Regional Disaster Preparedness Specialist - Plan International

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organization that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We strive for a just world, working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners. Working in over 70 developing countries?across Asia, Africa and the Americas, Plan aims to reach as many children as possible, particularly those who are excluded or marginalized with high quality programs that deliver long lasting benefits by increasing its income, working in partnership with others and operating effectively. 

Through Disaster Risk Management programing, we build communities’ resilience and support children’s right to dignity and protection before, during and after disasters and conflicts. Responding to the needs of adolescent girls – who are among the most at risk when disasters strike – is a key focus of our work. Our vision by 2020, Plan International is a global leader and the NGO partner of choice for promoting gender equality and protecting girls’ rights in disaster and conflict settings, working at the nexus of development and humanitarian efforts. In emergency setting, Plan International is promoting gender responsive child protection in emergencies (including gender based violence), education in emergencies, and youth economic empowerment. 

Under the supervision of the Head of DRM for West and Central Africa, the Regional Disaster Preparedness Specialist will provide support to strengthen disaster preparedness in all Plan International’s offices in the WACA region. The role is expected to support and oversee the development and institutionalization of Country Office Disaster Preparedness Plans (DPP) and related annual DPP action plan, to conduct regular analysis of disaster trends in the region. The post holder is expected to be available for deployments in the initial phases of country response or during recovery phases to support COs in a capacity that will be determined by the job holder’s capabilities, the context and the needs.

DIMENSIONS OF THE ROLE 

• The position is the Regional Office’s primary support function to Country Offices on issues relating to Emergency Preparedness
• This post covers 14 countries in the region with supervision of Regional Head of DRM 
• The post holder will need to maintain excellent working relationships with colleagues in COs, NOs, the Global Hub and WACA RH. 
• Responsible for ensuring quality, coordinated preparedness for rapid emergency response, with emphasis on timeliness and best use of resources; leading and building staff capacity on preparedness initiatives; and supporting the integration of DRM into program development where feasible.
• Some budget responsibilities could be assigned to the post at the request of the Regional Head of DRM depending on grants awarded relating to Emergency Responses (i.e. Emergency Response and Recovery Fund) 
• The post holder is expected to be deployed in the initial phase of response or during recovery phase to support COs in his/her capacity as technical advisor. 
   

ACCOUNTABILITIES 

In non-emergencies: strengthen disaster preparedness and response capacity  
 

• Facilitate and support the roll out of various training and capacity building initiatives related to the implementation of the DRM vision 2020 (being revised). 
• Prepare, and periodically update, a disaster/hazard calendar (the ‘Hotspots analysis’) for the WACA Regional hub and undertake an analysis and recommend use of existing early warning systems for Plan’s programming 
• Facilitate and support all countries in the region to go through an intensive disaster preparedness process (DPP) using the “readiness approach” as per the global guidelines and ensure DPPs are followed up 
• Support the roll out of Emergency Response manual for Operation and for Programme to 14 country offices in the region  
• Facilitate learning and sharing of DRM related resources/tools/experiences between countries in the region. 
• Identify and produce high quality MER documents in WACA region with related topics and contribution to the achievement of DRM vision 2020 and learning in collaboration with MER Specialist in the region 
• Review new Country Strategy documents and ensure the inclusion of risks/hazards related to disasters, conflict and environment in their child rights analysis and design programs accordingly 
• Support and strengthen external engagement and coordination with other humanitarian actors (UN, NGOs, donors, etc) in the sector through regular attendance in relevant networks and coordination forums, clusters especially on CPiE, EiE and Cash Networks as will be required  

In emergencies context 
 

• In all significant disasters, available to be deployed to assist the assigned ERMs/DRM Managers/Focal points at country level to design rapid assessment, compile reports, and draft response plans, in consultations with CD (and CLT), and the WACA RH. The duration of deployment at this stage could vary from 1 – 3 months at the initial phase of response.  
• In all responses in WACA (regardless the scale), support COs in identifying the surge capacity needs, within the Region or require support from the Global Roster in close coordination with the Head DRM of WACA
• Orient/guide the respective country teams of Plan International in WACA on key international humanitarian standards like Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS), Sphere Standards, CPMS and INEE
• Ensure that project designs, which build the foundation for the programs, are informed by needs assessments and contextual analysis in line with international standards and the new Global DRM Framework
• During deployment and or remote support for all emergencies, support the strengthening of accountability of response and the incorporation of strong gender lens through on site capacity development of the response team as required. 
• In the later stage of the response (early recovery and recovery phase) ready to be deployed to support CO(s) in her/his capacity to provide technical support advice both on programmatic and operational issues as agreed with the Country Leadership Team and the Head of DRM WACA.
• Support COs in preparing for Real Time Review (RTR) for all orange 2 emergencies and facilitate coordination with the Head of DRM WACA and Global Hub DRM 
• Support countries in documentation of lessons learnt from all significant disasters and ensure it circulation to the internal and external organization as needed 
• All deployments would be subject to the normal Plan terms and conditions for internal secondments in emergencies 

Key Internal and external Contacts

Internal:

• Regional head of DRM of Plan WACA
• Country Directors of Plan International in WACA
• BDMs of Plan International COs in WACA
• DRM/ERMs of Plan International COs in WACA
• All regional technical advisors of Plan International WACA
• DRM representatives of the NOs active in WACA
   

External:

• Other agencies and stakeholders related to the DRM programme (i.e. UNHCR, UNICEF, Clusters) or decision makers (i.e. national governments) as well as donors where required and not covered already by the COs or NOs
• IASC Network 
• Academics, research institute and thought leaders in humanitarian work in WACA region 
   

TECHNICAL EXPERTISE, SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE 
 
Skills  

• Energetic and motivated individual, with a proven track record of undertaking similar assignments successfully 
• Strong background in emergency preparedness and response plus knowledge in one of the technical sectors such as CPiE or EiE and familiar with cash voucher assistance  
• Familiar with the concept of gender in emergencies 
• Good interpersonal skills and able to work in a dynamic environment with multiple stakeholders at different level.  
• Ability to think strategically, but also result oriented and get things done 
• Commitment to continuous learning and willingness to keep abreast of new developments in the field (DRM and humanitarian issues in general)  
• Able to work independently, but to function within a virtual team. 
• Good interpersonal skills and ability to establish and sustain good working relations with colleagues 
• Strong negotiation, facilitating, representation and influencing skills 
• Culturally and socially sensitive, and able to work successfully with partners and sector professionals 

Leadership Behaviours 

• Leads the theoretical discussion and strategy development.   
• Coaches and builds capacity of both program and support staff in WACA and COs 
• Promotes innovation and learning 
• Communicates clearly and effectively 
• Strong team building and motivational skills 
• Critical and creative thinking 
• Ability to influence 
• Result oriented 
• Flexible 
• Good interpersonal skills 

 
Qualifications and Experience 

• Experience from disaster risk management work, including disaster preparedness and managing response programmes 
• Experience from at least 2 major disaster events, working in “disaster /high risk” environments 
• Experience as a trainer/facilitator on humanitarian issues especially on international Humanitarian standard and one of the technical sectors CPiE, EiE, CVA and Gender in Emergencies  
• Ability to priorities and manage complex and varied workload, often to tight deadlines 
• Experience of strategy, i.e. analysing relevant factors from both the internal and external environments, identifying crucial issues that have to be addressed, setting objectives and developing plans of actions; 
• Excellent communication skills, written and verbal in order to present arguments clearly and powerfully to a variety of audiences; 
• Direct experience of working with children and young people and in understanding and responding to their needs and rights 
• Experience of working with institutional donors/fundraisers 
• Experience of promoting coordination and cooperation with other agencies through networking and alliance building. 
   

Physical Environment and Demands: 
 
This position entails 50-60 % travel both within and outside region, often in hardship locations