I.            Job Summary:  

CARE is one of the world's leading international humanitarian and development organizations, committed to helping people in poor communities improve their lives and alleviate poverty. Founded in 1945, CARE is working with over 121 countries to fight global poverty and marginalization. CARE has been active in Bangladesh since 1949 and is one of the largest programs in CARE confederation. Women and girls are at the core of all CARE programs because they represent half of the marginalized group, and it is not possible to overcome poverty until all people have equal rights and opportunities. CARE Bangladesh works to implement programs with long-term impacts that result in sustainable changes for the extreme poor and marginalized communities.

Globally, there is a growing interest and investment in Anticipatory Action (AA) as an approach to reduce potential impacts of anticipated disasters. In Bangladesh, humanitarian and disaster risk management organizations are carrying out various pilots to test, gather evidence, build capacity, and advocate for strengthening the DRM governance and financing system to reduce shocks on vulnerable people and their livelihoods, improve the effectiveness of emergency preparedness, response and recovery efforts, and reduce the humanitarian burden. Government of Bangladesh has also included ‘Forecast-based Financing and Action’ (FbF/A) in its recently revised Standing Orders on Disasters (SOD 2019) which shows their willingness to adopt the approach.

A consortium led by CARE Bangladesh, Concern Worldwide and technical partner Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System for Africa and Asia (RIMES) has been established. The consortium has launched the ECHO funded project ‘Scaling-Up Flood Forecast-based Action and Learning in Bangladesh’ (SUFAL-II) to strengthen the case for early action by implementing FbA system in three flood-prone districts of Northern Bangladesh. CARE Germany, the CARE Member Partner (CMP) holding the donor contract will oversee the project in Bangladesh and liaise directly with the donor.

SUFAL consortium partners with national and local government to implement AA to address the technical, economic, and institutional barriers limiting its uptake. The project will strengthen flood forecasting early warning by facilitating impact-based forecasting to contextualize forecasts, and identify wide range of community-focused early actions by developing an institutionalized mechanism to initiate FbF/A. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) will guide how FbF/A are systematically tied to triggered threshold levels and provide guidelines on the roles of government and local stakeholders in taking early actions, emphasizing the protection of vulnerable groups. SUFAL will advocate for financing early actions, and propose recommendations on how FbA can be integrated into the DRM framework. Furthermore, SUFAL will study how social safety net programmes can also support early actions, and advocate for strengthening Shock Responsive Social Protection. During the monsoon season, SUFAL will test the system established to strengthen the evidence base for AA by assessing its impact and value for money. SUFAL will facilitate national and local level dialogue and advocacy around FbA to address institutional mandate challenges. By increasing capacity for AA, this project will improve the Government of Bangladesh's ability to respond timely and effectively to monsoon floods.

Reporting to the Project Manager, the Project Officer will be primarily responsible to implement the FbA initiative in the field by mobilizing and utilizing a team force that will work closely with the selected target institutions. S/he will support monitoring and documentation of field implementation as per the program plan, and ensure the overall quality of project delivery.

II. Responsibilities and Tasks:

% of Time

Responsibility # 1: Strengthen the FbA mechanism at local levels

40%

• In close cooperation with the Project Manager lead the direct implementation of the AA approach for monsoon floods in the Jamuna River basin to achieve planned results.
• Liaise, coordinate and cooperate with government authorities as well as relevant national & international organizations and stakeholders to promote integration of AA approach into the national DRM system at the district, upazila and union levels.
• Oversee development of risk maps (vulnerability, inundation) in targeted locations.
• Facilitate Community Risk Assessment, Early Action Matrix development, SOP development and simulation exercise through participatory ways.
• Support development and testing of Early Action Matrix and/or Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), particularly by identifying relevant and effective early actions and establishing procedures that allow timely implementation of early actions once a threshold/trigger has been reached.
• Work with government and consortium counterparts to identify and test appropriate Social Safety Nets which can be relevant for AA approach in monsoon floods.
• Arrange and provide capacity building (TOT, trainings) to targeted stakeholders at the community and institutional levels for quality and timely implementation of early actions as per procedures of proposal and CARE Bangladesh.
• Ensure visibility according to ECHO requirements/standards and present information on the project on different occasions.
• Contribute to maintenance of strong team spirit and positive workplace environment.
• Strengthen CARE in their capacities and advocacy role in the field of Climate Change Adaptation, Climate Information Services and Anticipatory Action.

Responsibility # 2: Government Liaison/External Relations/ Coordination

20%

• Communicate with stakeholders at community and local government levels, and consortium counterpart on a regular basis.
• Ensure buy-in of project activities, and AA approach among the community, local government and DRM officials at all level from union to district.
• Organize meeting/workshop/ orientation with project participants at the institutional level to create supportive environment for mobilizing support for FbA.
• Maintain constant networking with GO/NGO/Local government department.
• Identify, develop and test appropriate forecast-based early actions for monsoon floods with relevant government departments.
• Explore innovative ways to mobilize financial support from local government and other sources, facilitate use of local resources for sustainability of FbA activities.

Responsibility # 3: Monitoring and Documentation of project activities and results

15%

• Use the MEAL system appropriate for measuring the impact of the implementation of the early actions in the SOPs and thereby contribute to building evidence for AA approach and coordinate relevant research work.
• Ensure regular monitoring of project implementation including collection and analysis of data for the indicators and project monitoring/control.
• Ensure regular documentation of activities and results from implementation of the AA approach through collection of case stories, photo stories, etc.
• Ensure compilation and sharing of results, learning and uptake from all the activities.

Responsibility # 4: Staff Management

15%

• The Project Officer will supervise the Field Facilitators (FF), Field Mobilizer (FM) and Assistant Project Officer (APO) to provide logistical and administrative support in accordance with CARE procedures.
• Identify the key skills required by all Project staff to effectively fulfill their designated roles and where necessary suggest or plan staff training to fulfill such needs as well as provide on the job training and coaching/mentoring on FbA.
• Ensure all required resources, information, and technical support for the FF/FM/APO by discussing with the respective supervisor. S/he will create an enabling working environment that encourages open and honest communication based on mutual respect within the spirit of CARE's core values.

Responsibility # 5: Reporting and facilitate financial and administrative activities

10%

• Prepare project progress report, activity reports, case studies and other special report as per project plan and needs.
• Ensure that the staff adheres to the project and organization administrative and financial rules, policies and regulations. Ensure that the staffs are kept abreast of the latest changes to the project strategies and activities.

Responsibility # 6 Responsibilities on Safety and Security, Gender and Inclusion and Safeguarding and Child Protection

As part of this role, the job holder must adhere to and support CARE Bangladesh’s Safety and Security policy and systems as part of their day-to-day duties and comply with safety & security protocols and directives, including reporting. Staff must maintain situational and self–awareness and be aware of the safety – security-related consequences of their actions upon themselves, their team, and the organization.

CARE is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behavior at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity, and financial misconduct, and expects staff to promote the welfare of children, young people, and adults always.  CARE expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our Code of Conduct.  We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate this commitment are recruited to work with us.

Gender equality and inclusion are fundamental at CARE, promoting equal rights and challenging discriminatory norms to achieve social justice. We foster an inclusive workplace respecting diverse gender identities, abilities, backgrounds, and experiences through dialogue, training, and diversity initiatives. All CARE staff must uphold ethical standards, following codes of conduct to prevent abuse, including sexual harassment, exploitation, and neglect. Regular monitoring ensures accountability to uphold these principles and support our mission of social justice and poverty alleviation.

III. Reporting to:  

Project Manager of this project

IV. Working Condition:  

This is based in Kurigram under Rangpur district.

5. Qualification:

• 5 to 6 years of relevant professional experience in Humanitarian and Resilience projects/programmes related to FbF/FbA, climate information services, DP/DRR, community-based DRR, gender-mainstreaming and inclusion.
• Masters in science or social science discipline. Preference will be given to candidates with undergraduate and/or postgraduate degree in Disaster Management, Environment/Climate Change, Geography, Statistics, Development Studies.
• Strong analytical skills; ability to summarize and present complex information in effective manner. Experience in using infographics will be an added advantage.
• Excellent communication skills; ability to communicate clearly and effectively; maintain relationships at all levels. Skills in networking, negotiation, persuasion and advocacy for mainstreaming new concepts and approaches.
• Experience in cooperating with and capacity building of national and international organizations.
• Experience in working with or managing teams (project staff, volunteers, consultants).
• Knowledge and understanding of DRR issues and DRM framework in Bangladesh. Incumbent must be familiar with agenda on Forecast-based Financing / Action (FbF/FbA) or Anticipatory Action.
• Experience with donor-funded projects (ECHO, USAID, FCDO).
• Excellent computer skills (spreadsheets, word, databases and other programmes). Skills with software, such as QGIS/ARC GIS, KOBO, MS office Package, and AutoCAD, will be considered an asset.
• Strong communication, report writing and presentation skills in Bangla and English.
• CARE Core competencies are noted below: