The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is a membership organisation, consisting of the world’s 192 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, acting through more than 160,000 local branches or offices and with 14 million community-based volunteers. They are supported by the IFRC Secretariat, which works to support, coordinate and represent the action of National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies worldwide. Together, the members and their Secretariat are known as the “IFRC network”. Each National Red Cross and Red Crescent Society is an independent national organisation dedicated to saving lives, promoting community health, safety resilience and well-being, and building inclusive societies. As auxiliaries to the public authorities in the humanitarian field, National Societies support their authorities to reduce risks, protect human dignity, delivery assistance and improve the lives of vulnerable people, while always acting in conformity with the Fundamental Principles. Strategy 2030 (S2030) – a platform for change– defines the vision, and approach for the period 2021-2030 of the IFRC Network. In the Americas, the IFRC Secretariat is organized through a group of support services and technical functions, and delegations covering various geographies. The IFRC network is neutral, impartial and independent. It is a trusted partner both in emergency response and in individual, community and institutional resilience, and it is a leader in the anticipation, prevention, and response to disasters, health emergencies and other crises. In the Americas, the IFRC Secretariat is organized through a group of support services and technical functions, and delegations covering various geographies. In Colombia, IFRC has a country delegation through which it provides technical support to the Colombian Red Cross in areas such as health, migration, climate and environment, disaster risk management, emergency operations and development projects. One of IFRC’s objectives in disaster preparedness in Colombia is to strengthen the capacities of the National Society in Disaster Risk Reduction, through the development of harmonized tools considering the experience and best practices of the National Society itself in support of the technical areas of the secretariat.

Job Purpose

Against this backdrop, the IFRC is soliciting the services of an intern over a 6-month period.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

The objective of the internship is to support the work of the IFRC delegation in Colombia in the development of a readiness plan and technical assistance to the Colombian Red Cross in preparedness and effective response to crises and disasters. In addition, the internship is expected to contribute to the systematization of the results of the implementation processes of the “Preparedness for Effective Response” approach and other actions related to disaster preparedness.

The key deliverables for this work include the following:

• Provide support to IFRC in the development of an emergency and disaster readiness plan.
• Provide support in the analysis and systematization of the results of the implementation of the PER process in Colombia, considering aspects such as migration-displacement, climate-environment, and epidemics-pandemics.
• Collaborate in the development of materials and tools to strengthen National Society and IFRC capacities to respond to crises and disasters.
• Provide support in face-to-face and virtual events where experiences and best practices related to disaster preparedness are shared, including operations.

This internship offers a unique opportunity to work in collaboration with IFRC, contributing significantly to the work being done in Colombia and gaining practical experience in a relevant professional environment.

Duties applicable to all staff

1. Actively work towards the achievement of the Federation Secretariat’s goals

2. Abide by and work in accordance with the Red Cross and Red Crescent principles

3. Perform any other work related duties and responsibilities that may be assigned by the line manager

Education

• Careers related to disaster management, social sciences, health, humanitarian sector, international development, administration, information technology, climate and environment. (Required)
• Postgraduate in Social Sciences or Humanitarian fields. (Preferred)

Experience

• Conducting research and writing research documents. (Required)
• Knowledge of early warning systems. (Preferred)
• Understanding of key concepts of Comprehensive Disaster Management. (Required)
• Strong interpersonal skills. (Required)
• Data analytics skills and techniques. (Required)

Knowledge, Skills and Languages

Knowledge and Skills

• Excellent computer skills (Windows, spreadsheets, word-processing, databases and other relevant programmes) (Required)
• Excellent skills in networking with other agencies and organisations. (Required)
• Able to adapt and resolve problems due to changing situations. (Required)

Languages

• Fluently spoken and written Spanish. (Required)
• Good command of another IFRC official language (French, English or Arabic) Preferred)

Competencies, Values and Comments

Values: Respect for diversity; Integrity; Professionalism; Accountability

Core competencies: Communication; Collaboration and teamwork; Judgement and decision making; National society and customer relations; Creativity and innovation; Building trust