Emergency Response Officer (WASH/Shelter) – Ethiopia, Addis Ababa

Role and responsibilities

The purpose of this position is day to day implementation of the emergency activities under the guidance of country Emergency Response Manager with extensive travel to remote and hard to reach Areas in Ethiopia. The emergency Response officer is also responsible to ensure transparency, accountability, and quality of work on the ground, adhere to NRC policies and are in consideration with humanitarian principles.

He/she always needs to be ready to be deployed for short period or relocated to any of the NRC areas of operation with short notice, to support NRC’s emergency responses.

 Generic responsibilities 

• Ensure adherence with NRC policies, tools, handbooks, and guidelines.
• Implement the WASH and Shelter activities according to strategy, proposals, budgets, and plans.
• Work closely with all community stakeholders ensuring trust and confidence with beneficiaries and facilitating community activities.
• Ensure that projects target beneficiaries most in need and explore and asses new and better ways to assist.
• Promote and share ideas for programme improvement. Investigate and facilitate introduction of innovations, new methods, and approaches to improve the quality of the activities.
• Breakdown the annual operational plans into weekly, monthly, and quarterly implementation plans
• Contribute to the preparation of periodic progress reports, guidelines and other documents as required.
• Ensure proper filing of documents.

Specific responsibilities 

• Implement all RRM activities with the technical support of the Emergency Response Manager, Area Manager/Area Programme Manager, and other field Staff.
• Support the Emergency Manager in implementation of emergency activities on the ground by leading the Emergency field staff on their day-to-day work plan.
• Ensure proper coordination and communication with other humanitarian actors and field staff.
• Work with the Emergency Manager to ensure appropriate preparedness and response by leading emergency assessments and responses when required.
• Execute the emergency aid delivery and lead the Emergency Response Team on the ground when required.
• Ensure proper documentation of emergency response activities, including post-distribution monitoring. Monthly activity/project reports and other reporting as required.
• Training and development of NRC staff and relevant partners and beneficiaries in emergency response mechanisms.
• Ensure adherence to NRC policies and donor requirements, humanitarian principles, SPHERE, Do No Harm, and other international standards for emergency work.
• Ensure adequate and timely responses to identified needs, in line with donor requirements.
  Monitor, evaluate and suggest changes and improvements in programme approaches and resources.
• Ensure quality implementation of Emergency interventions and adequate control mechanisms are in place and respected.
• Training and development of NRC staff and relevant partners and beneficiaries in emergency response mechanisms
• Identify protection issues and advocate appropriate responses.
• Implement the accountability plan within all Emergency activities.
• Take the lead in community mobilization and targeting and monitor the distribution of in-kind assistance/Cash and block grants while maintaining a complete paper trail for all registrations, verifications and distributions for all livelihoods and cash-related activities.
• Conduct regular project monitoring and update the ERM on progress in the field.
• Implement Emergency WASH and Shelter activities in line with relevant standards, codes of conduct and humanitarian principles.
• Prepare BOQ, Technical Specifications and Drawings for Emergency Shelter & WASH facilities as deemed necessary and Assist the ERM in the development of rapid response and contingency plans.
• Conduct market assessments, mapping, beneficiary selection, Post Distribution Monitoring (PDM) surveys and end line surveys to inform program design and implementation.
• Support Wash Specialist in implementation of WASH activities and build his/her own capacity in the WASH Area.
• Any other tasks as assigned by the project ERM.

Competencies 

Competencies are important for the employee and the organisation to deliver desired results. They are relevant for all staff and are divided into the following two categories:

Professional competencies 

These are skills, knowledge and experience that are important for effective performance.

Generic professional competencies: 

• Experience from working as a Project Officer in the Shelter and WASH sectors in humanitarian/recovery contexts.
• Previous experience in Emergency/Rapid Response Mechanism working in complex and volatile contexts.
• Documented results related to the position’s responsibilities.
• Good knowledge of English, both written and verbal, local language is an advantage.
• Degree in Civil Engineering, Architectural or Water engineering or any other relevant discipline

Context/ Specific skills, knowledge, and experience: 

• 2-3 years’ experience working in WAS and Shelter Projects in a humanitarian/recovery context in different regions of Ethiopia.
• Previous experience in implementing Emergency/Rapid Response Mechanism-In kind or Cash Based intervention.
• Effective communication, interpersonal, and negotiation skills.
• Overall good knowledge of geography and local population demographics/dynamics.
• Experience with capacity-building and training approaches and methods.
• Experience with community engagement approaches and principles.
• Experience with community engagement and development of civil society capacity.
• IT competencies including MS Office.
• Proven ability to use MS Office software (especially Word and Excel) is essential. Ccomputer literacy of technical software (i.e. AUTOCAD, GIS, EPANET) is an asset.
• Knowledge and experience of the application of SPHERE links to emergency and longer-term development practice
• Experience in undertaking training of staff or target groups

Behavioral competencies

• Handling insecure environment
• Strategic thinking
• Empowering and building trust
• Influencing
• Initiate action and change
• Analysing