Organizational Context

Over the past years, at least 25 National Societies in the Americas worked on shelter projects as part of their emergency responses over the past years. The goal of humanitarian shelter assistance provided in the aftermath of a disaster is to be lifesaving and set the path for sustainable recovery. The emergency or relief phase is instrumental in orienting the recovery phase and integrating risk reduction as a key aspect of reducing housing vulnerabilities, to more recurrent events such as heatwaves. However, to achieve the increasing demands of a changing climate and the humanitarian challenges to overcome due to the climate and environmental crises becoming more intense and recurring, a systemic approach to risk reduction, that will involve all sectors to build safer and more resilient communities. The Americas Regional Office is focusing its efforts to bring more integral support to its communities, increasing urban risk management, smart solution (for instance clean energy, water use, housing insulation) and developing climate-resilient projects at household, neighborhood and community levels. . Furthermore, as more intense and extreme weather events occur due to climate change, such as the increased number of heatwaves and coastal erosion, stronger support and advocacy capacity to influence strategic stakeholders and urban planning agendas, as well as the adoption of more sustainable and efficient solutions is necessary, since the effects of extreme climate risks (such as extreme heat) are often magnified in urban contexts.

A Regional Roadmap for Shelter and Settlements was developed in 2020 with the support of key stakeholders and partners, that is currently in its implementation/ operationalization phase. Simultaneously, a Regional Roadmap for Climate and Environmental Action 2021-2023 was developed as well. A key finding was the need to give visibility to case studies, best practices on urban resilience, as well as support the integration of urban strategies within risk reduction plans at community level, strengthening the capacity of local stakeholders. One of the key objectives of the Shelter and Settlements will be to ensure programmatic quality assurance in Operations to incorporate Shelter and Settlements solutions to people affected by crises. As well as guide the development of Urban settlements strategies based on National Society mandate, capacity, and interest across the Americas in upcoming years. . The incumbent will also lead an advocacy on the replication and cross learning of CoCHAP`s best practices and models in the region.

Job Purpose

The Senior Officer, Shelter, Climate and Urban Resilience provides strategic and technical guidance to the IFRC Americas Regional Office, including cluster and country delegations, on shelter and settlement matters and CoCHAP implementation, with a focus in urban action when necessary, in preparedness and immediate response activities. These include guidance to ensure that all operations respect the principles of humanity, impartiality, and non-discrimination, avoid harmful effects and put people at the centre of all activities by ensuring the dignity, access, participation, and safety of clients guided by an understanding of their different needs, vulnerabilities, and capacities. The role ensures that operational responses promote a culture that is results-oriented, efficient, and based on trust. The role works in close collaboration with sectorial counterparts, Heads of Country and Country Cluster Delegations and Country Offices, Shelter delegates and the Global Shelter Team in Geneva. The incumbent maintains close working relations with key partners and actors of CoCHAP, Movement entities and networks, as well with UNs, INGOs and other humanitarian actors. The officer will play an instrumental role to identify, promote and support scaleable programmes that focus climate adaptation, notably in coastal cities and so called heat islands, in order to create capacity in NSs to grow investment, capacity and resources.

The Senior Officer, Shelter, Climate and Urban Resilience will facilitate strategic planning and tailored technical support on urban risk management (URM) approaches and Climate, methodologies, and tools, incorporating the latest technical developments, innovations, and lessons learnt, for the implementation of humanitarian action in urban areas, as well as advise at a technical level on adaptation strategies that urban and rural communities may undertake in the face of extreme weather events. The position will contribute to strengthening the technical and programmatic support for NS on urban planning and sustainable solutions. It will strengthen the RCRC community of practise in URM and humanitarian action in urban areas as well as support policy advocacy at country and regional/international levels by increasing the positioning, research and visibility of experiences and achievements specific to the Region, besides strengthening RCRC collaboration and interagency coordination with key stakeholders with similar mandate. The incumbent will also lead an advocacy on the replication and cross learning of CoCHAP`s best practices and models in the region.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic planning and coordination

•  Contribute to strategic and annual CoCHAP project planning, participate in this project coordination and steering committee meetings.
•  Facilitate the roll out of the Regional Roadmap for Shelter and Settlements and promote it across the IFRC system (Secretariat and National Societies) to foster alignment of approaches and to enhance synergetic actions in building up expertise in shelter and settlements programming.
•  Promote coherence and alignment of shelter and settlements initiatives driven by various Partner NSs and IFRC offices in the region to the Regional Shelter and Settlements Roadmap.
•  Coordinate closely with IFRC Shelter and Urban Settlement technical team in Geneva, Disaster Climate and Crisis Department in Geneva, as well as NSs and IFRC offices and other movement partners in the Americas.

Shelter and Settlements Technical support

•  Ensure quality of shelter and settlements responses/programming through technical review of DREF (Disaster Response Emergency Funds) operations, emergency appeals, operational strategy, proposals, operational plans and sectoral strategies at country level (including the identification of risks and challenges to ongoing programs) in collaboration with country-level shelter and settlements personnel (where present) and with other technical units within Americas region.
•  Provide operational support to shelter and settlements preparedness, emergency response and recovery programming where required to NS and IFRC offices, through remote technical support or field deployments.
•  Provide, or ensure, technical review and/or support the development of shelter & settlement specific interventions in proposals to ensure standards and principles are integrated across technical sectors and enablers.
•  In close collaboration with regional and country disaster management/DRM focal points, ensure a holistic approach to shelter and settlements interventions, including the development and implementation of appropriate shelter and settlements strategies and programs (including contingency planning) at national level; ensure that shelter is part of the integrated programming approach of the National Societies and IFRC offices.
•  Guide NSs and strategic partners in work related to reduction of shelter-related risks in communities using PASSA and PASSA Youth. And seek out opportunities for collaboration with relevant stakeholders in the region to further explore technical peering and partnership.
•  Ensure that shelter is part of the integrated programming of National Societies as part of settlements approach.
•  Work with IFRC offices and National Societies to build capacity in monitoring of shelter programmes, including safe shelter promotion; develop information, tools and training.
•  Provide guidance to IFRC Regional Senior Management and sectorial counterparts on shelter aspects and provide technical and policy advice to operations and programmes under ARO and guides operations compliance with, and operationalization of, IFRC’s global relevant policies and standards, priorities, and commitments.
•  Responsible for the identification of pilot projects for the further development of shelter in the region, specifically in facilitating exchange and peer to peer learning across the region.
•  Support the incorporation of environmentally sustainable shelter solutions for climate change adaptation of communities engaged and advocate the adoption of locally applicable actions to reduce future impacts of extreme heat in the urban and coastal risks context.

Job Duties and Responsibilities (continued)

Urban and Climate Resilience Technical Support:

•  Provide technical inputs and work closely with American RC and Climate Centre in supporting urban risk and climate vulnerability analysis and development of urban climate resilience actions.
•  In close collaboration and coordination with the relevant IFRC thematic leads, technical units and offices, provide timely technical URM support (technical reviews and guidance) for new and ongoing initiatives and emergency operations, including through monitoring and follow-up.
•  Collaborate with the National Societies, notably those identified as championing the urban agenda, in successful developing their urban and climate strategies and development and testing of methodologies and tools developed by IFRC (urban action toolkit, Y adapt, flood measurement tools).
•  Promote increased understanding of urban risk management tools, quality criteria and approaches, building on context-specific progress in the implementation of existing urban risk management strategies among NS, IFRC offices and partners.
•  Promote and support an evidence-based approach to determining capacity gaps of National Societies, designing, and implementing measures/activities to enhance their capacities to deliver innovative humanitarian action in urban areas in line with the National Societies’ mandates.
•  Contribute to the development and roll-out of appropriate urban risk management capacity building activities and communication products in the region.
•  Support advocacy efforts for more efficient urban planning measures for climate change adaptation of communities engaged.
•  Technical support to NS to improve adaptation of built environments, and identification of innovative/ local solutions to accelerate adaptation by communities and local governments to extreme weather events such as heatwaves and coastal erosion.

Coordination for quality programming & Knowledge Management and Capacity Enhancement:

•  Provide technical and coordination support to American RC and Climate Centre in enhancing capacity of National Societies on urban risks and vulnerability analysis, identifying locally applicable solutions, raising public awareness, strengthening early warning early action on extreme heat risks.
•  Maintain strong links with the relevant thematic file holders in ARO, shelter staff in other regions and the Geneva Shelter & Urban Settlement team and contribute to regular reporting on shelter progress in Europe, mapping, evaluation, and reviews.
•  Strengthening of the regional shelter network, space that will promote development of cross country co-operation and identify mechanisms and opportunities that enable NS to form action-oriented country level partnerships that respond to the shelter problems of the most vulnerable.
•  Promote co-ordination and co-operation between Federation supported shelter activities and those supported bilaterally by PNS, ICRC, UN and other agencies while always working through NS.
•  Collaborate with other Federation Departments and Units (at regional and national levels), in particular with the Health, Disaster Climate and Crisis departments, to ensure National Societies address relevant shelter issues in an integrated and comprehensive manner.
•  Promote utilization of the IFRC shelter and settlements technical guidelines by National Societies – and support them to adapt some of the tools to their context and procedures – and application of shelter and settlements aspects of strategies, resolutions, policies, frameworks, and standards endorsed and adopted by member NS.
•  Support the development and roll-out of appropriate shelter and settlements capacity building initiatives, including contributing to tools, policies, training, mentoring & other skill-development opportunities.

Education

•  Bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification in structural/civil/environmental engineering, architecture, construction management, project management or related technical field of the building environment.— or equivalent practical experience
•  Masters degree or equivalent qualification in urban planning, sustainable design and construction, green infrastructure or related technical field of the building environment.— or equivalent practical experience
•  IFRC Shelter Technical Training or similar training (preferably in the last five years) IFRC Shelter Coordination Training or similar training (preferably in the last five years)

Experience

•  A minimum of 4-5 years shelter/housing or rehabilitation programming experience, including site supervision and contract and/or project management, and field work
•  Experience in developing and implementing shelter or community infrastructure projects on behalf of development organizations and familiarity with current standards and guidelines for humanitarian emergency response, in particular Sphere
•  Experience on appropriate local construction technologies and materials.
•  Experience with the IASC shelter cluster coordination and contingency planning, in particular working successfully with national government ministries. Experience in the Europe region, preferred.

Knowledge, Skills and Languages

•  Advanced knowledge of sector specific topics, standards, approaches, and policies and demonstrated skill in analytical and strategic thinking
•  Must be a strong team player, supportive, empathetic, and dedicated and have Advocacy, representation, and negotiation skills
•  Experience in remote working and remote technical support and willingness & capable to travel
•  Excellent computer literacy (MS office applications including Word, Excel and Power-point and Internet skills)
•  Excellent communication skills and ability to liaise with international organizations’ counterparts and RCRC Movement senior management and leadership
•  Knowledge of IFRC policies and procedures, particularly regarding shelter and knowledge of the Humanitarian Reform/ IASC Cluster system, preferred.
•  Strong knowledge of project cycle management, preferred

LANGUAGES:

•  Fluent spoken and written Spanish and English

Competencies, Values and Comments

JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES (CONTINUED)

Coordination for quality programming & Knowledge Management and Capacity Enhancement:

•  Together with country and regional disaster management/DRM focal points, identify, document, disseminate and promote best practices in shelter from the experiences of National Societies and other agencies.
•  This will include preparedness, response and recovery actions and collaboration (as required) with other sectors and work areas including Climate and Environmental Sustainability, DRR, health, livelihood, PGI, etc. And contribute to global efforts to develop and revise policies, tools, guidelines, and innovative approaches based on the learning and experience with the National Societies in the Region.
•  Oversee adequate and relevant capacity building activities to ensure NS staff and volunteers are adequately trained and acquire the requisite shelter and settlement knowledge and competences to remain accountable and avoid doing harm.
•  Maintain and strengthen capacity to address urban shelter risks, via regional coordination within and beyond the Movement and engagement in existing urban resilience platforms and networks, such as the Urban Collaboration Platform.

Leadership and networking:

•  Advocate the engagement of various stakeholders including the private sectors in developing and implementing urban climate resilience action,
•  Lead the development and implementation of regional work plans for urban risk management (URM) and provide technical support and guidance for planning of humanitarian action in urban areas with National Societies and IFRC offices in the Latin America Region in coordinated manner in line with their own strategies, IFRC Strategy 2030, IFRC’s policies and plans.
•  Promote coherence and alignment of URM initiatives, including research initiatives, and humanitarian action in urban areas supported by various external actors, partners as well as National Societies and IFRC offices.
•  Lead the analysis of urban trends and innovations, mapping of relevant initiatives and network, and manage the development of a communication campaign and advocacy strategy for URM/Humanitarian Action in Urban Areas.

Support learning, knowledge management and exchange in Americas Region:

•  Promote the best practices and models on the coastal city resilience and extreme heat actions across the region.
•  Identify and document innovative approaches to humanitarian action in urban areas and lessons learnt from RCRC programs/projects and operations to share them within the RCRC and the wider humanitarian community.
•  Contribute to the lessons learnt processes on improving the relevance and effectiveness of (newly developed) approaches to response and climate resilience in urban areas, and documenting achievements, case studies and lessons learnt from RCRC programs and operations in the region as well as outside the region.

COMPETENCIES:

Values: Respect for diversity; Integrity; Professionalism; Accountability

Core competencies: Communication; Collaboration and teamwork; Judgement and decision making; National society and customer relations; Creativity and innovation; Building trust; initiative and problem-solving skills

Functional competencies: Strategic Orientation; Building Alliances; Leadership; Empowering Others