Early Warnings and Early Action Expert

Development and validation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and in strengthening communication, coordination and early warning dissemination mechanisms among COVACC members and relevant stakeholders.

Home based

6 months

Background: Created in December 1999, the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) is the designated focal point in the United Nations system for the coordination of efforts to reduce disasters and to ensure synergies among the disaster reduction activities of the United Nations and regional organizations and activities in both developed and less developed countries. Led by the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction (SRSG), UNDRR has over 150 staff located in its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and in regional offices. Specifically, UNDRR guides, monitors, analyses and reports on progress in the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, supports regional and national implementation of the Framework and catalyzes action and increases global awareness to reduce disaster risk working with U.N. Member States and a broad range of partners and stakeholders, including civil society, the private sector, parliamentarians and the science and technology community. UNDRR supports countries in implementing the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 and strengthening governance, preparedness and early warning systems. Niger faces recurrent and multi-dimensional risks including floods, droughts, epidemics, food insecurity, population displacement and security-related crises. Climate change and increasing vulnerabilities continue to exacerbate the impacts of these hazards on communities, livelihoods and infrastructure. Over the past years, several emergency situations have highlighted challenges related to: • Coordination among institutions ; • Information management and sharing ; • Communication among operational actors; • harmonization of early warning dissemination mechanisms; • operationalization of crisis management procedures. To address these challenges, the Government of Niger established the Centre Opérationnel de Veille, d’Alerte et de Conduite des Crises (COVACC) through Arrêté n°970/MISP/AT/SG/COVACC du 08 novembre 2023. The COVACC serves as a national coordination mechanism responsible for: • Monitoring and analyzing risks; • Centralizing and disseminating information related to crises; • Coordinating early warning and emergency response mechanisms; • Supporting decision-making processes; • Facilitating coordination among stakeholders involved in disaster and crisis management. However, the effective operationalization of the COVACC requires updated and harmonized SOPs as well as strengthened communication and alert dissemination mechanisms between members of the center and relevant institutions at national, regional and local levels. In October 2025, a Table-Top Exercise (TTX) was conducted to test the operational coordination and emergency response mechanisms of the COVACC. The exercise identified several gaps, particularly related to communication flow and coordination among COVACC members. These gaps highlighted the need to strengthen operational procedures and communication mechanisms to ensure effective crisis management and timely dissemination of early warnings. In this context, UNDRR wish to recruit a consultant to support the elaboration/revision of the SOPs of the COVACC and improve communication and early warning dissemination processes. Duties and Responsibilities Under the supervision of UNDRR and in close collaboration with national authorities and relevant stakeholders, the consultant will be responsible for developing a single Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) document for COVACC, structured around two main components: operational procedures and communication procedures 1. Development of operational procedures The consultant will develop a comprehensive set of operational procedures covering the operation of COVACC at all phases of early warning and early action:  Clearly define the roles and responsibilities of all COVACC members and stakeholders at the national, regional and local levels;  Develop detailed and sequential procedures for the coordination and management of early warning and early actions, including inter-institutional collaboration;  Standardize information management processes, including sharing of monitoring of forecasts form line-institutions, collection, analysis and use of data for decision-making;  Integrate mechanisms for multi-hazard early warning systems, ensuring coherence between risk monitoring, forecasting, analysis and operational response to warnings;  Ensure that all procedures are aligned with the national institutional framework and existing policies. 2. Development of communication procedures The consultant will develop a structured and coherent framework of communication procedures, fully integrated into the SOP, to ensure an efficient flow of information and appropriate dissemination of alerts:  Define internal communication protocols between COVACC members, including channels, frequency and responsibilities; Establish clear procedures for validating and certifying information prior to dissemination;  Develop external communication modalities, particularly with authorities, partners, media and communities;  Define standard processes for the dissemination of early warnings at national, regional and local levels, specifying roles, channels and timelines;  Structure communication flows in early warning, early actions (alerts, updates, feedback) to ensure consistency and responsiveness; Deliverables The deliverables for this consultancy include: - An inception report - A draft SOPs - A validation workshop - A final validated SOPs Institutional Arrangements This consultancy will be home based and reports to the Programme Management Officer in Niger. The consultant is expected to: i) provide a work plan for the consultancy period; ii) submit monthly progress reports in addition to specific deliverables (e.g., assessment report, guidelines, etc), and iii) participate in relevant technical and coordination meetings.

An advanced university degree in disaster risk management, risk analysis and management, early warning, environment, social sciences or a related field. A first-level university degree in combination with a minimum of 2 additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree. 5 years of experience in disaster risk reduction, crisis management or early warning systems is required. Experience in elaboration or revision of SOPs, contingency plans or emergency coordination mechanisms is desirable. Experience in institutional coordination and stakeholder facilitation is desirable. Experience in early warning communication systems and crisis communication is desirable. knowledge of the disaster risk management institutional framework in Niger or the Sahel region is desirable.

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this position fluency in French and knowledge of English is required.

Due to the high volume of applications received, only successful candidates will be contacted.

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.