Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) Officer

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, with a network of 192-member National Societies. The overall aim of the IFRC is “to inspire, encourage, facilitate, and promote at all times all forms of humanitarian activities by National Societies with a view to preventing and alleviating human suffering and thereby contributing to the maintenance and promotion of human dignity and peace in the world.” The IFRC works to meet the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable people before, during and after disasters, health emergencies and other crises.

The IFRC is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (Movement), together with its member National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The work of the IFRC is guided by the following fundamental principles: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality.

The IFRC Regional Office for Africa is the focal point for 49 National Societies of the Africa Region. The position of Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) Officer is based in the IFRC Cluster Office in Yaoundé, Cameroon and supports up to 9 National Societies on CVA.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the whole Movement of IFRC, ICRC and National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies across the region has scaled up the use of CVA in their responses to meet humanitarian needs. CVA, including cash delivery, digital payments and emergency safety nets, increasingly plays a prominent role in humanitarian responses including slow- and sudden-onset crisis as well as in recovery efforts.

Cash and Voucher Assistance is the preferred option to support affected populations in access services and basic needs, meanwhile CVA is proved to be having a strong, positive impact on the local economies. More than 40 National Societies of the Africa region are currently working on cash preparedness and/or on delivering CVA to cover basic needs, food security and livelihoods, shelter and WASH needs of affected populations.

The Cluster CVA Officer will provide technical advice to improve the quality and accountability of cash interventions, practical solutions for challenges in cash interventions, support the procurement of Financial Services Providers for National Societies in the region, strengthen CVA capacities, and facilitate the technical coordination among partners on cash interventions. The position will support decision making and implementation, as well as increasing the accountability of National Societies assisting crisis-affected people with timely and quality cash and voucher assistance. The position directly supports: Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tomé & Principe and Gabon and furthermore advices 5 other countries.

The incumbent will also be responsible for providing technical support to NSs on their cash preparedness journey with the objective to have them ready to deliver, when appropriate, CVA in a timely, accountable and effective manner at any time and at any scale. This will ensure that emergency responses being implemented by those NSs are always routinely considered for CVA during response options analysis and are based on informed decisions. The incumbent will also support the mainstreaming of CVA across all operations / plans when relevant.

The CVA Officer will work in close coordination with the Regional CVA Coordinator (based in Nairobi) and the Cluster focal points for Disaster Management, Procurement and Preparedness. The CVA officer will collaborate and seek support from the Regional Cash CVA Coordinator and the Cash Hub as needed.

Working together with technical coordinators of the Cluster and the Regional CVA Coordinator, the CVA Officer will work within the following areas:

CVA design, implementation and monitoring:

• Support the implementation and revision of all CVA activities included in National Societies (NS) of the Central Africa Region response plans and budgets
• Provide direct support to the IFRC team and the NS setting up cash and voucher assistance interventions
• Ensure completion of cash planning, preparation and rollout of activities in NS with a cash component within DREF’s

and Emergency Appeals

• Ensure that market assessment, financial service provider mapping, tendering and contracting are conducted in due time to have a timely and effective implementation that meets the programme objectives in the Central African NS that use cash or vouchers as a response tool
• Monitor progress of cash interventions of the NS with a cash component in the Central Africa Region, and collect required reporting documentations per IFRC standards

CVA preparedness:

• Support the procurement process of Financial Service Providers carried out by the NSs in coordination with the Regional Office
• Support cash preparedness efforts in relevant NS and IFRC Country Cluster Delegation, including capacity self- assessments, trainings and other capacity strengthening efforts
• Ensure beneficiary communications, feedback mechanisms and accountability structures are set up in each NS planning to or implanting CVA
• Ensure standard tools are customized by NSs for their respective CVA interventions and standards are applied to the various areas in which the CVA will be implemented in the country, based on the RCRC Movement Cash in Emergencies toolkit
• Assist NSs in developing the process and post-distribution monitoring system including market monitoring that provide systematic and standards indicators for CVA implemented through emergency responses.
• Liaise with Finance and Logistic to ensure that standard procedures linked to CVA are well applied, especially in FSP procurement

CVA coordination and reporting:

• Set-up and support coordination on CVA between Movement colleagues, including the ICRC, Partner National Societies (PNS) and the implementing National Societies; both through the cross-cutting CVA CoP but also at national levels
• Give support to Produce or report into monthly reports of cash and voucher delivered assistance in all National Society members of the CoP having a cash component within their programmes
• Ensure that CVA key messages and relevant information are effectively disseminated to CoP members
• Support annual processes of counting cash (global level)
• When relevant, engage in coordination with other stakeholders in the supported countries (Cash working Group, NGOs, WFP, etc.)

Other tasks:  

• Support the DCPRR Coordinator on other tasks related to this Department in both preparedness/prevention and response activities.

• University degree or professional qualification in Humanitarian Assistance or another relevant area
• Practical Emergency Cash Transfer Training (PECT) or other relevant high-level cash training
• Cash Level 2 Training
• Market Assessment Training
• Technical training in disaster preparedness, response and recovery
• ODK or KoBo Training

• At least 5 years of experience in humanitarian assistance
• At least 3 years of experience implementing or coordinating cash and voucher responses within a humanitarian context
• Demonstrated experience in assessments which including market and cash feasibility considerations
• Proven capacity strengthening experience with National Societies or national or local partners, delivering trainings and providing on the job training and coaching
• Understanding of data protection and data responsibility in humanitarian action
• Experience in financial service provider procurement
• Experience with integrated data management tools such as Red Rose
• Experience living and working in challenging and multicultural environments

• Sound knowledge of and commitment to, a holistic approach to disaster management, with a particular understanding of recovery, and proven experience in cash and voucher assistance
• Good understanding of food security, shelter, livelihoods, and WASH interventions
• Proven skills in strategic and operational planning, budgeting and reporting emergency response that include CVA
• Understanding of the key issues relating to delivering cash at scale and skills to address them
• Knowledge of feedback and response mechanism, including of appropriate methods of beneficiary communication and channels.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with independent decision-making capacity and the ability to think strategically while under pressure
• Excellent communication and inter-personal skills with the ability to represent the
• International Federation and to negotiate and influence people’s opinions
• Ability to transfer knowledge, skills, and/or abilities to staff and volunteers
• Fluently spoken and written English and French

Communication, collaboration and teamwork, judgement and decision making, creativity and innovation, building trust