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Crisis Anticipation and Risk Financing: Technical Specialist - Pakistan

Job description (Re-Advertisement) READY Pakistan context

Background

The Start Network is made up of more than 55 national and international aid agencies from five continents. Its aim is to deliver effective aid, harnessing the power and knowledge of the network to make faster and better decisions to help people affected by crises.

As one of five Hub locations , the READY Pakistan (the Pakistan Hub) aims to create a proactive, resilient, people-centred, locally led, and innovative humanitarian ecosystem. The Hub is working to achieve this vision by addressing current and emerging challenges through strengthened preparedness and predictable response to any crisis.

The Hub is jointly owned by the communities, civil society, the Pakistan National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), and others. It is guided by a National Steering Committee (NSC), which includes international NGOs, national NGOs, and representatives of two major national humanitarian and development networks and consortiums in Pakistan.

With 40 new members onboarded at the end of 2022, The Hub is currently made up of 53 international, national, and local members. This intake is in line with the requirement for hubs to be made up of at least 50% local/national members, and the Pakistan Hub’s own ambitions and plans for their desired membership diversity. The principles were set by Pakistan Membership Committee which ensured the process valued parity, equity and geographical coverage. Initially these members will be ‘global members’, until READY Pakistan becomes a legal entity. It is expected READY Pakistan will be independent in the next year - from this point, these members will transition to hub members.

Start Networks Family of Funds

There are two main crisis financing mechanisms available at: Start Fund and Start Ready. Start Fund provides rapid response funding to under-the-radar, small to medium-scale crises, filling a critical gap in the humanitarian aid system. Start Ready the latest financial offering, delivers pre-arranged financing ahead of disasters. See annex for a more detailed overview.

Overview of Disaster Risk Financing Pakistan

Established in 2020, the Disaster Risk Financing (DRF) programme in Pakistan is one of the programmes working to make the vision of the NSC a reality. It seeks to support humanitarian organisations to be better prepared in advance of cyclical events such as heat waves, floods, and drought by quantifying risks in advance of crises or disasters, pre-positioning funds, and releasing them according to pre-agreed protocols. Through the DRF program’s funding mechanism, funds are released for anticipatory response and preparedness. The Pakistan DRF multi-hazard system has released over £700,000 since 2020, enabling up to 16 million people to be reached by protection and awareness activities in advance of a disaster.

FOREWARN Pakistan

FOREWARN Pakistan connects READY hub members with local, national, and regional forecasting providers, hazard scientists, and relevant sectoral experts in Pakistan. The goal is to enable meaningful engagement with the wider anticipatory action framework in Pakistan, and to drive forward joint initiatives to support appropriate and successful anticipatory activities and early action. This includes the provision of vital insight and practical recommendations to support anticipatory alerts through the Start Fund mechanism as well as technical support to the Start Ready mechanism through the development and improvement of risk analytics.

FOREWARN Pakistan Objectives

The FOREWARN in Pakistan enables:

• READY Pakistan members to effectively use quality risk information in advance of crises
• READY Pakistan members to engage and become familiar with anticipatory action through the Start Network
• The creation of FOREWARN expert groups, who will provide technical anticipatory and early action support to READY Pakistan members and decision-makers
• READY Pakistan members to monitor hazards and raise anticipation alerts based on independently set triggers

More information is included in the FOREWARN Theory of Change.

The Role:

Start Network is seeking a highly experienced Technical Specialist to support READY Pakistan in the implementation of its flagship DRF programme and the delivery of FOREWARN in Pakistan. Now in its second phase, the focus will be on enhancing the quality of each system to enable DRF and Anticipatory Action (AA) to live up to its potential for impact.

Technical Specialist objectives

• Bring scientific and academic data to READY Pakistan members and partners in an accessible format, facilitate timely decision-making, and drive innovation in Pakistan in order to render humanitarian action more proactive and effective.
• Support Start Network Anticipation and Risk Financing work in Pakistan, through the development, testing and provision of scientific hazard data, models which are used to monitor risks and related anticipatory action protocols, and early humanitarian action.
• Hold responsibility for the FOREWARN in Pakistan, working closely with the READY Pakistan team, existing FOREWARN Coordinators and wider Crisis Anticipation and Risk Financing team to deliver the workplan and manage the associated budget.
• Work with Start Network stakeholders including global risk pools, scientists and academics, government agencies, risk modelling companies and insurers, humanitarian donors and UN counterparts, as well as humanitarian agencies.
• Engage in wider Start Network activities where appropriate, including providing support to activities happening in Pakistan as required.

Responsibilities

Specifically, this role will:

Advocacy and engagement with members and wider stakeholders

• Support members to raise timely anticipatory alerts to the Start Fund, including leading on ‘horizon scanning’ activities for potential alerts and keeping members well informed of any upcoming risks appropriate for anticipatory action.
• Where appropriate, support members and partners to access grants to support risk analysis and liaise with CARF Technical Advisors on the creation of tools and training.
• Raise awareness of Start Network early action initiatives among Start Network members and other stakeholders in Pakistan.
• Work with the CARF Technical Advisers (learning, analysis, and partnerships) to ensure the early action work of members is well supported, evidenced, and communicated, including evidence gathering activities, contracting discrete pieces of research, and external reporting as required.
• Build and maintain relationships with relevant early action and coordination platforms, tools and mechanisms in Pakistan/regionally where appropriate. Represent Start Network, including Start members, and support READY Pakistan members and the FOREWARN group to actively participate in these groups.

Expert groups

• Liaise with technical experts, nationally and globally, to ensure that hazard models are scientifically robust, functional for humanitarians, and that the purpose and functionality of the models are accessible/understandable to non-scientists (especially humanitarians).
• Undertake the ongoing establishment of a national FOREWARN group that supports anticipatory humanitarian action, lead on the recruitment and induction of FOREWARN members and develop relevant institutional partnerships.
• Actively coordinate and support the Pakistan expert groups through regular meetings and documentation, alert reviews, and shared learning.

Hazard monitoring and anticipatory action planning

• Information gathering: Lead the identification and prioritisation of key hazards and activities of focus, including tool and stakeholder mapping exercises and identification of risk information needs.
• Relationships: Connect READY Pakistan members and partners to local and international risk information providers, ensuring access to nationally appropriate forecasting expertise and information where available.
• Model development: Lead on tasks related to the development, identification and analysis of scientific risk data, statistical modelling and operational decision making within anticipation and risk finance systems. Work closely with hazard and modelling experts to ensure model

suitability for humanitarian needs and fit within Start’s human-impact driven and localisation approach.

• Technical training: Work to ensure that members, partners, and wider stakeholders are equipped with the training and support to participate effectively and bring their expertise into the technical development processes. Present scientific data in ways that are understandable and useful to humanitarians.

Person profile

Qualifications and key requirements

• Education: Postgraduate University degree in Climate Sciences, Meteorology, Geosciences, Environmental Sciences, or a closely related field.

Experience: At least 8 years of postgraduate experience in the practical application of climate science for humanitarian and/or development action

More:

• In-depth knowledge of Anticipatory Action approaches, systems, principles and protocols;
• A background of technical education and experience which enables you to confidently liaise and partner with other Technical Specialists in PMD observation and early warning systems;
• Knowledge and experience engaging with specialized technical networks and initiatives on climate early warning, anticipatory action and climate information services;
• You can demonstrate flexibility, sound interpersonal skills and cross-cultural sensitivity.
• You have the capacity to coordinate with a range of national and international stakeholders, including national governments, research institutions, private sector, and READY Pakistan/ Start Network members.
• You have excellent communication, scientific writing, training and facilitation skills

Reporting lines

The post holder will be working on behalf of the wider Start Network in Pakistan (Ready Pakistan) and is a Start Network member of staff who will be hosted by Concern Worldwide as programme host. Further information                                                 on                         reporting                         lines                         are                         annexed.