Regional child-centred disaster risk reduction adviser

Job Purpose

Risk reduction and resilience help to secure the delivery and sustainability of our work as well as keep children and their communities safe. Save the Children in East Africa is rolling out a new approach to risk reduction and resilience, based on our years of experience of working in East Africa and in line with Save the Children International’s (SCI) global strategy for disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.

SCD is recruiting a regional child-centred disaster risk reduction adviser to support the roll-out of this approach across the region and to increase the uptake and incidence of children’s participation in risk reduction and resilience work in East Africa. The role will facilitate the implementation of child-centred risk reduction and resilience in SCI policy and strategy and programme activities throughout the region, also engaging in key advocacy activities and with strategic regional partners – as part of a group of EARO technical advisers and global network of DRR specialists.

Key responsibilities

1. Capacity building

• Train staff and partners throughout the region on child-friendly/child-centred approaches to programming and on child-centred DRR; the principles and complexities of risk reduction, resilience and adaptation in the East Africa context.

2. Programme development, support and monitoring

• Implement the SCI East Africa Resilience strategy and its roll out.
• Support programme development for risk reduction and resilience programmes.
• Provide technical advice to programme implementation throughout the region and support learning and reflection on risk reduction and resilience impacts

3. Policy and strategy

• Support Save the Children Denmark’s strategy and business planning concerning child-centred risk reduction and resilience building
• Inform SCI policy and strategy and toolkit development, with SCD-prioritised child-centred DRR and resilience.

4. Advocacy and networking

• Produce advocacy and technical briefs on child-centred risk reduction and resilience.
• Support FSNWG existing advocacy in the context of the humanitarian system shift in East Africa.

Experience and qualifications

• MA/MSC in Development, Disaster Management, Climate Change Adaptation, Environmental Studies, Social Science
• University degree in a relevant discipline
• 5 years of experience in child rights programming or a relevant professional area
• Knowledge and experience of disaster risk reduction and/ or climate change adaptation methods at the community level (ideally with children) and with local authorities.
• Experience of DRR policy and advocacy activities and knowledge of regional and global DRR and climate change policy arena
• Communication skills including the ability to distil technical information for a non-specialist audience; and the ability to write policy and technical briefings. Spoken and written English is essential.
• Demonstrable knowledge of child safeguarding and protection in participation
• Familiar with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and a rights-based approach to working

What we offer

• Enriching and meaningful work in a dynamic international organization
• Training, personal development and good career opportunities
• Positive and exciting working environment
• Focus on work-life balance

Terms of Employment

• Desired/ planned start date: 1st December 2013 or ASAP thereafter
• Employment and salary in accordance with SCD’s terms and conditions for international deployments