ERD Cash Preparedness Advisor

Scope:

The Economic Recovery and Development Unit (ERD) is responsible for providing dynamic, innovative support to IRC’s field offices for their economic and livelihoods programming. This unit provides technical assistance, ensures innovation, promotes best practices, and helps to improve data collection and analysis for economic and livelihoods programming within the organization.   Emergency preparedness is a major aspect of our work – The IRC’s new strategic plan commits the organization to respond more rapidly in a variety of emergency contexts with cash transfer programming as a major pillar in this response strategy. Specifically, the IRC has established a strategic objective to deliver cash to crisis-affected populations within 72 hours of an emergency, and meeting this goal will involve scaling-up pre-crisis preparedness efforts.

The ERD Preparedness Advisor provides technical support and guidance for the implementation of emergency preparedness measures in line with the organization’s strategic objectives, with a specific focus on cash transfer programming and promotion of digital payments. This position will support other Technical Advisors in delivering high-quality technical advice to country teams implementing CTPs, and will lead the development of tools, systems and process improvements across the agency to ensure the IRC is prepared and follows-through on delivery of cash grants to affected households within 72 hours of an emergency.

Major Responsibilities:

• Emergency Preparedness : Main point of contact within the ERD team for emergency preparedness, with a specific focus on cash transfer programming including cross-departmental coordination, aligning ERD preparedness efforts with the organizations Emergency Roadmap, and cooperation with country and regional units.
• Grant Management : Manage all aspects of preparedness-focused grants, including work planning, budget, reporting, and consultant supervision as needed. Coordinate and implement all aspects of ERD emergency CTP preparedness grant(s), including design of the emergency cash preparedness roadmap, piloting in a selected country, and testing emergency preparedness levels.
• Technical Assistance : Provide support and technical assistance to country teams implementing emergency preparedness activities, particularly focused on rapid stand-up of cash transfer programs within 72 hours of an emergency and implementation of digital payment systems. For CTP, provide technical backstopping and training as needed to non-cash specialist technical advisors responsible for supporting country teams in high-quality cash or voucher program implementation globally.
• Capacity Building : Support the design, roll-out and implementation of internal CTP and emergency market analysis capacity building initiatives in conjunction with the Sr. Technical Advisor and the Emergency Markets Officer
• Other : Other tasks related to cash transfer programming, emergency market-based programming preparedness or response as needed.

Job Qualifications:

Education: Master’s/post-graduate degree in international relations, economics, business administration, agriculture or other related field. Or equivalent combination of education and experience is required.

Work Experience: A minimum of 3 to 5 years of field-based program management experience is required, preferably within a humanitarian setting.  

Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:

• In-depth knowledge of cash and/or voucher programs using digital payments, and demonstrated ability to work across function and sector to ensure high-quality market-based program delivery.
• Demonstrated ability to adapt programming models to a variety of contexts including pre-crisis environments, develop contingency plans, and to carry out preparedness planning initiatives at country level.
• Experience managing donor funded programs and grants, including budget management, workplans, reporting, and ensuring timely completion of deliverables.
• Superior internal and external communication and coordination skills and capable of fostering strong cross-agency collaboration to achieve shared ambitions and goals.
• Excellent writing skills required and proven experience writing reports or documents for publication.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.

Language Skills: Fluency in English and proficiency in French of Arabic is highly desirable.

Working Environment: Up to 40% travel may be required.