HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE PROGRAMME OFFICER

Job Location: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with regular travel (50% plus) to the field
Reporting to: Humanitarian Programme Manager, GOAL Ethiopia
Contract Length: Three months
Start Date Required: ASAP


General Description of the Programme:

GOAL has been working in Ethiopia since 1984 implementing a range of development and emergency response activities, including working with street children, pastoralists and rural small holders. Since 2004 GOAL has implemented development programmes in three rural areas of Ethiopia where GOAL had conducted emergency activities in 2002-03 as well as a Street Children’s project in the capital, Addis Ababa. Following a strategic planning exercise in 2005-2006 GOAL will continue with these programmes for the period from 2007-2011 with a focus on health, education, nutrition, WASH, livelihoods, food security and HIV/AIDS, with particular emphases on integration of activities and community participation as a core feature of activities.. Cross cutting issues include gender, protection, the environment and HIV/AIDS. GOAL Ethiopia utilises a strengths based approach to all development activities. Most GOAL management staff are Ethiopian, reflecting the duration of the country operation and the difficulty in obtaining work visas.

In 2005 GOAL, in partnership with USAID/OFDA, established the Humanitarian Response Programme (HRP) to respond to emergency nutrition situations in Ethiopia. Through this programme, GOAL has developed significant expertise in Community based Therapeutic Care (CTC), including capacity building of MoH staff, nutrition surveys and assessments and supplementary feeding activities. GOAL is OFDA’s primary emergency nutrition partner in Ethiopia. GOAL currently has a grant of $5million and a cost modification for $5.5million is being processed.

Currently GOAL Ethiopia's major funders are USAID/OFDA, ECHO, USAID/Child Survival, Irish Aid/MAPS, Irish Aid/EHAF, Comic Relief and GOAL, with occasional additional funding from other donors such as Band Aid, the Bank of Ireland, Alphabet Ball and private donors.

A severe drought is affecting the nutritional and health status of millions of people living in southern Ethiopia. The impacts of this drought are likely to continue until 2012. As a result GOAL is significantly expanding nutrition activities, whilst also undertaking emergency health, NFI and WASH responses. GOAL is requesting an additional $7m to support the current drought.

In addition, the Somali Region of Ethiopia is currently experiencing a huge influx of refugees from Somalia. GOAL is responding through partners, and will be directly implementing soon.

Overall objectives of the position:
To ensure the effective implementation GOAL Ethiopia’s 2011 emergency drought response.

General Description of the Role:
The Programme Officer, will work closely with and provide support to the HRP Manager, who is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of the HRP. The overall emphasis will be to ensure quality management of the significant increase in project activities. The Programme Officer will focus on comprehensive activity planning, donor liaison, report and proposal writing in emerging hop-spots response management. This is a support/capacity building role that includes liaising with GOAL’s support departments – Human Resources, Logistics, and Finance.

Key Duties:
1.Supports the HRP Project Manager in the management of the emergency response programme, with a particular emphasis on quality rollout to new areas of operation, and new activities, including emergency health and WASH responses.
3. Preparation of detailed implementation plans, including the allocation of individual donor funding to activities and ensuring accurate forecasts and spends.
3. Work closely with HRP technical staff (nutritionists, logisticians, early warning, survey teams, finance, human resources) and GOAL.
4. Liaise with in-country donors and key government agencies
5. Responsibility for the preparation of reports and proposals.
6. Host and assist in donor, media and GOAL Headquarter visits.
7. Other tasks as required by Country Director

Requirements:
• Master Degree in Development and two years experience working in large scale, complex emergency responses in East Africa, including in refugee settings.
• Four or more years of senior management experience
• Three or more years of Financial management experience
• Able to motivate, organise, and train a staff of 40+ individuals
• Experience in liasing with high level government representatives
• Experience with building donor relationships and strong familiarity with two or more of the following donors’ systems and regulations: ECHO; EHAF; USAID/ OFDA; UNHCR; UNOCHA
• Strong Inter personal skills and able to integrate/ lead multi-disciplinary teams of work with expatriate and local staff
• Very high level of writing skills and experience in report writing and development and write-up of Humanitarian Action Proposals for at least one of the above donor organisations

This Job Description only serves as a guide for the position available. GOAL reserves the right to change this document.

If you would like to apply for the above position, please send your CV and covering letter to applications@goal.ie, ensuring that the job title and location of the role are clearly stated in the subject line of your email. Thank you.