Senior Officer, National Society Investment and Localization

IFRC is led by its Secretary General, and has its Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The Headquarters are organized into four main Divisions: (i) National Society Development and Coordination, (ii) Humanitarian Diplomacy and Digitalization, (iii) Legal, Governance Support and Accountability and (iv) People and Strategy.

IFRC has five regional offices in Africa, Asia Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, Europe, and the Americas. IFRC also has country cluster delegation and country delegations throughout the world. Together, the Geneva Headquarters and the field structure (regional, cluster and country) comprise the IFRC Secretariat.

IFRC has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment and other forms of harassment, abuse of authority, discrimination, and lack of integrity (including but not limited to financial misconduct). IFRC also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles.

IFRC Yaounde Country Cluster Delegation serves as the frontline delivery hub and strategic coordination center for four National Red Cross Societies: the Cameroon Red Cross (CRC), the Gabonese Red Cross (GRC), the Red Cross of Equatorial Guinea (EGRC), and the Red Cross of Sao Tome and Principe (CRSTP). Together, these four National Societies operate a combined network of 89 branches, over 110,000 volunteers, and 229 staff, responding to intersecting crises including floods, food insecurity, disease outbreaks, climate shocks, and population displacement.

In 2026, the Delegation is accelerating the implementation of IFRC Renewal 3.0 and its five transformative shifts with focus on deepening Localization & Accountability, sharpening Humanitarian Focus, Influence & Impact, Intensify Trust & Collaboration, Accelerate Digital Transformation & AI Adoption and Become an Agile & Responsive Secretariat), . As articulated in the Delegation's Renewal 3.0 concept note, institutional investment in National Societies sits at the center of everything the Delegation does. All four National Societies have developed institutional investment plans for 2026-2027, addressing shared priorities including governance and leadership, branch and volunteer development, systems integrity and digitalization, resource mobilization, and community engagement. The National Society Investment Framework (NSIF) and Capacity Building Funding (CBF) serve as the primary investment vehicles for this work.

The Senior Officer, National Society Investment and Localization will be central to translating these ambitions into concrete, measurable institutional change. The role is embedded within a Delegation that is restructuring itself to be more agile, context-specific, and locally driven, and the postholder will be instrumental in ensuring that the cluster's four National Societies emerge as stronger, more accountable, and more locally anchored humanitarian actors

The Senior Officer, National Society Investment and Localization will lead and coordinate the strategic planning and institutional development process of the Yaounde Delegation. The role is the primary technical focal point for institutional investment and localization within the Delegation, reporting directly to the Programme Coordinator.

Working within the framework of IFRC Renewal 3.0 and the National Society Investment Framework, the postholder will accompany the four National Societies in the implementation of their 2026-2027 institutional investment plans. These plans reflect common development priorities including governance reform, branch revitalization, volunteer management, financial sustainability, digitalization, and safeguarding, as well as country-specific priorities such as the CRC's statutory revision and resource mobilization strategy, the GRC's humanitarian diplomacy and communications agenda, the CRSTP's income-generating activities, and the EGRC's organizational recovery and elective general assembly process.  This includes facilitating inclusive consultations, guiding evidence-based analysis, and aligning strategic priorities with national, regional, and global frameworks such as IFRC Strategy 2030, African Union (AU) Agenda 2063, National Society Investment Framework, IFRC Renewal 3.0, National Society Investment And Localization Framework, National Society Investment And Localization Compact and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Senior Officer will serve as a key advisor and facilitator strengthening Country Clusters  organizational systems, leadership capacity, and internal coherence while fostering collaboration with Movement partners. Ultimately, the role supports Country Clusters  transformation into a more sustainable, accountable, and community driven humanitarian actor.

Strategic Planning and Institutional Development

• Lead the design, coordination, and facilitation of an inclusive and evidence-based process for the development of Clusters national societies Strategic Development Plans.
• Synthesize and integrate findings from evaluations of the various Strategic Plan, OCAC self-assessment, PER (Preparedness for Effective Response), financial development reviews, and audit reports.
• Facilitate a series of strategic planning workshops and consultations with country clusters governance, senior management, technical staff, local committees, and Movement and non-Movement partners.
• Ensure strategic alignment with National Society Investment and Localization priorities and international frameworks, including IFRC Strategy 2030, ECOWAS Humanitarian Strategy, and the AU Agenda 2063.
• Provide technical guidance for the formulation, finalization, and internal validation of the Strategic Plan, including the development of clear objectives, performance indicators, and a results-based implementation framework.

National Society Development (NSD) Support

• Support the conceptualization and drafting of long-term National Society Investment And Localization Plan, based on identified institutional priorities, performance gaps, and a vision for sustainable transformation.
• Provide high-quality technical support in the development or revision of key internal strategies and policies —covering areas such as governance and leadership, branch development, youth and volunteer engagement, digitalization, and financial sustainability.
• Facilitate internal change management efforts, fostering leadership accountability, promoting a culture of innovation, and enhancing internal ownership of institutional reforms.

Coordination and Movement Engagement

• Serve as the technical focal point for National Society Investment And Localization within cluster, coordinating and harmonizing inputs from IFRC, ICRC, and Partner National Societies (PNSs).
• Ensure effective coordination and complementarity of all Movement contributions to the clusters institutional development and promote joint planning and implementation when appropriate.
• Represent clusters’ National Society Investment And Localization initiatives in technical working groups, Movement coordination mechanisms, and external platforms at the national and regional levels.

Capacity Strengthening and Peer Learning

• Design and facilitate peer-learning workshops to foster institutional cohesion, share best practices, and build leadership and management capacity across clusters HQ and branch network.
• Support the development and delivery of targeted capacity-building initiatives in areas such as strategic planning, governance and accountability, performance measurement, and resource mobilization.
• Contribute to cluster’s youth and leadership development agendas by supporting the rollout of relevant programs and initiatives linked to the Strategic Plan.

Monitoring, Reporting and Knowledge Management

• Support the development of monitoring and evaluation tools to track the implementation of the Strategic Plan and National Society Investment And Localization
• Regularly document and disseminate lessons learned, good practices, and case studies from the strategic planning and development processes.
• Prepare and deliver high-quality progress updates and technical reports in accordance with IFRC reporting standards and timelines, ensuring alignment with CRCI’s institutional development objectives and the broader Movement coordination framework.
• Support the Delegation's use of the NSIF Dashboard as a primary data source for planning, risk management, and institutional investment prioritization.

Relationships and Representation

• Establish and maintain effective professional working relationships with national and international staff in-country, regional and global offices, and, with counterparts in NS, PNSs, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and donors.
• Contribute to building and maintaining a knowledge-sharing culture within the cluster among Movement partners by identifying and promoting best practices, innovation, and lessons learned from National Society Investment And Localization efforts in the cluster
• Provide technical input to support cluster’s external representation on issues related to strategic development, institutional capacity building, and long-term sustainability.
• Serve as a trusted advisor and liaison between cluster national societies and external partners on matters of National Society development, promoting transparency, partnership synergy, and strategic alignment.

Advanced university degree in Organizational Development, Strategic Management, Public Administration, International Development, or related field.

• A minimum of 3 - 5 years of progressive experience in a similar role.
• A minimum of 3 - 5 years of experience working in organizational development, capacity strengthening and community or volunteer development.
• A minimum of 5 years of experience in international humanitarian or non-governmental organizations.
• Red Cross Red Crescent Movement experience (Preferred)
• A minimum of 3 years of professional experience in coaching, institutional capacity strengthening and staff development.
• Experience in management at senior/ mid management level and/or in consulting and facilitating organizational development or change management in a National Society or similar voluntary organization.
• Experience in development of approaches for resource mobilization and financial sustainability.(Preferred)
• Working knowledge of IFRC’s Organizational Development and volunteer development policies and tools including the National Society Investment And Localization Framework, Policy, Compact, National Society Strategic Planning and National Society Self-Assessment.

• Proven analytical skills and the ability to think strategically.
• Sound knowledge in financial management and in project design, budget, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting.
• Ability and track record working with and inter-relating to the leadership of the National Societies and supported organizations.
• Cultural sensitivity and ability to work and communicate effectively in a multi-cultural and cross-functional environment and virtual or/and dispersed teams.
• Skills in coaching, mentoring, and training.
• Excellent negotiation, consulting, and management skills.
• Teamwork and trust-building for inclusive National Society relations.
• Focused on quality and standards, results, and accountabilities.
• Self-supported in digital and software (including Microsoft Suite, internet, email) and good command and ease with digital platforms.
• Fluent spoken and written English and French
• Good command of another IFRC official language (Arabic/Spanish)
• Good command of Portuguese and/ or Spanish is an added asset

Values: Respect for diversity; Integrity; Professionalism; Accountability

Core competencies: Communication; Collaboration and teamwork; Judgement and decision making; National society and customer relations; Creativity and innovation; Building trust

Managerial Competencies: Managing Staff Performance; Managing Staff Development

Functional Competencies: Strategic Orientation, Building Alliances; Leadership; Empowering others