Individual Consultant: Ethiopia country-level consultancy for Risk Mapping and Analysis

Background of IRC:

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) helps people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover, and gain control of their future. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC works with people forced to flee from war, conflict and disaster and the host communities that support them, as well as with those who remain within their homes and communities. At-work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. IRC leads the way from harm to home. Began work in Ethiopia, 1999 in response to severe drought that happened in Ethiopia’s Somali region. Currently, providing assistance in ten different regions implementing emergency and development programs in health, water and sanitation, economic recovery and development (ERD), women’s protection and empowerment, education, child protection, and multi-sectoral emergency response.

The IRC has a focus on narrowing the gender gap in humanitarian aid and ensuring that we contribute to gender equality, diversity, and inclusion in both our programs and operations by working to establish a context where our clients (including those from minority groups) enjoy the same rights and opportunities as well as an equal access to services. The IRC also has a strong commitment to creating an equitable and inclusive culture, where safeguarding is upheld in our workplace and programs. We are determined to protect our clients and staff from safeguarding violations through prevention and, where misconduct is alleged, to address it without fear or favor.

Job Overview/Summary: 

Background of the project 

PlayMatters3.0 (2026–2030) is a four-year education initiative implemented by the Intern tional Rescue Committee (IRC), Plan International and War Child Alliance in Ethiopia, South Sudan and Uganda. The programme aims to improve the well-being and holistic learning outcomes of pre-primary and primary school-aged children, including children affected by conflict and crisis, by strengthening education systems to deliver quality education through Learning through Play (LtP).

PlayMatters has three outcomes. Outcome 3 focuses on protecting children’s holistic development during acute crises. Its Crisis Modifier (CM) provides a flexible mechanism for preparedness, anticipatory action, rapid multisectoral response and transition, while keeping a clear link with the programme’s longer-term education systems work.

The CM is designed to work with existing government and response mechanisms and to allow PlayMatters country teams to act quickly when a significant shock or deterioration affects children, education services or the wider conditions needed for learning and well-being.

Effective activation depends on good preparedness before a crisis occurs. This includes understanding the risks in PlayMatters locations, identifying credible early-warning information, agreeing practical trigger thresholds, knowing what response options are feasible, understanding existing response plans and coordination arrangements, and identifying the capacities and gaps of consortium and national partners.

The first major step is a country-level consultative risk mapping and analysis. The process will generate the evidence and country-specific inputs needed to develop the PlayMatters Trigger & Response Matrix. The Matrix will set out the priority shocks and stresses to monitor, the indicators and thresholds that signal a need for action, and the pre-agreed response options that can be considered when a trigger is reached. The country matrices will subsequently inform the Regional Trigger & Response Matrix and wider Crisis Modifier preparedness work.

Scope of work

Inception and planning

• Conduct a desk review of existing risks, vulnerability, hazard, conflict, climate, displacement, disease and education assessments, contingency plans, and Education Cluster/sector preparedness documentation for Ethiopia
• Agree on the methodology, actual geographical locations to be covered (in consideration of security and access), consultation plan, stakeholder list, analytical framework and work schedule with the PMC Lead and Regional EiE Adviser.
• Identify key information gaps and how these will be addressed.
• Submit an inception report setting out the proposed approach, workplan, stakeholder/data-source mapping and expected outputs.

Risk mapping and analysis

• Conduct key informant interviews and consultations with PMC members, government education actors, community leaders, national partners and other relevant system actors identified in the workplan’s reach group.
• Map historical and anticipated shocks and stresses specific to PM operational areas, considering seasonality and early-warning systems already in use nationally or sub-nationally.

Risk Trigger Report

• Draft a country-specific Risk Trigger Report defining, for each priority shock/stress: description, geographic scope, early-warning indicators, data sources, and the threshold(s) that would trigger a PM response.
• Review the draft with the PMC and Regional EiE Adviser and incorporate feedback.

Trigger & Response Matrix

• Coordinate with the PMC to translate each trigger into a feasible, pre-agreed response option, considering PM’s existing modalities and partner capacity.
• Facilitate a validation session with the PMC (and relevant coordination fora, where feasible) to finalize the country Trigger & Response Matrix.
• Produce a final consultancy report summarizing the process, findings, the finalized Matrix, and recommendations for periodic review.

      Safeguarding Responsibilities: –

• Promote and actively participate in initiatives and efforts to build team engagement, inclusion and cohesion in IRC [team/office]
• Foster ongoing learning, honest dialogue and reflection to strengthen safeguarding and to promote IRC values and adherence to IRC policies

Educational Requirements:

• Advanced university degree in disaster risk management, humanitarian studies, education, social sciences, development studies or a related field

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• At least five years of relevant experience in risk analysis, early-warning systems, contingency planning, disaster risk reduction, crisis preparedness or related humanitarian work.
• Demonstrated knowledge of the humanitarian and education context of the assigned country, particularly shocks and stresses affecting PlayMatters target areas.
• Experience working with government, humanitarian coordination structures and local/national organizations.
• Experience facilitating participatory, multi-stakeholder consultations and translating qualitative and quantitative evidence into practical recommendations.
• Strong analytical, synthesis and report-writing skills in English.
• Experience in Education in Emergencies, resilient education systems, anticipatory action or crisis response planning is strongly preferred.
• Experience with consortium programmes and/or Learning through Play, MHPSS, child protection or integrated education programming is an advantage.

Language Skills:

• Excellent written and verbal communication in English and, Amharic.

Certificate and License

• Renewed professional license.
• Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN).
• VAT Registration Certificate.