Crisis Anticipation and Risk Financing: Technical Specialist

Job Description

CARE is an international NGO with local staff and community partners in more than 90 countries. We create local solutions to poverty and inequality and seek dignity for everyone every day and during times of crisis. CARE puts women and girls at the center of everything we do because they have proven to be the best hope for creating lasting change in the world. CARE has been operational in Nepal since 1978 and works in partnerships with government and non-government stakeholders across the spectrum of humanitarian action and long-term development programs.

Start Network is made up of more than 50 aid agencies across five continents, ranging from large international organizations to national NGOs. Together, our aim is to transform humanitarian action through innovation, fast funding, early action, and localization.

Start Fund Nepal is a Start Network program hosted by CARE Nepal. In June 2021, with support from the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Start Fund Nepal was launched. The Start Fund Nepal Pilot is a collectively managed emergency financing mechanism, developed in Nepal by Start Network members and partner NGOs with support from Start Fund Nepal and the global Start Fund. The pilot project was completed in March 2022. Phase II of Start Fund Nepal began in April 2022 and will conclude in March 2024. Based on the global guideline, Start Fund Nepal also follows the 45 days implementation cycle, making funding decision within 72 hours of a crisis alert, with awarded agencies starting project implementation in 7 days. It has 21 Members consisting of 15 Global Start Network members and 6 local and national NGOs. The Start Fund Nepal Committee is responsible for the strategic management and operations of the Start Fund Nepal Pilot within the parameters set by the global Start Fund Committee.

Crisis Anticipation and Risk Financing: Technical Specialist

Position Description:

Crisis Anticipation and Risk Financing: Technical Specialist is responsible for bringing scientific and academic data to Start Fund Nepal members and partners in an accessible format, facilitate timely decision-making, and drive innovation in Nepal in order to render humanitarian action more proactive and effective. S/he should hold responsibility for the FOREWARN in Nepal, working closely with the SF Nepal team, existing FOREWARN Coordinators and wider Crisis Anticipation and Risk Financing team to deliver the work plan and manage the associated budget. S/he should work with Start Network stakeholders including global risk pools, scientists and academics, government agencies, risk modelling companies and insurers, humanitarian donors and UN counterparts, as well as humanitarian agencies. The incumbent is responsible for supporting Start Network Anticipation and Risk Financing work in Nepal, through the development, testing and support provision of scientific hazard data, models which are used to monitor risks and related early action protocols, and early humanitarian action. S/he should engage in wider Start Network activities where appropriate, including providing support to activities happening in Nepal as required.

The employee shall fully comply with CARE policies and procedure and should be accountable for it.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS:

R1. Facilitating Expert groups

• Liaise with technical experts, nationally and globally, to ensure that hazard models are scientifically robust, functional for humanitarians, and that the purpose and functionality of the models are accessible/understandable to non-scientists (especially humanitarians).
• Undertake the ongoing establishment of a national FOREWARN group that supports anticipatory humanitarian action, lead on the recruitment and induction of FOREWARN members and develop relevant institutional partnerships.
• Actively coordinate and support the Nepal expert groups through regular meetings and documentation, alert reviews, and shared learning.

R2. Hazard monitoring and anticipatory action planning

• Information gathering: Lead the identification and prioritization of key hazards and activities of focus, including tool and stakeholder mapping exercises and identification of risk information needs.
• Relationships: Connect Start Fund Nepal members and partners to local and international risk information providers, ensuring access to nationally appropriate forecasting expertise and information where available.
• Model development: Lead on tasks related to the development, identification and analysis of scientific risk data, statistical modelling and operational decision making within anticipation and risk finance systems. Work closely with hazard and modelling experts to ensure model suitability for humanitarian needs and fit within Start’s human-impact driven and localization approach.
• Technical training: Work to ensure that members, partners, and wider stakeholders are equipped with the training and support to participate effectively and bring their expertise into the technical development processes. Present scientific data in ways that are understandable and useful to humanitarians.

R3. Advocacy and engagement with members and wider stakeholders

• Support members to raise timely anticipatory alerts to Start Fund Nepal, including leading on ‘horizon scanning’ activities for potential alerts and keeping members well informed of any upcoming risks appropriate for anticipatory action.
• Where appropriate, support members and partners to access grants to support risk analysis and liaise with CARF Technical Advisors on the creation of tools and training.
• Raise awareness of Start Network early action initiatives among Start Network members and other stakeholders in Nepal.
• Work with the CARF Technical Advisers (learning, analysis and partnerships) to ensure the early action work of members is well supported, evidenced, and communicated, including evidence gathering activities, contracting discrete pieces of research, and external reporting as required.
• Build and maintain relationships with relevant early action and coordination platforms, tools and mechanisms in Nepal/regionally where appropriate. Represent Start Network, including Start members, and support Start Fund members and the FOREWARN group to actively participate in these groups.

Authority:

Spending Authority: NA

Supervision: as required

Working conditions

Based at the Central Office.

Required Qualification & Experience

Preferred Qualifications and Experience:

Bachelor’s degree in disaster risk reduction, environment science, social science, or other relevant fields. Demonstrate relevant knowledge, understanding of and experience in anticipation, early action and risk financing. At least 3 years of work experience in a humanitarian setting in the related field is required for this position.

Skills and knowledge:

• Technical skills:
  • Good knowledge of forecast system/mechanism
  • Understand the analysis and modelling
  • Skill to interpret the information for sharing purpose
• Personal skills:
  • Good understanding and experience in FOREWARN in localization context
  • Strong communication and interpersonal skills
  • Critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills
  • Innovative, experimental and having confidence to test new ideas
  • Ability to multi-task management
• Education/professional skills:
  • A bachelor’s degree in disaster risk reduction, environment science, social science, or other relevant fields.
  • Demonstrated experience of working with humanitarian NGOs and/or networks in Nepal is desirable

Competencies:

• Evidence of managing/working with technical group Innovative,
• Problem solving and decision making Working effectively with others
• Delivering results

CARE places human dignity at the center of its relief and development work. At the heart of CARE’s efforts to impact poverty and social justice is its engagement with marginalized communities, and vulnerable adults and children. Vulnerable adults and children are particularly at risk of sexual exploitation and abuse. CARE commits to the protection from sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse (PSHEA) of vulnerable adults, involving CARE Employees and Related Personnel. CARE has a zero tolerance toward sexual exploitation and abuse and child abuse. CARE takes seriously all concerns and complaints about sexual exploitation and abuse and child abuse involving CARE Employees and Related Personnel. CARE initiates rigorous investigation of complaints that indicate a possible violation of this policy and takes appropriate disciplinary action, as warranted.

CARE Nepal participates in theInter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we hereby request information from candidate’s previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the candidate left employment. All CARE Nepal’s offers of employment are subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.

How to Apply

Interested candidates are encouraged to visit our website at www.carenepal.org and complete the application process. The last date for submitting the application is 17:00 hours, August 1, 2022.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Telephone enquiries will not be entertained.

“CARE Nepal is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage candidates of diverse background, women and differently abled, to apply”