Required Travel: Travel of approximately 50%

About

Caritas Africa is the social pastoral ministry of the Catholic Church in Africa and one of the 7 Regions of the Caritas Internationalis Confederation. It is a network of 46 National Caritas Organizations in 46 Sub-Saharan African Countries. The organization is headquartered in Lomé, Togo, with an ancillary office in Nairobi, Kenya and staff based in Lusaka, Zambia.

Background information

Caritas Africa’s 2019-2023 strategic framework covers three strategic orientations: (1) Catholic Identity and, Institutional Development & Capacity Strengthening (2) Humanitarian Affairs and (3) Advocacy on Integral Human Development. The desired outcome of strategic orientation two is to realize timely, effective and quality emergency response by the Caritas Africa network through: well-established coordination mechanisms at the regional, sub-regional, national and subnational levels. Caritas Africa would like to recruit a Humanitarian Programme Officer to coordinate the implementation of the Strategic Orientation two. The post is funded by CAFOD for a finite period of one year. The extension of the appointment is subject to availability of funds.

Specific responsibilities

Emergency Response and Recovery in the Africa Region

Keeping a watch on certain high-risk contexts (whether prone to cyclical natural disasters, or where conflict could escalate); To enable partners to establish a relationship with key partner(s) in those contexts (including possibly pre-position arrangements e.g Memorandum Of Understanding), so that decisions can be made quickly and assistance delivered in a timely manner; Identify support required by CAMOs during an emergency and consult CI and CI MOs to agree on the available support that may be availed to the particular Member Organization; Support Caritas members in the Region engaged in the implementation of the Humanitarian Projects and MO engaged in the emergency response and recovery programming, as well as emergency preparedness and disaster risk reduction; Provide support for developing a coherent mechanism for coordinating emergency responses within the Region; Prepare situation reports and lead information gathering initiatives during the launch of Emergency Appeals in aid of affected Caritas Africa Member Organizations; Lead in the preparation of proposals and support in identifying other appropriate sources of funding during an emergency; Work closely with the Caritas Internationalis (CI) Emergency Unit and ensure the coherence of Caritas Africa and Caritas Internationalis Humanitarian Strategy; Develop the Caritas Africa Humanitarian and Disaster Management Strategy.

Humanitarian Capacity Strengthening of Caritas Africa Members

Support humanitarian capacity strengthening for Caritas MOs on core humanitarian standards, preparation of emergency responses, the CI Toolkit and Disaster Risk Reduction

(DRR)/ Disaster Risk Management (DRM), Volunteer management, Community resilience etc; Ensure strong communication and coordination across different capacity strengthening

initiatives via regular coordination with other Caritas sister Organizations who are supporting specific emergency capacity strengthening initiatives at the country or regional level; Identify opportunities for temporary assignments for the Caritas Africa Regional Emergency Team Members and National Caritas Emergency Team members as a way of strengthening the capacity while ensuring strong support to ongoing responses; Facilitate virtual and in-person training sessions on: core humanitarian standards, preparation of Emergency Preparedness and Response plans, domestication of the Caritas Internationalis tool kit, Disaster Management, Community Managed Disaster Risk Reduction and Volunteer management, Community resilience; Identify and promote other forms of learning for Caritas Africa MOs including exposure visits, online learning (including courses on the Baobab e-learning platform,), temporary assignments, accompaniment, formal learning and membership in CI Working Groups; Identify links to and support aspects of CI MS implementation and ongoing organizational strengthening activities that also fulfil or support improvements in humanitarian response and recovery – with a specific focus on protection mainstream and the Safeguarding CI MS commitments;

Collaboration, Communication, Networking and Learning

Document lessons learned and good practices in emergency response and disaster management in Africa region; Facilitate communication among CA Member Organizations - provide up-to-date information, data and other materials for CI and Caritas Africa stories, media and information needs; Raise awareness of the Caritas Africa Regional Solidarity Fund; to strengthen domestic resource mobilization initiatives for Humanitarian Affairs; Provide technical inputs towards advocacy efforts on Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster

Management at the National, Continental and International level.

Key working relationships

Internal: Caritas Africa, National Caritas, Caritas Africa Humanitarian Reference Group Members and Caritas Africa MO Humanitarian Directors, Programme Officers or Focal Points; External: Caritas Internationalis, other national and international NGOs / Organizations, other CI MOs supporting Caritas Africa.

Qualifications and experience

Masters’ Degree or equivalent experience in Humanitarian Assistance, Emergency Response and Preparedness, Disaster Management, Community Managed Disaster Risk Reduction; Four to five years’ experience in emergency team leadership, program design, proposal development, administration and financial oversight, response coordination; Basic knowledge of design requirements and regulations of major donors including the Caritas, the EU, UN agencies and different Government; Experience working with local partner organizations in diverse cultural contexts, psychologically & physically stressful environments; Strong knowledge of humanitarian codes, principles and practice and experience of working in humanitarian networks in Sub-Saharan Africa; Good knowledge of Ecclesial networks, including Caritas and humanitarian actors in SubSaharan Africa; and ability to cultivate fraternal cooperation with the local Church structures, the Representatives of the sister member organizations of Caritas Internationalis supporting programs of Caritas Africa member organizations and other partners sharing the vision, mission, work values and principles of Caritas; Ability to maintain performance expectations and strong working relationships in diverse cultural contexts, psychologically & physically stressful environments; Experience working with local partner organizations in Africa region; Understanding of Caritas Internationalis ToolKit and Emergency Appeal process; Proven facilitation, planning and coordination skills; Excellent report writing skills

Competencies required for all Caritas Africa Staff:

Required foreign language

English is required (spoken and written). Knowledge of Portuguese is desired and French is an added bonus.

Work environment

Ability to live and work in disaster affected areas; Ability to deploy on short notice (within 48-72 hours) when needed.

Disclaimer

This job description is not an exhaustive list of the skill, effort, duties, and responsibilities associated with the position. Caritas Africa’s talent acquisition procedures reflect our commitment to protecting children and vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation. All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references, and appropriate screening checks can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his / her understanding of, and consent to, these recruitment procedures.