Global near real-time flood modeling initiative: various technical profiles needed

Background
In order to assist worldwide during water related crises, the Dutch government has mandated the Dutch Risk Reduction and Surge Support (DRRS) programme with the responsibility to assist foreign governments and international organizations with expertise on water. Over the last 10 years innovative approaches have been found, and many partnerships have been build. A recent interesting initiative has been applied to Ukraine and Libya, leading to the idea of further focusing on near real-time iterative flood modelling. 

Currently we are building up our capacity to be able to directly deploy near real-time flood modeling tools with a team of experts. We are expecting requests from the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) system for flood related disasters world wide in which we are envisioning to be able share flood modeling results right before disaster, or in the first days after the first impact.

The core team during a deployment will consist of two hydrologist with the necessary support to run the relevant models. Depending on the context, a coastal expert or dam expert is to be added to that configuration.

Good to understand is that this will be a request based initiative. This means that it is unclear when and how often deployments will be. A deployment will typically be between 2-7 days, in which you will be expected to make yourself available directly, for 2-6 hours per day. Again all depending on the context and the needs as expressed by the requesting entity.

General requirements (applicable for all for all team members): 

• Able to rapidly assess situations and data and provide conceptual and practical solutions;
• Experience in and knowledge of international (water) crisis context;
• Ability to be a relevant sparring partner for the local officials and to provide feedback on the existing plans and ideas, as well as provide input for suitable alternatives; 
• Excellent presentation and reporting skills in English;
• Good communication skills in English;
• Willing to work outside of office hours;
• Be (almost) directly available when requested, at least for 2-4 hours per day. It is understood that you may have other obligations;
• Be available all days of the week to respond to questions by phone or refer to a colleague with similar skill set in case of absence;
• Mostly: a high level enthousiasm for the initiative and a willingness to 'make it work' under the circumstances.

Hydrologist / flood management specialist: 

• Expertise on hydrological/flood modelling;
• Solid international experience;
• Ability to connect hydrologic tools to weather forecast databases (such as GFS, ECMWF, CHIRPS, etc);
• Expertise on the use of several modelling solutions e.g. Tygron, FastFlood, SFINCS, etc;
• Ability to summarize results in clear overviews such as maps (using GIS) and combining that with other available relevant GIS data sources. 

Dam Expert: 

• Senior expert on dam safety;
• Solid international experience;
• Directly involved with the ICOLD;
• Access to a network of dam specialists through e.g. the ICOLD.

Coastal flooding expert: 

• Senior expert on coastal flooding;
• Able to make a quick assessment anywhere in the world on the expected coastal water levels due to storm surge events and cyclones in the future 1-2 weeks;
• Solid international experience;
• Access to a broader network of coastal experts.
   

If you do not meet these requirements, we would kindly like to ask you not to apply.

Please refer to the Terms of Reference (below) for more information on this position.

Candidates' CVs will be evaluated based on qualifications sent through based on the order in which they have been submitted.

If you are interested in the position, please respond as soon as possible, but at the latest before monday 7th of April via drrs@rvo.nl. Please send your CV, a short motivation and discuss your availability in your message.

We strongly encourage a diverse set of candidates to apply, as we are committed to fostering gender diversity and inclusion in DRRS. Moreover, we stimulate national experts to become part of our database and to apply for vacancies. Please visit our website and become part of our network.

At RVO we are fully committed to creating a safe and respectful work environment. We have a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of sexual exploitation, abuse, or harassment (PSEAH). All deployees/experts must adhere to the Code of Conduct, which outlines ethical standards and behaviors expected within our organization. Successful candidates will be required to uphold these principles and participate in mandatory PSEAH and CoC training as part of their onboarding process.