Proposal Director

LOCATION: International, including remote and insecure locations

GRADE: 3

CONTRACT LENGTH: up to 9 months (potential to extend)

CHILD SAFEGUARDING: Level 3: the role holder will have contact with children and/or young people either frequently (e.g. once a week or more) or intensively (e.g. four days in one month or more or overnight) because they work in country programs; or are visiting country programs; or because they are responsible for implementing the police checking/vetting process staff.

ROLE PURPOSE: As part of our humanitarian ambition and 2030 global strategy, Save the Children has implemented the Global Expertise and Humanitarian Surge Platform (GEHSP) to further improve the efficient deployment of high quality surge staff to support the delivery of our Humanitarian Responses directly and in collaboration with SCI partners. This role will be rapidly deployed by the GEHSP to support the response team in quickly developing and implementing a humanitarian-response, or to a proposal team for comprehensive program design technical assistance.

In line with the SCI’s Global Framework for Anticipatory Action (AA) the DRM Advisor will support members, country offices and/or response teams to develop and implement disaster risk management approaches through support to program design, capacity building, facilitating partnerships, developing proposals, assisting with the development of early action planning and efficient implementation of the plan etc.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

Program and Business Development

• Lead the technical design of disaster risk management programs that include:
  • Engagement with national level policy and planning for DRM
  • Engagement with national and sub-national DRM coordination bodies and related other fora in support of enhancing DRM coordination
  • Community level preparedness and DRM planning, including the development of Early Action Protocols/Plans (EAP) and design of triggers/thresholds for activation
  • Capacity building for local and national DRM actors including CSOs, public and private entities
  • Pre-financing, forecast-based financing, parametric insurance and other innovative finance models, like multi-stakeholder funding, to resource DRM
  • Leveraged public-private partnerships
  • Mainstreaming of climate change adaptation, gender, and localization
  • Budget planning and support to national and sub-national budget planning for DRM
  • Knowledge, learning, monitoring, evaluation and research, including to inform program adaptation and enhancement and to influence broader DRM structures
• Ensure program design incorporates Save the Children principles of localization, child centered approaches and child engagement and child safeguarding.

Planning and Management of DRM

• Development of DRM technical tools, processes, including guidance documents, training modules, and manuals
• Facilitate and/or lead design of EAPs, including with external groups. (as relevant)
  • Conduct analysis and identification of priority hazards/risks
  • Conduct stakeholder analysis and map existing and ongoing initiatives
  • Support development of triggers, identify risk monitoring tools, developing a functional risk monitoring system and the decision making process including roles and responsibilities
  • Assessment of appropriate actions, timeframes as related to forecasting
  • Develop Early Action Protocol (consisting of above) and plans for resourcing
• Support the design, coordination, and start-up of integrated end-to-end early warning systems informed by local and indigenous knowledge and embedded within existing systems
• Ensure engagement across relevant operational and technical teams
• Ensure engagement with authorities and local partners
  • Support country team/s to develop and/or implement community-based risk assessments and planning
  • Explore and establish partnerships to ensure timely forecasting of risks and impacts
• Support implementation of EAPs

Capacity Building

• Design and/or deliver trainings, wherever possible in partnership with other stakeholders, to Save the Children staff and partners on DRM
• Represent Save the Children in existing Inter-Agency coordination mechanism for DRM

Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, Learning, and Accountability

• In line with Save the Children MEAL Framework for AA – help establish the monitoring mechanisms, monitor implementation of AA program or ongoing system for AA to identify areas of learning
• Document experience of SC and partners in implementing DRM activities and facilitate learning across SC and partners for relevant activities
• Conduct or manage evaluation or review of AA projects in close coordination with MERLA technical counterparts

General*:*

• Comply with Save the Children policies and practice with respect to child safeguarding, code of conduct, health and safety, equal opportunities and other relevant policies and procedures.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Essential

• Disaster risk management planning and preparedness experience, including experience with early action protocols and trigger/threshold setting
• Experience working with climate/weather information services and other predictive analytics
• Experience with adult learning for disaster risk management capacity building, including facilitation experience and experience in the development of tools, guidance and curricula
• Significant experience working on disaster risk management with national and sub-national government disaster management agencies and coordination bodies
• Experience in the development of multi-hazard scenarios, approaches and planning tools
• Experience working with local disaster risk management actors, including community CSOs and local technical DRM experts and groups
• Strong conceptual understanding of, and experience with designing, end-to-end early warning systems
• Experience with forecast-based financing, innovative finance models, parametric insurance, and pre-financing models for anticipatory and early action
• Significant experience in designing winning applications for complex national to community-level disaster risk management activities
• Gender, localization and climate change integration experience
• Capacity to convene and leverage technical experts for joint program delivery and development
• Recognised management role in relevant technical areas at both field and country level
• Experience working with the private sector, including on private-public partnerships
• Good analytical skills. Effective negotiator, with the ability to positively influence cross departmental and cross sector working
• Credibility to lobby, influence and represent Save the Children at all levels
• Commitment to and understanding of Save the Children’s aims, values and principles including rights-based approaches
• Prior experience working in an emergency response contexts or fragile states
• Ability to work successfully within a team, including with taking initiative and ownership

Desirable

• Solid experience in more than one of the Save the Children priority sectors: education, protection, emergencies
• Experience with cash and voucher assistance programming
• Technical monitoring, evaluation, research, learning and accountability experience
• Fluency in French, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, or Amharic

COMPETENCIES FOR THIS ROLE:

1. LEADING AND INSPIRING OTHERS

Demonstrates leadership in all our work, embodies our values and articulates a compelling vision to inspire others to achieve our goals for children.

Level required: Accomplished

1. DELIVERING RESULTS

Takes personal responsibility and holds others accountable for delivering our ambitious goals for children, continually improving own performance or that of the team/ organisation

Level required: Leading edge

1. PROBLEM SOLVING AND DECISION MAKING

Takes effective, considered and timely decisions by gathering and evaluating relevant information from within or outside the organisation.

Level required: Leading edge

1. COMMUNICATING WITH IMPACT

Communicates clearly and confidently with others to engage and influence; promotes dialogue and ensures timely and appropriate messages, building confidence and trust with others.

Level required: Accomplished