The Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre is the expertise centre of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent in the field of climate change and climate disasters. The Climate Centre’s mission is to help the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and its partners reduce the impacts of climate change and extreme-weather events on vulnerable people.

The Climate Centre consists of an enthusiastic small team that guides a growing network of colleagues from all over the world in integrating climate risks into their work. The Climate Centre works closely with the Netherlands Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in Geneva.

Due to a vacancy at the Climate Centre, we are immediately looking for a national position in Ethiopia:

Technical Advisor in Addis Ababa (40 hours/week)

Position within the company:

The Technical Advisor is part of the global team of the Climate Centre, works closely with the Manager Capacity Strengthening & partnerships and the Manager Climate Science. The candidate would be working from Addis Ababa, Office of the Netherlands and Ethiopia Red Cross Society. The successful candidate must currently already live in Ethiopia.

Envisaged start date: mid-March 2020.

Background project

The Climate Centre supports climate and resilience programs in Ethiopia. The Partners for Resilience (PfR) program, is one of the key resilience alliances for the Climate Centre, led by the Netherlands Red Cross. In Ethiopia, this alliance already completed its first phase (2011-2015), with Cordaid, Care, Wetlands International partners in Ethiopia and the Ethiopia Red Cross Society (ERCS). A first phase from 2011-2015 provided an excellent base for the subsequent PfR Phase II programme (2016-2020), which is focused on humanitarian dialogues and capacity strengthening for CSO policy dialogues.

In addition, the Climate Centre is providing technical support for the forecast-based-financing (FbF) component of the Innovative Approaches in Response Preparedness (IARP) project, working together with the Netherlands Red Cross, Ethiopian Red Cross Society, 510 and other stakeholders.

Project descriptions

Partners for Resilience (2016-2020)

This programme seeks to strengthen community resilience, through influencing dialogues, partnerships and capacity strengthening initiatives. The alliance, led by the Netherlands Red Cross, promotes the application of Integrated Risk Management (IRM) – integrating Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), Ecosystem Management and restoration (EMR) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA)– to strengthen and protect the livelihoods of vulnerable communities. In Ethiopia the Partners for Resilience co-operate in a Country Team, consisting of the representatives of the five PfR alliance members, plus representatives from their in-country implementing civil society partner organisations. 

The Theory of Change of the PfR programme reads as follows: If we strengthen CSOs at global, national and local level by focusing on a sound knowledge basis and improved capacity to argue for IRM in their own socio-economic and political context. Then an effective lobbying and advocacy programme on IRM can be implemented. Which results in raised awareness of decision-makers, politicians, private sector partners and investors at global, national and local levels;  acknowledgement by all stakeholders of the importance of mainstreaming IRM in sector policies and investment funding, and enhancing practice at the local level better laws and regulations, screening of public and private investments, and enhanced practices and multi-stakeholder approaches.

Innovative Approaches in Response Preparedness (2018-2022)

This programme leverages forecast-based financing, data preparedness, and cash transfer programming to reduce the impact of climate change-related disasters on vulnerable populations.

Many climate-related events like floods and droughts are predictable and their impact on people can be lessened if risks and beneficiaries are identified in advance of a disaster. IARP establishes an Early Warning Early Action system that enables national societies, in partnership with government and other agencies, to deliver cost-effective, targeted, and timely action for the most vulnerable people facing climate-related disasters.

Responsibilities

Brief Description of Duties:

• Provide technical advice and policy dialogue support in Ethiopia, with regards to the identified strategic dialogues and trainings on climate change and disaster risks with Partners for Resilience (PfR):
• Support climate related capacity strengthening initiatives and Integrated Risk Management (IRM) approaches in the PfR Project areas and contribute to integration of IRM into key policies and strategies;
• Support activities related to enhance early warning and early action (e.g. seasonal conferences);
• Lead within the PfR Ethiopia consortium on activities related to climate finance and adaptation planning;
• Lead on knowledge management for the Climate Centre portfolio of PfR-Ethiopia;
• Collaborate closely with the Ethiopian PfR Partners, the global PfR team of the Climate Centre, and provide inputs into Climate Centre reporting, documentation and evaluation.
• Provide technical support for the forecast-based-financing component of the Innovative Approaches for Response Preparedness (IARP) project
• Building on already existing work, support the technical working group for FbF to bring together national actors in support of the most vulnerable
• Work closely with RCCC climate scientists, NMA, 510 and other relevant actors to develop triggers (Impact based forecasting) for early action
• Technical support for selection of early actions and development of Early Action Protocols (EAP)
• Advocate for FbF at national level; identify options for sustainability in the impact-based forecasting process, delivery and financing mechanisms. 
• Support the design and facilitation of in FbF dialogue platforms and present at relevant events
• Contribute to the strategic and practical development of FbF related methodologies, awareness tools and other knowledge products relevant to scale up FbF. 
• Contribute to donor reports, monitoring, evaluation and lessons learned (knowledge management)
• Support the facilitation of Climate Centre led capacity strengthening initiatives
• Develop projects on climate resilience for the Ethiopia Red Cross (identify opportunities, develop concept notes and proposals)
• Work closely with IFRC-AU office HoD on climate action agenda and contribute to collaboration with the AU/IOs

We offer:

A flexible and people-oriented working environment with room for initiative and development. A contract from April 2020 until 31 December 2020, with possibility to extension of the contract. The Climate Centre offers a sector competitive salary. All additional benefits are as per the Collective Labor Agreement of the Netherlands Red Cross.

Reporting to : - NLRC Country Representative in Ethiopia  

Terms of employment:- Contract for nine months with possibility extension.

Desired skills and qualifications

• Post-graduate degree in risk management, climate/hydrological/meteorological/earth science, or related field
• Good understanding of climate change and its humanitarian implications
• Comfortableness working with statistics
• Ability to explain climate change and weather forecasting to a lay person
• Work experience in risk management
• Knowledge of and experience with international   climate related policy and financing mechanisms, and how these are    translated to national levels.
• Good knowledge of and affinity with the functioning of the Red Cross and its fundamental principles, mandate and roles.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills (proposals, reports, texts for external communication) in English.
• Accustomed to a complex international environment with opposing players, sensitive to political relations.