Director – Advocacy and Communications

Organization

Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI)

Posting Date

23 June 2023

Location

New Delhi, India

Grade

Director

Salary and benefits

Salary and benefits will be offered commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Contract

Fixed Term Contract (3 years), extendable to another 3 years, Full-Time

Occupational Groups

Resilient Infrastructure, International Development, Disaster Risk Mitigation/Reduction, Advocacy, Media & Communications, and Stakeholder Engagement.

Last Date of Application

16 July 2023

About CDRI

The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) is a partnership of national governments, UN agencies and programmes, multilateral development banks and financing mechanisms, the private sector, and knowledge institutions that aims to promote the resilience of new and existing infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks in support of sustainable development.

Vision

CDRI seeks to rapidly expand the development and retrofit of resilient infrastructure to respond to the SDG of expanding universal access to basic services, enabling prosperity and decent work.

Mission

To support countries to upgrade their systems to ensure disaster and climate resilience of existing and future infrastructure.

Impact (that CDRI aims to achieve)

By 2050, over US$10 trillion of new and existing infrastructure investments and services are resilient to natural hazards and climate change through enhanced capacity, informed policy, planning, and management, leading to improved quality of environment, livelihood, and life of over 3 billion people.

CDRI Mandate & Value Proposition

CDRI has been envisioned and established as a global network to advance the agenda, support coordinated action among stakeholders, and focus on bringing voices from vulnerable geographies and populations to international policy forums. Internationally agreed-upon goals in the SDFRR, the SDGs, and the Paris Climate Agreement provide the foundational framework that guides the Coalition’s vision and mission.

As a global partnership, the Coalition aims to ensure that the investments of its members and partners are aligned and well-coordinated in support of the shared ambition of disaster and climate resilience of new and existing infrastructure. The two unique yet interconnected roles that CDRI shoulders in this direction are:

– A Strong Coalition Driving Collaborative DRI Action: In 2023, CDRI stands as a partnership of 31 national governments, six international organizations and financial institutions, and two private sector organizations. The Coalition enjoys robust political support, which propels its efforts to advance the interests of its members and partners.

– A Solution-Focused Centre of Excellence for DRI: As a Centre of Excellence for DRI, the Coalition strengthens the individual and collective capacities of its members and partners by aggregating and sharing knowledge, brokering need-based partnerships, and strengthening capacities through collaborative learning and action.

Strategic Work Plan 2023-2026

CDRI’s Strategic Work Plan 2023-26 describes the broad contours of its priority actions and planned initiatives in the next four years. The Strategic Work Plan sets out a clear direction for the Coalition to pursue a transformational agenda for DRI in response to a changing risk landscape and evolving on-ground realities of its members. In the next four years, the Coalition will continue to leverage the expertise of its Member Countries and partners to develop context-specific, innovative solutions for resilient infrastructure towards the achievement of national priorities and global commitments of its members.

With the Strategic Work Plan for 2023 – 2026, CDRI has set out the following strategic outcomes.

Strategic Outcome 1: A strong Coalition that has the membership, resources, and global leadership to drive global, national, regional, and local DRI action.

Strategic Outcome 2: Global DRI research, Coalition-led peer engagement, and CDRI-curated and generated knowledge promote risk-informed policy and practice.

Strategic Outcome 3: Enhanced capacities of government, private enterprises, and communities to implement post-disaster recovery and DRI action at scale.

CDRI Headquarters (Secretariat)

The CDRI Headquarter is established in New Delhi, India, to act as the Secretariat of the Coalition. The Secretariat functions under the direction of the International Governing Council and Executive Committee to implement the programmes of CDRI.

About the Position

CDRI seeks an experienced professional for the role of Director – Advocacy and Communications to lead the advocacy and external communications functions of the Coalition. The candidate will be adept at advocacy and strategic communications, preferably from a global media and communications background with broad communications and journalism experience relevant to the disaster resilience of infrastructure.

Reporting to the Director General, CDRI, the position plays a crucial role in leading and shaping the strategic direction of CDRI’s advocacy and communications efforts. The role is responsible for providing thought leadership and driving impactful advocacy campaigns, positioning CDRI as a global leader in the field of disaster resilience of infrastructure. The position will be part of the senior management team at CDRI and should also be providing leadership inputs to other strategic priorities as appropriate.

The position is open to candidates from CDRI member countries and organizations. For candidates demonstrating considerable international experience, an international salary and benefits package will be offered. Candidates will have to demonstrate considerable experience in at least 5 countries across two UN geographic regions (from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Northern America, and Oceania) to meet the criteria for international staff.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Provide Thought Partnership to Coalition Leadership

· Be well-versed in global and regional agreements and commitments, such as the Sendai Framework for DRR, Sustainable Development Goals, and G20 communique, that influence global and regional actions related to disaster-resilient infrastructure.

· Provide thought partnership to members of the Governing Council, Executive Committee, and the Director General on these global and regional agreements and commitments.

· Provide thought leadership by identifying emerging trends, issues and opportunities in disaster management and positioning CDRI as a leading voice

· Drive innovative approaches to advocacy and communications, utilizing cutting edge technologies and platforms.

· In partnership with Coalition members, develop advocacy agendas related to DRI that CDRI should promote or support on the regional and global stage. This includes building partnerships and support with governments, global organizations, and regional bodies that have shared interests in the advocacy agendas.

· Prepare drafts of op-eds and other materials in accordance with the Coalition’s communications strategy to support the advocacy agenda for the Coalition.

2. Lead the Advocacy and Communications Portfolio of the Coalition

· Develop and implement a comprehensive advocacy and communication strategy aligned with CDRI’s vision, goals and values aimed at influencing global, regional, and local decision-making to promote action on disaster-resilient infrastructure.

· Be responsible for developing content for CDRI’s engagement at global platforms such as UNFCCC’s annual COP, G20, and International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (ICDRI). This will include preparing content, including speeches and briefings, for senior-most government leaders.

· Be responsible for organizing CDRI’s annual ICDRI and regional conferences as flagship global advocacy events that bring world leaders, practitioners, and researchers to focus on DRI.

· Coordinate media engagements, including building relationships, organizing periodic briefings, be a spokesperson as needed, providing media training and guidance, creating briefing documents and talking points, and supporting all media appearances and events for coalition members and high-profile visitors.

· Represent the Coalition as a spokesperson at global, regional, and local platforms focused on DRI.

3. Be Part of the Leadership Team at the Secretariat

· Be part of the senior leadership team along with other Senior Directors and Directors, under the guidance of the Director General, to manage the operations of the Secretariat.

· Work across different teams to create and refine CDRI’s branding.

· Develop key messaging and visual identity featuring the Coalition’s research, knowledge, capacity building, and technical programmes.

· Develop innovative communication strategies to provide maximum outreach for key initiatives such as IRIS, IRAX, or the Biennial Global Report on Resilient Infrastructure.

· Engage in organization-building activities, providing leadership as needed, to support the Coalition’s transition to an international organization.

· Be responsible for delivering on the Coalition’s communications products, including CDRI’s website, annual reports, and marketing materials such as brochures and summaries of key initiatives.

· Be responsible for quality assurance of all external-facing materials of the Coalition.

4. Manage Advocacy and Communications Teams at the Secretariat

· Direct and oversee all activities related to the management of advocacy, stakeholder management, administration, planning, and programme support within the Advocacy and Communications team.

· Lead formulation and coordinated implementation of the substantive work programme of CDRI’s Advocacy and Communications team, determining priorities and allocating resources, including human resources, for the timely completion and delivery of outputs.

· Oversee the programmatic/administrative tasks necessary for the functioning of the team, including preparation of budgets, assigning and monitoring of performance parameters and critical indicators, reporting on budget/programme performance, preparation of inputs for results-based budgeting, evaluation of staff performance, interviews of candidates for job openings and evaluation of candidates.

· Manage the work of external consultants engaged by the Coalition to support advocacy and communications functions, including procurement, quality control, timely deliverables, and close-out of contracts.

· Work with other teams within the Secretariat and Coalition partners to identify, write, and design content for CDRI’s quarterly and annual reports.

· Lead the Advocacy and Communications Team in gathering stories, photos, videos, and other requested specific content for concept notes, proposals, and reports.

· Perform other duties as decided by the Director-General, CDRI.

Key Competencies (refer to Annexure 1 for the detailed definitions)

1) Technical and Analytical Skills

a. Meticulousness

b. Timeliness

c. Analytical & Problem Solving

2) Delivering Results

a. Dependability

b. Managing people & process

c. Innovativeness & Resourcefulness

3) Engaging & Partnering (Interpersonal / Teamwork)

a. Stakeholder Management

b. Working Collaboratively

c. Appreciate and encourage different culture context

4) Leadership

a. Able to see Big Picture

b. Decision Making

c. Inspires, motivates & empowers others.

d. Team Management

5) Communication

a. Willingness to listen and express dissenting views

b. Is able to clearly convey ideas and information.

Qualifications:

Educational Criteria:

• Post-Graduate qualification in communications, journalism, public policy, international relations, international cooperation for development, or related field.
• Doctorate / PhD degree in a field relevant to the profile’s technical requirements would be desirable.

Experience Criteria:

• Over 15 years of experience in advocacy and communications, preferably in journalism related to disaster risk reduction, infrastructure resilience, sustainable development, environment, or related areas, is required.
• Demonstrable experience developing and managing advocacy and communications-related materials to influence high-level leadership, policymakers, industry, and other external stakeholders.
• Demonstrable experience in organizing advocacy-related events, preferably across multiple geographies, for global audiences.
• Demonstrable strength in speaking publicly on topics related to disaster-resilient infrastructure at high-level international conferences and events.
• Demonstrable strength in writing on topics related to disaster-resilient infrastructure for international audiences.
• Experience in leadership positions at global organizations, including familiarity with internal organizational systems and processes related to procurement, team management, budgeting, resource allocation, etc.
• Demonstrable expertise in developing relationships with media and international partners to deliver the Coalition’s communications agenda.

Location

This position will be based at the CDRI Secretariat in New Delhi, India, as a full-time staff with a Fixed Term Contract of three (3) years, renewable for an additional three (3) years.

Reporting Line:

The Director – Advocacy and Communications will report to the Director General, CDRI.

Language Proficiency:

• Fluency in oral and written English is required.
• Knowledge of any of the UN official languages will be an asset.

How to apply

How to Apply:

If you have experience working in a similar capacity, are passionate about sustainable development, and want to make an active and lasting contribution to a global initiative, please apply through the online application form on or before the last date.

Application Process: Online application form will be available at https://app.cdri.world/career/public/.

CDRI is committed to achieving workforce diversity in gender, nationality, and culture. Individuals with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. CDRI’s promotes equal employment opportunities at all stages of recruitment. CDRI does not discriminate against any candidate on any grounds, including age, gender, ethnicity, nationality, religion, or disability.

CDRI has ZERO Tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment and gender / racial discrimination. Any selection, therefore, will be subject to satisfactory reference and background checks.