Position: Emergency Response Specialist

Relations: At HQ – Managed by the Head of Operations; Strong collaboration with Departments and Specialists. On assignment – Managed by the Country Representative, the Head of Regional Unit or other appropriate designee, based on the deployment; Strong collaboration with the Head of Departments/Services; Management of staff as assigned

Location: Tunis, Tunisia (or any WeWorld mission within +/- 4 hours Italy) with around 50% field deployment, based on needs

Reporting Relationship: Head of Operations

Application deadline: 11/04/2025

Starting date: asap

Job description

The Emergency Response Specialist is part of the International Programmes Department (IPD) and reports to the Head of Operations, working closely with Regional Heads and Technical Departments. The role focuses on strengthening and implementing WeWorld’s humanitarian response through preparedness, coordination, and direct deployment in emergency settings.

This position requires a highly flexible and experienced humanitarian professional capable of deploying on short notice to lead or support emergency responses, provide technical expertise, and contribute to capacity building and strategic development.

MAIN TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Emergency Response Deployment

The Emergency Response Specialist deploys to crises worldwide to lead or support emergency response efforts of staff in WeWorld countries depending on need. The person will assume a variety of roles such as Program Manager, Area Manager, or Country Director, as needed depending on the crisis nature or country office structure. S/he is responsible to support current WeWorld’s emergency responses and/or to set up new responses, based on needs.

Key areas of intervention:

• Assessments & Strategy: lead or support to rapid needs assessments and support the development and the revision of Country emergency strategy components
• Program Oversight: ensure the effective design, implementation, and monitoring of emergency projects, in alignment with humanitarian principles, quality standards, and accountability frameworks and in collaboration with technical and country staff
• Team Leadership: supervise emergency teams, during emergency response and act as technical manager to help them to set clear expectations, and provide guidance
• Coordination & Representation: coordinate the engagement with UN agencies, key emergency donors, peer NGOs, and government authorities to represent WeWorld during emergencies
• Resource Mobilization: support fundraising efforts by contributing to proposal development, donor engagement, and external communications
• Security & Risk Management: ensure staff safety, monitor risks, and implement security protocols during emergency deployments

Emergency Institutional strengthening  and Capacity building

S/he contributes to strengthening the organization’s emergency tools and capacities and fostering  humanitarian culture, capacity and global recognition as humanitarian actor.

Responsibilities may include (not exhaustive):

• Contribute to the development of emergency response tools and Standard operational procedures
• Support country teams in developing emergency preparedness and response plans/contingency plans in cooperation with HQ and field teams, in line with WeWorld capacity to respond to emergency crisis
• Support in context analyses and feasibility assessments for WeWorld’s potential expansion into new crisis settings
• Prepare training material and deliver specific online and in person trainings and technical support on emergency response practice and procedures, to WeWorld staff and partners

Surge capacity

• Providing surge capacity to support humanitarian interventions of the organisation based on gaps and requests
• Providing short-term technical or managerial support to ensure the uninterrupted implementation of emergency programs
• Deploying on short notice to stabilize operations in crises or newly opened country missions
• Supporting team transitions and handovers, ensuring knowledge transfer and continuity in program delivery