Project Manager for Multi Hazard Early Warning System (MHEWS) in Sudan & Somalia

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UNDRR - United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction

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Application deadline 1 year ago: Monday 13 Mar 2023 at 23:59 UTC

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Result of Service The main result of this project is a conducting multi-hazard, prospective and probabilistic risk assessment at national level for Sudan & Somalia, on which losses caused by different hazards are quantified in different types of exposure. The second part of the project includes strengthening NMHEWS infrastructure capacity for effective delivery of services.

Work Location Home Based

Expected duration 12 Months

Duties and Responsibilities Created in December 1999, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) is the designated focal point in the United Nations system for the coordination of efforts to reduce disasters and to ensure synergies among the disaster reduction activities of the United Nations and regional organizations and activities in both developed and less developed countries. Led by the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction (SRSG), United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction has over 100 staff located in its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and in regional offices. Specifically, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction guides, monitors, analyses and reports on progress in the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, supports regional and national implementation of the Framework and catalyzes action and increases global awareness to reduce disaster risk working with U.N. Member States and a broad range of partners and stakeholders, including civil society, the private sector, parliamentarians and the science and technology community.

This consultancy position is home based. The consultant will work directly under the Deputy Chief of Regional Office of UNDRR Regional Office for Arab States (ROAS) and in close coordination with the Programme Management Officer- Risk Knowledge and Analysis.

Duties and Responsibilities

Rationale decision making in disaster risk management and reduction require a robust quantification of losses and impacts, preferably using prospective approaches. For this, probabilistic risk assessments provide a comprehensive framework on which, making use of data for historical events in the domain under study, a characterization of future disaster occurrence is performed to estimate the losses for events that although have not yet happened, are feasible to do so. Even if probabilistic risk assessments will not provide all the required actions for a comprehensive Disaster Risk Management (DRM) strategy, they do provide valuable information that, if well understood (i.e. their advantages and their limitations), can assist decision makers in doing rationale choices, as for instance comparing multiple mitigation activities to choose the optimal one, design financial protection instruments and generate information for the draft of emergency plans. Models by themselves never make decisions but can inform and support them. Most probabilistic risk assessments in the pasts have been developed considering only one hazard, or by considering multiple but assuming complete independence between the events. Since many countries are exposed to hazards of different types and origins, adopting a multi-hazard approach is needed, besides adopting to a systemic overview of disaster risk on which different sectors, their interactions, disruptions, and consequences beyond the direct losses are considered.

Under the direct supervision of the Deputy Chief of UNDRR ROAS and in close coordination with the Programme Management Officer- Risk Knowledge & Analysis, the Consultant will coordinate the implementation of the project in both Sudan and Somalia.

More specifically, the Consultant will carry out the following duties: 1. Coordinate all project-related activities and monitor progress as per the project action plans to ensure that activities are implemented in an effective and timely manner. 2. Coordinate, maintain and initiate effective dialogue with the key counterparts and stakeholders at the national level that are involved in the project implementation. 3. Develop a project plan for conducting a multi-hazard and multi-dimensional probabilistic risk assessment in Sudan & Somalia. 4. Coordinate with all the consultants involved in PRA process for hazards including floods, droughts and earthquakes, besides the consultants involved in the development of a national exposure database and all involved in the implementation of the project. 5. Technical oversight of methodology development for all 03 hazards, ensuring compatibility for all long-term uses of hazard models and maps (forecasting and early warning, risk and vulnerability mapping, emergency response planning and management etc.) 6. The Project Manager will also coordinate and develop a workplan for technical expert/ firm for implementing MHEWS in Somalia by strengthening NMHEWC's infrastructure capacity for effective delivery of services (which includes coordination for development of observation network, developing integrated data center, improvement of IT system & delivering multi hazard services). 7. Regular technical and progress reporting to UNDRR ROAS. 8. Integration of the multi-hazard risk assessment results within a systemic risk overview in line with the GRAF approach. 9. Cascading analysis for a critical earthquake scenario and a critical flood scenario 10. Develop the overall technical capacity development plan for hazard modelling, mapping, MHEWS and assessment for Government of Sudan & Somalia.

The following deliverables are expected: 1. Overall separate project plan for the multi-hazard and multi-dimensional probabilistic risk assessment for Sudan & Somalia, indicating the schedule of works and responsibilities of the team members and project plan Multi hazard early warning system in Somalia 2. Monthly progress reports on the progress, challenges and/or solutions of the development of the project in Sudan & Somalia 3. Technical report with the details of the quality control and assurance procedures followed for each of the components of the risk assessment. 4. Final report integrating the results of the multi-hazard risk assessment developed for Sudan & Somalia and consideration of a systemic risk overview through scenario analysis in different sectors. 5. Final report for early warning system for Somalia also to be developed. 6. Presentations and any required training material for the dissemination and socialization of the results for MHRA and MHEWS with local institutions and specialists in Sudan & Somalia.

Qualifications/special skills Academic Qualifications: - Doctorate or Equivalent degree in geophysics or environmental sciences, Climatology, Civil engineering or related field is required.

Experience: - At least 10 years of experience in conducting risk assessments and multi-hazard mapping using geographic information systems (GIS) is required. - Proven experience in leading a team for implementing risk assessment is required. - Experience in analytical research is required. - Experience of working in Arab region and/or knowledge of the region's context is desirable.

Language : - Fluency in English (both oral and written) is required - Knowledge of Arabic is desirable.

No Fee THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.

Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: careers.un.org