Senior Officer, Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF), Partnerships and Resource Development Department

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world's largest humanitarian organization, with 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 is led by its Secretary General, and has its Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The Headquarters are organized into three main Divisions: (i) National Society Development and Operations Coordination; (ii) Global Relations, Humanitarian Diplomacy and Digitalization; and (iii) Management Policy, Strategy and Corporate Services.

The IFRC has five regional offices in Africa, Asia Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, Europe, and the Americas.  The 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.

This position is based at the IFRC Global Services Centre (GSC) in Budapest, but part of the PRD Department in Geneva.

The Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF) Senior Officer reports to the Unit Manager, National Society and Government Partnerships based in Geneva.

The DREF is the IFRC Fund for supporting immediate disaster response and anticipatory action by the National Societies and is managed by the Secretariat. It provides allocations as loans or grants depending on the scale of the early actions and response operations with funding contributed by governments, institutional, corporate and private donors through an annual plan.

The purpose of this job is to lead on the scale up of funding to the DREF. The job entails management of the overall funding strategy and plan to ensure that the funding targets set out by the organisation are met. The job includes development  and management of the DREF funding plan and supportive funding documentations required to ensure voluntary contributions are sought annually and recorded. Project management of the organization regarding DREF annual pledging conference by developing a workplan and ensuring its execution and ensuring DREF council meetings and relevant documentation are drafted and organized in a timely manner. The job requires an individual that can work independently and has had extensive experience in project managing donor events as well as rapid funding scale up. 

DREF funding

• Lead on the scale up of funding to the DREF that includes the development of the DREF funding strategy that includes diverse fundraising approaches and activities.
• Develop funding tracker in close cooperation with the relationship managers in the global PRD team and with the DREF team.
• Develop presentations and reports on the funding status of DREF and key funding targets.
• Conduct research on donors that have potential in funding DREF and outline approaches in cooperation with relevant departments and regional offices.
• In collaboration with communications, ensure appropriate levels of partner visibility are reflected in IFRC publications, website, media and online presence, in collaboration with the Communications Department.

Contributions to DREF

• Manage donor contributions to DREF through and ensure Register, revise and manage cash pledges including signing off the cash pledges on behalf of PRD, and coordinate with Finance.
• Coordinate the review of the agreements with relevant departments and cooperate with relationship managers in PRD.
• Negotiate and upload DREF contracts in the e-contract in close cooperation with relationship managers.

DREF pledging conference

• Lead on the development and implementation of a work plan on the organization process of the pledging conference and ensuring adequate consultation at all levels.
• Prepare presentations and briefing notes on the DREF for high-level bilateral meetings with donors.
• Ensure logistics and administrative tasks required for the event have been completed in a satisfactory manner.
• Draft report of the conference outlining the financial commitments made.

DREF Council

• Manage all organizational aspects of the DREF council with relevant administration assistants.
• Prepare reports from the DREF council meetings and draft official communication on behalf of unit manager.
• Responsible to update the DREF Council website with relevant information.

Contribute to an effective, high quality IFRC team:

• Work independently in developing strategic approach to increasing funding to the DREF.
• Ability to represent the organization in various bilateral meetings with donors.
• Be flexible in your work definition according to needs and targets and improve team efficiencies and effectiveness within available resources.
• Be a pro-active team member fostering a customer service-oriented culture that values proactivity, continuous improvement, innovation, high performance and cost effectiveness.
• Foster a co-creative environment with colleagues in the Secretariat, Regions and the National Societies and open and co-operative view to the actors in the relevant external environment.

Duties applicable to all staff:

1.    Work actively towards the achievement of the Federation Secretariat’s goals. 
2.    Abide by and work in accordance with the Red Cross and Red Crescent principles.
3.    Perform any other work-related duties and responsibilities that may be assigned by the line manager.

Advanced university degree (master's or equivalent) in international relations or relevant subject is required. 

Required experience:

• At least 7 years’ experience of donor relations, fundraising and partnerships.
• Previous experience in developing donor messaging and donor communication.
• Experience of negotiating and managing donor agreements.
• Previous experience in organizing large donor events.
• At least 5 years’ experience in an organisational or coordination function, preferably (but not required) with the International Federation.

Required:

• Proven track record in excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Ability to work independently, with minimal guidance.
• Results oriented and demand driven individual, entrepreneurial, ability to lead in unprecedented and/or ambiguous situations.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to represent the International Federation and to negotiate.
• Team coordination and networking skills.
• Project management, including knowledge of budgeting, financial and narrative reporting.
• Excellent computer skills (including Excel, use of statistics and presentations).
• Fluent written and spoken English.

Preferred:

• Facilitation skills.
• Proficiency in an additional official language of the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement (French, Spanish or Arabic).

VALUES: Respect for diversity; Integrity; Professionalism; Accountability

CORE COMPETENCIES: Communication; Collaboration and Teamwork; Judgement and Decision Making; National Societies and Customer Relations; Creativity and Innovation; Building Trust

Comments: This is a national staff position open to nationals and others who are legally eligible to work in countries where IFRC has legal presence. Candidates applying to this position will be subject to the national labor law and are required to have permission to work in their country of residence.

GMT+1 time zone is preferred.