Emergency Response Officer (Global)

Starting Salary: With London Weighting: £35,703 – £37,210

Without London Weighting: £32,019 – £33,526

Contract: 2-year fixed-term (with possibility of extension)

Hours of work: 35 hours per week

Location: UK-based, location flexible with potential for remote working

We are open to considering applications from candidates in a variety of locations within the UK. Some international travel will be required.

Job Profile

The Emergency Response Officer (ERO) has a global remit to contribute to the delivery of effective and high-quality humanitarian assistance to new and ongoing humanitarian crises. As part of CAFOD’s Emergency Response and Support Team (ERST), the ERO provides technical in-country and remote operational support to humanitarian and emergency response programmes. The ERO also supports the implementation and maintenance of systems and procedures for ensuring good practice and meeting sectoral standards on accountability and programme quality.

Working with partners is central to CAFOD’s humanitarian response and the ERO will play an important role in developing the capacity of partners to prepare for, mitigate the impact of, and respond to disasters by providing support, knowledge and building long-term capacity. All roles undertaken by the ERO will have the aim of achieving peace, security and recovery in accordance with CAFOD’s mission and values.

The surge capacity provided by members of CAFOD ERST is usually in the form of field deployments or remote support for short-term leadership, management, coordination, or technical support to a wide range of new and ongoing humanitarian crises. Deployments and support may focus on specific areas such as assessments, response options analysis, proposal development, project design and implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting.

A key component of the ERO role is to be part of CAFOD’s ERST surge capacity – providing immediate, usually short-term support to our humanitarian response teams in crisis-stricken countries, as well as remote support. The ERO position has a global remit and could deploy to and or provide remote support to our humanitarian responses around the globe.

The post-holder will hold a thematic focus for food security and emergency livelihoods, providing technical expertise in these areas.

This role will be required to undertake travel, sometimes at very short notice and to insecure environments. This could be for up to 12 weeks at a time, for up to 6 months a year (possibly more in exceptional circumstances). Any travel exceeding 6 months a year will be mutually agreed by post holder and line manager.

The post holder is line managed by the Senior Emergency Response Officer within the International Programme Group (IPG). The role does not have line management or budget responsibilities

The post holder will be expected to work closely with the Humanitarian Funding team, particularly regarding the technical review of institutional proposals and reports prior to submission to donors. The post holder will also work closely with the Inclusion and Gender Advisor in the Programme Quality and Partner Support team.

Key Responsibilities

Emergency preparedness and response support (60%)

• Play a lead role in providing food security and emergency livelihoods expertise and ‘surge capacity’ to new and ongoing humanitarian crises through remote or in-country operational support, and other support as needed such as needs assessment, project design, development and implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting.
• Support the planning and implementation of humanitarian programmes providing technical support and guidance to CAFOD core programme teams and partner organisations to design and deliver high quality assistance in relief, rehabilitation and recovery phases of humanitarian response and preparedness, particularly in the areas of food security and emergency livelihoods.
• Support core programme teams to prepare for and respond to new or escalating humanitarian needs.
• Support technical aspects of proposal development and design of food security, CVA and emergency livelihoods programming and contribute to technical aspects of report writing requirements.
• Work with the Emergency Response and Support Team to monitor and analyse new and ongoing emergencies, support corporate decision making on responses to these crises through timely provision of assessment.
• Identify opportunities for scaling up CAFOD’s humanitarian work and support the Humanitarian Funding Officers in the development of proposals for institutional funding and reporting to donors.

Partnerships building and maintenance (10%)

• Support the capacity building of new and or strategic humanitarian partners upon request.
• Support the capacity of strategic partners to anticipate, prepare for and respond to humanitarian needs.
• Build and maintain the day-to-day relationships with partners in designated regions, including with partners that do not fall under a country programme in the International Programme Group but where CAFOD has emergency programmes/projects and or a strategic engagement.

Programme quality, systems and standards (25%)

• Play a lead role in ensuring programmes are high quality, driving the roll out of the CAFOD’s Safety, Access, Dignity and Inclusion (SADI) programming Framework and environmental stewardship across our humanitarian and emergency work, training and providing technical support to staff and partners where needed.
• Support Caritas interagency Working Groups as required, working with other Caritas Internationalis agencies to develop coordinated approaches to emergency response and programme quality.
• Support the development and implementation of guidance and policies and maintenance of systems and procedures, in line with CAFOD’s Ways of Working, for ensuring good practice and meeting sectoral standards on accountability and programme quality.
• Work with CAFOD’s technical staff to ensure that key cross-cutting themes such as Accountability, Gender and Protection are appropriately incorporated into our humanitarian responses.
• Engage with the Head of Humanitarian Policy to ensure CAFOD’s humanitarian policy and advocacy is coherent and effective, and informed by our experience and that of our partners.
• Engage with the External Communication team to ensure CAFOD’s communications for humanitarian programmes is coherent, effective, and efficient.
• Promote humanitarian-related innovation and learning across our programme portfolio.

Representation and communication (5%)

• As prioritised, represent CAFOD at interagency fora and build, strengthen relationships with Caritas Internationalis sister agencies, as well as with non-Caritas partners organisations, to promote and aid coordinated humanitarian responses.
• Where appropriate, develop supporter communications and work with the media, writing and undertaking interviews both on radio and TV

Safeguarding

All CAFOD staff share responsibility to promote and maintain a strong safeguarding culture, including identifying the key actions they should take given their role and responsibilities.

Your role is responsible for ensuring that the programming work you are accountable for is safe, accessible, dignified and inclusive, providing ongoing support and follow-up to our partners in this area.

This list of duties and responsibilities is by no means exhaustive and the post holder may be required to undertake other relevant and appropriate duties as required. This job description is subject to regular review and appropriate modification.

Safeguarding for Children and Vulnerable Adults

CAFOD recognises the personal dignity and rights of children and vulnerable adults, towards whom it has a special responsibility and a duty of care and respect. CAFOD, and all its staff and volunteers, undertake to do all in our power to create a safe environment for children, young people and vulnerable adults and to prevent their physical, sexual or emotional abuse. CAFOD is committed to acting at all times in the best interests of children and vulnerable adults, seeing these interests as paramount. Any candidate offered a job with CAFOD will be expected to adhere to CAFOD’s Safeguarding policy and sign CAFOD’s Code of Behaviour as an appendix to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents. This post involves contact with children, young people and vulnerable adults, or has responsibility for people who will do, and applicants will be subject to specific checks related to safeguarding issues. If based in the UK the post holder is required to present or obtain a Disclosure from the DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service).

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references, and appropriate screening checks can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. CAFOD also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of, and consent to, these recruitment procedures.

Person Specification

Essential Criteria

Understanding our context

A Understanding Catholic identity: I recognise the intrinsic dignity of every person and the importance of contributing to the common good

B Understanding CAFOD: I understand, demonstrate and actively support CAFOD’s vision, mission and values and what we aim to achieve

C Understanding international development I have an understanding of the nature and causes of humanitarian crises and how they affect different individuals, groups and communities.

Working together

D Managing ourselves: I am aware of my own development needs and take steps to address them

E Working with others: I embrace the culture of those we are working with to better understand their needs and perspectives

F Communicating: I actively listen to others; I keep colleagues informed of developments that may affect them

G Looking outwards: I focus on how CAFOD can make a real difference to the lives of those in poor or marginalised communities

Making change happen

H Managing resources: I am clear about available resources and how they can be best used. I am careful in the use of resources, including other people’s time

I Achieving results: I have a clear sense of priorities. I keep focused on the work to be done.

J Managing our performance: I provide and seek regular constructive feedback on my performance

K Taking the lead: I take the lead in identifying solutions and making change happen

Job-specific competencies

Technical skills and experience:

• Degree (or equivalent experience) in international relief and development.
• Strong technical knowledge and proven experience of designing and leading food security and or cash and voucher assistance (CVA) and or emergency livelihoods interventions.
• Experience of designing and facilitating emergency response interventions including mixed modalities of direct implementation and or working with partners.
• Proven expertise and understanding of emergency preparedness and response.
• Proven successes in working with community-based organisations and local partners in the delivery of humanitarian programmes and capacity building.
• Experience of proposal development.
• Experience of assessing the capacity of potential implementing partners for sudden onset emergencies

Humanitarian Leadership and Coordination:

• High-level interpersonal and communications with the ability to effectively influence and liaise with key stakeholders on behalf of and in line with CAFOD’s principles.
• Ability to quickly establish and maintain effective relationships to achieve results in short timeframes.
• The ability to work autonomously, take the initiative and proven ability to work creatively, innovatively, and effectively to make decisions with limited direct supervision.
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude.

Operating safely in a pressured and changing environment:

• Proven experience in implementing security policy/protocols and ability to provide appropriate direction and support to team members in the event of a critical incident.
• Demonstrated ability at being flexible and adaptable to changing situations.
• The ability to remain calm while dealing with conflicting priorities and working under pressure.

Other:

• Fluent in written and spoken English.
• Basic financial and budget management skills.
• Highly organised with the ability to manage multiple tasks and implementing systems and procedures.
• Able and willing to travel for up to 6 months annually, sometimes at short notice and to potentially insecure environments.
• Experience of working with institutional donors such as START Fund.

Desirable Criteria:

• Language skills in Arabic, French, Spanish or Portuguese
• Technical knowledge of resilient livelihoods
• Experience of early/anticipatory humanitarian action
• Experience of innovative funding mechanisms and programming