Climate and Disaster Risk Reduction (Bangladesh Nationals Only)

  • Volunteer, Long-term consulting assignment
  • Posted on 12 August 2025
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Job Description

Role Title: National Volunteer – Climate and Disaster Risk Reduction

Country: Dhaka, Bangladesh (with field travel as required)

Duration: Till 31/03/2026, Possible extension till 31/03/2027

Role purpose: The National Volunteer – Climate and Disaster Risk Reduction will support VSO Bangladesh’s efforts to strengthen community resilience to climate change and disaster-related risks. The role is part of the ACTIVE Extension Project, which promotes inclusive, locally driven solutions to environmental challenges. It focuses on enhancing the capacity of vulnerable groups— particularly youth, women, and persons with disabilities—to anticipate, respond to, and recover from climate-induced hazards. The position will assist in planning and implementing community-based initiatives on climate adaptation, environmental sustainability, and disaster preparedness. Key responsibilities include facilitating awareness campaigns, supporting early warning dissemination, and promoting nature-based solutions. The volunteer will work with local youth leaders, governance bodies, educational institutions, and community stakeholders to improve risk-informed planning and service delivery. The role also supports the integration of climate and disaster risk considerations into wider development activities. This position contributes to building inclusive, accountable, and resilient public systems in alignment with VSO Bangladesh’s vision for a fair and sustainable future.

Safeguarding level: Level 3: This post will have regular, direct and unsupervised access to children and vulnerable adults either face to face or online or the post will have supervisory responsibility for people who have direct unsupervised access to children or post will have accountability at organisational level to ensure safeguarding policy is in place and implemented at all levels. A criminal background check (Enhance DBS check for UK or equivalent highest level of Police check) will be obtained for post holder at this level prior to their start date.

Project background and contextual information: The ACTIVE Extension Project addresses systemic challenges of limited civic engagement, weak accountability in service delivery and the marginalization of youth, women and persons with disabilities in decision making. It adopts an integrated, intersectional approach across key thematic areas SRHR, climate resilience, livelihoods, DRR, child protection, system strengthening and safeguarding through practical, community-led interventions and inclusive governance mechanisms. Building on the foundation of ACTIVE Phase-1, the project will scale successful models such as National Youth Forums, MILE participatory learning and grassroots advocacy, while creating synergies with other VSO initiatives to enhance volunteer mobilization and policy influence. Implemented across all 64 districts of Bangladesh, it aims to strengthen community platforms and institutional responsiveness, reaching over 100,000 individuals and advancing inclusive, accountable and resilient public services.

Role outputs

  • Support implementation of inclusive community-based activities on climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction (DRR), focusing on resilience building and awareness.
  • Facilitate outreach and behaviour change communication through awareness campaigns and school-based eco-club engagement on climate and disaster preparedness.
  • Promote nature-based and agroecological solutions for climate resilience and support youth-led and community-driven environmental actions.
  • Assist in local planning and advocacy efforts, including technical support to local government and coordination with civil society to integrate climate/DRR into service delivery.
  • Document community learnings and represent VSO in local-level forums, sharing good practices and promoting inclusive, sustainable development approaches.

Experience and skills required for this volunteer placement

  • Educational background in Environmental Science, Climate Change, Disaster Management, Development Studies, or related fields
  • Interest or experience in climate change adaptation, DRR, or community resilience building
  • Understanding of inclusive development, local governance, and risk-informed planning processes
  • Experience in training facilitation, community mobilisation, or local advocacy is an advantage
  • Strong communication and interpersonal skills, especially with youth and grassroots communities
  • Skilled in Microsoft Office tools (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
  • Able and willing to travel to remote or climate-vulnerable areas as required
  • Knowledge of safeguarding, protection, and inclusive volunteer engagement principles

Note: This is a national volunteer role open to Bangladeshi nationals and subject to funding approval.

Additional Information

Equal Opportunities: VSO promotes equal opportunities and values a diverse workforce.

VSO reserves the right to close this job early if we receive a sufficient number of applications.

Disclaimer: VSO is committed to a fair, transparent and merit-based recruitment. VSO does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Any such request in VSO’s name is fraudulent and should be disregarded. Please report suspicious requests to recruitment@vsoint.org

All volunteers have an allowance paid in local currency. The allowance meets reasonable living expenses in country, but will not be enough to send money home.

VSO works with some of the poorest communities in the world which means accommodation varies and will be basic.

Deadline for Applications: August 19, 2025 00:00:00

“While we try our best to keep our information updated, the closing date of the actual job source may be changed by the recruiter without prior notice. With this, please make sure to check the official job link when submitting your application. Thank you.”

About the Organization

VSO is an international development charity that works through volunteers. Our vision is a world without poverty in which people work together to fulfil their potential. We bring people together to share skills, creativity and learning to build a fairer world. VSO welcomes volunteers from an ever increasing range of countries, backgrounds and ages. National agencies in Canada, Kenya, the Netherlands and the Philippines recruit volunteers from many different countries worldwide and this international approach allows us to combine and learn from a rich variety of perspectives. Tackling Disadvantage at "Grass Roots" Level Ours is a very individual "people to people" approach to development. Instead of sending food or money, we send women and men from a wide range of professions who want the chance to make a real difference in the fight against poverty. These volunteers work in partnership with colleagues and communities to share skills and learning and jointly achieve change. But we have to be realistic in our expectations. We commit to long-term development goals and long-term partnerships and focus on sustainable development rather than the short-term relief of certain problems. VSO also works to address the structural inequalities and barriers that prevent people from exercising their rights. We use our experience and our supporter networks to work for changes in policy and practice - rich and poor countries - that reduce disadvantage. VSO is by far the largest independent volunteer-sending agency in the world. Since 1958, we have sent out more than 29,000 volunteers to work in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, the Pacific region and, more latterly, Eastern Europe in response to requests from our overseas partners. At the moment we have around 1,500 people working in placements in these regions. Shared Partnerships, Shared Benefits You only have to talk to VSO volunteers to realise that they gain from their experience, personally or professionally, as much as they contribute. Many will enthuse how fascinating it was to explore a different culture at first hand. Others will point to the friendships they have made. But many will also tell you how their professional talents have been stretched, and how they have learnt new skills that will significantly enhance their career prospects on their return home. If ever it was true that "you get out what you put in", VSO is proof positive. This experience makes volunteers passionate in challenging misconceptions about developing countries. In the current climate, it is more urgent than ever that we work to achieve a global community where people of all cultures are seen as equal, learn from each other and share a common sense of rights and responsibilities as global citizens. VSO builds on this experience and passion to support a range of global education activity. To find out more about volunteering with or supporting VSO visit our website at www.vso.org.uk

More information

VSOJD_National Volunteer - Climate and Disaster Risk Reduction--20250812070442.pdf
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