Consultant Knowledge Management And Communications

Organizational Context

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC or “the Federation”) is the world’s largest humanitarian network. The Federation is a membership organization established by and comprised of its 191-member National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Along with National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Federation is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent (RCRC) Movement.

The overall aim of the IFRC is “to inspire, encourage, facilitate, and promote at all times all forms of humanitarian activities by National Societies with a view to preventing and alleviating human suffering and thereby contributing to the maintenance and promotion of human dignity and peace in the world.” It works to meet the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable people before, during and after disasters, health emergencies, and other crises.

The Federation is served by a Secretariat based in Geneva, with regional and country offices throughout the world. The Secretariat is led by the IFRC Secretary General and provides the central capacity of the International Federation to serve, connect, and represent National Societies. The Secretariat’s focus includes providing support to the IFRC governance mechanisms; setting norms and standards; providing guidance; ensuring consistency, coordination, and accountability for performance; knowledge sharing; promoting collaboration within and respect for the RCRC Movement; influential representation with global level partners; and expanding engagement with partners.

The Secretariat’s headquarters is organized under three divisions, including National Society Development and Operations Coordination (NSDOC). The NSDOC Division is in turn organized in three Departments, each of them led by a Director. The Disasters, Climate and Crises (Prevention, Response & Recovery) Department consists of three teams, of which Climate & Resilience is one.

Job Purpose

Background

Addressing the climate and environmental crises is the first Strategic Priority of IFRC’s Strategy 2030, which stresses the urgency to massively scale-up climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction in view of increasing disasters and climate-related impacts on vulnerable people. The IFRC Global Climate Resilience Platform (GCRP), launched in 2022, aims to foster an unprecedented scale-up of locally-led climate action to enhance community resilience.

The Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance (ZCRA) is the Zurich Foundation's flagship global climate resilience partnership. Signed in September 2023, the Alliance is an initial four-year program, with a shared ambition to evolve into a twelve-year partnership. Led by the Zurich Foundation, the Alliance brings together Concern Worldwide, Practical Action, Mercy Corps, Plan International, the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), the

Institute for Social and Environmental Transition (ISET), the London School of Economics, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

The Alliance supports 19 programs across 15 countries, working with communities, governments, and partners to strengthen resilience to climate-related risks through locally led adaptation, enhanced disaster risk management, community-centered early warning systems, climate-informed planning, and strengthened governance. Through evidence generation, innovation and partnership, the Alliance seeks to influence policy and practice while scaling proven resilience solutions globally.

The Urban Climate Resilience Program (UCRP) is a complementary global initiative launched in 2023 to help cities and vulnerable urban communities better prepare for and adapt to the increasing impacts of climate change, including floods, extreme heat and wildfires. The program works through multi-sector partnerships involving local Zurich Insurance teams, city governments, urban networks, NGOs, and community organizations to identify climate risks, co-design locally appropriate resilience solutions and scale successful approaches.

Currently operating across multiple cities in nine countries, UCRP applies a structured, community-centered methodology that strengthens local adaptive capacity, promotes resilient urban systems, and generates evidence to influence broader policy and investment decisions.

Job Purpose

The Knowledge Management and Communications consultant will provide strategic leadership for knowledge management, learning and communications across ZCRA and UCRP. Working across country, regional, and global levels, the role will strengthen the quality, visibility, accountability and impact of climate resilience programming in Australia, Canada, Spain, Fiji, Mexico, Portugal and the Philippines. The position will lead the development and implementation of integrated knowledge management and communications strategies that capture, synthesize, and disseminate evidence, lessons learned, innovations and good practices across both initiatives.

The role will facilitate cross-country learning, strengthen collaboration between National Societies and external partners, and ensure that knowledge generated through program implementation informs adaptive management, program design, and strategic decision-making. It will also support donor accountability and positioning by producing high-quality knowledge products, strategic communications, learning events and evidence-based thought leadership that highlight the collective impact of the IFRC and its partners in building climate resilience and addressing emerging humanitarian priorities, including extreme heat and urban climate risks.

Job Duties And Responsibilities

Key Areas of Responsibility

• Knowledge management coordination and information management
• Strategic communications and program visibility
• Knowledge product development and dissemination
• Learning, capacity strengthening, and knowledge exchange
  
  
  

Cross-cutting Responsibilities

The Knowledge Management and Communications Lead will:

• Strengthen program credibility and visibility with donors and partners, ensuring appropriate donor recognition across communications and knowledge products.
• Foster collaboration across IFRC programs, National Societies, ZCRA and UCRP partners to document, share, and scale good practice.
• Support IFRC's thematic leadership on extreme heat by facilitating cross-program knowledge products, communications, and learning initiatives.
• Promote partnerships and collaborative achievements across local, national, and global levels.
• Provide technical advice and quality assurance for strategic communications and knowledge products.
• Coach and support the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Officer on PMER-related processes, including planning, monitoring, evaluation, learning, and donor reporting.
• Identify opportunities to increase the visibility and uptake of program evidence among donors, technical audiences, and strategic partners.
  
  
  

Responsibilities

• Knowledge Management Coordination and Information Management
  
  
  

Coordinate knowledge management systems and processes that support collaboration, information sharing and program delivery across ZCRA and UCRP.

Responsibilities:

• Coordinate and maintain shared knowledge management and collaboration platforms, including SharePoint and Microsoft Teams.
• Facilitate coordination across ZCRA, UCRP, IFRC and National Society teams on knowledge management and communications activities.
• Coordinate planning, monitoring, and reporting of knowledge management and communications activities.
• Document program interventions, lessons learned and emerging good practice.
• Maintain audiovisual asset libraries and knowledge product databases.
• Prepare regular internal updates for ZCRA/UCRP partners, IFRC leadership and National Societies.
  
  
  

Key Deliverables:

• Revised global and country Knowledge Management and Communications Strategies (Q3 2026)
• SharePoint guidance materials and coaching sessions (Q3 2026)
• Shared communications calendar (Q3 2026)
• Quarterly updates of audiovisual asset and knowledge product databases
• Annual report on program knowledge products (Q4 2026)
• Strategic Communications and Program Visibility
  
  
  

Lead strategic communications that increase program visibility, strengthen stakeholder engagement, and promote program impact across global, regional and country audiences.

Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with the Z Zurich Foundation, IFRC, National Societies and ZCRA/UCRP partners to strengthen program visibility.
• Develop and maintain program messaging aligned with donor, ZCRA/UCRP and IFRC priorities.
• Develop communications packages to support the launch and dissemination of global knowledge products.
• Produce engaging communications materials highlighting program achievements, partnerships and lessons learned.
• Coordinate communications support for major program milestones, campaigns, and events.
• Ensure branding and donor visibility requirements are consistently applied.
  
  
  

Key Deliverables:

• Eight blog posts highlighting program impact and scalable good practice (two per quarter)
• Global and country key messaging package (Q3 2026)
  
  
  

Job Duties And Responsibilities (continued)

• Urban Heat Theme branding package (Q3 2026)
• Communications package supporting dissemination of the Extreme Heat Literacy Guide (Q3 2026)
• Quarterly social media content packages
• Co-developed communications materials with the Z Zurich Foundation
• Country impact infographics (Q1 2027)
• Knowledge Product Development and Dissemination
  
  
  

Lead the development of strategic knowledge products that capture program evidence, support learning and influence policy and practice.

Responsibilities:

• Support country teams to develop knowledge products in a range of formats, including technical briefs, case studies, blogs, videos, and multimedia resources.
• Facilitate the development of knowledge products for the global Urban Heat Theme.
• Coordinate technical review, quality assurance, and sign-off processes for ZCRA/UCRP knowledge products.
• Facilitate collaboration across programs to develop joint knowledge products and share evidence.
• Ensure knowledge products are accessible, audience-focused and aligned with program priorities.
  
  
  

Key Deliverables:

• Six Technical Solution briefs documenting interventions across Mexico, the Philippines, Spain, and Australia (subject to country program timelines)
• Video documenting Family Emergency Planning in Mexico and the Philippines (Q3 2026)
• Case study on climate resilience in Small Island Developing States (Q1 2027)
• Infographic: From Risk Awareness to Action (Q2 2027)
• Learning, Capacity Strengthening and Knowledge Exchange
  
  
  

Strengthen organizational learning by facilitating knowledge exchange, building capacity, and supporting communities of practice across programs.

Responsibilities:

• Design and facilitate cross-country learning exchanges, webinars, and communities of practice.
• Develop guidance, tools and templates to strengthen knowledge management and communications capacity.
• Capture, synthesize and disseminate lessons learned across programs.
• Support Urban Heat Theme learning activities and knowledge-sharing processes.
• Promote collaboration between IFRC programs, National Societies, and external partners to strengthen collective learning.
  
  
  

Key Deliverables:

• Revised Heat Early Warning Systems Learning Package for external publication (Q4 2026)
• Early Warning Systems Learning Package (Q3 2026)
• Urban Heat Theme Community of Practice membership plan and content calendar (Q3 2026)
• Supporting materials for the Heat Solutions Learning Journey (Q3–Q4 2026)
• Urban Heat internal SharePoint landing page (Q4 2026)
• Knowledge Management Typology, including templates and guidance (Q4 2026)
• Webinar highlighting UCRP impact and lessons learned (Q3 2026)
• Quarterly regional learning exchanges across IFRC and National Society teams
  
  
  

Duration

12 months (01 August 2026 – 31 July 2027), up to 240 days.

Travel

If travel is required and provided advance approval is given, the IFRC shall cover the costs of economy class transportation and reasonable, safe and appropriate accommodation, in accordance with the IFRC’s Travel Related Expenses Procedures.

Reporting Line

IFRC Senior Officer, Climate Resilience Initiatives. He/she will work closely with the Climate, Urban, Resilience and Environment team.

Education

Required

• Relevant university degree in a related discipline from an accredited academic institution.
  
  
  

Experience

Required

• Extensive demonstrable experience within the area of Disaster Risk Reduction, Resilience Programming, Climate Adaptation, and related fields of practice.
• At least 5 years professional experience within the humanitarian, development, or climate sectors with either government or non-governmental organizations.
• Experience in conducting quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis.
• Experience in participatory approaches to evaluations.
• Experience with remote methodologies for consultations is a plus.
• Demonstrable experience in translating complex information into clear and actionable program goals and recommendations.
  
  
  

Knowledge, Skills and Languages

Required

• Familiarity with different data collection and analysis tools and software.
• Good knowledge of strategic and operational management of humanitarian operations and an ability to provide strategic recommendations to key stakeholders.
  
  
  

Languages

Required

• Excellent writing and communication skills in English.
  
  
  

Competencies, Values and Comments

Application Instruction

Please submit your application in English only.

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