Program Brief:

Founded in 1933, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) is one of the world’s leading agencies working in post-conflict and development contexts, supporting communities in over 40 fragile, failed and developing states. In this capacity, we work to restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted, struggling to endure, and wishing to advance on a path of development. The IRC has been present in Bangladesh since 2017, obtained registration with the NGOAB in March 2018, and expanded integrated emergency health and protection response through both direct and partner-based programming focused on primary healthcare, women’s protection and empowerment, sexual and reproductive health, gender-based violence and child protection. Through 2018, the IRC’s response strategy primarily targeted Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar, while meeting the significant needs in both refugee and host populations, as already existing vulnerabilities are compounded with cyclical monsoon and cyclone seasons that impose additional threats to the lives and protection of those refugees as well as vulnerable host populations. Since 2019, IRC Bangladesh’s strategic vision expanded, towards the protection, empowerment and holistically addressing the needs of the most vulnerable women, children and youth through technical expertise and partnerships in the areas of integrated protection, health, education, and economic wellbeing before, during, and after displacement caused by conflict and climate-induced disaster, including the climate affected coastal belt of Southern Bangladesh. IRC Bangladesh will continue to grow over time, it’s geographic coverage within Cox’s Bazar, Southern Bangladesh, and other parts of the country, thus expand networks and partnerships around emergency preparedness and response.

Purpose of this role:

IRC Bangladesh seeks an experienced, dynamic individual for the role of Head of Emergency and Resilience Program to lead emergency preparedness, disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change initiatives, and provide key cross-sector, cross-functional support to the country program and it’s implementing partners. S/he will be responsible for ensuring quality, coordinated, rapid emergency response, with an emphasis on timeliness and the best use of resources; leading and building staff and partners’ capacity on preparedness initiatives; and supporting the integration of DRR into program development and implementation. S/he will lead IRC Bangladesh climate change work, including building climate change related ideas with the business development team, identifying potential partners with partnership team, mainstreaming climate change into the existing sectors: Health, Protection, Education, and Economic Recovery and Development (ERD), and climate change related coordination with the external stakeholders. The responsibilities of this position will also include assessment and information gathering on early warning and emergency impacts; representation at various relevant coordination fora; and liaison both internally with IRC Asia Regional Emergency Director, technical units, and externally with the government, and international and local NGOs.

Key Responsibilities:

Emergency preparedness and response (EPR)

• Lead on development of IRC Bangladesh’s multi sector multi hazard Emergency Preparedness Planning (EPP) covering contingency planning with clear early warning indicators to ensure early action and response.
• Monitor and stay up to date on context-specific factors and risks impacting IRC planning and implementation, e.g. early warning data and other actor mapping, and make recommendations to SMT and program teams.
• Support the identification of potential local partners for IRC Bangladesh’s emergency preparedness and response work and develop the capacity of the selected local partners on emergency preparedness and response.
• Drive the implementation and further development of EPP with coordinated and efficient approaches, building on and maintaining capacity; and liaise with SMT and Regional/HQ Emergency Unit on progress and support needs
• Support sector teams to ensure that all program sectors have an inbuilt risk analysis and mechanisms to adapt to a change in context, with crisis modifiers.
• Ensure robust internal and sectoral preparedness capacity to support communities, to respond to future shocks, and to integrate preparedness, risk reduction and early action into all phases of the projects.
• Jointly work with IRC’s Safety, Security and Access Coordinator to ensure the establishment and effective implementation of staff safety measures during natural disasters (e.g. floods, cyclone, landslides, etc.).
• Coordinate the adaptation and delivery of IRC emergency response strategy and interventions for displacement due to conflict or natural disasters, disease outbreaks, and other emergencies as they arise and based on needs.
• Initiate, and as necessary lead, needs assessments and data collection to feed into response design; support field teams where needed to develop/refine tools, and/or conduct and compile information from, rapid assessments.
• Jointly work with Grants and Finance departments, and program sector technical leads, during project design, proposal development and budgeting, for emergency preparedness and response interventions.
• Oversee the implementation of emergency response projects and preparedness components across programs, ensuring timely procurement, spending, implementation, and that the goals and objectives are tracked and met.
• Monitor and manage program spending and serve as budget manager for emergency response grants.
• Work closely with the MEAL unit to ensure data collection and monitoring tools are aligned with and responsive to the emergency program M&E frameworks, core indicators, and inclusive of the needs of vulnerable groups.
• Ensure compliance with IRC policy, procedures and practices throughout emergency preparedness and response activities, including adherence to the Do No Harm principles.
• Climate change, DRR and resilience building.
• Work closely with the partnership team to establish strategic partnerships with the government, NGOs, and institutions, on DRR, and climate resilience work and ensure collaboration for evidence generation and advocacy.
• Engage in climate change, DRR, and resilience building program development with the support of the business development team and the regional climate change specialist. Proactively identify new funding opportunities.
• Be the focal point internally and externally for climate change, DRR and resilience building related coordination, including representing IRC Bangladesh at climate change, DRR and resilience building related meetings.
• Work closely with sector leads such as ERD, protection, education, and health to integrate climate change and resilience building into the sectors.
• Work closely with IRC regional climate change specialist and climate change global team to showcase IRC Bangladesh programming.
• Support the go green initiative in IRC Bangladesh including identification of go green initiatives, coordinating between the program and operations teams to provide accurate and timely data, disseminating the go green initiative findings with regional and the global teams, and sharing successes and challenges with the SMT.

Coordination and Representation

• In collaboration with technical and field coordinators and security focal points, closely monitor and communicate with key staff as needed on new or anticipated developments in population movements, security context, accessibility constraints, and natural or environmental phenomena.
• Liaise with and support operational functions in their roles in effectively crafting and delivering emergency preparedness and response, particularly on supplies prepositioning, and timely procurement.
• Represent IRC at relevant national and sub-national level fora (e.g. clusters, working groups, and other coordination meetings, launches and briefings) providing feedback, analysis, and recommendations to the SMT.
• Find opportunities and take forward actions toward improving coordination with other NGOs, identification of National NGOs and CBOs and their capacity strengthening for potential collaboration in future emergencies.
• As needed, facilitate donor and HQ visits to the program sites.

Reporting and Documentation

• As required, compile or contribute to the writing of needs assessment and project reports.
• Compile and disseminate data, reports, briefings, etc. (IRC’s or other agencies’) relevant to IRC emergency preparedness and response activities in a timely manner.
• Contribute to the design and development of program briefing materials, and provide timely, quality inputs to information requests from IRC regional and HQ management and donors.
• Lead the compiling and writing of periodic situation reports.

Challenges/Difficulties of this role:

• Balancing multiple priorities in a dynamic and high demanding work environment.
• Coordination and communication with multi-cultural multi sector team of national and international staff based in multiple locations and different time zones.
• Managing relationships and maintaining access in a politically complex environment.

Deliverables:

• Update Emergency Preparedness Plan, including contingency plan – Cox bazar and other areas in Bangladesh.
• Climate change and resilience building strategy for IRC Bangladesh.
• Climate change, DRR, and resilience building integrated in the program cycle management across all projects.
• Compilation of high-quality context analysis and SITREPs.
• IRC is adequately visible and actively contributes to relevant national and sub-national coordination platforms.
• Timely EPR by IRC in Bangladesh, preferably through local partners, in at risk and crises affected areas.
• Stronger IRC Bangladesh Rapid response to future emergencies in Cox’s Bazar and other areas in Bangladesh.