Senior Disaster and Climate Officer (National Position)

About the role

The Senior Disaster and Climate Officer is a full-time position based in the Swiss Red Cross (SRC) Country Office in Kathmandu, with up to 40% of working time spent in the field. The officer provides technical leadership and manages SRC support to development projects in disaster risk management (DRM), climate change adaptation (CCA) and crisis preparedness, working through the Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS). The role strengthens partner capacities, government engagement and coordination, and supports emergency preparedness, response and recovery when assigned.

Key responsibilities

• Support NRCS in implementing projects in line with approved plans, budgets and agreements, and review annual and quarterly work plans, budgets and procurement plans
• Track progress, expenditure and forecasts, identify delays and risks and follow up corrective actions
• Engage with local government on DRM, CCA, heat and health, nature-based solutions and early warning, and promote integration into local plans and budgets
• Provide technical leadership in DRM, climate adaptation and heat action, including risk-informed design, nature-based solutions and early warning systems
• Contribute to contingency planning, needs assessments and rapid response mechanisms, and support surge deployments when assigned
• Develop project concepts, proposals, logframes and budgets, integrating sustainability, local ownership and exit arrangements
• Design and facilitate training and mentoring on DRM, CCA, early warning and advocacy, and strengthen NRCS capacities through field visits and coaching
• Maintain monitoring tools, verify data quality and produce timely inputs to reports, reviews and evaluations

Required profile

• Master's degree in disaster risk management, climate change, environmental science, natural resource management, civil engineering, development studies or another relevant discipline
• 6 to 7 years of professional experience in DRM, climate adaptation or resilience programming, including project management and monitoring
• Demonstrated experience in work planning, budget monitoring, risk management and reporting in English
• Experience designing and delivering training, mentoring and capacity development
• Preferred: GIS and spatial risk information, experience in the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement or international humanitarian organisations in Nepal, and experience with community feedback and social accountability mechanisms

Required skills

• Strong technical knowledge of DRM and CCA, including early warning, heat action or nature-based solutions
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and digital collaboration tools
• Sound knowledge of Nepal's disaster risk management, climate and local government systems and humanitarian standards
• Ability to work under pressure, travel to remote locations and manage competing priorities