Disability-Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction Officer

** Deadline to apply 17 June 2026 **

Description of assignment title

Disability-Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction Officer

Assignment country

India

Duty stations

Bhubaneshwar

Host entity

UNDP

Modality

Onsite

Type

National

Volunteer category

Expert

Work schedule

Full-time

Number of Assignments

1

Work location

On UN premises

Expected start date

01/07/2026

Duration

12 months (with possibility of extension)

Context

Persons with disabilities are among those most disproportionately affected by natural hazards, climate-induced disasters and public health emergencies. The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 recognizes persons with disabilities as important stakeholders and calls for their inclusion across disaster risk reduction (DRR) policies and practices. At the national level, India’s Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act, 2016 mandates the protection, safety and assistance of persons with disabilities in situations of risk, including disasters and humanitarian emergencies.

India has a strong disaster management architecture, anchored in the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), State Disaster Management Authorities (SDMAs) and District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMAs). However, disability inclusion within state- and district-level DRR systems remains uneven and insufficiently institutionalized. Key gaps include limited use of disability-relevant data in preparedness planning, weak continuity arrangements for assistive technology and essential services, inaccessible early warning and evacuation systems, and inconsistent participation of persons with disabilities and Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) in preparedness, response and recovery.

In response UNDP in close coordination with UNICEF, WHO and the UNRCO, is implementing the District-Level Disability-Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (DiDRR) Project in partnership with the SDMAs of Bihar, Himachal Pradesh and Odisha, and OPDs. The project will be implemented in 10 high-risk districts across the three pilot states as a proof of concept to generate practical tools, institutional models and lessons for wider scale-up.

To anchor this work within state institutions and support sustained implementation, three Disability-Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction Officer (DiDRR) Officers will be engaged, one in each pilot SDMA. The DiDRR Officers will serve as the primary state-level technical resource persons for disability-inclusive DRR, supporting coordination, technical planning, OPD engagement, district-level implementation and documentation of lessons from the pilot.

Task description

Under the overall supervision of the Programme Specialist, UNDP and the day-to-day functional guidance of the designated SDMA counterpart, the DiDRR Officer will provide technical advisory, coordination and capacity-development support to advance disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction at the state, district and community levels.

The Disability-Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction Officer (DiDRR) Officer will:

• Undertake a situational analysis of disability inclusion within the assigned state’s DRR architecture, including institutional capacity mapping, OPD ecosystem mapping, review of relevant state and district disaster management plans, and preparation of actionable recommendations and a workplan for the assignment period.

• Provide technical support to strengthen the application of relevant national and state disaster management policies, plans, SOPs and related frameworks so as to better integrate disability inclusion across preparedness, response and recovery systems.

• Support the development and application of key technical tools and frameworks for disability-inclusive preparedness and planning, including a state-contextualized DiDRR checklist, disability data synthesis, assistive technology preparedness and continuity planning, and stakeholder coordination mechanisms.

• Support community-level preparedness processes across the pilot districts, including inclusive micro-planning, accessibility assessments of shelters and camps, and strengthened coordination among Aapda Mitras, OPDs, local authorities and persons with disabilities.

• Support the design, delivery and documentation of disability-inclusive training, simulations and other capacity-building activities for government stakeholders, frontline workers and community actors.

• Prepare a state capacity-building roadmap to support sustained disability-inclusive DRR implementation at state and district levels, including indicative resource requirements.

• Support the preparation of a state-level Detailed Project Report (DPR) for scaled implementation of disability-inclusive DRR, aligned with relevant national and state financing mechanisms, including indicative budgets, phasing and institutional arrangements.

• Document and synthesize good practices, lessons learned and implementation experience from the pilot to support programme learning, scale-up, wider replication of disability-inclusive DRR approaches and the development of a future national programme.

• Contribute to programme monitoring, mid-term review and other learning processes by providing analytical inputs, case studies, emerging lessons and recommendations for programme improvement and scale-up.

• Contribute to learning and dissemination products, including briefs, case studies, presentations, reports and knowledge-sharing events for UN agencies, partners, donors and broader cooperation processes.

• Prepare a final assignment report capturing progress against deliverables, key achievements, lessons learned, institutional recommendations and considerations for sustainability and scale-up.

• Perform any other related tasks as may reasonably be required by the supervisor in line with the overall objectives of the DiDRR programme.

Relevant experience

7 years

Languages

English, Level: Fluent, Required

Hindi, Level: Fluent, Desirable

Oriya, Level: Fluent, Required

Required education level

Master's degree in Disability Studies, Social Policy, International Development, Public Administration, Environmental Science, Disaster Management, Climate Change, or a related field.

A first-level university degree in combination with 2 additional years of relevant academic qualifications and professional experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

NOTE: Preference will be given to candidates with disabilities.

Skills and experience

• Minimum 7 years of relevant professional experience in the area of disability inclusion, disaster risk reduction and management, climate change adaptation, humanitarian preparedness, resilience, community or sustainable development or related areas.

• Demonstrated experience working with or within government institutions, particularly disaster management institutions, social sector departments, local authorities or related public systems at state or district level or OPDs at state or national level or with Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) and applying rights-based, CRPD-compliant approaches in programme design, implementation or policy processes.

• Experience in facilitating multi-stakeholder consultations, coordination processes, workshops, and capacity-building activities involving government, communities and civil society stakeholders.

Desirable Experience:

• Familiarity with India’s disaster management architecture, including NDMA, SDMAs, DDMAs, DDMPs, SDRF-related mechanisms and relevant policy guidelines.

• Experience with disability-relevant data collection, analysis and use, including administrative datasets, census data, MIS or community-based information systems.

• Experience in inclusive training, simulations, drills or preparedness exercises involving first responders, frontline workers or community actors.

• Familiarity with assistive technology, accessibility standards or continuity planning in emergency or disaster contexts.

• Experience in preparing DPRs, implementation plans, resource estimates or project proposals linked to public financing or development programming.

• Experience with GIS tools, data visualization applications or planning dashboards would be an asset.

• Experience working with UN agencies, international development organizations or multi-partner programmes would be an advantage.

NOTE: PREFERENCE WILL BE GIVEN TO CANDIDATES WITH DISABILITIES