Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) is a nonprofit, Christian organization dedicated to the cause of eliminating poverty housing. Since its founding in 1976, Habitat has built and renovated more than 400,000 homes, providing simple, decent and affordable shelter for more than 2 million people worldwide. In Europe and Central Asia, Habitat works in 22 countries with partners, donors and volunteers from the region. Its regional headquarters is based in Bratislava, Slovakia.

We are currently seeking to recruit a:

Disaster Risk Reduction & Response Capacity Building Consultant

Detail Responsibilities/Duties:

Reporting to the Associate Director for Construction, Design and Technology, Disaster Response and in partnership with HFHI Europe and Central Asia (ECA) Area Office and National Offices, develop and deliver the ECA Disaster Risk Reduction & Response (DRR&R) Capacity Building Programme. Key responsibilities include:

• Implement training and capacity building DRR&R activities for national HFH staff within identified ECA disaster response priority country programs (Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan. Armenia and Romania), adhering, but not limited to the HFHI Global DR Strategy, HFHI DR Guidelines and globally recognized DRR&R standards and codes, such as the IFRC Code of Conduct for NGOs in Disaster Relief, the Hyogo Framework for Action and the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response (SPHERE);
• Work directly with National/Area Offices to develop and institutionalize a tailored DRR&R strategy and implementation plan, aligned to HFHI policy and procedures and seek endorsement by national/local government;
• Adapt existing and develop new DRR&R tools and core documents to deliver and report on DRR&R initiatives: situation reports, initial rapid assessments, funding proposals, construction procurement, bills of quantities, construction & project schedules, monitoring and evaluation tools, reporting formats;
• Work closely with Area and National Offices to network, liaise and establish partnerships with governments, the humanitarian sector, multilateral agencies, the private sector and communities and households at risk to develop integrated mitigation and risk reduction strategies and disaster response plans;
• Develop a portfolio of appropriate core products to be deployed/utilised following disaster events – including emergency shelter kits, Building and Training Centres, t-shelters, core homes, temporary repairs, host family support, use of community buildings and infrastructure.
• Assess donor opportunities in country in the event of a disaster / crisis;
• Work through Area and National Office staff to ensure disaster mitigation design and technology are incorporated into non-DR HFH housing programmes – e.g. HFHI Housing Quality Standards;
• Assess local/regional construction material industry capacity or options to deliver core products. Support local staff to develop partnerships/MOUs with suppliers to deliver in the event of a disaster;
• Deploy to disaster-affected locations to lead/contribute risk, damage and needs assessments at regional and national level to prepare and position HFH as the housing and shelter specialist in DRR&R at national level within existing national humanitarian networks and the IASC Shelter Cluster mechanism (where applicable), and support development of response programme;
• Provide additional support to Associate Director/Programme Team in DRR&R as requested;
• The contracted consultant position is for a definite period of 10 months based in Bratislava and requires 70% travel within Europe and Central Asia.

Requirements:

• Master’s degree in education (MSc / C Eng. / Architecture / DR / Programme Management or equivalent experience)
• 4 years’ experience in Disaster Risk Reduction and Response project management at field locations;
• Experience of funding organizations (bilateral, multilateral), mechanisms, processes and reporting for institutional donor: ECHO, USAID, DFID, UN system, etc.
• Experience in training and capacity building in multiple cultural settings;
• Training and capacity building skills, ability to localize and tailor training modules and curriculum in DRR&R;
• Understanding of shelter & settlements construction in hazardous locations – transitional shelter, shelter kits, repairs, retrofitting, new construction
• Experience in community mobilization/participation and community/owner driven (re)construction;
• Urban and rural experience in housing and construction procurement;
• Excellent interpersonal skills – communication, writing. Excellent written and spoken English required;
• Strong computer skills.

If you enjoy working in a global team, are interested in helping to eliminate poverty housing and meet the requirements, please send your motivation letter and CV in English indicating the position you are applying for to Human Resources to hr.europe@habitat.org. The closing date for applying is: June 15th, 2011.

To find out more about HFHI visit us at www.habitateurope.org