Senior Program Officer (Disaster Risk Reduction)

Organizational Unit / Duty Station

Technical Manager’s Title

Number of Technical Reports

(if applicable)

Number of Direct Reports

Number of Indirect Reports (if applicable)

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, with a network of 192-member National Societies. The overall aim of the IFRC is “to inspire, encourage, facilitate, and promote at all times all forms of humanitarian activities by National Societies with a view to preventing and alleviating human suffering and thereby contributing to the maintenance and promotion of human dignity and peace in the world.”  The IFRC works to meet the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable people before, during and after disasters, health emergencies and other crises. 

The IFRC is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (Movement), together with its member National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The work of the IFRC is guided by the following fundamental principles: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality. 

The IFRC is led by its Secretary General, and has its Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The Headquarters are organized into three main Divisions: (i) National Society Development and Operations Coordination; (ii) Global Relations, Humanitarian Diplomacy and Digitalization; and (iii) Management Policy, Strategy and Corporate Services.

The IFRC has five regional offices in Africa, Asia Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, Europe, and the Americas.  The IFRC also has country cluster delegation and country delegations throughout the world. Together, the Geneva Headquarters and the field structure (regional, cluster and country) comprise the IFRC Secretariat.

The Senior Programme Officer (DRR) will work in the IFRC/American Red Cross (AmRC) Nepal Delegation based in Kathmandu with frequent visit to field. The AmRC has a longstanding partnership with the Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) and worked closely with them for several years in delivery of disaster risk reduction, community preparedness programs and several disaster response and recovery including 2015 Nepal earthquake. The Senior Programme Officer will report to the Country Manager. 

Project Responsibilities

• Assist the Country Manager to ensure the project implementation is in line with the programme/project documents, logframe, budget and monthly, quarterly and annual plans.
• Ensure that programme activities operate within the policies and procedures of NRCS, AmRC, relevant donor and comply with all relevant legislative and professional standards.
• Support NRCS in preparing budget forecast and provide the finance overview to Country Manager.
• Technically backstop NRCS in preparing and updating relevant guideline and strategy that helps to consolidate capacity of NRCS and take forward learning.
• Support to strengthen accountability to beneficiaries with consistent application of NRCS’ Community Engagement and Accountability (CEA) policy and ensure each stage of activities considers gender, diversity and social inclusion of vulnerable groups as per NRCS guidelines/policies on Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI), PGI (Protection, Gender and Inclusion) and Child Protection 
• Monitor and communicate technical programme performance and advise senior management on technical issues that could adversely impact programming. Monitor progress and quality of activities by undertaking regular field visits to project areas jointly with NRCS and provide structured feedback in a way that can improve activity progress and impact
• Work with Planning Monitoring, Evaluation Accountability and Learning (PMEAL) team of American Red Cross and Nepal Red Cross Society to develop the baseline, endline, mid-term review and reporting tools and templates.
• Coordinate and ensure timely data collection in coordination with the PMEAL team, analysis and submission of project reports in standard format.
• Provide constructive technical advice on disaster risk reduction including earthquake and climate induced diasters and follow-up to NRCS regarding the timely preparation and submission of narrative project reports, updates and communication materials as required.
• Support the Country Manager in the identification and formulation of project proposals, including preparation of project applications, budgets and support assessment missions
• Contribute to synergies in projects and coordinate and share learning across projects.
• Facilitate visits, internal/external missions/reviews, evaluations from partners, donors and consultants in coordination with the PMEAL team
• Support in the successful exit strategy and/or handover of sector-specific activities
• Document good practices, knowledge management, institutional learning and technical innovations

Partnership and Coordination

• Work with colleagues to ensure coherence and synergies across NRCS and IFRC wide programmes and coordinate and share learning across programmes.
• Provide technical guidance to NRCS on practices, quality standards and policies, government, humanitarian and RCRC Movement
• Support NRCS in ensuring proper representation in formal and informal government/cluster/RCRC Network/sector coordination meetings, to ensure proper coordination and information sharing
• Support NRCS and Country Manager to coordinate and liaise with other NRCS departments, IFRC, relevant government agencies and other key stakeholders.
• Support NRCS in effective coordination and liaison with key stakeholders including authorities, local and international organisation and UN-agencies as relevant.
• Coordinate and liaise with relevant government agencies and partners in Nepal as assigned by the Country Manager in collaboration with the NRCS and IFRC membership.  
• Participate in meetings, seminars, workshop and other relevant events as requested by Country Manager.

Capacity Building

• Support strengthening of capacities of NRCS staff and volunteers through regular interaction, mentoring, formal and informal (on-the-job) training and monitoring.
• In close coordination with the PMEAL team, contribute to the development of NRCS monitoring and evaluation and data systems management capacity, procedures, tools, associated methodologies and key documents to ensure standardization in evaluation and reporting practices.
• Provide support to NRCS with respect to planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting of activities.
• Provide technical and capacity building support including supervision, training and mentoring of staff and/or programme beneficiaries, as applicable pending type of methodology (e.g. owner driven approach, or support to self-recovery), in planning, management and implementation of projects/programmes
• Work directly with NRCS staff to enhance adherence to and implementation of the Core Humanitarian Standard, Red Cross Principles, gender equity and social inclusion best practice in disaster contexts.
• Where appropriate, support NRCS to facilitate focus group discussions and other community outreach systems to inform programme learning and implementation.
• Provide technical support to NRCS counterpart in development of the necessary technical training contents and materials for the formal and informal training of staff and volunteers of NRCS HQ, DC and communities.

Other Tasks

• Provide support to NRCS in the event of any disaster and subsequent response operations.
• Any other tasks specific to this position to be identified and agreed upon by the job holder and line-manager