Technical Lead – Transitional and Durable Shelter

Previous Applicants need not apply.

Role Purpose

To fulfil its Programme Strategy 2022-2027, ShelterBox’s programming will be guided by two Shelter Technical leads, one with a greater focus on emergency response and one with a greater focus on transitional and durable shelters and WASH. The two positions – working in close coordination and collaboration – will collaborate with the Programme Quality and Programme Delivery teams, to maximise the quality of ShelterBox’s programming in alignment with our renewed mission, vision, and strategy, under the leadership of the Head of Programme Quality.

Duties will include but not be limited to:

• Provide technical input into shelter and WASH project design and development, ensuring that shelter technical standards are documented in project sheltering strategies and tools, and that these standards are adhered to throughout the project cycle.
• Continually assess ShelterBox’s technical strengths and areas for improvement, identify approaches to addressing areas for improvement and work with relevant colleagues to put these into action.
• Provide technical advice and assistance to needs assessment, project design and delivery, including through participating in project design, reviewing concept notes/proposals and presence in-country where this is necessary to support the quality of high priority activities.
• Support partners technical shelter knowledge and capacity development, ensuring that their activities are aligned with organisational and global humanitarian standards.
• Ensure that shelter projects consider priority cross-cutting issues such as, environment, housing land and property rights, protection, gender and inclusion, and safety; and that site activities comply with appropriate local, national, and international standards and regulations.
• Support to market assessments to identify existing capacities and resources that can be leveraged to support self-recovery in shelter programming.
• Provide technical support and advice to emergency preparedness planning.
• Work with Heads of Department in International Programmes to identify technical capacity building/training needs of programme staff and ShelterBox Response Team volunteers, and work with the Learning & Development team to develop approaches to meeting these needs.
• Support the Programme Delivery team (Emergencies and Regional Programmes) to assess technical capacity of partners. Develop and deliver and/or facilitate access to shelter and WASH technical capacity building opportunities for our partners as appropriate and work with the Learning & Development team to develop approaches to meeting training needs.
• Represent ShelterBox in the Global Shelter Cluster and other relevant global shelter technical fora, networks, and coordination mechanisms. Facilitate participation of other representatives of ShelterBox in technical/sector fora as appropriate.
• Build and maintain effective working relationships with technical shelter leads in peer organisations.
• Act as technical focal point for existing strategic global/regional partnerships and support the Director and Deputy Director of International Programmes and the Partnerships Manager to build and maintain new strategic relationships with other shelter actors (not including Rotary).
• Engage with sector networks and resources to maintain relationships and awareness of sector trends, learning and recommended practice. Identify potential opportunities and significant improvements in the way we work.
• Proactively analyse and make recommendations on how emerging global and sector trends, developments and research might potentially affect current policy and practices.
• Support development of a Research Strategy and ensure accompanying work plans to make the most of opportunity for improvement, innovation, and development. Include consideration of aid items, approaches, and agreed organisational learnings.
• Build links and collaborate with relevant sector organisations, communities of practice and academic institutions to build strategically appropriate research agenda.
• Engage professional partners (organisations, individuals, and communities of practice) to both obtain and cascade learning opportunities.
• Promote and actively support an organisational learning culture. Communicate knowledge and learning related to product, process, and approach. Work with the Impact & Accountability Lead to ensure that ShelterBox has robust systems in place for technical knowledge management and knowledge sharing. Ensure relevant programme and wider staff are aware of key sector trends and recommended practice as appropriate.
• Work in collaboration with the Sustainability Manager to ensure that project design and implementation considers sustainability, including, but not limited to, utilising local resources where this makes sense and in reducing plastic and emissions in our programming.
• Work in collaboration with Sustainability Manager and Supply Chain to research, test, develop and implement more sustainable alternatives to our shelter offering.
• Support the development of a research strategy and ensure accompanying work plans to make the most of opportunity for improvement, innovation, and development. Include consideration of aid items, approaches, and agreed organisational learnings.
• Accurately and accessibly present ideas, findings, recommendations, and changes as appropriate to the audience to support organisational awareness, decision making, sector voice, and income generation.
• Work away from home, this may be UK or overseas training or deployment to disaster affected areas. Whilst you are unlikely to respond for more than six weeks at any one time, you may be required to deploy for up to 40% of your time in any calendar year.

Other responsibilities

• Any other duties as required which are deemed appropriate to the level and grade of the post.