Head of Emergency Response & Preparedness

Main Objective

To lead Human Appeal’s “Emergency Response Unit” to enable the organisation to respond swiftly and effectively to all types of emergencies and disasters worldwide. This includes supporting humanitarian programming and developing HA’s capacity to respond to emergencies in new and existing country programmes, ensuring appropriate preparedness strategies are in place at a global and country level to mitigate against the impact of humanitarian crises, and overseeing the coordination of all emergency response operations. All with a view to ensuring the highest levels of efficiency, reach, and value for money of HAs emergency response programmes in service of the affected population.

Key duties:

• • Develop Human Appeal emergency response strategy and work plans to support the organization to be positioned as a lead among global emergency response agencies.
  • Monitor and keep up to date with the humanitarian risk in HA countries of work, and globally.
  • Lead on emergency response in disaster areas and locations where HA does not have presence through an effective resources mobilization and surge capacity plans.
  • Support HA country offices to respond to disaster as fast as possible through capacity building, resources mobilization and local partnerships.
  • Support the development and implementation of emergency response projects for HA offices and implementing partners.
  • Provide technical advice on inclusive and integrated humanitarian response to HA offices and implementing partners.
  • Ensure that crisis response programme planning and implementation is in line with HA’s standards, CHS, ICRC code of conduct and other international humanitarian standards. Ensuring donor’s compliance and accountability to affected population, donors and other stakeholders.
  • Work with existing country programmes to ensure emergency preparedness plans are in place, are contextually appropriate and adequately resourced.
  • Lead the capacity building of HA’s global response personnel and country programme staff who may be deployed to respond to crises within their countries or seconded to other responses.
  • Provide technical guidance on Emergency Response programme approaches, undertaking research and development of internal policy and guidelines, as required.
  • Lead and support the initial phase of humanitarian responses in collaboration with relevant partners and Country offices.
  • Support the development of appropriate strategic partnerships with local, national and international NGOs, networks and alliances, etc. with the aim of deepening the reach and effectiveness of HA’s emergency response function.
  • Ensuring mapping of inclusive emergency response projects in close cooperation with network members and country offices.
  • Work closely with the SMT (Senior Management Team) to develop humanitarian programming in line with HA’s global strategic plan.
  • Provide necessary humanitarian information updates to related departments through sending update situation reports and systems to ensure all information is readily available on the system for Communications and Fundraising departments.
  • Support the field teams to prepare and send regular humanitarian programme updates and financial reports for accountability, by working closely with the Country Directors / Heads of Mission.
  • Provide programmes team with a clear analysis of trends and issues within the humanitarian operating environment through regular updates and daily reporting to ensure up to date information on current context.
  • Coordinate HA’s humanitarian mission in the allocated countries through daily communication, regular meetings and monitoring to implement HA contingency plan(s) in the field.
  • Participate in HA humanitarian networking, through representing HA in humanitarian coordination forums, UN clusters and events and other coordination meetings at HA offices to contribute to and build HA’s Humanitarian profile.
  • Contribute to institutional funding bids, and manage institutional donations, related to humanitarian / emergency response project work.
  • Consistently and proactively monitor and assess humanitarian context in the field through promptly reporting disaster risks and challenges and liaising with other external parties as required and appropriate to maintain and enhance the security environment for HA programmes operating in humanitarian settings.
  • Lead project and programme monitoring, evaluation, learning and reporting in collaboration with country offices and implementing partners.
  • Monitor the work process in the field through analysing HA’s response to ensure that emergency responses meet humanitarian standards.
  • Maintain best practice in response to emergencies through regular review of field policies and procedures to ensure best practice is applied and followed.
  • Develop a strong reporting mechanism through reviewing and advising technical staff in the field to ensure high quality in delivering and reporting.
• Employee duties are not limited only to the above-mentioned Accountabilities; he/she may perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications :

• Degree-level qualification in a relevant field is essential. Post-graduate degree or equivalent in Humanitarian / International Development studies is desirable.

• Minimum 8 years of experience working in a relevant Emergency Response / Humanitarian / Programmes Coordination discipline at an INGO
• At least 3 years’ experience in a comparable position in an iNGO
• Experience working with, and delivering on bids from high-profile institutional funding bodies including UN, DfiD, GIZ, USAid
• Demonstrable experience developing an Emergency Response / Programme / Field Office strategy
• Demonstrable experience managing a Field Office response during a disaster
• Experience of humanitarian emergency response project management and conducting Rapid Needs Assessments
• Strong understanding of humanitarian standards including SPHERE, Core Humanitarian Standards and Humanitarian Inclusion Standards
• Strong technical knowledge in disaster risk reduction and disaster risk management at grassroots levels
• Demonstrable experience working with network of organizations on humanitarian preparedness and response
• Experience of emergency preparedness and understanding of the emergency preparedness process
• Experience working in networks and consortiums particularly with smaller local networks and organisations
• Capacity to design project concepts, draft project outlines, proposals and budgets
• Proven ability to influence others to advance towards successful outcomes
• Experience and capacity in developing research and learning work
• Ability to travel extensively at short notice

• MS Office Suite

• Fluent written and spoken English is essential. Additional languages pertaining to HA Field operations are desirable (e.g., Arabic, French, Spanish)