Position: Project Technical Specialist
Location: Dhangadi, Kailali

About the Project

The proposed 3 years’ project is envisioned to address problems and needs of the most vulnerable communities which were identified through consultations with communities, non-government organizations (NGOs), government organizations in Achham and Kailali districts, comprehensive design workshop, technical recommendations from government agencies working on Disaster Risk Management (DRM) and lessons learned from past and present projects in Nepal implemented by WVIN and other organizations Project need assessment reflects that communities in Karnali, Mohana and Kandra river basins in Achham and Kailali districts are unable to adapt to and recover from reoccurring hazards, shocks and stresses such as floods, landslides and climatic variations. Recognizing that every year, communities lose life and livelihoods pushing them to vicious cycle of poverty, this project overall aims at contributing to enhance resilience of vulnerable population of these rivers basin.  Despite the legal and policy instruments at the national level, local communities and governments have inadequate capacity to translate and operationalize them in order to reduce the exposure to hazards and overall risk. A clear gap is seen on application of DRM policies and strategies to prevent new disaster risk, reduce existing disaster risk and manage unavoidable risk. Therefore, this project’s goal is to addresses these problems by enhancing DRM capacity of the target communities and local governments. Learning from the past, the project takes a two pronged approach to achieve the project goal. first enabling communities to cope with future shocks and stresses by increasing knowledge, skills, and climate resilient practices, improving financial capacity to cope with shocks, and disaster resilient community infrastructures and second improving disaster management systems and capacities of local governments by helping them to increase their understanding on localizing and implementing DRM policies including for making risk reduction a priority in local development. With a clear monitoring and evaluation framework, project anticipates ownership to scale up and for sustainability of the work by local government and communities.   

Key Responsibilities: The Project Technical Specialist (PTS) will be responsible to provide DRM technical leadership across all project districts including WVIN DRM programming, , lead the implementation of CBDRR activities, and ensure the project’s annual KPIs and targets related to CBDRR are achieved. The objective of the CBDRR project is to facilitate development and effective preparation as well as implementation of local disaster management act, policies, strategies, standard operating procedure (SoP) for Local Emergency Operation Centre (LEOC), establishment of community based flood early warning system and promote community based disaster management activities aiming to increase the resilience of children, communities, as well as local government officials to be better prepared for and able to respond to natural hazards.

• Demonstrated expertise and experience in developing and operationalizing of disaster management related act, policies, strategies, guidelines etc. Demonstrated expertise and experience in developing and operationalizing of Local Disaster Climate Resilience Plan (LDCRP), Disaster Preparedness and Response Plan (DPRP), SoP for LEOC, Disaster Management Fund Mobilization Guideline, CBDRMP etc. Familiarity with development theory, community based disaster risk management, DRM frameworks; Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment (VCA), Participatory Disaster Risk Assessment (PDRA), COVACA etc. Strong conceptual knowledge about ToCs, logic model, resilience indicators, DRM plans, data quality assurance, data utilization, gender integration and strong Monitroing Evaluationa Accountability and Learning (MEAL) expereince. . Demonstrated experience of working with all three tiers of government of Nepal, especially with provincial and local government including signing MoU with concerned government stakeholders. Sound knowledge for preparation of advocacy tool for mainstreaming DRR into development plaan, disaster resilient infrastructures and resileint livelihood.  Experience of managing multiple NGOs and team management. 

Note: Mandatory travels to implementation sites of both project districts (50%)

• A master’s degree in Disaster Risk Management; or a degree in relevant field with substantial experience in DRR programming with a minimum of five years of professional experience in implementing CBDRR/DRM projects in the context of different remote geographical locations.