Disaster Risk Management Advisor for Ethiopia At People in Need

Leave a Comment / Ethiopia / By

Contract Length: 6 months with a possibility of extension

Country Programme: Ethiopia

Base: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Line Manager: Country Director

National posting

People in Need (PIN) is an international, non-profit organization providing humanitarian and development assistance around the world. Present in Ethiopia since 2003, PIN has directly implemented numerous humanitarian and development projects across five regions of the country, mainly focusing on emergency and development WASH, Shelter, Food Security, Agriculture, Education, and Job creation interventions (funded by BHA (USAID); DG ECHO; FCDO; UN OCHA; Czech government, etc.). The overall annual budget of Ethiopia country programme is about 4.7 mil. EUR, and it has 130 staff.

About this role:

The Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Advisor is a senior strategic leadership position responsible for shaping and advancing PIN Ethiopia’s DRM, Early Warning System (EWS), and Anticipatory Action (AA) agenda. The role focuses primarily on strategic positioning, sectoral leadership, and high-level engagement with national systems, donors, and partners, while providing technical oversight and quality assurance across programmes.

The Advisor supports the Country Director and Senior Management Team in positioning PIN as a credible and influential actor within Ethiopia’s DRM ecosystem, ensuring alignment with national priorities, donor strategies, and PIN’s global DRM framework. He/she is responsible for strategic guidance and follow-up on the developments in the Ethiopian’s DRM sector (with the respective agenda on EWS and AA), ensuring the quality and compliance of PIN’s programmes, values, policies and the strategy of the Relief and Development Department (RDD). He/she will represent PIN at EDRMC’s EWS and AA Technical working groups (TWGs) and other working groups and community of practice. He/she will support the Country Director in strategic planning within this sector and follow-up on relevant agenda, including representation in front of partners and donors and partnership building. DRM Advisor also leads on project proposal development and implementation of potential DRM programming or activities in the country.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership & Sector Engagement

  • Provide strategic leadership for PIN Ethiopia’s DRM, EWS, and AA portfolio, ensuring long-term relevance, coherence, and impact
  • Lead PIN’s strategic positioning within Ethiopia’s DRM architecture, including alignment with national DRM, EWS, and climate risk governance frameworks
  • Monitor and analyse policy, institutional, and financing trends in DRM, climate risk management, & anticipatory approaches at national and regional levels, and regularly update internal team members
  • Translate sectoral developments into strategic recommendations for the Country Director, Senior Management Team, and PSI DRM Advisory.
  • Identify and pursue strategic entry points for PIN’s engagement within national systems (e.g. EWS roadmap) and key partner’s initiatives related to DRM, EWS, and AA
  • Contribute to country programme strategy development and ensure alignment with global PIN priorities in DRM/EWS/AA
  • Position PIN as a thought leader by promoting evidence-based approaches, innovation, and learning within the DRM and AA space

Partnerships, Donor Engagement & Representation

  • Lead high-level engagement and relationship management with key government counterparts (e.g. EDRMC, sectoral DRM authorities, meteorological and sectoral institutions) to strengthen system-level collaboration
  • Develop and maintain strategic partnerships with national and international NGOs, research institutions, UN agencies, and consortia working in DRM, EWS, and climate risk management
  • Act as a senior focal point for donor engagement on DRM, EWS and AA, contributing to donor intelligence, positioning, and portfolio growth
  • Actively participate and represent PIN at external forums, technical platforms and working groups in the country (e.g. EWS and AA TWG), ensuring visibility of PIN’s technical expertise and solutions and driving its portfolio forward
  • Support the Country Director and Grants teams in strategic donor dialogue, concept note development, and pre-positioning for funding opportunities.
  • Enhance PIN’s external visibility and credibility through active contribution to policy dialogue, joint initiatives, and sector learning platforms.

Programme Design, Technical Leadership & Implementation Oversight

  • Lead the design of complex and multi-year DRM, EWS, and AA proposals, ensuring strong technical quality, innovation, and alignment with government, donor and PIN priorities
  • Provide senior technical oversight and quality assurance across DRM, EWS, and AA programmes implemented by PIN and partners
  • Ensure DRM programming integrates multi-hazard risk analysis, impact-based forecasting, conflict sensitivity, protection, gender, and social inclusion.
  • Guide field teams and partners in translating complex DRM and EWS concepts into operationally feasible and scalable interventions.
  • Promote alignment and integration with national systems & frameworks (e.g. EDRMC roadmap, national EWS development) to support sustainability, institutionalisation, and government ownership
  • Oversee systematic documentation of lessons learned, evidence, and best practices to strengthen PIN’s DRM track record and inform scale-up.
  • In collaboration with PSI DRM Advisors, contribute to the development, adaptation, and roll-out of tools, methodologies, and guidance
  • Support capacity strengthening of PIN staff and partners through mentoring, coaching, and targeted technical trainings

Main Requirement:

  • Advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Disaster Risk Management, Climate Change, Environmental Science, Development Studies, Public Policy, or a related field
  • Minimum 7–10 years of progressive experience in DRM, DRR, EWS, Anticipatory Action, or climate risk management, including experience in advisory or leadership roles
  • Experience engaging with government institutions, donors, and coordination mechanisms at national or regional level
  • Strong understanding of international and national DRM, DRR, and humanitarian-development nexus frameworks
  • Proven experience in strategic programme design, donor engagement, and portfolio development
  • Excellent analytical, facilitation, negotiation, and representation skills
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills in English; knowledge of local languages is an asset
  • Experience working with international NGOs, UN agencies, or government DRM institutions is required

Core Competencies

  • Strategic thinking and systems-level analysis
  • Leadership, influence, and partnership-building
  • Technical credibility in DRM, EWS, and Anticipatory Action
  • Strong advisory and facilitation skills
  • Results-oriented, adaptive, and solutions-focused approach
  • Commitment to PIN’s values, humanitarian principles, and ethical standards

PIN offers:

  • Standard work schedule of 40 hours per week from Monday to Friday
  • Salary: 1,945.00-2,188.00 USD (depending on experience)
  • Per diems for working and Accommodation outside of the duty office depending on the location
  • Transport Allowance
  • Bank loan facilities
  • 20 days of paid annual and after 5 years of work an extra paid day for every year
  • Extra days of paid leaves for selected holidays
  • Medical insurance, including spouse and children
  • Accident insurance for all injuries during work time based on the law
  • Pension contribution of 11 % from PIN
  • Living cost adjustment allowance
  • Paternity leave of extra 2 paid days above the mandatory 3 days
  • Maternity leave according to the law and extra financial motherhood support
  • Monthly mobile phone hybrid tariff
  • PIN supports fast career growth and internal mobility
  • International environment with opportunities to learn from other PIN’s country programs
  • Extensive Capacity Building program, both internal and external trainings, including the Induction training
  • Internal online learning opportunities, such as access to PIN’s e-learning platform and webinars

How to apply

If you are interested in this position, send us your CV and short cover letter via our application form.
Please note only the shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Interviews will be conducted on rolling basis and the vacancy will be closed when filled.

People in Need is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct and committed to promoting the welfare of children and adults with whom People in Need involves. People in Need expects all staff to perform job duties and responsibilities in accordance with People in Need code of conduct and key policies (available at: https://www.peopleinneed.net/key-policies-4142gp)). People in Need Staff will undertake the appropriate level of training.
All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks.
We are committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organization and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.