Recovery Senior Officer (Nationals from multiple locations in MENA to be considered)

Organizational Context

IFRC has five regional offices in Africa, Asia Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, Europe, and the Americas. IFRC also has country cluster delegations and country delegations throughout the world. Together, the Geneva Headquarters and the field structure (regional, cluster and country) comprise the IFRC Secretariat.

IFRC has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment and other forms of harassment, abuse of authority, discrimination, and lack of integrity (including but not limited to financial misconduct). IFRC also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles.

The MENA regional office based in Beirut; Lebanon supports 17 National Societies in the region. The MENA Health Disasters, Climate and Crises (HDCC) unit within the MENA regional office and works with one regional plan as well as provides the technical support & quality assurance to country cluster support teams and country offices.

Recovery programming provides an opportunity to analyse and start to address the risks and vulnerabilities that communities face, and their root causes. It links humanitarian assistance and the longer-term programming of a National Society. As well as "building back better", National Societies can integrate risk reduction, climate action, environmental sustainability, issues of protection, gender and inclusion, and other core elements which strengthen community resilience into post-disaster and crisis contexts. National Societies can also ensure that they engage in recovery in a way that strengthens their response preparedness and contributes to their own development as strong local actors.

Recovery is an integral part of the Disaster Risk Management (DRM) continuum. All communities recover to some extent following a disaster or crisis, although at different levels and different speeds. This recovery process happens firstly with the resources available in communities, and whether external assistance is provided or not. Where appropriate and feasible, National Societies should integrate multi-sector support for community recovery into their humanitarian responses and look for linkages between this support and their regular programmes wherever possible. Enabling the self-recovery of communities and supporting sustainable solutions which reduce risks are as critical to National Societies as providing life-saving assistance.

The Senior Officer works closely with the various units of the IFRC Secretariat working on programmes and operations, as well as thematic leads, and other units. S/he also works closely with partner National Societies supporting early recovery efforts to ensure maximum contribution to IFRC strategic aims and deliverables.

Job Purpose

Under the supervision of the Disaster Risk Management thematic lead, the Recovery Senior Officer is responsible for leading and coordinating the IFRC’s work on Early Recovery and will guide National Societies and IFRC country delegations to develop and implement an overarching recovery plan that are built upon a solid understanding and participation of local communities, the changing external humanitarian context and the interests and capacities of internal and external stakeholders.  

The post-holder will support strengthening disaster preparedness and response capacity within longer-term recovery programming and facilitate the smooth transition from emergency response to recovery to longer term developmental programming, and in coordination with relevant IFRC teams, movement partners and others on effective and well-integrated recovery programming including strategic priorities. 

The post-holder will dedicate around 60% of their time to assisting with the operations related to the Morocco Earthquake, Libya Storm Daniel, and the Middle East Crisis.

The recovery senior officer will ensure a collaborative approach to agreeing operational strategies with regional and country counterparts, as well as quality and accountability in recovery programming.  

Job Duties and Responsibilities

Ensure quality technical advice to support effective Recovery programming

• Guide the NS and IFRC team to understand the recovery and related concepts, and approach integrated recovery programming in a more consistent, systematic, and informed manner as part of their humanitarian response in order to operationalize the global recovery framework into regional strategy.
• Provide a technical recovery perspective to the ongoing processes of contextual analysis, needs assessment, capacity assessment and response planning.
• Ensure the integration of the green recovery to address the impact of the climate change and environmental sustainability into recovery operations Provide thought leadership, innovation, and strategic direction in IFRC disaster recovery operations in the MENA region.
• Promote and ensure recovery is well understood, integrated, and contextualized in MENA in line with the IFRC global recovery framework.
• Ensure the application of recovery principles within preparedness, during and after initial response, and in situations of protracted crisis, complex emergencies, and health emergencies such as epidemics and pandemics.
• Coordinate recovery operation reviews and evaluations with a particular focus on identifying good disaster recovery practices for the development of guidance materials and the dissemination of knowledge.
• Provide briefings and support to recovery surge roles during deployments to the field and /or be deployed to emergencies for supporting attention to community recovery with National Societies.
• Ensure that recovery operations have a positive outcome for National Societies especially protracted crisis, complex emergencies in conflict settings.
• Ensure the effective and efficient transition between initial response, recovery, and long-term programmes.
• Ensure that humanitarian operations strengthen community resilience and "build back better", are environmentally sustainable, and result in a National Society better able to prepare for, anticipate and respond to future crises.
• Contribute to the mainstreaming of early recovery in close coordination with the relevant IFRC thematic teams and other structures, provide timely technical livelihoods support as key sector of the recovery phase.
• Provide technical reviews and guidance for new and ongoing initiatives and emergency operations, including through monitoring and follow-up and support the implementation of the recovery planning for emergency appeals and response activities.
• Promote synergies and establish collaboration across themes and technical sectors for the implementation of recovery programming at regional and national level.

Support effective coordination within the IFRC network related to Recovery:

• Provide strategic and policy guidance to National Societies and the Secretariat staff on how RCRC can contribute through recovery programming, with livelihoods and food security programming as key sector, to the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals, Sendai Framework for DRR and Paris Agreement and New Urban Agenda among others.
• Promote coherence and alignment of early recovery initiatives, including research initiatives, livelihoods operations and programs in urban and rural areas supported by various external actors, partners as well as National Societies and IFRC offices.
• Lead coordination with key RC/RC partners active in recovery programming at the regional level, as well as other regional, national actors involve on the post-disaster recovery, the Cluster Working Group on Early Recovery (CWGER)
• Work with relevant partners at the regional and national level (UN systems/ Local NGOs governments) in the identification and implementation of pertinent initiatives that will support early recovery and build resilience in complex emergencies

Support learning, knowledge management and exchange in MENA region:

• Facilitate increased knowledge and skills in recovery programming across IFRC MENA region through training and guidance.
• Support the capacity building of NS and IFRC teams to have a clear understanding of recovery and related concepts, and approach integrated recovery programming in a more consistent, systematic, and informed manner as part of their humanitarian responses.
• Document the recovery and identify and document case studies, innovative approaches and lessons learnt to profile the work of the NS, highlighting good practice and lessons learnt.
• Promote and expose NS to innovative methodologies and approaches in green recovery.
• Facilitate exchanges between different stakeholders and sharing of knowledge and expertise amongst RCRC and partner networks in MENA and across regions.
• Together with the operations coordination team, develop recovery surge capacity together with MENA NSs.

Duties applicable to all staff

1.  Work actively towards the achievement of the Federation Secretariat’s goals. 
2.  Abide by and work in accordance with the Red Cross and Red Crescent principles.
3.  Perform any other work-related duties and responsibilities that may be assigned by the line manager.

Education

• University degree in relevant area or equivalent experience required - Required
• Technical training in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery - Required
• Technical training in food security, livelihoods and cash transfer modalities - Preferred

Experience

• Experience in coordination of post disaster recovery support with partners - Required
• Minimum of 5-7 years’ field experience in leading/coordinating recovery operations in the field and implementing and/or supporting integrated food security and livelihoods programs in emergency and recovery contexts - Required
• Experience in strategy development, developing tools and guidance, providing technical assistance and in establishing and maintaining networks - Required
• Experience in project cycle management including proposal development, budgeting and reporting, monitoring and evaluation - Required
• Proven practical experience of designing integrated programming, food security and livelihoods programmes in an emergency, recovery and conflict contexts - Required
• Proven capacity building experience with NS or equivalent, delivering trainings and providing on the job training and coaching - Required
• Experience coordinating and advocating to external stakeholders including government, NGOs, UN and Donor organisations - Preferred
• Experience in working within the RC/RC Movement - Preferred
• In-depth knowledge and experience working in protracted crisis, complex emergencies - Preferred

Knowledge, Skills and Languages

• Knowledge of technical aspects of disaster preparedness, relief and recovery and of key donor and partner organisations - Required
• Good understanding of relief, development, and resilience issues, also under active conflict conditions and good practice in emergency and recovery food security and livelihoods - Required
• Knowledge of minimum standards for disaster relief and performance and accountability frameworks - Required
• Excellent communication and inter-personal skills with the ability to represent the International Federation and to negotiate and influence people’s opinions - Required
• Fluent spoken and written English - Required
• Good command of another IFRC official language (French, Spanish or Arabic) - Preferred

Competencies, Values and Comments

• Values: Respect for diversity; Integrity; Professionalism; Accountability
• Core competencies: Communication; Collaboration and teamwork; Judgement and decision making; National society and customer relations; Creativity and innovation; Building trust 

IFRC Ensures Equal Employment Opportunities