Specialist Programmes

1. POSITION(S) VACANT: Specialist Programmes, Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), New Delhi (Two Vacancies)

2. ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND:

The Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) is a partnership of national governments, UN agencies and programs, multilateral development banks and financing mechanisms, the private sector, and knowledge institutions that aims to promote the resilience of new and existing infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks in support of sustainable development.

Mission

To support countries to upgrade their systems to ensure disaster and climate resilience of existing and future infrastructure.

Impact that CDRI Aims to Achieve

By 2050, over US$10 trillion of new and existing infrastructure investments and services are resilient to natural hazards and climate change through enhanced capacity, informed policy, planning, and management, leading to improved quality of environment, livelihood, and life of over 3 billion people.

CDRI Mandate & Value Proposition

CDRI has been envisioned and established as a global network to advance the agenda, support coordinated action among stakeholders, and focus on bringing voices from vulnerable geographies and populations to international policy forums. Internationally agreed-upon goals in the SFDRR, the SDGs, and the Paris Climate Agreement provide the foundational framework that guides the Coalitions vision and mission.

As a global partnership, the Coalition aims to ensure that the investments of its members and partners are aligned and well-coordinated in support of the shared ambition of disaster and climate resilience of new and existing infrastructure. The two unique yet interconnected roles that CDRI shoulders in this direction are:

(1) A Strong Coalition Driving Collaborative DRI Action: In 2025, CDRI stands as a partnership of 46 national governments and seven international organizations. The Coalition enjoys robust political support, which propels its efforts to advance the interests of its members and partners.

(2) A Solution-Focused Centre of Excellence for DRI: As a Centre of Excellence for DRI, the Coalition strengthens the individual and collective capacities of its members and partners by aggregating and sharing knowledge, brokering need-based partnerships, and strengthening capacities through collaborative learning and action.

Strategic Work Plan

CDRIs Strategic Work Plan describes the broad contours of its priority actions and planned initiatives in the next four years. The Strategic Work Plan sets out a clear direction for the Coalition to pursue a transformational agenda for DRI in response to a changing risk landscape and evolving on-ground realities of its members. In the next four years, the Coalition will continue to leverage the expertise of its Member Countries and partners to develop context-specific, innovative solutions for resilient infrastructure towards the achievement of national priorities and global commitments of its members.

With the strategic work plan for , CDRI has set out the following strategic outcomes.

(1) Strategic Outcome 1: A strong Coalition that has the membership, resources, and global leadership to drive global, national, regional, and local DRI action.

(2) Strategic Outcome 2: Global DRI research, Coalition-led peer engagement, and CDRI-curated and generated knowledge promote risk-informed policy and practice.

(3) Strategic Outcome 3: Enhanced capacities of government, private enterprises, and communities to implement post-disaster recovery and DRI action at scale.

For more information about CDRI, please visit

3. JOB DESCRIPTION/ RESPONSIBILITIES:

Position:

The position is open to candidates of all nationalities.

All nationals demonstrating 10 years of international work experience in at least 5 countries across 2 UN geographic regions (from Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America, and Oceania) would be considered for international positions (international hire).

Objective of the Position:

The Specialist Programmes shall support the creation, design, implementation, and monitoring of studies and provide technical support relating to projects. This shall include disaster response and recovery support; innovation, institutional, and community capacity-building assistance; and standards and certification.

Responsibilities:

Key responsibilities include:

(1) Support the development and implementation of the delivery of initiatives within Strategic Areas of Technical Support and Capacity Development or Research & Knowledge Management.

(2) Seek, analyze, and apply knowledge, information, and best practices within all projects of CDRI.

(3) Support knowledge management, documentation of best practices and lessons learned from project implementation and facilitate dissemination in the appropriate format to relevant stakeholders.

(4) Engage with domain experts to ensure their support through the life cycle of projects, programmes, and initiatives.

(5) Undertake field reviews and prepare Back-to-Office Reports and documents meetings.

(6) Liaise with and coordinates among the CDRI Secretariat, government agencies, development partners, and various stakeholders to facilitate formulation, processing, administration, and monitoring of Technical Assistance (TA) in CDRI member countries within the critical infrastructure sector, including power, telecommunications, and transportation.

(7) Support task force, fact-finding, and appraisal missions, including, but not limited to, review of project/program designs, liaison with government officials, data and project/program costing, and implementation arrangements.

(8) Provide support in conducting upstream studies in the critical infrastructure sector (power, telecom, and transport) in general and new, emerging areas in particular.

(9) Support activities related to budget planning (programme/project preparation and submissions, progress reports, financial statements, etc.) and preparation of related documents/reports (pledging, work programme, programme budget, etc.).

(10) Provide administrative and substantive support to consultative and other meetings, conferences, etc., including proposing agenda topics and content, identifying and proposing participants, preparing background documents and presentations, handling logistics, etc.

(11) Help organize, contribute to, supports, and participates in meetings, conferences, seminars, and workshops, including country missions; Coordinate and support other specialists in Research and Knowledge Management, Technical Support and Capacity Development as well as Advocacy and Partnerships teams for development and dissemination of research and knowledge products at national and international platforms through CDRI and other agencies.

(12) Performs other duties related to the CDRI, as assigned.

4. QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS:

Qualifications:

(1) Masters degree in Architecture, Engineering, Infrastructure Planning, Transport Planning/ Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Applied Sciences, Actuarial Sciences, or Economics.

(2) International education shall be an added advantage.

Experience:

years of experience in a relevant position at the national or international level.

(2) Specific experience in critical infrastructure sectors, resilience, and disaster risk reduction within essential sectors of infrastructure shall be given additional weightage.

(3) Experience of working in an international organization and with a diverse number of partners comprising Governments, the UN, multi-lateral systems, industry, financial institutions, and knowledge and research institutions in multi-country locations, is required.

Skills:

(1) Expertise in one or more of the following domains: Research, Critical Infrastructure (Power, Telecommunications, Transport), Disaster Risk Reduction, and Infrastructure Finance.

(2) Familiarity with international frameworks like the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and the Paris Agreement.

(3) Skills in project development, implementation, and management.

(4) Organizational skills, attention to detail, ability to multitask, and ability to perform under pressure.

(5) Experience in contributing to proposals, cost estimations, scope of work, and tender documents while involving stakeholder groups.

(6) Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and a proven ability to be flexible in demanding situations and to handle multiple priorities.

(7) Excellent research and technical writing skills in English.

(8) Past track record/ability to work independently, deliver timely and quality products, and

(9) Computer proficiency, especially related to project management software, office software packages (Microsoft Office), and others as relevant.

(10) Experience working with organizations in the critical infrastructure sector and power, telecom, and transport.

(11) Experience working in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural teams.

(12) Experience working in data analysis, working with big data and GIS data.

(13) Experience in sectors related to disaster risk reduction and climate change.

(14) Experience in developing concept notes and proposals on disaster and climate-resilient infrastructure.

(15) Proven experience in strategizing, developing, and implementing projects for international organizations in developing countries' public or private sectors.

5. REPORTING LINE:

The incumbent will report to the Lead Specialist or the appropriate role per the approved organizational structure.

6. LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS:

(1) Fluency in English, both oral and written.

(2) Knowledge of any of the UN's official languages will be an asset.

7. SALARY AND BENEFITS:

Competitive.

8. LOCATION:

CDRI Secretariat, New Delhi, India.

9. CONTRACT DURATION:

Fixed Term Contract (3 years), extendable for up to another 3 years.