Candidate Brief Humanitarian Shelter Research Assistant Promoting Safer Building (9 months contract) November 2016
Dear Candidate, This role is an opportunity to join the highly regarded CARE International s Emergency Shelter Team and work alongside its partners in the new Promoting Safer Building project. You will support the team in further growing the capacity of CARE s work in shelter and improving the quality of its work. This 9-month role gives the opportunity to provide highlevel research input that will contribute directly to emergency responses around the world, and also ensure that lessons from those responses are learnt and disseminated widely. The successful candidate will work both within CARE and the wider humanitarian sector and will support CARE s shelter work and policies at the global level. The workload of the team is varied, interesting and challenging, and includes assessment, analysis, programme design and implementation of projects in country as well as developing policy, commissioning and undertaking research and developing advocacy materials in the UK. CARE sits on the Global Shelter Cluster s Strategic Advisory Group and has a significant track record in shelter programming and in developing new approaches and best practices in responding to disasters involving loss of homes and displacement of people. The team is dedicated to developing both CARE s capacity and that of the wider shelter sector, and is committed to ensuring CARE s programming is always of high quality, gender sensitive and seizes every opportunity to empower women and girls. We are looking for a research assistant with an interest in shelter and a dedication to humanitarianism. This role would suit someone with an interest in humanitarian shelter who is looking for opportunities and experience in the shelter sector. There is no need to have a formal built environment professional background. If you think this role sounds right for you, please do apply. Tom Newby Head of Humanitarian Technical Team 2
Background Information CARE International a global organisation fighting global poverty CARE International operates in more than 90 countries around the world. We run povertyfighting programmes and deliver life-saving aid in 79 developing countries. This work is supported by global policy and advocacy work, fundraising, and programme management provided by CARE offices in countries like the USA and the UK. CARE International UK CARE International UK was founded in 1985 and we are one of 14 full members of the global CARE International federation. We employ 120 staff and generate around 50 million a year for CARE s poverty-fighting work. As well as supporting CARE s humanitarian and development work around the world, CARE International UK provides specific expertise in the areas of women s economic empowerment, inclusive governance, humanitarian response (particularly shelter, and gender in emergencies), and engaging with the private sector. We also play a key role in CARE s work engaging with and influencing policy-makers and decision-makers to tackle the structural causes of poverty and social injustice. CARE s programmes are implemented through CARE country offices which are supported with technical assistance and programme management by CARE members (including CARE International UK). We work in partnership with local organisations to deliver many of our programmes. CARE is non-religious and non-political, allowing us to deliver humanitarian and development assistance to anyone in need regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, age, religion, political view or sexual orientation. You can find out more about our current strategy here 3
Background to the job and the team The Humanitarian Shelter Research Assistant will work as part of a team on an exciting new project: Promoting Safer Building supporting self-recovery in post-disaster reconstruction. This is a practice/research project in partnership with EPICentre, University College London (UCL), Overseas Development Institute (ODI) and the British Geological Survey (BGS). The successful candidate will work as a member of CARE International UK s (CIUK) Humanitarian Shelter Team and will also work closely with researchers within the project partnership. The CIUK Shelter Team is part of the Humanitarian Technical Team. It comprises a Shelter Team Leader, a Senior Shelter Advisor (who is also the manager of the Promoting Safer Building Project) and two other Shelter Advisors. While the primary responsibility of the Shelter Research Assistant is to provide research and administrative support to the Promoting Safer Building project team, ensuring all project deadlines are met, s/he will be expected to have a flexible approach to support the work of the Shelter Team generally. The emergency shelter team has the following objectives: CARE International and its partners are able to prepare for and effectively respond to emergencies with high quality, timely and appropriate shelter interventions, at meaningful scale. CARE s shelter programmes consistently advance gender equality and women s empowerment through mainstreaming and targeted actions. The Emergency Shelter Team is adequately resourced and managed to deliver high quality service. CARE s shelter programmes have thorough assessment, M&E, learning and accountability, all of these address gender, and the team is an effective repository for learning. CARE is widely known as a leading actor in emergency shelter and effectively shapes shelter policy & practice. The CARE Emergency Shelter Team has a global remit to support CARE country offices in the response to natural disaster and conflict. Its priority is always to provide timely technical and strategic advice either remotely or through deployments. CARE has a strong focus on gender in its emergency response programmes. As a part of CIUK s Emergency Shelter Team, the Research Assistant will be a champion for gender sensitive and gender transformative programming, and will have an interest or general understanding of gender & shelter in emergencies. 4
Promoting Safer Building supporting self-recovery in post-disaster reconstruction A brief summary of the research rationale Poorly constructed buildings are often the largest cause of injury, trauma and death in the event of a natural disaster. Most families rebuild houses relying on their own resources, with little or no external support. They "self-recover". An analysis of statistics shows that the impact of aid agencies on housing recovery rarely reaches more than 20% of affected families and is frequently in single figures. Moreover, much of that support is in the form of temporary housing intended to last only a few years. Therefore, we know that 80%, or more, self-recover. The potential impact is huge; any one emergency can leave hundreds of thousands of families homeless, with women and girls disproportionately affected. As things stand, these homes are too often rebuilt using the same pre-disaster bad practice that caused so much death, injury and economic damage in the first place. Currently, shelter professionals lack understanding of the recovery process and therefore of inherent opportunities for appropriate and effective support. Families choose when and how to rebuild based on little-understood circumstances. Empowering them in the exercise of informed choice is integral to assisting self-recovery. There are neither tools nor knowledge to effectively support this at scale. Currently, the international aid community lacks skills to adequately contextualise each unique situation, arrive rapidly and reliably at key technical messages and effectively transmit and promote those messages in a way that allows informed choice and ensures maximum acceptance by the affected population. Current post-disaster programmes do not systematically or effectively address the motivations (want), resources (can) and abilities (know-how) of beneficiaries in the process of self-recovery. The research will address the needs of those who self-build. It specifically addresses two important gaps: Technical best practice - what key construction and siting messages will make a substantial improvement to self-building in different contexts? Changing current practice - getting the message across; what communication and promotion methods really work; learning from current technology transfer and public education approaches. 5
Job Description 1. Overview Post Title: Department: Responsible to: Accountable to: Base Location: Humanitarian Shelter Research Assistant Programme & Policy Department Promoting Safer Building Project Manager CARE International UK Emergency Shelter Team Leader Promoting Safer Building Advisory Group Promoting Safer Building ODI Project Lead London - with approx. 20% international travel CARE International UK (CIUK) reserves the right in consultation with employees to change base location according to organizational and departmental requirements. Line Management Responsibility: Budgetary Responsibility: None No External Contacts ODI, BGS, EPICentre and UCL, as collaborating project partners Other Humanitarian agencies Global Shelter Cluster & Global Shelter Cluster Strategic Advisory Group Other stakeholders, members of the Steering Group Internal Contacts CARE International Emergency Group (CEG) CARE Core Sector Leads (WASH, food security, sexual & reproductive health) CARE International Country Offices CIUK Marketing Department CIUK Programme & Policy Department CIUK Inclusive Governance Team CIUK Women s Economic Empowerment Team The above list is provided for guidance only and is not an exhaustive list of all the contacts with whom the post-holder may be required to liaise. 6
2. Job Summary The Humanitarian Shelter Research Assistant will support the Emergency Shelter Researcher and the Promoting Safer Building team primarily at CIUK, but also in close coordination with colleagues at ODI, BGS and UCL. This is a support role to assist us in developing a research methodology, acquiring research materials for primary and secondary research and preparing any articles, reports and presentations. Other responsibilities include any support required for organising relevant project meetings, workshops and conferences. S/he will also be working as part of the CIUK Emergency Shelter Team. A degree of flexibility will be expected as the workload of the team can vary depending on the demands of CARE country offices and the severity and frequency of disasters. The research assistant will be self-motivated, well-organised, resourceful and capable of managing his/her workload independently. S/he will also need to be able to work collaboratively across disciplines and organisations. It is essential to understand the need for sensitivity while working in a participatory manner with colleagues from different cultural backgrounds and often in communities that have suffered recent trauma. S/he will also support the Emergency Shelter Team to identify potential funding opportunities for the furtherance of this work and assist in proposals/ concept notes preparation. 3. Specific Areas of Responsibility i. Undertaking and supporting collaborative research Supported by ODI, UCL, BGS and CARE project leads undertake research into selfrecovery and the effective promotion of safer building techniques in post-disaster contexts, in collaboration with CARE s Emergency Shelter Team, and where necessary partner organisations in disaster-affected countries. The Research Assistant will be responsible for supporting the Researcher and the Promoting Safer Building project team in: Identifying key stakeholders, processes and resources in post-disaster shelter recovery and reconstruction Effective communication of technical concepts to and with disaster-affected women, girls, men and boys. Key drivers for, and barriers to, the uptake and implementation of safer building techniques in post-disaster reconstruction. Contribute to the preparation of literature reviews and compile existing evidence on promotion of safer building. Gather and analyse data 7
Assist in the production of case studies on post-disaster shelter recovery and promotion of safer building. Contribute to the elaboration of articles, reports and papers for publication. ii. Supporting the research team s activities and building the longer-term success of the research project: Support the organisation of workshops and a conference to promote and disseminate the project and its outputs Contribute to proposals and bids to fund increased research and development as part of the Promoting Safer Building project. Attend workshops and events related to shelter after disasters and improving practices in shelter response in order to disseminate the work and findings of the Promoting Safer Building project. Support the development of partnerships with research and implementation organisations in disaster-prone countries and in the UK. Support the establishment of the Promoting Safer Building advisory group. iii. Supporting CARE s Emergency Shelter Team objectives: Assist in the preparation of draft guidelines for shelter practitioners and humanitarian aid workers on the promotion of safer building. Assist the CARE Emergency Shelter Team in identifying and making use of learning opportunities in CARE shelter programming. Any additional duties as may be reasonably required by a senior manager within the scope of the above. This document forms part of the post holder s contractual terms and conditions of employment. The document is not an exhaustive list of core elements of the role. This job description is a working document and may be amended from time to time by mutual agreement. Data Protection The post holder hereby agrees not to disclose any confidential or sensitive information to a third party or outside organisation except where required to do so by law. Health and Safety The post holder agrees to abide by CIUK s Health and Safety principles and code of conduct and to take all reasonable steps to ensure both their own safety in the work place as well as that of their colleagues. 8
Equal Opportunities The post holder agrees to promote and uphold the principles of equal opportunities in accordance with CIUK s Equal Opportunities Statement and all related policies. 9
Person Specification Essential Desirable Experience / qualifications Educated to degree or post-graduate level in a subject relevant to research project. Education to Master s degree level, equivalent or higher. Some understanding of humanitarian response and underlying principles. Some experience in humanitarian Some knowledge and experience of emergency shelter programming. programming in emergency contexts. Experience in managing shelter programmes in and after humanitarian crises. Experience in production of high-quality research outputs. Experience in design, monitoring and evaluation of programmes. An understanding of the theory and practice of emergency shelter response. An understanding of CARE s approach to gender in emergencies, and gender-sensitive humanitarian programming. Skills / Abilities Ability to produce high-quality research. Ability to fundraise and Proven ability to write well and clearly in plain English. write funding proposal, concept notes etc. Networking and collaborative skills. 2 nd language (for Self-motivated with an ability to work independently from time to time. example French, Spanish, Arabic). Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines. Time management skills, including managing a complex and varied workload. Keen interest to developing own skills and knowledge. 10
Other Willingness to travel away from home for approximately 20% of their time. This may include travel to harsh working environments. 11
Application Process To apply please send your completed application form via email to jobs@careinternational.org quoting C845 in the subject line or Via post to Human Resources Department, CARE International UK, 9 th floor, 89 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TP. Closing date: 10am Monday 28 November 2016 Interview date: Week commencing 5 December 2016 For further information about CIUK: www.careinternational.org.uk Twitter: @careintuk 12