Consultant - Disaster Risk Reduction

OVERVIEW

Parent Sector : Field Office

Duty Station: Brussels

Classification of duty station: [[filter12]]

Standard Duration of Assignement : [[filter13]]

Job Family: Natural Sciences

Type of contract : Non Staff

Duration of contract : From 1 to 6 months

Recruitment open to : External candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : 16/02/2025

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

Background

UNESCO operates at the interface between natural and social sciences, education, culture and communication, playing a vital role in building a global culture of resilience. UNESCO assists countries in capacity building for management of disaster and climate risk, particularly supporting the Member States on 1) early warning systems; 2) safe critical infrastructures; 3) UNESCO designated sites risk prevention; 4) using Science, Technology and Innovation such as Artificial Intelligence and big data; 5) built safe environment; 6) risk governance; 7) nature-based solutions, and 8) post disaster response.

Since February 2011, the UNESCO Liaison Office in Brussels and UNESCO Representation to the European Union (EU) contributes to represent UNESCO towards the European Institutions, to advocate for UNESCO's mandate and increase the visibility of UNESCO's programmes and activities with the final aim of increasing the UNESCO-EU partnership.

Purpose of the Assignment

The UNESCO Liaison Brussels Office together with UNESCO Disaster Risk Reduction Unit (UNESCO HQ, Paris) are leading capacity building and international cooperation actions in several Horizon Europe projects on disaster risk management and resilience, in particular:

Long Description

RESILIAGE (Advancing holistic understanding of community RESILIence and heritAGE drivers through community-based methodologies) enable a step-change in Disaster Risk Management and in the way research and practice deal with variation in aspects of society like culture, risk awareness, inclusion, socio-economic and geographical conditions by co-creating resilient communities through digital tools and soft solutions consolidated in a holistic and systemic approach. RESILIAGE is a three-year project that started on 1 September 2023.

NBSINFRA (City nature-based solutions integration to local urban infrastructure protection for a climate resilient society) supports the enhancement of the local urban critical infrastructures protection against natural and man-made hazards through the Nature-based solutions co-design and co-creation for a climate change resilient society. NBSINFRA is a three-year project that started on 1 September 2023.

SYNERGIES (Innovating Preparedness by Leveraging SYNERGIES and Enhancing Results of DRM Projects) intends to promote preparedness with the coherent and synergic involvement of the different actors of disaster management. These actors include first and second responders, citizens, communities, education systems, authorities and public administrations, business companies and practitioners. SYNERGIES is a three-year project that started on 1 December 2023.

Duties/Tasks and Expected Output

Under the overall supervision of the Director of the UNESCO Liaison Office in Brussels and the direct supervision of the Project Officer of the above-mentioned projects, and in cooperation with the Disaster Risk Reduction Unit at HQ, the Individual Specialist will provide support to implement UNESCO led activities of RESILIAGE, NBSINFRA and Synergies projects.

The main duties and responsibilities for this role are to support the Project Officer on the following :

• Work Packages (WP) coordination: to support UNESCO-led WPs and tasks with Project partners, and to draft minutes of meetings, provide inputs to reports and deliverables.
• Desktop analyses: to collect, map and analyze current good practices, ongoing initiatives and projects to formulate advocacy products.
• Capacity building : to support the organization of various capacity building actions, such as summer schools and training courses.
• Advocacy: to contribute to the development of thematic concept notes and briefs, and support the organization of high-level advocacy events in Brussels and beyond.
• Networking with EU projects: to map and keep updated the database of ongoing EU projects and initiatives, in particular Brussels based.

Based on the outlined activities, expected deliverables encompass a series of regular reports detailing the progress of each task along with an indicative timeline. On a monthly basis, the Individual Consultant will submit comprehensive progress reports to the Supervisor, covering the progress and achievements, challenges, and any necessary adjustments to the plan. The final payment will be processed upon receipt of a detailed final report, summarizing all results.

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)

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REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Completed full-time advanced degree (Master's degree or equivalent) at a university or equivalent institution in natural sciences, or a related field.

Work experience

• A minimum of 4 years of relevant professional experience in the implementation of EU research and innovation funded projects within clusters 3,5 and 6.
• Experience of policy analyses in the environmental field.
• Experience in organizing knowledge sharing events, such as trainings, workshops and webinars.
• Experience in organizing international advocacy events, such as side-events and information sessions.
• Experience in drafting project reports, deliverables and technical briefs.

Skills and competencies

• Good analytical, organizational and project management skills.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Capacity to build and maintain effective working relations with relevant institutions, governmental and non-governmental organizations.
• Ability to work effectively and maintain effective working relations within a multi-cultural environment.
• Ability to manage heavy workloads and to meet tight deadlines, paying close attention to details.
• Solid IT skills including knowledge of office software.

Languages

• Excellent knowledge of English (written and spoken).

Duration of the assignment

From 01 March  to 30 September 2025. Possibility of renewal subject to the availability of funds.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Interested candidates should complete the online application and submit as a single PDF document in the “Employment History Form” section the following documents:

• UNESCO Employment History Form;
• A technical proposal (maximum 2 pages) comprising proposed approach and statement on how candidate’s qualifications and experiences make them suitable for the assignment;
• A financial proposal indicating the monthly rate in EUR to be charged for the assignment.

Applications submitted without all the requested documents will not be considered.

SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

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