Global Lead on Anticipatory Action

Are you interested in working with and for refugees and displacement affected communities? Are you eager to develop innovative anticipatory action approaches to help prevent and better respond to displacement crises? Then we have an offer you should know about.

Who Are We?

 Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is an international humanitarian organization with operations in 40 countries dedicated to assisting, protecting, and finding solutions for refugees, internally displaced and other conflict-affected communities. To stay relevant and meet the needs of the people we serve, we are exploring new, innovative ways of responding to displacement crises.   

For the past years, DRC has increasingly engaged in anticipatory action responses related to both climate hazards and conflict-induced displacement, and has developed innovative tools to forecast displacement to enable humanitarian actors to get ahead of crises. We have implemented several projects in response to drought, floods and conflict-induced displacement in both East Africa and West Africa and are now expanding and scaling up this work to additional countries and regions. 

About The Job

The Danish Refugee Council is looking for a highly experienced Global Lead on Anticipatory Action to provide technical leadership for the global Anticipatory Humanitarian Action for Displacement (AHEAD) project. This four-year project, funded by the Dutch MFA will develop anticipatory action (AA) data models and approaches using local and global data for analysis to contribute towards mitigation and prevention of displacement, and to help inform humanitarian actors’ decisions when deploying assistance – to enable timelier, dignified, efficient and sustainable assistance.

Under the management of the project’s Chief of Party, the Global Lead on Anticipatory Action will assume overall technical responsibility for the project, will provide technical management and support to the project’s regional and country office-based AA staff, will chair the project’s technical advisory group and will contribute to advocacy and external engagement related to AA, disaster risk reduction and resilience strengthening.

Management and Coordination

• Contribute to the recruitment of technical AA project staff and assume technical line management responsibilities over regional AA project staff.
• Assume responsibility for programme and budget monitoring of AA-specific activities as delegated by the Chief of Party.
• Co-chair the project’s Steering Committee, ensuring key information on the project is available to Steering Committee members and committee decisions are taken to support the effectiveness of the project.

Implementation and Technical Support

• Support the Chief of Party in the development of the project’s overall intervention strategy and Theory of Change.
• Ensure the timely delivery of assigned AA outputs and quality program implementation in line with the agreed strategy.
• Develop programmatic guidance and policies on AA in response to conflict- and climate hazards.
• Work closely with DRC’s broader Evidence, Knowledge and Learning team regarding the use of data and displacement forecasting models in AA.

Representation and Advocacy

• Support the Chief of Party and project advocacy staff or focal points to develop a project advocacy strategy and promote the use of project-generated AA knowledge and learning internally and externally.
• Support the Chief of Party in the development and roll-out of a project communication strategy pertaining to AA. This will entail leading the writing and compilation of technical AA elements of communications materials. 
• Contribute to external advocacy and representation of DRC in relation to AA, and related topics including disaster risk reduction and resilience strengthening.
• Work closely with the DRC’s advocacy team on policy engagement related to expanding uptake of AA in the humanitarian sector specifically and across the humanitarian-development-peacebuilding nexus more broadly.

Reporting and Communication

• Establish and maintain clear lines of communication with AA project staff at the regional and country levels.
• In coordination with the Chief of Party ensure regular, quality and compliant reporting by technical AA staff. This will entail leading the writing and compilation of technical AA elements of both internal and external reports and communications materials. 
• Support the project’s grants staff or focal points to ensure AA project staff are submitting quality and timely technical AA reports in line with donor and DRC requirements.

About You

To be successful in this role we expect you to have at least 7 years of experience in a similar senior technical role overseeing AA projects or initiatives, coordinating across regions or countries and engaging with external stakeholders.

Required

• At least 7 years’ experience with anticipatory action programming/projects in conflict-settings.
• Experience developing policies, guidance and providing technical support and capacity building to staff and key stakeholders on anticipatory action.
• Experience in leading global initiatives and processes within an international NGO/UN.
• Able and willing to travel for up to 30 days per year and operate in a physically demanding working environment.

Desirable

• Experience developing and applying anticipatory action methods (beyond disaster response) to conflict-driven risks (including displacement) in a diversity of contexts, including development and peacebuilding contexts.
• Demonstrated abilities in problem solving as well as taking a flexible and innovative approach to working.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently as part of a team and to form close working relationships with colleagues from a diverse range of backgrounds.
• Strong understanding of (and experience in) conducting and using interdisciplinary analysis, including conflict analysis and early warning data to inform anticipatory actions.
• Experience leading in the development of technical AA reports and communications materials for both internal and external audiences. 
• Highly motivated and hard working with strong attention to detail.
• Experience with programming related to peacebuilding, conflict early warning/early response, disaster risk reduction and/or resilience-building.

We Offer

Contract length: 4 years

Work place: Copenhagen, Denmark, with the potential for highly qualified candidates being based in a DRC representation office or other legal entity.

Start date: As soon as possible

This is a national position for which local terms and conditions apply.

Application Process

All applicants must send a cover letter and an updated CV in English.

Closing date for applications: 7 June 2024 We expect to conduct interviews in mid-June.

Further Information

For questions regarding the vacancy please contact Alexander Kjærum, [email protected] and Patrick Phillips, [email protected].

For further information about the Danish Refugee Council, please consult our website drc.ngo.