Early Warning Systems (EWS) Expert to ECOWAS at United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction

Duties and Responsibilities:

• The consultant will be based in Abuja, Nigeria working in close coordination with operators at the AUC, ACMAD, IGAD and AGRHYMET situation rooms and with the technical team within UNDRR and the technical partner organisation the CIMA Research Foundation. Specifically, the consultant will support the continental multi-hazard situation room at the in: i) finalizing the setting up and operations of the situation room, ii) ensuring a seamless implementation of the multi-hazard early warning system and its links to the Africa Multi-Hazard Early Warning and Action Systems (AMHEWAS), iii) the provision of bulletins and advisories to ECOWAS member states, iv) diversifying the hazards covered and products produced by the situation room, and v) strengthening regional coordination for early and anticipatory action.

In the exercise of his/her functions the consultant shall: 

• Support the Director at the Social Affairs and Gender and the Director at the Humanitarian and DRR Directorate in finalizing the establishment and ensuring the smooth operation of the regional situation room for natural hazards; 
• Support the Director in ensuring full workflow and identifying solutions for staffing needs;
• Coordinate the start-up and operations of the situation room;
• Convene regular weekly regional meetings with relevant regional stakeholders and keep concise minutes of the meetings;
• Participate in coordination and technical meetings with the other continental and regional situation rooms;
• Ensure exchange of information with the continental and other regional situation rooms and relevant technical bodies; 
• Ensure reporting on project implementation; 
• Lead the technical set-up and management of the situation room; 
• Coordinate installation of EWS software (myDEWETRA) for exchange of early warning information and ensure testing and operation of the system; 
• Liaise with EWS experts at AUC, ACMAD, IGAD, SADC and with hydro meteorological experts at Centre Regional de Formation et d'Application en Agrométéorologie et Hydrologie Opérationnelle (AGHRYMET), to improve the existing mechanism for the coordination of data exchange at the continental and the regional levels; 
• Provide input for the AUC situation room for EWS and situation reports and coordinate the preparation of bulletins and situation reports based on information collected through the new regional coordination mechanism established; 
• Design the regional multi-hazard early warning  bulletin in consultation with other the relevant bodies at ECOWAS; 
• Coordinate the development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the situation room in close consultation with the Member States; review and foster the development of data sharing policies and system of warnings and policy framework for sharing risk information; 
• Develop a system for warning and information dissemination; 
• Initiate the development of an institutional  framework at the level of ECOWAS and facilitate the endorsement of the continental framework developed by AUC; 
• Initiate work to diversify the hazards covered and the early warning products offered by ECOWAS to its member states;
• Initiate work to strengthen capacity in the ECOWAS region on impact-based early warning, taking into consideration risk information including vulnerability and exposure;
• Initiate work to strengthen coordination in the ECOWAS region on anticipatory action;
• Anticipate obstacles realistically and plan for contingencies – create plans that factor in time for unexpected problems and uncertainties; and
• Establish mechanisms to facilitate and encourage knowledge sharing.

Qualifications/special skills 

• Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in Environmental Engineering, Environmental Science, Disaster Risk Management, Geography, Hydrology or other relevant fields is required. A first-level university degree in any of these fields in combination with two additional years of qualifying work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• Five (5) years of relevant experience at the national or international level in implementing Disaster Risk Reduction Programmes or other relevant field is required.
• Experience in managing early warning or disaster operations projects and working in Africa at regional or national level on Disaster Risk Reduction/Management (DRR/M) is required.
• Experience as a professional forecaster, including data management, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Early Warning Systems (EWS) management of emergency information, coordination of people and tasks, for the generation of Early Warning (EW) messages is desirable.

Languages 

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