Disaster Preparedness Coordinator - Caracas
Danish Refugee Council / Dansk Flygtningehjælp
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Benefits offered by this job
Job summary
The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) in Venezuela seeks a highly qualified Disaster Preparedness Coordinator based in Caracas to lead DP strategy, guide anticipatory action, and strengthen community resilience with government and partners. The role requires strong DRR expertise and cross-functional coordination across humanitarian teams.
The candidate should have 5+ years in humanitarian DRR, 3+ years in project management in Latin America, and fluency in English and Spanish.
Qualifications
- 5 years in humanitarian sector managing DRR programs and preparedness.
- 3 years in project management related to disaster risk management in Latin America.
- Experience in developing early action and/or early warning systems.
- Fluency in English and Spanish essential.
Responsibilities
- Provide technical guidance for DRR, DP, and DM with anticipatory action.
- Monitor and follow up on disaster preparedness and resilience projects.
- Lead design and implementation of Anticipatory Action projects and tools.
- Liaise with inter-institutional and local partners for coordination.
- Support planning, reporting, and quality assurance across Venezuela offices.
- Line-manage DP Team Leaders in Apure and Zulia.
Skills
Education
Job description
The Danish Refugee Council is one of the world's leading humanitarian NGOs, working in over 30 countries to provide adequate assistance and protection to refugees, asylum seekers, IDPs, returnees, people on the move, and vulnerable local populations/host communities. Currently, DRC is seeking a highly qualified national o International Disaster Preparedness Coordinator based in Caracas, Venezuela.
DRC is managing its operations in Venezuela under the direction of the country office in Caracas and four field offices located in the states of Sucre, Apure, and Zulia (Maracaibo and Santa Barbara de Zulia). DRC Venezuela is implementing an integrated Action encompassing the Protection, Food Security & Livelihood, WASH and Disaster Preparedness sectors.
The Disaster Preparedness (DP) Coordinator serves as the Danish Refugee Council's (DRC) primary expert for both institutional and community-based disaster readiness measures, with an emphasis on proactive strategies, early warning systems, and developing the resilience of communities and local stakeholders (including the local government) within Venezuela.
This role involves delivering prompt and quality technical guidance to support DRC's execution of initiatives aimed at preparedness and resilience, ensuring that these initiatives are seamlessly integrated with the efforts of DRC teams and collaborative partners.
The DP Coordinator will lead the strategic direction of the sector in Venezuela, positioning DRC as a key actor in both regional and global forums. As the technical lead, the Coordinator will also be responsible for designing donor proposals and driving innovative, impactful programming that reflects DRC’s mandate and vision.
The coordinator’s responsibilities include fostering a synergistic approach among DRC's internal teams and external partners, with the ultimate goal of mitigating the adverse effects of disasters on at-risk populations.
The Disaster Preparedness Coordinator will work closely with Base managers, project teams and partners.
- Provide technical support and guidance to DRC Venezuela in the implementation of projects and tools related to Disaster Risk Reduction (DRD), Disaster Preparedness (DP), and Disaster Management (DM) at the organizational, government and community levels linked to anticipatory action, anticipatory early warning, and disaster resilience.
- Monitor and follow up on the implementation of DRC Venezuela projects related to disaster preparedness and resilience.
- Provide technical support for the integration, preparedness, and resilience of disasters into DRC Venezuela's plans and strategy, as appropriate.
- Promote greater understanding of disaster preparedness and resilience terminologies, tools, quality criteria, and approaches.
- Provide technical and operational support for the articulation of preparedness mechanisms in situations of imminent disaster risk, considering anticipatory measures and the link with the implementation of response actions.
- Lead the design and implementation of Anticipatory Action (AA) projects and proposals, develop tools and methodologies to guide programming, and establish systems to measure the impact of DRC’s interventions.
- Liaise DRC Venezuela with relevant inter-institutional and local partners on disaster preparedness and resilience mechanisms to ensure good coordination and identify potential synergies and partnerships.
- Contribute to DRC Venezuela's planning and resource mobilization, e.g., prepare concept notes, lead/participate in the development of projects/program proposals related to disaster preparedness and resilience.
- Co-Lead the AA sub-working group and represent DRC in regional and global forums
- Strengthen capacity-building and knowledge-sharing at the organizational and community levels for disaster preparedness and resilience initiatives and processes.
- Provide timely updates and advice on scientific and technical developments, trends, best practices, areas for improvement, and lessons learned.
- Finalize Impact Studies on the implementation of localized AA interventions.
- Support the formulation of plans and technical reports.
- Provide feedback and quality assurance to DRC offices and teams in Venezuela on the application of the disaster preparedness and resilience approach with the aim of ensuring integration and scaling up of its approach.
- Participate in coordination meetings, providing technical support and relevant information.
- Technically line-manage DP Team Leaders in Apure and Zulia. Line manages other focal points if recruited.
- 5 years of experience in the humanitarian sector, related to the management of programs and/or operations in Disaster Risk Reduction linked to the strengthening of institutional and community preparedness capacity and emergency response operations.
- 3 years of experience working as a project manager related to disaster risk management and/or preparedness in Latin-America.
- Experience in Developing humanitarian early action and/or early warning systems.
- Good understanding of the global humanitarian environment and in Latin America.
- Good ability to lead multidisciplinary teams.
- Experience in coordination with authorities and other humanitarian actors.
- Experience in designing localized and integrated DP responses.
- Experience in narrative and financial reporting.
- Climate Change Adaptation knowledge is an advantage.
- Advanced degree in Disaster Risk Reduction & Management, Urban Planning or another related field is highly preferred, OR
- Advanced degree in social sciences, social work, gender studies, international development / WASH / Rights Based approach / Community Empowerment or related fields, OR
- Advanced degree in Project Management
- Fluency in English (speaking, writing, reading) is essential.
- Communication skills in Spanish is mandatory.
- Internal: Head of Programme; technical coordinators; Area/Base Managers; Emergency, Economic Recovery, Protection, WASH/Shelter, MEAL, Grants, Finance, Supply Chain, IT/Information Management, and field teams.
- External: relevant inter-agency coordination mechanisms and technical working groups; UN agencies; national and international NGOs; local partners; authorities; donors; financial service providers; private-sector and research actors.
- The opportunity to be part of one of the best NGOs worldwide.
- Access to over 1,000 free online trainings and certifications.
- Contract duration: subject to budget availability.
- Salary: Band G / Terms of Employment for national or expatriate staff, as applicable
- HCM insurance fully covered by the organization.
- Achieving Excellence: Focus on achieving results and ensuring efficient processes.
- Collaboration: Engage relevant parties and encourage feedback.
- Taking the Initiative: Take ownership and initiative while seeking innovation.
- Communicating: Listen and speak effectively and honestly.
- Demonstrating Integrity: Act in accordance with DRC's vision and values.
Sunday, october 18 at 11:59 pm Local Time. Please note that applications will be reviewed continuously, and interviews will be scheduled as soon as a suitable candidate is identified. DRC reserves the right to close the vacancy before the deadline once a suitable candidate is identified.
October 2026
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