Regional Emergency Response Coordinator

Founded in 1956, The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a humanitarian, non-governmental, non-profit organization providing direct assistance to conflict-affected populations – refugees, internally displaced people (IDPs) and host communities – in more than 40 countries around the world.

The EAGL Regional Office covers the following country operations: Burundi, Djibouti, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.

Overall purpose of the role:

The Regional Emergency Coordinator assists in the development and strengthening of emergency preparedness and response within the region through the provision of technical support, operational guidance, trouble-shooting and quality assurance to all emergency programmes within the East Africa and Great Lakes region on a needs and request basis. This position represents an excellent opportunity to provide technical leadership and capacity building in an exciting and challenging context, and to strategically develop the quality, impact and sectoral integration of DRC’s emergency responses.

This position will mainly cover the following countries in which DRC is operational: Uganda, Burundi, Tanzania, DR Congo, and any other countries as per need.

The position can be based in Kampala (Uganda) or Goma (DR Congo), is open for national and international applicants and is Non-accompanied.

The role will have the following key responsibilities :

The responsibilities listed in the JD are not exhaustive and may be readjusted according to operational needs but will remain in line with the overall purpose of the role.

Emergency Preparedness and Response

• Support all countries to ensure they have up-to-date Emergency Preparedness and Response Plans (EPRP);
• Support all countries to conduct Annual Integrated Emergency Response Needs Assessments and ad-hoc Rapid Needs Assessments where required;
• Provide emergency response training to RO and CO staff as required/identified;
• Undertake needs assessments for new emergencies/projects/programmes as required/identified;
• Support existing/new operations in emergency response – assist in staff recruitment, staff training, setting up systems, and planning and starting activities; and
• Support in emergency proposal development/review.

Quality Assurance

• Conduct humanitarian response capacity assessments in countries/areas as required;
• Provide trouble-shooting in existing operations facing bottlenecks in implementation;
• Ensure countries are using and able to use correct emergency MEAL tools;
• Assist in updating/developing tools and provide required trainings;
• In close coordination with RO and CO technical staff, ensure response activities are appropriate across all sectors;
• Ensure all emergency response actions are adhering to standards and best practices including HAP/CHS standards, relevant Minimum Standards and SPHERE etc.;
• Ensure that DRC mandate, policies and values in programming is upheld, and DRC’s accountability obligations are delegated and carried out in accordance with standard regulations and operational procedures e.g. Code of Conduct, DRC Programme Handbook, DRC Operations Handbook.

Regional Strategy and Coordination

• Provide RO and CO Senior Management Teams with updated information on ongoing/emerging humanitarian crises and needs within the East Africa and Great Lakes region;
• Participate as relevant in coordination mechanisms throughout the region and represent DRC as requested, including building relationships with other regional Emergency Coordinators (or equivalent) in NGOs, CSOs, donor agencies, UN etc.;
• Identification and prioritization (continuous) of geographical areas for assessment and response, both new and existing;
• In close coordination and collaboration with the Regional Security Coordinator, assist in assessing access possibilities to new areas, or areas with limited/no access, as needed;
• In close coordination and collaboration with the Regional Head of Support Services provide support and training with respect to procurement, supply chain and asset management in emergency operations;
• Support link between CO and RO teams and HQ technical advisors to facilitate technical support and consistency in donor relations/fundraising efforts;
• Support link between CO and RO teams and HQ technical advisors to facilitate technical support with regards to developing and strengthening hard to reach programming integrated into emergency responses.

Other

The Emergency Coordinator, may, on temporary basis, be given overall responsibility for a specific DRC humanitarian response within the region. In such a case, the individual will have the overall organizational, financial and administrative responsibility of that particular DRC response, including the overall responsibility for security planning and implementation of security precautions.

About you

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’s five core competencies:

• Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process.
• Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback.
• Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation.
• Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly.
• Demonstrating integrity: You act in line with our vision and values.

Experience and Technical comptencies (included years of experience)

Required Qualifications

• At least five years of INGO or other agency emergency response experience in insecure environments, including at least two years of management experience;
• Essential experience in RRM implementation/coordination/emergency response planning in similar contexts;
• Relevant technical expertise/experience in some sectors of humanitarian programming such as WASH, Food Security, CCCM, shelter/NFI, Protection, Education etc.;
• Strong working knowledge of access, negotiations and/or experience in implementing programming in hard to reach areas/areas with high access constraints;
• Strong analytical, organizational, and management and leadership skills;
• University degree with advanced training or technical qualification in relevant line of work/sector;
• Proven commitment to accountable practices and knowledgeable of quality assurance systems in an emergency response;
• Hands on experience in managing staff in insecure locations and strong human resource management skills in general. Solid experience in staff management in a cross-cultural environment required;
• Good communicator and proven diplomacy with all types of stakeholders;
• Experience of managing budgets and multiple donor contracts, particularly with OFDA, ECHO, SIDA and UN agencies;
• Fluent and articulate in spoken and written French and/or Swahili;
• Ability to work independently, but also coordinate effectively as part of a team;
• Strong computer skills (MS Word, Excel, Outlook and Power Point); and
• Ability and willingness to work and live in diverse, challenging and potentially unstable environments.

Desired Qualifications

• Previous experience the East Africa and Great Lakes region or similar context with conflict/access analysis ability; and;
• Previous experience in drought/food insecurity responses.

What we offer

Contract: 1 Year Contract with the possibility of extension, subject to funding and performance.

Salary: in accordance with the Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment Non-Management Band/ F.

Availability: 1st October 2023.

Duty station: Kampala (Uganda) or Goma (DR Congo).

Reporting Line: Regional Head of programmes EAGL

Providing equal opportunities We are committed to creating an inclusive and positive work environment based on mutual respect for all employees. All applicants are considered for employment without attention to race, age, ability, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, or any other factor. At DRC we celebrate diversity and appreciate our employees for the people they are and their unique skills, backgrounds, and perspectives. We encourage all interested candidates to apply.

DRC strives to attract, motivate and retain qualified national staff within its programs. As such, we strongly encourage national and diaspora candidates to apply for this position. However, candidates should take into consideration that DRC cannot employ, under an international contract, a national of the country in which he or she will be working (DR Congo or Uganda).

Promoting high standards : DRC’s capacity to ensure the protection of and assistance to refugees, IDP’s and other persons of concern depends on the ability of our staff to uphold and promote the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation DRC’s values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment. DRC conducts thorough and comprehensive background checks as part of the recruitment process.