Vacancies at Action Against Hunger International

About the Role

The Regional Climate and Anticipatory Modeling Specialist will serve as the consortium’s technical authority for climate science, environmental risk, hydrometeorological modelling, early-warning systems, and anticipatory-action trigger development.

Reporting to the Regional Consortium Coordinator, this role will translate climate intelligence from ICPAC, national meteorological agencies, and global modelling platforms into operational trigger matrices, Early Action Protocols, contingency plans, and preparedness decisions across Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and South Sudan.

The Specialist will lead the calibration and validation of multi-hazard models, strengthen cross-border trigger systems, support climate-informed malnutrition modelling in South Sudan, and oversee the integration of DG ECHO Minimum Environmental Requirements throughout program delivery.

This position is ideal for an experienced climate scientist or hydrometeorological modelling specialist who can translate advanced technical analysis into practical humanitarian decision-making in fragile and climate-vulnerable contexts.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development, calibration, and validation of multi-hazard climate and hydrometeorological models supporting anticipatory action across Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and South Sudan.
• Analyze and integrate global, regional, and national climate datasets, including ERA5, MERRA-2, CHIRPS, NDVI, MODIS, IRI, ECMWF, GFS, and ICPAC seasonal forecasts.
• Apply drought, flood, heat, and climate-projection models—including SPI, SPEI, HBV, SWAT, and VIC—to produce decision-ready risk information for pastoral, agricultural, urban, and cross-border contexts.
• Assess shared river-basin risks, seasonal migration corridors, urban flash flooding, heat exposure, drought conditions, and climate impacts affecting vulnerable communities.
• Review existing early-warning systems and identify opportunities to strengthen interoperability between ICPAC, FEWS NET, IGAD PREPARE, national EWARS and IDSR systems, and operational anticipatory-action platforms.
• Produce accessible climate-risk bulletins, seasonal forecast summaries, technical reports, scientific briefs, and decision-support products for program teams, governments, donors, and regional partners.
• Lead the development and validation of multi-hazard trigger matrices integrating climate, hydrological, epidemiological, food-security, displacement, and conflict-sensitivity indicators.
• Conduct cross-border trigger-validation exercises across the Ethiopia–Somalia, Somalia–Djibouti, and Ethiopia–Djibouti corridors.
• Ensure trigger methodologies align with the SCALAA harmonization framework, the IGAD Anticipatory Action Roadmap, national disaster-risk management systems, and other ECHO-funded Crisis Modifier programs.
• Analyze trigger performance following simulations, pilot activations, and Crisis Modifier responses, including accuracy, false-alarm rates, lead times, operational reliability, and decision quality.
• Develop technical guidance, standard operating procedures, and training materials for trigger verification, activation decisions, risk interpretation, and Early Action Protocol development.
• Lead climate-informed malnutrition modelling for South Sudan by integrating drought, flood, seasonal forecast, livelihood, nutrition, SMART survey, MUAC, IPC, and INFORM data.
• Develop and validate predictive models that identify potential nutrition deterioration before crises emerge and support early-action decisions within the FAO-led consortium.
• Align South Sudan modelling outputs with national and regional systems, including SSMD, FAO EMPRES, FEWS NET, IPC Acute Malnutrition frameworks, and ICPAC.
• Lead the application of NEAT+ environmental screening and DG ECHO Minimum Environmental Requirements across program activities.
• Integrate climate adaptation, environmental sustainability, Eco-DRR, green logistics, responsible procurement, and reduced single-use plastics into program design and Crisis Modifier planning.
• Conduct environmental-risk assessments and gender-responsive climate-vulnerability analyses for target communities.
• Provide technical support to urban preparedness activities in Djibouti Ville, including flash-flood modelling, heat-risk analysis, extreme-rainfall assessment, and municipal contingency planning.
• Design and deliver technical training for national meteorological services, disaster-risk management authorities, IGAD technical working groups, implementing partners, and Action Against Hunger country teams.
• Mentor technical staff in the practical use of R, Python, QGIS, ArcGIS, Google Earth Engine, CHIRPS, IRI data tools, and ICPAC platforms.
• Produce working papers, technical publications, operational research, and learning products for ICPAC, SCALAA, regional dialogue platforms, and relevant scientific or humanitarian audiences.
• Contribute climate and environmental indicators, trigger-performance evidence, and scientific analysis to the program MEAL system and DG ECHO reporting.

Requirements

Who We’re Looking For

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Climate Science, Meteorology, Hydrology, Physical Geography, Environmental Science, Atmospheric Sciences, or a closely related field.
• Advanced training in climate modelling, hydrometeorological risk, forecast-based humanitarian action, or climate adaptation is strongly preferred.
• Additional qualifications in Disaster Risk Reduction, GIS, Remote Sensing, Humanitarian Action, or environmental management are an advantage.
• Minimum seven years of relevant experience in climate science, hydrometeorological modelling, early-warning system development, or environmental-risk analysis.
• At least three years of experience applying climate or environmental expertise within the humanitarian or international development sector in fragile or climate-vulnerable contexts.
• At least five years of experience in climate forecasting, including practical use of numerical weather-prediction models and impact-assessment tools.
• Demonstrated expertise with seasonal forecasting tools and models, including IRI, ECMWF, and GFS.
• Strong experience with hydrological models such as HBV, SWAT, and VIC; drought monitoring using SPI and SPEI; and flood-inundation modelling.
• Proven experience designing, calibrating, and validating anticipatory-action triggers and Early Action Protocols in a target country or comparable fragile context.
• Hands-on experience working with ICPAC, FEWS NET, IRI, national meteorological services, or comparable climate and early-warning institutions.
• Strong understanding of climate-informed humanitarian programming, forecast-based financing, disaster preparedness, and trigger-based early action.
• Experience integrating food-security, nutrition, epidemiological, displacement, or conflict-risk information into climate and anticipatory-action models is highly desirable.
• Specialized training in weather and climate-model development and experience running models on high-performance computing systems are advantages.
• Proficiency in Python and R for climate-data analysis, modelling, and visualization.
• Strong GIS and remote-sensing skills using ArcGIS, QGIS, Google Earth Engine, or comparable platforms.
• Experience working with CHIRPS, ERA5, IRI, MODIS, NDVI, and other relevant climate or earth-observation datasets.
• Ability to communicate complex scientific findings clearly to government counterparts, humanitarian practitioners, donors, and non-technical audiences.
• Strong facilitation, technical-writing, capacity-strengthening, and stakeholder-engagement 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 approximately 30%–40% of working time across Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and South Sudan, including remote, cross-border, and high-security locations.
• Availability outside standard working hours during seasonal forecast windows, simulation exercises, After-Action Reviews, and Crisis Modifier monitoring periods.

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About the Role

The Regional Finance Manager will serve as the senior financial authority for the DG ECHO Regional Disaster Preparedness Program across Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti, South Sudan, and the regional component.

Reporting to the Regional Consortium Coordinator, this role will establish and maintain the financial systems, controls, reporting standards, and compliance frameworks required to protect the integrity of the program and ensure transparent, efficient, and accountable use of donor funding.

The Regional Finance Manager will oversee consolidated budgeting, financial forecasting, donor reporting, sub-grant management, audit readiness, multi-currency operations, and Crisis Modifier financial preparedness. The role will also provide functional guidance and capacity strengthening to country finance teams and consortium partners.

This position is ideal for an experienced humanitarian finance leader with strong DG ECHO grant-management expertise, multi-country financial oversight experience, and the ability to translate complex financial information into clear recommendations for program leadership.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide overall financial oversight for the consolidated program budget across Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti, South Sudan, and the regional component.
• Maintain an accurate master budget with clear visibility of expenditure, commitments, forecasts, and available balances by country, result area, budget line, and implementing partner.
• Develop quarterly multi-country cash-flow forecasts and consolidated monthly Budget Versus Actual reports, including analysis of burn rates, variances, financial risks, and recommended corrective actions.
• Lead financial preparedness for Crisis Modifier activations, including rapid budget realignment, emergency cash disbursement planning, partner financing, expenditure tracking, and post-activation reconciliation.
• Advise program leadership on eligible costs, budget flexibility, exchange-rate exposure, underspending, cost overruns, liquidity, and partner disbursement risks.
• Serve as the primary financial reporting lead for the DG ECHO grant, ensuring the accuracy, completeness, and timely submission of interim, mid-term, final, and amendment-related financial reports.
• Prepare complete donor reporting and audit documentation packages, including expenditure schedules, procurement records, source documents, partner financial statements, and cost-allocation explanations.
• Maintain program-wide audit readiness and coordinate internal audits, DG ECHO expenditure-verification exercises, auditor requests, and implementation of audit recommendations.
• Manage financial aspects of grant amendments, budget revisions, no-cost extensions, reporting-period changes, and formal donor financial communications.
• Develop and enforce consistent financial reporting standards, templates, controls, and submission timelines across all country teams and implementing partners.
• Oversee financial due diligence, sub-grant agreements, disbursement schedules, financial reporting, expenditure verification, and capacity strengthening for IGAD, ICPAC, PAPDA, and SCAP.
• Coordinate Action Against Hunger’s financial obligations within the FAO South Sudan consortium component, ensuring alignment with both FAO and DG ECHO requirements.
• Establish and maintain strong internal controls, including segregation of duties, authorization matrices, payment verification, bank reconciliation, cash management, and anti-fraud measures.
• Ensure appropriate financial controls for Somalia’s operating context, including hawala transfers, mobile-money payments, exchange-rate management, and Financial Service Provider documentation.
• Oversee multi-currency accounting, payroll and staff-cost allocation, fixed assets, tax compliance, VAT exemptions, withholding taxes, and other statutory obligations.
• Conduct financial monitoring visits, partner spot checks, compliance reviews, and audit-preparation support across program countries and partner offices.
• Develop and maintain the program Financial Risk Register and ensure fraud, corruption, compliance, exchange-rate, partner, and liquidity risks are actively monitored and mitigated.
• Provide financial dashboards, commitment trackers, forecasts, and partner status summaries to support consortium governance and management decisions.
• Lead the financial closeout process, including final reconciliation, partner closeout, expenditure verification, asset disposal, donor submissions, and record archiving.
• Provide functional guidance, mentoring, and professional development support to country finance officers and partner finance teams.

Requirements

Who We’re Looking For

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Public Financial Management, or a closely related quantitative discipline.
• A master’s degree or professional accountancy qualification, such as ACA, ACCA, CPA, or CIMA, is an added advantage.
• Additional training in EU grant management, DG ECHO financial compliance, or humanitarian financial management is strongly preferred.
• Minimum seven years of financial management experience within an international humanitarian or development organization.
• At least three years of experience in a senior regional or multi-country finance role with responsibility for complex institutional donor grants.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience managing DG ECHO-funded programs, including budgeting, financial reporting, compliance monitoring, sub-grant oversight, audit preparation, and closeout.
• Expert knowledge of DG ECHO General Conditions, eligible-cost requirements, PRAG provisions, procurement rules, and expenditure-verification standards.
• Proven experience managing multi-partner financial arrangements involving intergovernmental institutions, international NGOs, local organizations, and multiple country offices.
• Experience managing financial compliance in Somalia, including hawala documentation, mobile-money systems, or comparable payment environments, is a significant advantage.
• Strong experience in financial forecasting, Budget Versus Actual analysis, cash-flow planning, multi-currency accounting, risk management, and donor reporting.
• Advanced proficiency in SAGA or comparable NGO accounting software, along with expert-level Microsoft Excel skills.
• Experience using DG ECHO reporting systems, including eSF and APPEL, is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze complex financial information and provide concise, decision-focused guidance to senior leaders and non-finance colleagues.
• Strong experience building the financial-management capacity of country teams, local partners, and intergovernmental organizations.
• Excellent communication, coordination, analytical, problem-solving, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Full professional fluency in written and spoken English is required. Working knowledge of French, Somali, or Amharic is an advantage.
• Ability and willingness to travel approximately 30%–40% of working time across program countries, including travel to challenging or high-risk environments.

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About the Role

The Regional MEAL and Learning Specialist will provide strategic leadership and operational management for the consortium’s monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning function across Ethiopia, Somalia, and Djibouti.

Based in Nairobi and reporting to the Regional Consortium Coordinator, this role will design and oversee a rigorous, adaptive, and regionally consistent MEAL system aligned with DG ECHO requirements and the learning priorities of IGAD, ICPAC, and SCALAA.

The Specialist will lead the program Results Framework, baseline, mid-term, and endline evaluations, data-quality assurance, accountability mechanisms, After-Action Reviews, donor evidence packages, and regional learning products. The role will directly manage the Data Analyst, provide technical guidance to country MEAL focal points, and carry direct responsibility for MEAL data management for the Somalia component.

This position is ideal for an experienced regional MEAL professional with strong mixed-methods research expertise, institutional donor experience, and technical knowledge of anticipatory action, disaster preparedness, early-warning systems, or climate-informed humanitarian programming.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of the consortium-wide MEAL system across Ethiopia, Somalia, and Djibouti.
• Develop and maintain the program’s Results Framework, Theory of Change, indicator matrix, targets, data sources, disaggregation requirements, and responsibility assignments.
• Design and manage the program MEAL Plan, including data-collection schedules, quality-assurance protocols, accountability mechanisms, reporting responsibilities, and the regional learning cycle.
• Establish consistent MEAL governance and standards across country teams, implementing partners, program staff, and regional technical teams.
• Lead quarterly and annual program reviews and ensure monitoring findings inform adaptive management, program planning, and decision-making.
• Provide technical leadership for baseline, mid-term, and endline evaluations using rigorous mixed-methods approaches across all three program countries.
• Develop evaluation methodologies, research questions, sampling strategies, data-collection tools, analytical frameworks, and reporting structures.
• Manage external evaluation consultants when independent evaluations are required, including developing terms of reference and reviewing technical proposals and deliverables.
• Directly oversee the Somalia evaluation and MEAL component, working with country teams and local partners to ensure consistent data quality and conflict-sensitive data collection.
• Establish consortium-wide data-quality standards, verification procedures, source-data archives, and auditable evidence trails for donor-reported results.
• Ensure ethical and responsible data management, including informed consent, confidentiality, anonymization, secure data storage, access controls, and compliance with relevant data-protection standards.
• Oversee digital data-collection and management systems, including KoboToolbox, ODK, dashboards, validation controls, and real-time data monitoring.
• Design and oversee accessible Complaints and Feedback Mechanisms that enable affected communities to provide feedback safely and confidentially.
• Ensure accountability systems are inclusive and accessible to women, persons with disabilities, older people, displaced populations, refugees, people with low literacy, and other marginalized groups.
• Lead After-Action Reviews following simulations, pilot activations, and Crisis Modifier responses, ensuring operational lessons are documented and incorporated into program improvements.
• Work with the Regional Climate and Anticipatory Action Modeling Specialist to assess trigger accuracy, lead times, false-alarm rates, and activation decision quality.
• Produce regional learning briefs, evidence papers, case studies, evaluation reports, and knowledge products on anticipatory action, trigger systems, urban preparedness, and cross-border coordination.
• Serve as the quality-assurance authority for quantitative data, indicator results, disaggregation tables, progress narratives, and evidence included in DG ECHO reports.
• Lead MEAL capacity strengthening for country teams, government counterparts, and implementing partners across the program.
• Directly manage and mentor the Data Analyst and provide technical guidance to MEAL focal points in Ethiopia, Somalia, and Djibouti.
• Develop and manage the program’s MEAL budget and approve MEAL-related expenses within authorized thresholds.

Requirements

Who We’re Looking For

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Monitoring and Evaluation, Development Studies, Social Research Methods, Statistics, Public Policy, Humanitarian Action, or a closely related field.
• Additional professional certification in program evaluation, results-based management, research methods, or a related discipline is a strong advantage.
• Minimum seven years of progressively responsible MEAL experience within the humanitarian or international development sector.
• At least three years of experience in a senior regional or multi-country MEAL coordination position.
• Demonstrated experience designing and managing comprehensive MEAL systems for complex, multi-year, multi-country programs.
• Strong experience managing Results Frameworks, formal evaluations, data-quality assurance systems, accountability mechanisms, and institutional donor reporting.
• Experience working with DG ECHO or a comparable institutional donor is strongly preferred, including knowledge of donor logframes, evidence requirements, and reporting conventions.
• Technical experience in anticipatory action, disaster preparedness, early-warning systems, climate-risk management, or climate-informed humanitarian programming is required.
• Proven experience leading baseline, mid-term, and endline evaluations using quantitative and qualitative research methods.
• Advanced skills in survey design, sampling, statistical analysis, qualitative research, data interpretation, and evidence-based reporting.
• Proficiency with KoboToolbox, ODK, or comparable digital data-collection platforms.
• Experience designing MEAL approaches for trigger-based programs, simulation exercises, After-Action Reviews, pilot activations, or Crisis Modifier responses.
• Experience working in at least two of the target countries—Ethiopia, Somalia, and Djibouti—or in comparable Greater Horn of Africa contexts is preferred.
• Strong knowledge of accountability to affected populations, inclusive feedback mechanisms, PSEA, data protection, safeguarding, and responsible humanitarian data practices.
• Demonstrated ability to translate field-level evidence into clear program insights, donor reports, learning products, and strategic recommendations.
• Strong leadership, team management, facilitation, communication, and stakeholder-engagement skills.
• Full professional fluency in written and spoken English is required. Working knowledge of French, Somali, or Amharic is a strong advantage.
• Ability and willingness to travel across Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti, and other regional locations, including travel to challenging or high-risk operating environments.

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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.