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Knowledge Management Officer
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Location: New Delhi
Last Date: September 18, 2011
WANTED: A born networker and communicator to bring ‘Knowledge Management’
to life. Experienced in disaster management you are comfortable in the
latest technologies and modes of sharing knowledge. With these skills
you will add great value to this South Asia focussed team.” Job Description
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Knowledge
Management Officer – IFRC, South Asia Regional Delegation |
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Reporting
to: |
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Regional
Disaster Management Coordinator, IFRC, South Asia Regional Delegation |
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Purpose:
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The
Knowledge Management Officer will be responsible for facilitating,
with the appropriate use of available technology, the identification
and documentation of lessons and best practice, and the sharing and
dissemination of knowledge and experience for the benefit of the
Movement in disaster management (DM).
The role holder will
engage with and advocate to regional, zonal and global networks.
She/he will maintain an overview of the key DM needs and capacities;
and of the main activities and available resources of Red Cross Red
Crescent Movement actors and external organisations. She/he will
coordinate with other Red Cross Red Crescent and external actors
concerning DM activities and initiatives in the region. In addition,
she/he will establish and maintain DM communities of practice
for the region that will help DM practitioners to support and
encourage each other and to stay up-to-date with current initiatives
and issues. Where appropriate she/he will advise National Societies
on how best to contribute to, and utilize, knowledge management
processes. Overall, the Knowledge Management Officer will facilitate
the awareness raising of knowledge and experience from across the
region, and the world, that will directly benefit the National
Societies of the region.
DM
knowledge in the region needs to be fresh, relevant, up-to-date and
accessible. This requires the dedicated attention of the Knowledge
Management Officer to achieve this, though the expectation is that
all members of the regional DM team will contribute. The ultimate
demonstration of the success of this role will be the extent to which
DM practitioners in the region remain engaged in knowledge sharing
mechanisms and the extent to which they utilize shared knowledge in
improving their own programmes.
The
Knowledge Management Officer will work closely with respective
country delegations, National Societies, Partner National Societies,
the other members of the regional DM team and the wider IFRC DM
network to identify the opportunities for beneficial exchange of
knowledge. She/he will do so by combining a background understanding
of DM, including disaster risk reduction, with experience in the
latest communication and knowledge management tools, and their skills
in proactive networking and in creating and sustaining communities of
practice. |
Context
The IFRC
South Asia region consists of seven countries with a National Society
(Afghanistan; Bangladesh; India; Maldives; Nepal; Pakistan; Sri Lanka)
and one without (Bhutan).
The SARD
Disaster Management (DM) team exists to provide technical advisory
support that enables National Societies to deliver on their S2020 aligned
DM goals for the benefit of the vulnerable communities they serve. This
is focused in two main areas: 1) strengthening community resilience
through community-based disaster risk reduction which incorporates
climate change adaptation and 2) organisational disaster preparedness
through building local, national and regional capacities.
This
technical support is aimed at the country level, engaging at an in-depth
level with individual National Societies in helping them deliver genuine
impact at the vulnerable community level for disaster risk reduction and
delivery efficient and effective disaster responses. A collaborative
approach to addressing these issues with interested stakeholders,
especially Partner National Societies, will be utilised to maximise
available technical resources. National Societies need dedicated support
that is closely aligned with their priorities. They also look to the
regional delegation to fulfil a knowledge management and coordination
function that supports the improved quality, and raised profile, of their
work. Finally the National Societies require assistance in the management
of the Regional Disaster Response Team system in South Asia.
This role is a critical part in equipping the regional
delegation with the necessary capacity to deliver on these commitments.
Specific Duties,
Responsibilities and Accountabilities
Knowledge Identification
1.
Liaise with National Societies, Country Delegations and
Partner National Societies to identify and document lessons and best
practice
2.
Liaise with key technical resources, both internal and
external, to identify current initiatives, learning and best practice
that will be of use to the National Societies. Resources include the Asia
Pacific Disaster Management Unit; the technical IFRC resource centres
such as the Climate Change Centre and the Livelihoods Resource Centre;
beneficiary communications work by Communications colleagues; Cash
Learning Partnership (CALP)
3.
Maintain
links, and engage (at the direction of the regional Disaster Management
Coordinator) with regional external bodies such as INGOs,
intergovernmental organisations (e.g. SAARC), and academic institutions
for the purpose of sharing and bringing in useful knowledge
4.
Maintain a
regional overview mapping of key DM needs and capacities, together with
the activities and available resources of RCRC Movement actors and
external organisations
5.
Attend
internal and external meetings, conferences or other public activities
and provide appropriate feedback or reports where necessary
6.
Work with
members of the DM network and other relevant colleagues in south Asia who
have attended external meetings and conferences to capture and
disseminate resulting key messages and actions
7.
Liaise with National Societies, Country Delegations and
Partner National Societies to identify, document and promote success
stories both within the region and externally to the region and the Red
Cross Red Crescent Movement
Knowledge
Sharing
8.
Utilise existing IFRC knowledge management platforms to
share lessons and best practice and ensure that the content of these is
kept fresh, up-to-date and relevant to the users
9.
Ensure that lessons identified are communicated in a form
that is applicable for other actors
10.
Encourage the active engagement of staff and volunteers in
the knowledge management platforms
11.
Identify and maximise opportunities to apply shared
knowledge in other or new contexts
12.
Establish
and maintain a DM community of practice in South Asia
13.
Link the
south Asian community of practice with the wider global IFRC Community of
Practice.
14.
Highlight to
key stakeholders, including colleagues in the regional delegation,
opportunities for coordination and collaboration
15.
Utilise
knowledge and case studies to contribute to advocacy and representation
work by the National Societies and the Federation, especially in
collaboration with Humanitarian Diplomacy initiatives
16.
Provide
advisory support to individual National Societies and Country Delegations
on how best to contribute to, and utilize, knowledge management
processes
Duties Applicable to
All Staff
1.
Work towards
the achievement of overall Secretariat goals through effective managerial
and lateral relations and teamwork
2.
Produce
required reporting against impact indicators
3.
Ensure
understanding of roles, responsibilities, lateral relationships and
accountabilities
4.
Perform
other work related duties and responsibilities as may be assigned by the
line manager
5.
Prepare and
deliver presentations and attend events as required for learning,
fundraising, communication and training purposes to staff, volunteers,
delegates, external organisations, the media and the public
6.
Ensure
promotion and adherence to Code of Conduct, Sphere Standards and
Principles and rules for disaster relief and any such standards
subscribed to by the Federation
Lateral
Relationships
1.
Establish
and ensure effective working relationships with the other members of the
regional and country delegations.
2.
Ensure
effective working relationships with National Society counterparts and
leadership.
3.
Ensure
effective working relationships with technical and service departments at
Asia Pacific and Geneva Secretariat level.
Person Specification
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Qualifications |
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Required
- Degree level (or equivalent qualification) in Disaster Management,
International Development, Business Studies, Marketing,
Communications or other relevant subject |
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Preferred- Post-graduate level (or equivalent qualification) in
International Development, Climate Change, Disaster Management, Risk
Reduction, Marketing, Business Administration, Communications,
Knowledge Management |
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Experience |
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Required- Demonstrable experience in disaster management and / or
disaster risk reduction |
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Required- Proven
experience in building relationships and proactively networking with
others |
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Required- Demonstrable
experience in utilising knowledge management technologies and tools |
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Preferred- Working experience in more than one South Asia country |
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Preferred- Proven experience of working in partnership with, and
building capacity of, local organisations |
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Preferred- Experience of
working with communities of practice. |
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Preferred- Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement experience |
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Knowledge / Technical Skills |
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Required- Demonstrable understanding of the issues and complexities
of DM / DRR programming |
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Preferred- Knowledge of climate
change adaptation |
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Preferred- Knowledge of latest
innovation and best practice initiatives in the DM sector |
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Required- Skilled in building
and maintaining key stakeholder relationships both internally and
externally, including the ability to effectively persuade colleagues
to adopt new approaches |
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Preferred- Demonstrated skill
in external representation with actors in the disaster management
sector. |
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Required- Knowledge of latest KM technologies and
social networking tools |
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Required- Excellent contextual research and analytical
skills together with ability to summarise complex information clearly
and concisely for a variety of audiences |
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Required- Ability to communicate and present to a variety of
audiences |
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Required- Proven skills in writing articles and reports |
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Required- Self-supporting in IT (Windows, spreadsheets, word
processing, internet, etc.) |
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Required- Fluency in spoken and written English |
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Preferred- Competence in local south Asian languages |
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Personal
Competences |
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Required- Strong commitment to
upholding the Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross and Red
Crescent Movement |
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Required- Cross cultural
sensitivity and ability to interact well with diverse groups of
people and multiple teams |
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Required- Excellent
communication and interpersonal skills |
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Required- Good influencing,
tact, negotiating and networking skills |
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Required- Ability to build
partnerships and alliances, both inside and outside the organisation |
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Required- Ability to
manage/respond well to change and to work well under stress and/or
time pressure |
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Required- Demonstrate flexibility and open mindedness with innovative
and creative thinking |
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Required- Focus on results and accountability |
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Special
Circumstances |
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Required- Ability to
undertake overseas travel and work when required |
A community of practice is defined as a group of
people who share an interest and/or a profession and can be created
specifically with the goal of gaining knowledge related to their
field. It is through the process of sharing information and
experiences with the group that the members learn from each other,
and have an opportunity to develop themselves personally and
professionally. It is envisaged that a south Asian community of
practice will exist mainly online, such as within discussion boards
or newsgroups. ‘Lave and Wenger, 1991’
All applicants should apply by emailing a cover letter explaining in
detail why they think they are suitable for this post, together with a
full curriculum vitae, two names or letters of reference and email these
at
protima.singh@ifrc.org . Only
shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Previous
candidates need not apply.
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