Delegate, Cash and Voucher Assistance (Morocco EQ Response)

Organizational Context

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, with a network of 191-member National Societies (NSs). The overall aim of IFRC is “to inspire, encourage, facilitate, and promote at all times all forms of humanitarian activities by NSs 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.” IFRC works to meet the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable people before, during and after disasters, health emergencies and other crises.

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 IFRC is guided by the following fundamental principles: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality.

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.

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

On 8 September 2023 at 2300 local time a 6.8-magnitude earthquake shook Morocco According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the quake originated at a depth of 18.5km with the epicenter in the High Atlas Mountains, located 71km southwest of Marrakesh, a major economic center. This earthquake was the deadliest in Morocco since 2004. Nearly 3,000 people were killed and more than 5,530 were injured, more than half of them severely. Approximately 370,000 people have had their homes damaged or destroyed. Remote villages high in the Atlas Mountains, near the earthquake’s epicenter, suffered substantial damage.

The Moroccan Red Crescent (MRC) responded immediately, providing first aid and psychosocial support, helping transport the injured to hospitals, evacuating people from damaged buildings and providing dignified burial management. Through an emergency appeal, the IFRC is supporting MRC to meet the immediate and early recovery needs of 500,000 affected people. Priorities include providing food and safe water, essential household items, shelter support, health and mental health services, and cash assistance.

This operation is overseen by MRC headquarters (HQ) based in Rabat. MRC has its own core staff for project management, finance, logistics, and human resources. MRC has a strong presence with a field office in Marrakech and sub-offices in Chichaoua and Taroudant. MRC has recruited 30 national staff and additional staff are being recruited, including for CVA, to support the implementation of activities under this response. Further scaling up will continue based on identified needs and prepared plans.

CVA is a new modality for the Moroccan Red Crescent is a new modality for the National Society, which had not yet experimented with it before the earthquake. A first pilot is planned for May/June as part of the operations.

IFRC has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment and other forms of harassment, abuse of authority, discrimination, and lack of integrity (including but not limited to financial misconduct). IFRC also adheres to strict child safeguarding principle

Job Purpose

The CVA delegate under the direction of the IFRC Operations Manager will work with the National Society and other Movement partners, NGOs, UN/INGOs, and where required, Government and financial institutions and other relevant actors to develop a relief and recovery response strategy that includes appropriate use of CVA with a focus towards quality and accountability to targeted population. Particular attention should be given to strategic direction and advocacy in support of affected communities.

The role has a strong focus on providing technical support and quality assurance of CVA initiatives undertaken by the NSs in response and programmes .

Special attention will be provided to Designing, implementing ,monitoring, coordination and mainstreaming RCRC Movement cash and market approaches, guidance, tools across operations in these NSs.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

Cash and Voucher Assistance Preparedness (CVAP)

• Provide technical support to the NSs to effectively plan, design, implement, manage, and evaluate the Cash preparedness, projects and initiatives.
• Be responsible for coordinating the roll out of RC/RC Movement CVA preparedness framework, tools, procedures, and advocacy activities contributing to CVA institutionalization and preparedness enabling both NSs and IFRC to scale up humanitarian CVA responses.
• Carry out CVA delivery mechanism assessment. Ensure that the NSs have identified and signed agreements appropriate and cost-efficient financial services providers for CVA scale-up for any CVA intervention in future.
• Support the development of knowledge products and marketing material and ensure the dissemination of those through Cash-Hub.
• Undertake staff and volunteer orientation on CVA providing training as required. Develop and lead trainings and other initiatives to build the capacity of volunteers, NS and IFRC staff in CVA.
• Adopt training materials and conduct or facilitate trainings, drawing on existing resources within the RCRC Movement, Cash Hub and CALP Network.
• Deliver capacity building initiatives such as conducting face-to-face trainings, learning by doing exercises, simulations, pilots, and remote/face-to-face coaching.

Technical Support and Quality Assurance

• Provide technical support and inputs in the ongoing operation and CVA projects. Be responsible for setting up the CVA component including development of the plan of action and budget. Ensure program delivery follows the Plan of Action, and beneficiary selection and transfer mechanisms follow agreed IFRC procedures and SOPs.
• Lead the cash feasibility assessment considering the needs, priorities and preferences of affected population, the market conditions, the government policies, the available payment mechanisms, the NS organizational capacity, and other relevant key criteria using the RCRC guidance and existing tools and templates for cash feasibility.
• Analyse the risks and engage the community as well as all relevant departments in the risk assessment and identification of measures to mitigate security and other potential programmatic risks.
• Work with the NS, the Government, and other humanitarian actors in the country to determine the transfer value which best meets the project objectives and decide on the frequency of the transfer. Ensure the host NS is represented in external CVA coordination forums and is seen as a credible CVA player throughout the response.
• Support the NS procurement/logistics departments to map, select, define service requirements, Scope of Work (SoW) and contract the best suited FSP. Ensure contractual agreements with partners, financial local intermediaries and service providers, local traders for commodities vouchers, etc. are in place, are monitored and respected.
• Together with the CEA team, develop a CEA plan and ensure CVA messages are effectively disseminated to recipients and relevant stakeholders and appropriate feedback mechanisms are established following the IFRC respective guidelines and reflected in all the relevant reports, as well as share with the wider CVA team.
• Together with PMER, outline the PMER plan and adapt the necessary M&E tools from the RCRC toolkit. This includes tools for baseline and verification visit, exit survey (at distribution/encashment location), site observation, post distribution monitoring (HH-level), focus group and key informants’ interviews, beneficiary feedback and response mechanisms and market and price monitoring.
• Support in producing accurate monthly reports of cash disbursements and utilization using a secure system of accountability and control, ensuring beneficiary data management and protection.

Job Duties and Responsibilities (continued)

Technical Support and Quality Assurance

• Support post-distribution monitoring and markets monitoring to understand use and impact of cash provided along with levels of recipient satisfaction. Provide recommendations for future improvement.
• Work closely with the finance department of IFRC/NS for funds transfer to FSPs or recipients. Support the NS on required reporting and financial reconciliation of CVA component in coordination with their Finance and Logistics departments.
• Provide mentoring and coaching including on-job learning to NS staff and volunteers and closely liaise with NS field coordinators and volunteers assigned to the programme to ensure coherent and coordinated implementation.
• Document lessons learnt and share key findings and recommendations within the Movement as well as with external stakeholders.
• Ensure adequate reporting and handover information is generated, disseminated and keep the host NS informed and participating in handover processes. This includes setting up and maintaining adequate information management systems on the CVA component of the response and keeping a list of CVA stakeholder contacts.
• Advocate for cash and voucher assistance with local authorities and NS leadership, by designing and sharing the advocacy messages with concrete and real evidence from different similar contexts. and mainstreaming cash and voucher into other sectors (shelter, health, livelihood, etc.)
• Work closely with other team members to ensure coordinated technical support on CVA is provided to the NSs and IFRC Country Delegation.

General

• Work closely NS CVA counterparts and other IFRC staff to promote technical CVA awareness, capacity, delivery, and learning. Coordinate CVA teamwork as required to provide support to senior colleagues, ensuring that CVA programs and project objectives are met.
• Participate in internal and external CVA meetings and contribute to technical, coordination and advocacy initiatives within the RC/RC Movement and with other partners, the wider humanitarian community, donors and public sector in both countries.
• Support the development and documentation of learning, reviews, evaluations and case studies; with focus on CVA operational and programmatic challenges, use of CVA in wide range of humanitarian contexts, lessons learned; good practices and recommendations.

Education

• University degree in relevant areas such as Disaster Management, Project Management, Sociology, Agriculture, IT/Computer Science, Finance, technical qualification or equivalent experience – Required
• RCRC Movement CVA online or Face to Face trainings and Practical Cash in Emergencies (PECT) trained – Required
• Delegate Training (IMPACT, Foundations of IFRC, RDRT, ERU, CAP (FACT) or Operations Management Training) – Preferred

Experience

• At least 5 years´ international experience in disaster management or response in humanitarian operations managing teams – Required
• At least 5 years´ experience leading and influencing the uptake of different aspects of CVA design and implementation (i.e.: CVA feasibility assessments, market analysis, response design including setting targeting criteria, transfer values and delivery mechanisms, encashment, and monitoring) and in developing CVA responses that that are inclusive and gender sensitive – Required
• At least 3 years´ experience within the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement – Preferred
• Demonstrated experience in the coordination of teams to collect and analyse CVA related data and ensuring findings feed into the overall disaster management response through the RCRC Movement channels – Preferred
• Demonstrated experience in supporting others to deliver an emergency response with early recovery / recovery transition planning including integrated approaches to disaster management – Preferred
• Experience of providing on the job training and coaching and training national and international staff and volunteers on CVA – Preferred

Knowledge, Skills and Languages

• Knowledge about IFRC Procurement procedures – Required
• RCRC Movement CVA tools and guidance – Required
• Understanding of CVA stakeholders in the NS, RCRC Movement, government, private sector – Required
• Understanding and use of various beneficiary registration methods and systems – Required
• Knowledge of feedback and response mechanism, including appropriate methods of beneficiary communication and channels. – Required
• Self-sufficient in computers (Windows, spreadsheets, word processing) – Required
• Ability to transfer knowledge, skills, and/or abilities to staff and volunteers. – Required

Languages

• Fluently spoken and written English and French – Required
• Good command of Arabic – Preferred