Senior Disaster Risk Reduction Officer (National Position)

Job Description

Background/IRC Summary:

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is at work in over 40 countries and 26 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. The IRC has been operating in Thailand since 1975 and currently provides assistance to displaced persons in Tak, Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi, and Mae Hong Son provinces and people affected to conflict in deep south provinces of Thailand.

IRC Thailand has launched a new project, Preparedness for Protection in Southeast Asia in July 2021, which is partially implemented in Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat Provinces. The project aims to strengthen the protection response capacities of local disaster preparedness ecosystems and enhance protection risk reductions activities, including violence prevention at a community level. In partnership with the Thailand Association of Social Worker, this project focus to support capacity and coordination among local authority and community to prepare and respond to the protection needs of the community and marginalize people in the deep south provinces of Thailand.

Job Overview/Summary:

The Senior Disaster Risk Reduction Officer is based in IRC’s Pattani Office, under the supervision of the Senior Protection Project Manager. The Senior Disaster Risk Reduction Officer will play a key role in implementing the project’s activities under the result of “Local actors and communities in fragile settings are better prepared to respond to the protection needs especially of currently excluded and marginalised groups, during humanitarian emergencies/crises”. The Senior Disaster Risk Reduction Officer will work closely with the Senior Protection Project Manager, Senior Social Worker, The Thailand Association of Social Workers, the women groups, and local authorities from the three provinces.

Major Responsibilities:

- Taking a lead in implementing project activities related to capacity building, technical support to IRC’s team and partners on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), Disaster Preparedness (DP), and Disaster Management (DM). - Serve as a focal person for regular advice or support on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), Disaster Preparedness (DP), and Disaster Management (DM) for partner organizations and targeted communities. - Taking a lead in conducting service delivery analysis on assessment and response to protection needs of local emergency response systems at targeted communities. - Taking a lead in facilitating focus group and community consultation workshops to collect the data and information from targeted communities for community needs assessment on DRR, DP, and RM ecosystem in the communities. - Producing and disseminating the analysis report to IRC, targeted communities, and local authorities in responding to disasters and emergencies and the protection of women, children, and other vulnerable groups. - Facilitating the community consultation workshops in establishing locally owned action plans for capacity building to strengthen the disaster preparedness plan and disaster management plans of the communities - Strengthening mechanism and coordination between community-based organizations and government bodies to ensure that the disaster risk reduction action plans and disaster preparedness plans are collectively agreed upon and implemented in the targeted communities and provinces. - Working closely with Senior Social Worker and the Thailand Association of Social Worker in developing and implementing the referral guidelines or standard operating procedures related to protection services to the target population in disaster and emergencies situation. - Responsible to document and facilitating analysis process related to functioning and gap related to DRR, DP, and DM in supporting the protection needs of the target population, program adjustment, or future program design.

Networking and Advocacy

- Serve as the IRC’s representative with the local authorities in Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat including Provincial Social Development and Human Security Office, Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Subdistrict Administrative Organizations, District offices, and other non-government organizations working in DRR, etc. - Represent the IRC in meetings with stakeholders or Thai government agencies as assigned by Senior Protection Project Manager.

Program Management

- Collect and document data on program progress and program monitoring and evaluation in coordination with the Senior Protection Program Manager to provide program data for donor reports and project reports. - Support the Senior Protection Project Manager in developing program lessons learned and information necessary for program implementation. - Actively participate in, and contribute to, the IRC Thailand country program meetings and training as relevant.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: Senior Protection Project Manager Position directly supervises: NA Indirect Reporting: NA

Other Internal and/or external contacts:

Internal: Senior Protection Coordinator, Legal Assistance Coordinator, Senior WPE Managers, and M&E Coordinator External: Local authority in Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat including Provincial Social Development and Human Security Office, Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Subdistrict Administrative Organizations, District offices, and other non-government organizations working in DRR, etc.

Qualifications

Job Requirements:

Education:

- Graduate qualifications in a related discipline – social and community development, social work, social sciences, or a similar discipline

Work Experience:

- Minimum three years of work experience in the related field of Disaster Risk Reduction, Disaster Preparedness, Disaster Management, or Community Development

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

- Experience in designing, conducting training, mentoring, and coaching - Experience in conducting data collection, need assessment and report writing - Proven ability in design capacity-building programs and facilitation skills both online and offline channels - Proven technical knowledge in Disaster Risk Reduction, Disaster Preparedness, Disaster Management, and Community Development - Proven experience and ability to work with communities and Thai government agencies - Experience in networking and coordinating with the Thai Department of Social Development and Human Security, Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, and Subdistrict Administrative Organizations - Excellent interpersonal and communication skills. - Ability to prioritize tasks and work under pressure and ability to be flexible and work in a fast-paced environment under competing deadlines. - Responsive to urgent requests on a timely basis. - Willingness to travel frequently to the field and meet with partners. - Good problem-solving skills. - Understanding of working in a multicultural environment. - Computer proficient, with experience using Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint including online communication platforms such as Zoom or Microsoft team.

Language Skills:

- Excellent oral and written communication skill in Thai, English and/or Pattani Malay is a plus.

Working Environment:

- This position is based in the IRC Pattani office which is located at the Faculty of Science and Technology, Prince of Songkhla University, Pattani Campus, with extensive travel to other field sites.

Standards of Professional Conduct

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability and Equality. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Harassment-Free Workplace, Fiscal Integrity, Anti-Retaliation, Combating Trafficking in Persons and several others.

Equal Opportunity Employer

IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.