Regional Humanitarian Preparedness and Response Coordinator

The Organisation

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We believe in the power and potential of every child but know this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And it is girls who are most affected.

Working together with children, young people, supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges girls and vulnerable children face. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood, and we enable children to prepare for and respond to crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge. For over 85 years, we have rallied other determined optimists to transform the lives of all children in more than 80 countries. We won’t stop until we are all equal.

Plan International has been working in the Asia Pacific (APAC) Region since 1960. Currently there are 12 Country Offices (COs) that includes Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Timor Leste, and Vietnam and 3 Fundraising Country/National Offices (FCNOs): (Indonesia, India, and Philippines); and 4 National Offices (NOs): HongKong, Australia, Japan, and Korea in the Asia Pacific Region.

In Asia Pacific region, through Humanitarian and Resilience programing, we build communities’ resilience and support children’s right to dignity and protection before, during and after disasters and conflicts. Aligned with the Global Strategy 2022 – 2027, Plan International will Scale up humanitarian impact as one of the program priorities where we aim to become a leading agency protection children’s right and promoting equality for girls in crisis. We will enhance humanitarian preparedness throughout the organisation, strengthen integration of humanitarian-development and peace work and finally improve ways of working to respond quickly and effective to emergencies. Plan International want to reach more children especially girls, in less time, save lives and leave lasting impact.

Under the supervision of the Regional Humanitarian Preparedness, Response and Resilience, the Regional Humanitarian Preparedness and Response Coordinator will provide support to strengthen the disaster preparedness,   readiness and response to disaster caused by natural hazard nor climate related hazards as well as conflict and protracted crisis in Asia Pacific region.

The expected role is to support oversee the achievement of Country’s Ready to Respond (R2R), conduct regular analysis of disaster risk and conflict trends in the region, manage the emergency response data base and its documentation, promote the importance of Accountability to Affected People and support coordinate the APAC’ Children in Crisis Fund (CiCF) and representing Plan International in specific emergency technical working groups in particular the Accountability to Affected People (AAP) Working Group, CVA Working Group and the Regional Gender in Humanitarian Action (GiHA) network. Lastly this post holder is expected to be deployed in the initial phase of response and or during recovery phase to support COs in his/her capacity as technical advisor and or Deputy Emergency Response Manager as well as potential seconded to Country Offices to provide technical support in any humanitarian preparedness and readiness work in normal situation and support with delivering humanitarian related training i.e. Emergency Response Team (ERT) Training.

   DIMENSIONS OF THE ROLE

The post holder serves as the principal regional coordinator on humanitarian preparedness and response related deliverables in Asia Pacific region and work in close coordination and collaboration with the Regional Head of Humanitarian Preparedness, Response and Resilience and the Regional Anticipatory Action and Climate Specialist.

This post covers 15 countries in the region with supervision of Regional Head of Humanitarian Preparedness, Response and Resilience and is expected to be part of Plan International Global Roster and deployed to support other COs in other region especially during Red alert emergencies.

The role works with Country Offices and regional teams to support ensuring a quality of humanitarian preparedness, readiness and response in an accountable and timely manner and contribute to strengthening Plan International’s visibility as Humanitarian actor in the region.

The Specific Dimension of the roles comprises of:

Support programmatic and data management of humanitarian action in APAC:

• A primary support function to the 15 Country Offices on issues relating to Emergency Preparedness, Readiness and Response, i.e. quarterly hotspot analysis, manage humanitarian preparedness and database and collecting CO contribution for monthly humanitarian round up.
• Provide support to ensure the timely update of CO’s Ready to Respond (R2R) Minimum Preparedness Action (MPA) implementation and it progress.
• Support manages the humanitarian dashboard of APAC
• Coordinating the APAC Children in Crisis Fund (CiCF) together with the assigned CiCF task-team; including responsible for drafting reports to respective donor.
• This post holder is expected to be deployed in the initial phase of response or during recovery phase to support COs in his/her capacity as technical advisor and or Deputy Emergency Response Manager as well as potential seconded to Country Offices to provide technical support in any humanitarian preparedness and readiness work in normal situation.
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Support strengthening COs capacity to be ready to respond

• Provide support in facilitating CO’s humanitarian related training i.e. Emergency Response Team (ERT) training and CVA training; and other training linking with thematic sector lead in the organization.
• Provide support in roll out the R2R approach to the remaining CO in FY 27/28 together with the Regional Head of Humanitarian Preparedness, Response and Resilience.
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Support regional coordination and networking

• The post holder will have to maintain excellent working relationships with colleagues in COs, Nos, the Global Humanitarian Team (APAC) and Regional Hub colleagues.
• This post will also act as thematic leads for different humanitarian networks in APAC in particular the regional Accountability to Affected People (AAP) Working Group, Regional Cash Voucher Assistance (CVA) Working Group, Regional GiHA Working Group and should have a strong Gender in Emergencies understanding and knowledge.

Accountabilities

In non-emergencies: strengthen disaster preparedness, readiness and

response capacity

• Facilitate and support the roll out of various training and capacity building initiatives related to the implementation of the humanitarian scale up priorities.
• Prepare, and periodically update, a disaster/hazard calendar ( the ‘Hotspots analysis’) for the Asia Pacific and undertake an analysis and recommend use of existing early warning systems for Plan’s programming.
• Facilitate and support all countries in the region to go through an intensive Ready to Respond (R2R) Approach and ensure all agreed Minimum Preparedness Action (MPAs) are implemented according to its timeframe.
• Continue promoting the utilization of the Emergency Response manual for Operation and Programme in country offices in the region.
• Manage the emergency response’s database for Asia Pacific and present it in infographic in semester basis including contributing the GHT humanitarian footprint data.
• Facilitate learning and sharing of humanitarian relate resources/tools/experiences between countries in the region.
• Identify and produce a high-quality documentation of evidence in APAC region to justify the contribution for humanitarian scale up priorities in collaboration with MERL Specialists in APAC.
• Support the supervisor and Humanitarian and Resilience Team to review a new Country Strategy document and ensure the inclusion of risks/hazards related to disasters, conflict and environment in their child rights analysis and designed programs accordingly
• Support strengthens external engagement and coordination with other humanitarian actors (UN, NGOs, donors, etc) in the different technical sector through regular attendance in relevant networks and coordination forums, clusters especially on AAP, CPiE, EiE and CVA Network.
• Provide technical support at COs level to increase representation in the humanitarian network i.e. Humanitarian Country Team and other relevant national clusters. Conduct mentoring to COs representative in the leading/coordinating role in the in-county network as required.
• Working in collaboration with APAC technical specialists in development to promote the utilization if the Emergency Response Manual for Programme and promote nexus approach.
• Potential to be seconded to Country Office to provide technical support for humanitarian preparedness and readiness work in normal situation
• Coordinating the APAC Children in Crisis Fund (CiCF) in collaboration with its task force including drafting the donor reports in semester basis.

In emergencies context

• In all significant disasters, ready to deploy to assist the assigned ERM/Deputy ERM/Managers/Focal points at country level to design rapid assessment, compile reports, and drafting response plan, in consultations with Country Director and the Emergency Response Management Team (ERMT). The duration of deployment could be vary from 4 – 12 weeks at the initial phase of response.
• In all responses in APAC (regardless the scale), support COs in identifying the surge capacity needs internal COs, within the Region or require support from the Global Roster in close coordination with the supervisor.
• During deployment and or remote support for all emergencies, support strengthen the accountability of the response and the incorporation of Protection, Gender and Inclusion (PGI), Safeguarding, PSHEA and promoting CVA and MPCA as modality whenever appropriate.
• In the later stage of the response (early recovery and recovery phase) ready to be deployed to support CO in her/his capacity to provide technical support advice both at programmatic and operation as agreed with the Country Management Team and the supervisor. The duration of deployment in this stage could be varied from 4 – 8 weeks-time.
• Support COs in preparing the Real Time Review (RTR) for all orange 2 emergencies and facilitate coordination with the Supervisor.
• Support countries in documentation of lessons from all significant disasters and ensure it circulation to the internal and external organization as needed.

Key relationships

Internal:

• APAC Humanitarian and Resilience team
• APAC’s Program and Influencing Team
• APAC’s communication Team
• APAC Grants, Admin, Supply Chain and P&C team
• Country Humanitarian Manager/Advisors/ERMs and H&R teams at CO level
• Global Humanitarian Team
• CPiE Network
• EiE Network
• Cash Network
• SRHRiE Network
• GiE Network
• Accountability  to Affected People (AAP) Network
• National Organisation’s Humanitarian team especially who in charge for humanitarian work

External:

• IASC Network
• Relevant Humanitarian actors to coordinate Plan’s work with other international/regional/national institutions, clusters and donors in line with Plan’s global strategy
• Academics, research institute and thought leaders in humanitarian work in Asia Pacific region

Technical expertise, skills and knowledge

Qualifications and Experience

• Documented experience from disaster risk management work, including disaster preparedness, readiness and managing response programmes.
• Documented experience from at least 2 major disaster events, working in “disaster /high risk” environments.
• Documented experience as a trainer/facilitator on humanitarian issues especially on international Humanitarian standard and one of the technical sectors CPiE, EiE, CVA, SRHRiE or WASHiE and Gender in Emergencies.
• Ability to priorities and manage complex and varied workload, often to tight deadlines
• Experience of strategy, i.e. analysing relevant factors from both the internal and external environments, identifying crucial issues that have to be addressed, setting objectives and developing plans of actions.
• Excellent communication skills, written and verbal in order to present arguments clearly and powerfully to a variety of audiences.
• Direct experience of working with children and young people and in understanding and responding to their needs and rights.
• Experience of working with institutional donors/fundraisers.
• Experience in utilisation of humanitarian standards i.e. Sphere, CHS, INEE MS on EiE, CPMS and other standards included in the Humanitarian Standard Partnership (HSP).
• Experience of promoting coordination and cooperation with other agencies through networking and alliance building.

Skills

• Energetic and motivated individual, with a proven track record of undertaking similar assignments successfully
• Expert in one of the technical sectors such as  CPiE or EiE or SRHRiE, WASHiE and familiar with cash voucher assistance (CVA) as modality in emergency situations.
• Familiar with the concept of gender in emergencies
• Good interpersonal skills and able to work in a dynamic environment with multiple stakeholders at different level.
• Ability to think strategically, but also result oriented and get things done.
• Commitment to continuous learning and willingness to keep abreast of new developments in the field of humanitarian and resilience and it adherence to the humanitarian principles and standards.
• Able to work independently, but to function within a virtual team.
• Good interpersonal skills and ability to establish and sustain good working relations with colleagues
• Strong negotiation, facilitating, representation and influencing skills including familiar with Artificial Intelligence (AI) for humanitarian work
• Culturally and socially sensitive, and able to work successfully with partners and sector professionals

Leadership Behaviours

• Leads the theoretical discussion and strategy development. 
• Coaches and builds capacity of both program and support staff in APAC and COs
• Promotes innovation and learning
• Communicates clearly and effectively
• Strong team building and motivational skills
• Critical and creative thinking
• Ability to influence
• Result oriented
• Flexible
• Good interpersonal skills

Physical Environment and Demands:

This position entails 50-60 % travel both within and outside region, often in hardship locations.

Level of Contact with Children:

Mid contact: Occasional interaction with children

Location: Country Office where Plan have a presence in Asia

Type of Role: 

Reports to: Regional Head of Humanitarian Preparedness, Response and Resilience

Grade: TBC

Closing Date: 22 November 2026

Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the very heart of everything that Plan International stands for.

We want Plan International to reflect the diversity of the communities we work with, offering equal opportunities to everyone regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.

Plan International is based on a culture of inclusivity and we strive to create a workplace environment that ensures every team, in every office, in every country, is rich in diverse people, thoughts, and ideas.

We foster an organisational culture that embraces our commitment to racial justice, gender equality, girls’ rights and inclusion.

Plan International believes that in a world where children face so many threats of harm, it is our duty to ensure that we, as an organisation, do everything we can to keep children safe. This means that we have particular responsibilities to children that we come into contact with and we must not contribute in any way to harming or placing children at risk.

A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Plan International's Safeguarding Children and Young People policy. Plan International also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this scheme we will request information from applicants previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.

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