Regional Consortium Coordinator at Action Against Hunger International

About the Role

The Regional Consortium Coordinator will serve as the overall operational lead for the DG ECHO Regional Disaster Preparedness Program across Ethiopia, Somalia, and Djibouti. Based in Nairobi and reporting to the Regional Program Development and Quality Director, this role will lead end-to-end program management, partner coordination, technical quality, donor compliance, financial oversight, and regional representation throughout the 24-month program.

The program strengthens regional and national anticipatory action systems through cross-border trigger matrices, validated standard operating procedures, government-owned preparedness planning, multi-sectoral early action systems, and a trigger-based Crisis Modifier that enables rapid assistance following a verified emergency trigger.

This position is ideal for a senior humanitarian leader with extensive experience managing multi-country consortia, DG ECHO-funded programs, disaster preparedness, anticipatory action, climate-risk governance, and institutional partnerships across the Greater Horn of Africa.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and day-to-day coordination across all program result areas and operations in Ethiopia, Somalia, and Djibouti.
• Ensure program implementation remains aligned with DG ECHO requirements, the IGAD Anticipatory Action Roadmap, SCALAA methodologies, national disaster-risk management priorities, and changing humanitarian conditions.
• Serve as the primary coordination interface among Action Against Hunger country teams, IGAD, ICPAC, DG ECHO, national disaster-risk management authorities, consortium partners, and humanitarian coordination bodies.
• Lead the development and operationalization of cross-border anticipatory action protocols, trigger matrices, contingency plans, standard operating procedures, simulations, and pilot activations.
• Coordinate with complementary regional initiatives, including SCALAA, IGAD PREPARE, EU CLIMHoA, BRCiS, SomReP, and the Somali Cash Consortium, to promote coherence and prevent duplication.
• Lead the consortium governance structure, including the Consortium Steering Committee, partner coordination meetings, inter-agency mechanisms, and timely resolution of implementation challenges.
• Manage partnership agreements, sub-grants, performance reviews, and capacity-strengthening plans for international, regional, and local partners.
• Serve as the primary DG ECHO focal point for strategic engagement, donor reporting, operational updates, grant amendments, budget revisions, and adaptive management discussions.
• Ensure technical quality across anticipatory action, climate services, early-warning systems, disaster-risk reduction, cash preparedness, health, WASH, nutrition, protection, and urban preparedness activities.
• Oversee the program’s MEAL framework, ensuring evidence, learning, and performance data inform program improvements, donor reporting, and regional knowledge-sharing platforms.
• Ensure protection, conflict sensitivity, gender and inclusion, PSEA, accountability to affected populations, and DG ECHO Minimum Environmental Requirements are integrated throughout the program.
• Lead Crisis Modifier readiness and activation processes, including trigger verification, rapid decision-making, financing readiness, pre-approved early-action packages, field deployment, and post-distribution monitoring.
• Provide full oversight of the consortium budget, financial forecasting, compliance, risk management, partner expenditure, and audit readiness.
• Lead and mentor the regional program team while maintaining matrix-management relationships with country-based program managers and technical staff.
• Represent the program at regional and global disaster-risk reduction, anticipatory action, humanitarian financing, and climate-resilience forums.

Requirements

Who We’re Looking For

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Disaster Risk Reduction, Development Studies, Humanitarian Action, Climate Change Adaptation, Urban Development, International Relations, Public Policy, Statistics with GIS experience, or a related field.
• A PhD in anticipatory action, climate-risk governance, or humanitarian systems leadership is a strong advantage.
• Additional professional qualifications in anticipatory action programming, humanitarian coordination, DG ECHO grant management, or institutional donor compliance are preferred.
• Minimum ten years of progressive experience in humanitarian program management, disaster preparedness, anticipatory action, or climate-risk governance.
• At least five years of experience in a senior regional, multi-country coordination, program director, or comparable leadership role.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex, multi-partner consortia involving intergovernmental institutions, international NGOs, local organizations, and government counterparts.
• Strong experience managing DG ECHO or comparable institutional donor grants, including donor reporting, compliance, amendments, partner performance, and multi-million-euro budgets.
• Proven technical expertise in anticipatory action, multi-hazard trigger development, early-warning systems, forecast-based financing, and crisis-modifier mechanisms.
• Strong knowledge of the Greater Horn of Africa humanitarian landscape, including climate risks, cross-border displacement, pastoral livelihood systems, and regional disaster-management structures.
• Experience working with institutions and platforms such as IGAD, ICPAC, national disaster-risk management authorities, SCALAA, BRCiS, UN OCHA, or similar coordination bodies.
• Demonstrated ability to influence policy, support institutional change, and maintain effective relationships with donors, governments, technical institutions, and humanitarian partners.
• Experience integrating protection, gender and inclusion, conflict sensitivity, PSEA, environmental safeguards, and accountability standards into complex programs.
• Strong leadership, strategic planning, negotiation, representation, problem-solving, and team-management skills.
• Full professional fluency in written and spoken English is required. Working knowledge of Somali, Amharic, or French is a strong advantage.
• Ability and willingness to travel extensively across Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti, and other regional locations, including travel to challenging or high-risk operating environments.