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Job Specification
Job Title:
Location:
Department:
Date:
Humanitarian Advisor - Humanitarian Programme
Maynooth with frequent travel
International
May 2013
Description of the
unit / department:
This role is part of the Humanitarian Programme Team based
in Maynooth. The unit consists of a Programme Manager, a
Coordinator, a Policy Officer, Protection Advisor a
Programme Development & IF Advisor, Intern and
ProgrammeAssistant. The unit is linked to the Humanitarian
Programme Officers in country programmes.
Background to the
Role:
Trócaire’s Strategic Framework, Mobilising for Justice,
20012-16 contains five organisational programmes including
the Humanitarian Programme. The objective of this
programme is to reduce the impact of humanitarian crises on
vulnerable communities and individuals through:
 The development and implementation of Disaster Risk
Reduction (DRR) activities (with an emphasis on
emergency preparedness)
 The development and implementation of high quality
humanitarian response programmes
Enhancing Irish and in-country, public and official, support
for, and engagement with, humanitarian issues, with a focus
on advocacy, funding and campaigns. The Humanitarian
Advisor will be responsible for providing support to Trócaire
staff and partners on the development of principled, needsbased humanitarian programmes which meet organisational
and sectoral standards in humanitarian protection, quality and
accountability. While it is expected that the majority of the
Advisor’s time will be spent in Head Office a proportion of
the Advisor’s time will be spent in country offices supporting
the strategic development of relief and recovery programmes
and advising staff and partners on all stages of the programme
cycle, including; assessment, design, implementation and
M&E in line with the relevant standards of quality and
accountability.
Reporting to:
Managing:
(Individuals/Team)
Contract Type:
Contract Duration:
Grade and Scale:
Humanitarian Programme Coordinator
N/A
Fixed Term
3 years
D
Location of
Position
Scope of the Role:
Safeguarding2
Children Policy:
Key Duties &
Responsibilities
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Based in Trócaire head office in Maynooth with travel
overseas, sometimes at short notice. The Humanitarian
Advisor may travel up to 4 months per year. 1
To assist in the strategic development of Trócaire
humanitarian programmes which meet organisational and
sectoral standards in humanitarian protection, quality and
accountability, advising relevant staff and partners on all
stages of the programme cycle, including; assessment, design,
implementation and M&E.
The Role:
 Relief & Recovery Programming: Support and
advise colleagues and partners on the design and
implementation of Trócaire’s relief and recovery
programmes. This may include providing surge
capacity to and/or taking the lead in humanitarian
response programmes.
 Humanitarian standards: Drive the continued
improvement of Trocaire’s capacity to deliver
principled, needs-based humanitarian response
programmes which meet organisational and sectoral
standards in humanitarian protection, quality and
accountability.
Programme
quality:
Ensure
results-based
management is streamlined into Trócaire’s
humanitarian programming and is embedded in
supporting procedures, systems and processes in
country programmes.
It is envisaged that there will be no direct, unsupervised
contact with children
Relief and Recovery Programming:
 Support humanitarian and other relevant staff and
partners in the design and implementation of
principled, needs-based humanitarian response
programmes. Support the implementation of, and
adherence to, programmatic and organisation-wide,
systems and procedures for ensuring good practice to
meet sectoral standards in humanitarian protection,
accountability and programme quality. These standards
include but are not limited to; the Code of Conduct for
1
As this post is based on the Island of Ireland, non EU / EEA nationals will require current and valid
permission to work and reside in the Island of Ireland as work permits are only issued in exceptional
circumstances and for very limited periods. Evidence of this permission should accompany your
application.
2
All offers of employment with Trócaire may be subject to Garda Vetting/PSNI clearance.
All new hires are required to complete a Self-Declaration Form and sign up to our Code of Behaviour
contained in our Safeguarding Children Policy – Irish Offices. For additional information please
consult the Human Resources Department in our Head Office.
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the International Red Cross and Red Crescent
Movement and Non-Governmental Organizations
(NGOs) in Disaster Relief, the Sphere Humanitarian
Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster
Response, the Good Enough Guide to Impact and
Accountability in Emergencies and the Livestock
Emergency Guidelines and Standards (LEGS).
Promote an approach that pays particular attention to
accountability to communities and partners as well as
to donors and other key stakeholders, and is informed
by the Humanitarian Accountability Partnership
Standard in Accountability and Quality Management
(HAP) and Trocaire’s Stakeholder Accountability
Framework.
When involved in humanitarian relief and recovery
programming on the ground in country programmes to
support, and/or lead on the development and
submission of high quality funding proposals
(including narrative and financial elements) for
humanitarian programmes, often to tight deadlines
Support the development and implementation of
thorough needs assessments, monitoring procedures
and effective evaluations.
Undertake media and communications work as
required.
Collaborate with other staff in the monitoring and
analysis of emerging and ongoing humanitarian crises,
including consideration of contextual and strategic
considerations, in order to enhance both the quality of
Trócaire and partners capacity to respond effectively
and to drive related advocacy work.
Working with the Strategy and Impact Unit
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Collaborate with the Strategy and Impact Unit to
continue the development and streamlining of
Monitoring and Evaluation tools and quality assurance
mechanisms specific to Trócaire humanitarian
programmes.
Work with overseas staff to promote and embed
Results-Based Management (RBM) into humanitarian
programmes in Trócaire
Lead on the development of efficient systems,
processes and toolkits (tailored PCM) for
incorporation into Programme Management and
Accountability Guide (PMAG) to enable high quality
responses
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Working with the Humanitarian Team and CrossOrganisationally
 Provide a key link between the Humanitarian
Programme and other organisational programmes3 to
bring greater coherence to Trocaire’s humanitarian
programmes and related recovery strategies. Work
closely with the Programme Development and IF
Advisor to develop high quality proposals and reports
for donors.
 Work closely with the Humanitarian Advisor Protection and colleagues in the HIV and Gender
Equality Programme to ensure that HIV, gender,
environmental and related issues are addressed in all
aspects of programming work, both in relation to
partners and in working with colleagues in Trócaire.
 Work closely with the Humanitarian Policy and
colleagues in the Policy Unit to support the
development of humanitarian programme and policy
work as required
International travel and work:

Be willing to travel for up to four months per year
(possibly more in exceptional circumstances) and to
undertake the above tasks in project locations
worldwide, sometimes in insecure environments and at
short notice.
This would normally include blocks of up to 3 weeks travel
but could include longer secondments when required.
Other Duties:
 Represent Trócaire at interagency meetings and other
public fora, including; Caritas, UN Cluster
Coordination meetings and Dóchas among others.
 Any other reasonable duty as may be assigned by
Programme Coordinator or Programme Manager that
is consistent with the nature of the job and its level of
responsibility. This will include the promotion of
Trócaire through the media in conjunction with the
Trócaire Communications Unit.
Person Specification – Essential (E)
(E) Qualification:
 Third level qualification in humanitarianism,
development or related area.
(E) Experience:
 4 years experience in the humanitarian sector in a
programmatic role, including 2 years overseas
experience
3
Governance and Human Rights, Sustainable Livelihoods and Environmental Justice, Gender and HIV
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(E) Knowledge and
Skills:
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(E) Qualities
(E) Other:
(D) Qualification:
(D) Experience:
(D) Knowledge and
Skills:
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Experience of working with, and a demonstrated
understanding of, humanitarian standards and
principles of good practice, including, humanitarian
protection, SPHERE, HAP, LEGS, GEG, Code of
Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red
Crescent
Movement
and
Non-Governmental
Organizations (NGOs) in Disaster Relief & IHL
instruments
Experience of working with a range of institutional
donors
A knowledge and understanding of key established and
emerging humanitarian and development issues
Project cycle management skills
Ability to think strategically and programmatically.
Excellent communication skills.
Proven ability of working successfully with
institutional donors
Able to work effectively with colleagues and partners
(secular, Church, other faith based)
Knowledge and competence in effective use of ICT
An understanding of the need for, and a commitment
to, cross-organisational working.
Demonstrated ability to work in a team.
Fluency in written and spoken English
Helps others to achieve goals
Builds rapport and communicates effectively
Willingly takes ownership and is openly accountable
Manages time and resources efficiently
Shows drive and initiative
Shows flexibility, adapts easily to change
A commitment to justice and development.
Willingness to travel and work in developing countries
where and when required and at short notice
Person Specification – Desirable (D)
 A relevant post-graduate qualification.
 Specific humanitarian qualification
 Proven experience in coordinating and linking with the
UN cluster system
 Experience of supporting the development of
emergency preparedness and contingency plans
 Experience of developing Community based disaster
preparedness programmes
 Specific experience of working with Irish Aid, DFID
and ECHO / DIPECHO
 A working knowledge of French or Spanish
 A detailed knowledge and experience of managing
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humanitarian programmes in both sudden onset crises
and protracted slow onset complex emergencies
(D) Qualities:
(D) Other:
Job Spec created by JOF
(Initials):
JR
Job Spec reviewed
by HR Officer:
MMcQ
Job Spec edited by
(Initials):
Job Spec approved
by (Initials):
May 2013
Date: