Technical Advisor II -- Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation (DRR/CCA)

Job Description

Job Title: Technical Advisor II – Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation (DRR/CCA)

Department: ASIA

Reports To: Deputy Regional Director for Program Quality

Country/Location: Phnom Penh, Cambodia (or telecommuting)

About CRS:

Catholic Relief Services carries out the commitment of the Bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas. Our Catholic identity is at the heart of our mission and operations. We welcome as a part of our staff and as partners, people of all faiths and secular traditions who share our values and our commitment to serving those in need.

Background:

While CRS is well known as an Emergency Response Agency, our humanitarian assistance extends far beyond responding to the after-effects of a disaster. In Asia, CRS is committed to disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation (DRR/CCA) programming in rural and urban areas and has active DRR/CCA programs in seven countries with potential for expansion. Our programs are focused on disaster preparedness and adapting to a changing environment, as well as increasing resilience at the household and community level. In our programs, we focus on sustainable outcomes, and work together with local governments and communities to improve support services and infrastructure for increased resilience.

CRS’ Asia region spans from Turkmenistan to the Federated States of Micronesia, with active DRR/CCA programming in India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, FSM, Philippines, Indonesia, and Timor Leste. The Regional Technical Advisor II (RTA) for DRR/CCA is a member of the ASIA Regional Team and will have a close working relationship with CRS’ global humanitarian response department.

Job Summary:

This position is responsible to build upon the strong work of CRS and our partners, and directly support country teams to deliver high quality programs in DRR/CCA. This position will play a lead role in establishing CRS as a DRR/CCA thought leader with an influential voice in Asia. This position would provide technical support in program design, ensuring the latest thinking and understanding of donor expectations in new proposal development. To enhance competitiveness and program outcomes, the Technical Advisor II for DRR/CCA would assess and consolidate learning over the past five years to articulate a clear regional and agency approach to DRR/CCA, build staff capacity and increase visibility with donors in regional and global fora. Along with country program staff, this position would provide direct support to strengthening and developing resources for project-level activities. The RTA-II for DRR/CCA would also be responsible to foster an environment of cross-learning amongst our country programs and the global community. The position would work closely with Monitoring Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) teams and country programs in ASIA to identify approaches to measuring DRR/CCA outcomes and communicating agency success. This position will collaborate closely with our humanitarian response department, and global senior technical advisors to further our learning and resources in disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.

Scope of Responsibilities:

• Contribute to the development and implementation of country and regional strategies, standards, tools, and promising practices in DRR/CCA that effectively engage partners, donors and governments. Help ensure a cross-sectoral approach integrating gender, protection mainstreaming, government system strengthening, and local leadership.
• Provide technical solutions to regional and CP teams, remotely and on-site, for strategic planning and how to best apply program design and implementation standards, best practices, partnership principles, tools, and M&E, ensuring high-quality implementation.
• Contribute to regional and CP efforts to pre-position CRS for growth opportunities in DRR/CCA. Lead or contribute to the development of the technical design for large and/or complex proposals, including defining appropriate monitoring systems and indicators. Advise project teams on integrating donor strategies, priorities and technical requirements into CRS’ approach. Participate in project reviews and support proposal development, acquisition of funding and monitoring and evaluation.
• Contribute to capacity strengthening initiatives in DRR/CCA programming for staff and partner through helping develop learning and training strategies and agendas/curriculums, conducting trainings and workshops, and mentoring and coaching to CP staff.
• Contribute to knowledge management and learning through collecting and analyzing program data, evaluating strategic projects, assisting with measuring program impact, capturing and sharing lessons learned and best practices, and research and internal reports.
• Liaise closely with Asia regional advisors, and with global Senior Technical Advisors for Climate Change, Food Security, Water and Policy for Food Security, and DRR and Climate Change to ensure coherency and complementarity and DRR/CCA approaches. Work with ASIA RTA team to actively explore cross-sectoral linkages between livelihoods programming, microfinance, conflict resolution, nutrition and agriculture.
• Establish and maintain relationships with donors, peer organizations, research and other institutions that are actively working to improve outcomes in DRR/CCA. Participate in regional and global forums in the area of DRR/CCA to collect and share best practices and seek out opportunities to promote CRS’ work. Lead CRS/Asia to fulfill our regional strategy and position CRS as a thought leader in DRR/CCA.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES

Develop DRR/CCA programs that are compliant with donor, global and CRS best practices

1. Participate in the writing and review of all new concept notes and proposals as requested by ASIA DRD-PQ and country programs in a timely manner.
2. Develop business development tools to help Country Programs respond to and incorporate DRR/CCA approaches into new program design.
3. Share and promote internationally recognized DRR/CCA best practices and CRS promising practices during the design of projects.

Technical Assistance, Training and Program Monitoring

1. Provide in-country and remote technical assistance for the start-up and implementation of high profile/high value DRR/CCA projects. Provide technical assistance for pilot projects and research that contribute directly to country and regional learning. Provide structured recommendations for programs following TA in-country visits (i.e. trip reports).
2. Provide training as required on best practices and CRS’ approach to DRR/CCA. Continue to develop and adapt training to meet the needs of program teams. Capacity strengthening of project teams should incorporate global learning and resources (internal/external), and reflect continued learning across CRS programs and other actors.
3. Share lessons learned from CRS evaluations of DRR/CCA projects across the region and globally; conduct webinars on these promising and best practices.
4. Facilitate a community of practice on DRR/CCA issues, including measurement, learning and accountability.

Thought Leadership in DRR/CCA

1. Design, manage and implement project (and policy) oriented assessments and research in coordination with the Heads of Programming and MEAL managers and relevant Asia RTAs.
2. Document case studies and promising practices while on in-country field assignments.
3. Disseminate promising practices in DRR/CCA programming among community of practice in the region and agency wide. Connect this learning to presentations and sharing at Asia and global conferences.
4. Bring and develop innovations to enhance programming in ASIA.
5. Strengthen monitoring and evaluation of programs and projects in DRR/CCA.
6. Assist with the testing of new tools (DRR/CCA metrics, best practices) developed by the field or headquarters.

Networking and Alliance-Building

1. Network with appropriate organizations to build CRS’ profile in Asia and globally. Build alliances that further the strategic objectives of the Asia regional strategy. Facilitate connections with country program staff and appropriate organizations to foster learning and partnerships.

1. Identify the priority networks for CRS to participate in and gain membership. Work to position CRS as a thought leader and convener in DRR/CCA networks in Asia and contribute to CRS’ global thought leadership.
2. Ensure CRS’ work is showcased in priority forums in Asia and globally. Attend international conferences, preferably as a presenter of CRS’ work. Prepare abstracts for conferences and assist country programs in preparing their abstracts.
3. Work with our communications team to showcase our learning in DRR/CCA. Connect evidence-based outcomes from our work to our media updates and publications.
4. Facilitate and attend workshops in core areas organized by headquarters, consortia and country programs specifically related to DRR/CCA. Effectively share our regional experiences and seek out opportunities for collaboration that will enhance regional and agency learning.

Background, Experience & Requirements:

Education and Experience

• Master’s Degree and/or PhD in a related field such as resilience, climate change adaptation, disaster preparedness required, OR else 10 years direct field experience in related field with a master’s degree in international development or international relations.
• Minimum of seven years relevant international working experience in an advisory or management role with progressive responsibilities, ideally with an international NGO, with minimum of three years working for programming-level interventions in DRR/CCA.
• Previous experience providing technical assistance and developing successful proposals for external donor funding is required.
• Demonstrated application of technical principles and concepts in DRR/CCA. General knowledge of other related disciplines to ensure proper cross-sectoral approach.
• Strong experience and skills networking and building relations with donors and peer organizations. Demonstrated understanding of how to position an organization to be a thought leader and influencer in DRR/CCA.
• Experience in business development, project design and proposal development in DRR/CCA, including technical writing. Strong English-writing skills is preferred.
• Experience in mentoring, coaching, facilitation and training applying adult learning principles and practices.
• Experience with program monitoring and evaluation, including applying data collection tools and methodologies, data analysis, and data presentation.
• Understanding of partnership principles and fostering greater local leadership amongst government and civil society organizations.
• Proficient in MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Web Conferencing Applications, information and budget management systems, knowledge-sharing networks.

Personal Skills

• Excellent relationship management skills with ability to influence and get buy-in from people not under direct supervision and to work with individuals in diverse geographical and cultural settings.
• Strong strategic, analytical, problem-solving and systems thinking skills with capacity to see the big picture and ability to make sound judgment
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Strong presentation, facilitation, training, mentoring, and coaching skills
• Proactive, resourceful and results-oriented

Required/Desired Foreign Language

• High level English oral and written communication skills, including representation and liaison skills.

Travel Required – willingness to travel up to 50% of the time

Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff):

These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.

* Integrity

* Continuous Improvement & Innovation

* Builds Relationships

* Develops Talent

* Strategic Mindset

* Accountability & Stewardship

KEY WORKING RELATIONSHIPS

INTERNAL: ASIA - Regional Director, Deputy Regional Director-Program Quality, Regional Technical Advisers, Country Representatives, Heads of Programs, Chiefs of Party, Program Managers, Technical Advisors. CRS HQ – Humanitarian Response Department, Director Agricultural Livelihoods, Senior Technical Advisors.

EXTERNAL: USAID (OFDA, FTF, FFP), Green Climate Fund, Asia Development Bank, World Bank, Rockefeller Foundation, BMGF, CGIAR members, IFAD, FAO, regional government institutions, local universities, and other international research institutions.

Disclaimer: This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position.

CRS’ talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.

Equal Opportunity Employer

About the Organization

CRS staff, alongside our partners and the people we serve, work daily to bring our mission and guiding principles to life. We share our stories of hope, compassion and solidarity to inspire others to join us in creating a more just and prosperous world for all.