Disability-Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction Officer

Volunteering Crisis & Emergency Response

Overview

Support disability inclusion in disaster risk reduction.

You have:

• Minimum 7 years of relevant professional experience in the area of disability inclusion, disaster risk reduction and management, climate change adaptation, humanitarian preparedness, resilience, community or sustainable development or related areas.
• Demonstrated experience working with or within government institutions, particularly disaster management institutions, social sector departments, local authorities or related public systems at state or district level or OPDs at state or national level or with Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) and applying rights-based, CRPD-compliant approaches in programme design, implementation or policy processes.
• Experience in facilitating multi-stakeholder consultations, coordination processes, workshops, and capacity-building activities involving government, communities and civil society stakeholders.
• Familiarity with India’s disaster management architecture, including NDMA, SDMAs, DDMAs, DDMPs, SDRF-related mechanisms and relevant policy guidelines.
• Experience with disability-relevant data collection, analysis and use, including administrative datasets, census data, MIS or community-based information systems.
• Experience in inclusive training, simulations, drills or preparedness exercises involving first responders, frontline workers or community actors.

Contract

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Persons with disabilities are among those most disproportionately affected by natural hazards, climate-induced disasters and public health emergencies. The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 recognizes persons with disabilities as important stakeholders and calls for their inclusion across disaster risk reduction (DRR) policies and practices. At the national level, India’s Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016 mandates the protection, safety and assistance of persons with disabilities in situations of risk, including disasters and humanitarian emergencies.

India has a strong disaster management architecture, anchored in the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs) and District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMAs). However, disability inclusion within state- and district-level DRR systems remains uneven and insufficiently institutionalized. Key gaps include limited use of disability-relevant data in preparedness planning, weak continuity arrangements for assistive technology and essential services, inaccessible early warning and evacuation systems, and inconsistent participation of persons with disabilities and Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) in preparedness, response and recovery.

In response UNDP in close coordination with UNICEF, WHO and the UNRCO, is implementing the District-Level Disability-Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (DiDRR) Project in partnership with the SDMAs of Bihar, Himachal Pradesh and Odisha, and OPDs. The project will be implemented in 10 high-risk districts across the three pilot states as a proof of concept to generate practical tools, institutional models and lessons for wider scale-up.

To anchor this work within state institutions and support sustained implementation, three Disability-Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction Officer (DiDRR) Officers will be engaged, one in each pilot SDMA. The DiDRR Officers will serve as the primary state-level technical resource persons for disability-inclusive DRR, supporting coordination, technical planning, OPD engagement, district-level implementation and documentation of lessons from the pilot.

Under the overall supervision of the Programme Specialist, UNDP and the day-to-day functional guidance of the designated SDMA counterpart, the DiDRR Officer will provide technical advisory, coordination and capacity-development support to advance disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction at the state, district and community levels.

The Disability-Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction Officer (DiDRR) Officer will: • Undertake a situational analysis of disability inclusion within the assigned state’s DRR architecture, including institutional capacity mapping, OPD ecosystem mapping, review of relevant state and district disaster management plans, and preparation of actionable recommendations and a workplan for the assignment period. • Provide technical support to strengthen the application of relevant national and state disaster management policies, plans, SOPs and related frameworks so as to better integrate disability inclusion across preparedness, response and recovery systems. • Support the development and application of key technical tools and frameworks for disability-inclusive preparedness and planning, including a state-contextualized DiDRR checklist, disability data synthesis, assistive technology preparedness and continuity planning, and stakeholder coordination mechanisms. • Support community-level preparedness processes across the pilot districts, including inclusive micro-planning, accessibility assessments of shelters and camps, and strengthened coordination among Aapda Mitras, OPDs, local authorities and persons with disabilities. • Support the design, delivery and documentation of disability-inclusive training, simulations and other capacity-building activities for government stakeholders, frontline workers and community actors. • Prepare a state capacity-building roadmap to support sustained disability-inclusive DRR implementation at state and district levels, including indicative resource requirements. • Support the preparation of a state-level Detailed Project Report (DPR) for scaled implementation of disability-inclusive DRR, aligned with relevant national and state financing mechanisms, including indicative budgets, phasing and institutional arrangements. • Document and synthesize good practices, lessons learned and implementation experience from the pilot to support programme learning, scale-up, wider replication of disability-inclusive DRR approaches and the development of a future national programme. • Contribute to programme monitoring, mid-term review and other learning processes by providing analytical inputs, case studies, emerging lessons and recommendations for programme improvement and scale-up. • Contribute to learning and dissemination products, including briefs, case studies, presentations, reports and knowledge-sharing events for UN agencies, partners, donors and broader cooperation processes. • Prepare a final assignment report capturing progress against deliverables, key achievements, lessons learned, institutional recommendations and considerations for sustainability and scale-up. • Perform any other related tasks as may reasonably be required by the supervisor in line with the overall objectives of the DiDRR programme.

• Professionalism: Demonstrates sound knowledge of disability inclusion, DRR, and human rights frameworks; applies expertise with accuracy, independence, and accountability. • Integrity: Upholds UN values, CRPD principles, and human rights standards; acts with transparency and impartiality. • Teamwork and Collaboration: Works effectively and inclusively with diverse teams across UN agencies, government, OPDs, civil society, and community actors. • Planning and Organising: Demonstrates ability to manage multiple workstreams, meet deadlines, and deliver results with minimum supervision. • Communication: Excellent oral and written skills; ability to translate technical concepts for diverse audiences including government officials, community members, and persons with disabilities. • Flexibility and Adaptability: Works effectively in challenging environments; adapts to evolving programme needs and government counterpart priorities. • Commitment to Continuous Learning: Actively pursues learning and development opportunities; applies emerging good practices in DiDRR programming.

Disability and Inclusion-Specific Values • Rights-Based Approach: Applies CRPD-compliant, rights-based approaches in all activities; treats persons with disabilities as rights-holders and agents of change, not beneficiaries. • Intersectionality: Demonstrates awareness of and sensitivity to intersectional dimensions of disability including gender, age, caste, minority status, and disability type. • 'Nothing About Us Without Us': Consistently facilitates and champions the meaningful participation of persons with disabilities and OPDs in all programme activities. • Cultural and Social Sensitivity: Works inclusively and respectfully with diverse communities; familiarity with Indian social context, disability movement, and community-level realities.

• Minimum 7 years of relevant professional experience in the area of disability inclusion, disaster risk reduction and management, climate change adaptation, humanitarian preparedness, resilience, community or sustainable development or related areas. • Demonstrated experience working with or within government institutions, particularly disaster management institutions, social sector departments, local authorities or related public systems at state or district level or OPDs at state or national level or with Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) and applying rights-based, CRPD-compliant approaches in programme design, implementation or policy processes. • Experience in facilitating multi-stakeholder consultations, coordination processes, workshops, and capacity-building activities involving government, communities and civil society stakeholders.

Desirable Experience: • Familiarity with India’s disaster management architecture, including NDMA, SDMAs, DDMAs, DDMPs, SDRF-related mechanisms and relevant policy guidelines. • Experience with disability-relevant data collection, analysis and use, including administrative datasets, census data, MIS or community-based information systems. • Experience in inclusive training, simulations, drills or preparedness exercises involving first responders, frontline workers or community actors. • Familiarity with assistive technology, accessibility standards or continuity planning in emergency or disaster contexts. • Experience in preparing DPRs, implementation plans, resource estimates or project proposals linked to public financing or development programming. • Experience with GIS tools, data visualization applications or planning dashboards would be an asset. • Experience working with UN agencies, international development organizations or multi-partner programmes would be an advantage.

NOTE: PREFERENCE WILL BE GIVEN TO CANDIDATES WITH DISABILITIES

Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha State is the largest town and headquarters of Khordha district and Odisha State. Located in the eastern coastal plains, along the axis of the Eastern Ghats mountains, the city has an average altitude of 45 m (148 ft) above sea level. It lies southwest of the Mahanadi River which forms the northern boundary of the Bhubaneswar metropolitan area, within its delta. It has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million people. Bhubaneswar is supposed to have had over one thousand temples, earning the tag of the 'Temple City of India'. An administrative and educational centre of Odisha, it is well connected by railway and road. Bhubaneswar is an ancient city with a rich cultural heritage. Although the modern city of Bhubaneswar was formally established in 1948, the history of the areas in and around the present-day city can be traced to the 7th century BCE and earlier. It is a confluence of Hindu, Buddhist and Jain heritage and includes several Kalingan temples, many of them from the 6th–13th century CE. With Puri and Konark it forms the 'Swarna Tribhuja' ("Golden Triangle"), one of Eastern India's most visited destinations. The living cost in Bhubaneshwar is equal to that in Kolkata or Hyderabad. The weather is moderate. Summer nights tend to get pleasant and not remain hot. It is well connected by flights from major international airports in the country. Medical facilities, banking facilities, communications and infrastructure are good.

As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials. This position is based in Bhubaneswar. National UN Volunteers are part of the malicious insurance plan. National UN Volunteers are expected to be culturally sensitive and adjust to the prevailing culture and traditions.

UN Volunteer entitlements and allowances: The purpose of the allowances and entitlements paid to the UN Volunteer is to enable UN Volunteers to sustain a secure standard of living at the duty stations in line with United Nations standards without incurring personal costs. For more information on entitlements, please read the Conditions of Service (https://explore.unv.org/cos).

For information specific to your assignment, please see below: • Monthly Voluntary Living Allowance (VLA): INR 98,221.78 • Entry lump sum (one-time payment): USD 350 (equivalent in INR) • Relocation costs: $175 at the beginning and end of the assignment, if the duty station is outside of commuting distance (as determined by UNV) • Exit allowance (paid on successful completion of the assignment): $120 for each month served, paid on completion of contract • Annual leave: 2.5 days per month • Insurance: Comprehensive coverage for health, life, and malicious acts for the UN Volunteer and health insurance coverage for up to 3 eligible dependents • Learning: Access to UNV's learning and career development resources

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Potential interview questions

Added 26 days ago - Updated 12 days ago - Source: unv.org