Overview
Facilitate the establishment of a continental impact-based Early Warning System (EWS) for Early Action and Transboundary Risk Management, focusing on climate hazards.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop an operational product on drought risk information for AMHEWAS and expansion to other climate hazards.
- Improve coordination of AMHEWAS Situation Room, ACMAD, and Regional Economic Communities producing drought informational products.
- Improve capacity of AMHEWAS partners, centres, and member states to develop and integrate drought early warning.
- Support the operations of the AMHEWAS programme, including the activities of the DRR Unit.
- Support mainstreaming and use of AMHEWAS products in regional organizations, member states, and humanitarian agencies.
- Participate in coordination and technical meetings and ensure exchange of information with other continental, regional situation rooms and other relevant technical bodies.
- Facilitate user engagement and feedback on AMHEWAS products to support continuous improvement.
- Actively engage with various stakeholders to advocate for integration of drought early warning into disaster risk policies and development.
- Liaise with EWS and Disaster Risk experts at ACMAD, IGAD, ECCAS, SADC, and national drought management authorities in Member States to improve existing mechanisms and procedures for data exchange.
- Support continuous improvement and innovation of AMHEWAS products and services, including leveraging emerging technologies.
- Lead the development and continuous enhancement of AMHEWAS drought information services.
- Lead the coordination of relevant institutions producing drought monitoring and early warning informational products.
- Facilitate periodic drought situation assessments and coordinate the co-production and dissemination of drought products.
- Design and deliver targeted Africa Drought Watch webinar series.
- Convene regional and continental dialogues with RECs, RCCs, and Member States to build consensus on proactive drought governance and institutional adoption.
- Lead development and institutionalization of proactive drought action standard operating procedures (SoP).
- Support the convening of anticipatory action coordination dialogues pre-drought events.
- Support research and knowledge management on anticipatory actions best practices on drought.
- Support capacity building of AMHEWAS partners and member states to develop drought early warnings.
- Support strategic improvement of AMHEWAS multi-hazard information systems beyond ADW and provide technical support to diversify hazards covered.
- Develop recommendations for improving drought products at continental, regional, and national levels.
- Support capacity building of AUC, partners, and RECs to develop and integrate drought informational products.
- Contribute to conceptualization and design of new projects to advance AMHEWAS and support development of funding proposals.
- Facilitate strategic networking to advance drought service and AMHEWAS programme.
Required Experience
- Five (5) years of relevant experience at the national or international level in implementing Disaster Risk Reduction Programmes with a focus on drought and climate hazards is required.
- Experience in managing early warning or disaster operations projects with a focus on drought and climate hazards is required.
- Experience working in Africa at regional or national level on Disaster Risk Reduction/Management (DRR/M) is required.
- Experience as a professional forecaster, including data management, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Early Warning Systems (EWS) management of emergency information, coordination of people and tasks, for the generation of Early Warning (EW) messages for drought and/or climate hazards is desirable.
Qualifications
- Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in Environmental Engineering, Environmental Science, Disaster Risk Management, Geography, Hydrology or other relevant fields is required.
- A first-level university degree in any of these fields in combination with two additional years of qualifying work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
