Expert in civil protection with GIS experience

The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) is looking for experienced Team Leaders, Civil Protection Experts, Civil Protection Experts specialised in GIS, and Communications Officers for capacity development programmes. The programmes are carried out in various parts of the world and the objectives are to strengthen civil protection and disaster risk reduction capacities at local, regional and national level.

The activities to be carried out in the framework of the programmes could for example include to:

• improve risk mapping,
• strengthen prevention and preparedness capacities at local, national and regional level,
• improve capacities for a coordinated, effective and efficient disaster response,
• improve public information and awareness of populations regarding risk and exposure,
• improve the legislative framework in the area of civil protection/disaster management in the partner countries.

The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) is looking for civil protection experts with GIS experience for international programmes in general and specifically for a EU financed civil protection programme in the ENPI East region

Duties

• Plan, implement and follow up activities such as risk mapping, workshops, trainings, technical assistance missions etc.
• Provide sector specific input and expert guidance within prevention, preparedness and response
• Support to local/national counterparts in developing their organization(s) capacity within civil protection
• Prepare and coordinate activities and project reporting as required
• Represent the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency in meetings with representatives from national government agencies, the UN system, the Red Cross movement and community structures.
• Liaise and co-ordinate the day to day work with the other project staff, projects and relevant partners
• Integration of cross cutting issues, in particular gender and environment

Qualifications

Experience

• Proven experience in working in multicultural environments;
• Demonstrated project management experience;
• Experience of working with the EU Civil Protection Mechanism is a clear advantage.
• A minimum of 10 years’ experience in civil protection /disaster management, including experience of host nation support /cross-border movement.
• Good understanding of related government policies and programmes in the Eastern ENPI region;
• Proven experience in the three main programme fields: prevention, preparedness and response to natural and man-made disasters.
• Experience in using GIS software and tools such as ArcCatalog, ArcGIS, ArcMap and ArcView to convert and maintain geo-spatial information, produce standard and custom GIS mapping products and develop simple GIS tools and extensions.

Education

• University degree in the relevant field is an advantage;

Languages

• Proficiency in English and good knowledge of Russian is a requirement for work in the eastern ENPI region. Knowledge of other languages, especially French and Spanish, is an asset in other settings.

Other requriements

• Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple tasks;
• Ability to plan and work independently without supervision;
• Excellent skills in technical writing;
• Excellent management and interpersonal skills;
• Knowledge of the relevant civil protection frameworks and tools as well as of international frameworks/tools and regulations is required.
• Knowledge of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism is an important asset.
• Ability to develop, compile, maintain, retrieve, query and analyze a variety of GIS coverage features and records such as location, relationships, trends, patterns, adjacency, containment, and proximity of map features and data.

Candidates must be ready to relocate to the recipient countries fully or in periods as needed for the programme

• Ability to perform a variety of geospatial and statistical analyses.
• Experience in mapping of one or more of the following areas: a) floods; b) earthquakes; c) chemical/biological and technological hazards, including industrial pollution; d) fires.
• Ability to negotiate with counterpart government officials and with other technical agencies;

Candidates must be physically capable and medically fit to work and travel and will be required to undergo a pre-employment medical examination by a licensed physician before being contracted. Candidates under serious consideration must inform their employers of their potential assignment with the MSB and obtain a written agreement in which the employer confirms his/her intention of releasing the candidate on short notice upon request from the MSB.

Profile

We are looking for men and women with a strong commitment towards capacity development and disaster operations. It is of utmost priority that candidates understand, respect and act in the sprit of the mandate and core values of the MSB. The candidate must possess a high level of professional and personal maturity together with an ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues, managers and external partners, such as UN organisations, NGOs, recipient governments and host populations. Candidates must be able to interact with sensitivity and display respect for diversity and gender in multi-cultural environments.

Contractual conditions

All MSB operational personnel are registered on a roster which contains a wide range of professions and competencies. Individuals recruited to the roster take the MSB’s introduction course and any specialist training courses required. It is from this roster that we select personnel when an operation is to be executed. Working with the MSB on an overseas operation means that personnel from the roster are temporarily employed by the MSB. The MSB pays wages, insurances, travel costs and subsistence allowance during the operation. In addition, participants on introduction courses and relevant specialist training courses receive remuneration from the MSB.