Project manager disaster risk reduction (L4) - consultant

Introduction

UNICEF ESARO is looking for a consultant to manage a multi country disaster risk reduction (DRR) project covering four Horn of Africa (HoA) countries namely: Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and Djibouti. This ECHO funded drought risk reduction project in the HoA mainly focuses on enhancing the regional knowledge management base through the documentation of on-going DRR related projects and programmes with respect to key basic social services as well as through identification of lessons learnt for replication and to best inform DRR programming in the wider Eastern and Southern Africa Region. The incumbent will coordinate the work of a team of consultants working in the 4 HoA countries assessing and documenting projects including lessons learnt and good practices as applicable on DRR in the education, health, nutrition and water/sanitation/hygiene sectors and will generate an overall synthesis report on the basic social service related DRR programmes and policies in the four countries. This is, therefore, an invitation to qualified individuals with adequate expertise and proven capacity in project management preferably in the area of disaster risk reduction focusing on basic social service delivery to submit their applications.

Background

The need for sustained DRR programming to enhance the resilience of communities and government institutions has been acknowledged by stakeholders reflecting on how to prevent recurring disasters. The recent Horn of Africa drought in 2011 challenged governments', humanitarian and development agencies' capacity to respond to the needs of affected populations. The impact of the drought was better mitigated in Ethiopia where the government made significant investments in basic social service delivery and safety nets and Kenya benefiting from national and international technical and financial support. The drought escalated to a famine in Somalia mainly because of the weak government structure and capacity combined with on-going conflict and lack of humanitarian access.

In an endeavour to end drought emergencies in the HoA, IGAD and East African Community member states stressed the need for a Regional Disaster Resilience and Sustainability Strategy and proposed to launch projects addressing the underlying causes of vulnerability. While many of the traditional interventions focused on agriculture, livestock and food security, it is increasingly becoming evident that the ability for basic social services to deliver and remain accessible in times of crises is crucial in reducing disaster risk.

A documentation of existing DRR practices in key social service sectors in the HoA countries constitutes a knowledge gap. Such an endeavour, highlighting the importance of social service accessibility and availability during crises and their contribution to sustainable human development, comes at a time when IGAD member states are requesting to build on successful interventions and called for documentation and sharing of good practices. The need for better knowledge management in support of implementing cost efficient, effective and sustainable interventions was reiterated at the IGAD High Level Ministerial and UN meeting in May 2012.

The incumbent, under the overall guidance and supervision of Regional DRR Specialist, will be responsible for the overall coordination and management of the ECHO project in the HoA. This will involve a broad range of activities at the regional, national and sub-national levels, including coordination, planning and management, focusing on the achievement of the results and objectives identified under the ECHO drought risk reduction project. The incumbent will be supported by a Regional Steering Committee comprised of the ESARO Regional DRR specialist and the ESARO DRR technical advisor focal points in programmatic sections who will be reviewing progress of the project on a regular basis.

Scope of work

The duties and responsibilities of the consultant will include, but not be limited to, the following:

• Support the coordination of the HoA ECHO funded drought risk reduction project;
• Provide technical support to the team of consultants working in Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and Djibouti assessing and documenting lessons learnt and good practices on DRR in the education, health, nutrition and water/sanitation/hygiene sectors;
• Support the implementation of activities against the indicators established in the ECHO project document if necessary through field visits;
• Facilitate the links between the consultants and UNICEF country office teams in Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Djibouti;
• Facilitate the liaison between the team of consultants and ESARO Regional Steering Committee; identify areas where consultants require technical support from the steering committee;
• Provide weekly updates on the progress of the work of the consultants in the countries, flag issues of concern and address bottlenecks to ensure there is no delay in implementation;
• Facilitate review of the final work of the consultants with concerned UNICEF staff;
• Produce an overall synthesis report on the basic social service related DRR programmes and policies in the four countries;
• Support the organisation and participate in DRR strategic regional events (Drought Risk Reduction Action Plan Regional Coordination and other Regional platforms related to DRR) to advance a child focussed DRR approach;
• Establish a document repository for all ECHO-related project documentation and promote information sharing and materials across the 4 countries.
• Provide technical support to the ESARO DRR technical focal points as applicable.

Expected deliverables

The proposed work is expected to start on 01 October 2012 - with the following milestones:

• A workplan and a progress monitoring tool
• Bi-monthly updates on project implementation
• Review, comment and edit documents provided by the country level consultants
• 1st draft of the synthesis report
• Final version of the synthesis with feedback from Regional Steering Committee
• Regional event for disseminating the synthesis document

Required experience and background

• Advanced Degree in social sciences, disaster management or related field. Specialized training in disaster risk reduction desirable;
• At least 8 years of professional experience in programme management at national and international levels in development/disaster management. Previous experience with ECHO projects highly desirable;
• Knowledge and experience in the implementation and management of projects in disaster risk management;
• Proven excellent writing and editing skills in English;
• Current knowledge of global developments and trends, technology and institutional environments in disaster management and climate change adaptation;
• Familiarity and knowledge of development work in particular the role of social service delivery is a must. Knowledge of UNICEF work is desirable.