Disaster Management Consultant (Lao PDR) At Asian Disaster Preparedness Center

About the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center:

The Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) is an autonomous international organization established for scientific, educational, developmental, and humanitarian purposes with a vision of safer communities and sustainable development through disaster risk reduction and climate resilience in Asia and the Pacific.

Established in 1986 as a technical capacity-building center, ADPC has grown and diversified its expertise across social and physical sciences to support sustainable solutions for risk reduction across a broad range of specialist areas, with over 100 staff from 19 different nationalities and a wide range of professional expertise from atmospheric scientists to social scientists with experiences from all levels of engagement typically required for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Resilience (CR) effectively. ADPC has six strategic themes supported by seven departments, namely the ADPC Academy, Risk Governance, Climate Resilience, Urban Resilience, Health Risk Management, Preparedness for Response and Recovery, and Geospatial Information. These are supported by Finance, Human Resources and Administration, and Strategic Planning departments. In addition to the departments, ADPC also works on three cross-cutting themes: Gender and Diversity, Poverty and Livelihoods, and Regional and Transboundary Cooperation through permanent working committees.

ADPC Strategy 2020 guides the organization in providing comprehensive risk reduction support to countries and communities in Asia and the Pacific. ADPC recognizes the importance of examining the linkages between disaster risk management, poverty reduction, gender equality, sustainability, rights-based approaches, climate change, and regional cooperation. For details, please refer to the ADPC website at http://www.adpc.net/

Department Introduction:

The Preparedness for Response and Recovery (PRR) Department of ADPC focuses on enhancing the preparedness and response management capacities of governments, response organizations, volunteers, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, communities, and other traditional and non-traditional actors of the Disaster Risk Management Ecosystem. It also strives to strengthen the capacity of institutions and at-risk communities for faster and more efficient disaster recovery. The department works with the above-stated actors to ensure that the regional, national, sub-national, and local disaster preparedness, response, and recovery frameworks and implementation plans are in place well before disaster strikes.

Purpose and Objectives:

The Preparedness for Response and Recovery Department (PRR) of the ADPC is implementing Phase 3 of the Asian Preparedness Partnership (APP) in Lao PDR as one of the target countries. During APP Phase 2, the Lao Disaster Preparedness Partnership (LDPP) was established with key partners, Department of Social Welfare (DSW), the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (MoLSW) representing the government, and non -governmental actors, Lao Civil Society Coordination Office (LCCI) and the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LNCCI). The Consultant will be responsible for planning, guiding, and implementing of the project activities at the national and sub-national levels in close coordination and consultation with respective partners of the LDPP from the Government, NPA/CSO network and the Private Sector Network in Lao PDR as well as the APP program team in Bangkok.

This consultant position is open for Laos Nationals only and the Consultant will be based in Vientiane, Lao PDR.

Expected Outputs:

1. Developed the required documents for sub-grant agreement/s in Lao PDR.
2. Developed and finalized the required MOU/s for the implementation in Lao PDR under APP Phase 3.
3. Coordinated between the stakeholders in LDPP for implementation of the priority interventions identified.
4. Advised and guided the local partners regularly and built the partnership.
5. Reviewed the progress of the APP Phase 3 in Lao including required reporting and budget.
6. Coordinated and regular updates to APP Secretariat in Bangkok, ADPC.
7. Conducted regular Monitoring and Evaluation.
8. Guided and reviewed the development of knowledge products.
9. Coordinated the south-south knowledge sharing and learning for the LDPP partners and the APP countries.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Oversee the development of the required MOU/s and the sub-grant agreement/s for implementation in Lao PDR
• Serve as a focal person for the project at the country level for coordination with with Government, NPAs/ civil society groups, Private Sector Networks, and other stakeholder agencies of the LDPP;
• Coordinate with the APP Secretariat in ADPC HQ in implementing the project activities regularly;
• Regularly coordinate with the focal points of the LDPP partners and facilitate the process of implementation of an action plan for promoting localization through strengthening multi-stakeholder LDPP for preparedness for emergency response in Lao PDR;
• Assist in developing/adapting training curriculum required according to local needs and review training design and training materials for capacity building & training programs being implemented;
• Serve as a facilitator/resource person for the capacity-building activities under the project at the national and sub-national levels;
• Provide technical support in project activities, knowledge management & promotion of learning among the stakeholders;
• Coordinate and guide the south-south knowledge management and exchange component for the LDPP, and provide necessary support in south-south knowledge management activities under the overall APP initiative in coordination with other members of the ADPC program team;
• Review the activity, progress, financial reports and technical documents developed by the LDPP partners and consultants for timely submission to the national partners ADPC HQ;
• Conduct monitoring of project activities as required;
• Represent ADPC at relevant coordination meetings as needed and provide assistance in increasing the project outreach, engagement in advocacy, assistance in leveraging support from other organizations and fund mobilization at the country level.
• Perform other relevant tasks as assigned by the PRR Director and Project Manager.

Working Principles:

Under the overall guidance of the Director, PRR, the Consultant will report to the Program Lead, Localization for the APP Program. The consultant will also work closely with other staff in of ADPC as required.

Qualifications:

• An advanced university degree (at least Masters) in Disaster Risk Management, Public Policy, Environmental Sciences, Engineering, or any other related field is essential.
• At least 10 years of proven experience in project management and coordination, and capacity-building programs on related topics such as Emergency Management or Disaster Risk Management.
• Proven experience in Emergency Response Management such as scenario-based contingency planning, incident command system development, and application of specific technical information and data into training and capacity building programs.
• Familiarity and at least 5 years of experience working with the Provincial/National Governments in the field of Disaster Risk Management or Climate Change in Lao PDR.
• Experience in working with Humanitarian NGOs or international organizations in similar programs.
• Knowledge of the working ethics of national or state government agencies, international NGOs/NPAs, CSO networks, private organizations, and international organizations would be an added advantage.
• Proficiency in written and verbal communication skills in English and local languages.

Duty Station: Vientiane, Lao PDR

Duration: 15March 2024 – 14 March 2025

This is a part-time consultancy position. The contract duration will be one year, with a possibility of an extension on the needs of the project and also upon satisfactory performance.

Itinerary: During official missions outside the duty station, the Consultant will be entitled to local/international travel, daily subsistence allowance, accommodation, and other related travel costs as per ADPC financial policy.