Coordinator -Anticipatory Action Technical Working Group (AA TWG) (National)

• 10 to 12 years
• The applicants should have experience in the following business area(s): Govt./ Semi Govt./ Autonomous body, Development Agency

• Minimum Master’s degree in Disaster Management, Geography & Environment, Development Studies, Social Science, Meteorology or related discipline (Education qualification will be relaxed in case of potential/ experienced candidates).

• 10 to 12 years
• The applicants should have experience in the following business area(s): Govt./ Semi Govt./ Autonomous body, Development Agency

• Minimum 10 to 12 years’ experience in managing Disaster Risk Management programs (working experience with humanitarian/development organization and in Forecast based Financing/Action (FbF/A) or Anticipatory Action (AA) will be preferred).

• At least 5 years workings experience to work as senior position like Project Manager/ Coordinator/ Consortium coordinator.

• Demonstrated experience working with government institutions, UN agencies, NGOs, or Red Cross Red Crescent Movement partners.

• Knowledge of Bangladesh`s disaster management architecture and policy environment and proven experience in policy engagement, multi-stakeholder coordination, and technical working groups.

• Strong coordination and multi stakeholder management skill; Familiarity with humanitarian coordination mechanisms and government systems, with strong coordination and multi-stakeholder management skills.

• Strong project cycle management skills: assessments, design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and strategic planning skills.

• Having good knowledge on hydro-met services, risk analysis, implementation of GIS and RS tools.

• Ability to understand and work with Government /Ministries, departments, agencies, policies and regulations.

• Excellent command of English language both in oral and writing.

Red Cross - Red Crescent movement is the largest volunteer organization in the world. Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) is a national society of the movement, constituted on 31 March 1973 by the President's Order No. 26 of 1973 with retrospective effect from 16 December 1971. This is the biggest humanitarian organization in Bangladesh. As an auxiliary to the government, the Society provides humanitarian assistance to the vulnerable people over the last 55 years and has undertaken a wide range of activities in humanitarian response, anticipatory action, disaster management, health, capacity building and in promoting Red Cross/ Red Crescent ideals and principles.

Department: Disaster and Climate Risk Management (DCRM), BDRCS

Reportable to: Administratively and functionally to Director, DCRM Department in coordination with AA Focal, BDRCS. Also, functionally to the FbF/A Taskforce Convenor in close coordination with Coordinator-AA TWG (International)

Contract length: Up to December 2027 (with high possibility of extension based on funding availability)

Duty station: National Headquarters (NHQ), BDRCS, Boro Moghbazar, Dhaka with field visits as required

Context:

Anticipatory Action (AA) focuses on anticipating the impact of disasters rather than responding to them, to prevent or reduce potential impacts prior to a shock or before acute impacts are felt. This is a growing area of disaster management that works best when activities (the delivery), triggers, and decision-making rules (the model) are pre-agreed to ensure the rapid release of pre-arranged financing (the money).

Growing evidence shows that acting before the onset of a predictable shock is significantly faster, more dignified, and more cost effective. The MoDMR led Forecast Based Financing/Action Task Force (FbF/A TF) was established to demonstrate the government's esteem for the proactive approach and its readiness to take the lead in its continued advancement. Anticipatory Action (AA) has demonstrated considerable potential in Bangladesh, with an increasing number of stakeholders adopting this approach to manage the anticipated risk of imminent disasters. Considering the need, a working group on Forecast-based Financing (FbF) was formed in 2020, which is now referred to as the Anticipatory Action Technical Working Group (AATWG). As of now, AATWG is part of the Bangladesh Humanitarian Country Task Team (HCTT), brings 45+ organizations under the same coordination platform, and provides crucial support to the MoDMR-led FbF/A Task Force. AATWG is not only a coordination structure but also a Community of Practice (CoP) led by MoDMR and co-led by BDRCS and WFP.

Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) with support from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), German Red Cross (GRC), and other Partner National Societies, has been working since 2015 to design and further develop the Forecast based Financing (FbF) approach. BDRCS, being the pioneer to introduce and pilot anticipatory action in Bangladesh, was the first to develop two Early Action Protocols (EAP) back in 2018. To better coordinate the Anticipatory Action Technical Working Group (AA TWG) and to provide structured support to the FbF/A Task Force, an AATWG secretariat has been constituted at BDRCS, which is an independent body that comprises one national coordinator hosted by BDRCS and one international coordinator hosted by WFP. The vision is to create an AA Hub in Bangladesh, which will enable knowledge management and dissemination of best practices.

Job Purpose

The Coordinator-AA TWG (National) will serve as the national focal point of the AA TWG Secretariat and provide coordination, technical, implementation, and strategic support to the FbF/A Task Force and AATWG. The position will strengthen collaboration among government agencies, humanitarian organizations, development partners, scientific institutions, and donors to advance a coherent national anticipatory action agenda.

Working closely with the International Coordinator hosted by WFP, the Coordinator will support the operationalization of national AA priorities, facilitate development and implementation of standards, frameworks, protocols and workplans, and help integrate anticipatory action into national and local disaster management systems, policies, and financing mechanisms.

Roles and Responsibilities: 

Coordination and AA Secretariat Support

• Act as the national coordination focal person for the Anticipatory Action Technical Working Group to ensure coordination, joint planning, and implementation of actions under the guidance of Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief (MoDMR).
• Coordinate the functioning of the FbF/A Task Force and AATWG, ensuring effective engagement of government institutions, technical agencies, humanitarian actors, development partners, and donors.
• Organize and facilitate regular meetings, consultations, dialogue platforms, workshops, and technical exchanges to strengthen collaboration and achieve milestones of the National Framework on Anticipatory Action (NFAA).
• Maintain structured communication and information sharing among stakeholders and promote collective planning and decision making.
• Promote AA in national and international coordination forums, technical discussions, and strategic engagement platforms.
• Ensure the AA is in line with Bangladesh's national frameworks and agreed protocols and navigate Anticipatory Action strategies and actions across programmes based on a strong analysis of the context and conditions in various targeted areas.

Compile Landscape Analysis Document

• Compilation of AA Landscape Analysis document of existing hazard (e.g. flood, cyclone, heatwave, landslide) related Anticipatory Actions work in country across sectors and geographic areas of operation (inclusive of GOB counterpart identification),
• Support the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief with the development of a National Multi-Hazard Anticipatory Action Framework and supporting National Contingency Plan of Action, in partnership with key partners.

System integration and technical support of the Forecast-Based Financing/Action Task Force (FbF/A TF)

• Provide technical and coordination support to the development, revision, and operationalization of national anticipatory action frameworks, policies, protocols, and guidance documents.
• Provide secretarial support to the FbF/A Task Force to achieve government priorities with stronger collaboration among government, sectoral departments, development partners, donors and relevant stakeholders.
• Support government efforts to integrate anticipatory action into national disaster management, climate adaptation, humanitarian, and development planning processes.
• Contribute to policy discussions related to disaster management legislation, standing orders, social protection systems, financing mechanisms, cross-boundary information and interoperable data-sharing mechanisms.
• Regularly analyze the activities of the partners in the sector and provide analysis on gaps in coverage, duplications and variance in packages being provided.

Forecasting, Early Warning and Scientific Partnership

• Work closely with the forecast agencies - Flood Forecasting and Warning Center (FFWC of the Bangladesh Water Development Board), Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) and technical institutions to improve the use of risk information, forecasting methodologies, early warning dissemination, impact-based forecasting, etc.
• Prepare and share AA Situation Report with risk analysis (during hazard and on need) and share with different stakeholders, clusters, and working groups.
• Support efforts to enhance trigger development and operational decision making to functionalize the national early action protocols.
• Facilitate collaboration between scientific institutions and operational agencies to ensure that anticipatory action systems are robust, locally relevant, and evidence-based.
• Ensure strong collaboration with relevant actors and technical leads of the Early Warnings for All initiative to support achieving its targets

Paving the way for establishing Anticipatory Action Financing Provision

• Support analysis of anticipatory action financing mechanisms, funding trends and opportunities for scaling up anticipatory action investments.
• Contribute to the development of evidence and analytical products that demonstrate effectiveness, value for money, and return on investment.
• Facilitate information sharing on activations, financing, implementation progress, and operational learning.
• Work with Social Protection Specialists and counterparts on the inclusion of social protection synergies within the AA Framework and existing national social safety net programmes.
• Liaise with the government’s different ministries and divisions with the guidance of FbF/A TF to ensure provision of AA financing within government plans and programmes.
• Support the functioning of the disaster management fund with dedicated allocation for anticipatory action and other decentralized financing opportunities.
• Monitor emerging global and regional developments in anticipatory action financing and support their adaptation to the Bangladesh context.
• Coordinate anticipatory action emergency funds from different donors and agencies through mapping of sector-specific funds from different donors and assisting clusters to coordinate AA fundraising.

Develop Mechanisms for the Mainstreaming of AA within GOB partner agencies

• Support institutionalization of AA capacity strengthening by embedding it within government training curricula, public administration frameworks, and operational procedures.
• Work closely with Disaster Management Committees (DMCs) on the adoption of AA Protocols at government and community levels, including training, consultations and simulation exercises as needed.
• Promote the application and dissemination of Minimum Technical Standards for Anticipatory Action, training package and other knowledge products for a consistent understanding of AA among stakeholders.
• Ensure demonstrated AA training, support development of AA simulation toolkit to complement operationalization of NEAPs.

Lead in addressing policy gaps related to the uptake of AA protocols and policies

• Support to develop national policies related to Anticipatory Action.
• Develop strategic documents and facilitate discussions, as well as responding diplomatically to strategic issues in line with institutional strategic direction.
• Track the value for money and return on investment of programme activities and revise programming accordingly, in coordination with Monitoring and Evaluation team.
• Promote Accountability to Affected Populations across programme planning and implementation.
• Support any other task assigned by the reporting organization.