Surge Humanitarian Advisor

Are you a humanitarian professional with the agility to operate inside a major donor environment and deep expertise in Protection & Inclusion? Palladium is recruiting a Surge Humanitarian Adviser (Protection & Inclusion) to join the Humanitarian and Stabilisation

Operations Team (HSOT), delivering the HEROS programme for FCDO This role sits within a team of deployable humanitarian advisers whose core function is to provide surge capacity to FCDO in response to humanitarian crises — shaping strategy, informing programmes and policy, and supporting cross-capability readiness and roster management. While each adviser brings a recognised specialism, the emphasis is on versatility, strategic insight, and the ability to operate effectively in complex, fast moving environments.

About the Role-You’ll provide technical and strategic advice on Protection and Inclusion during crisis response, as well as contribute to preparedness, learning and policy development. You’ll also help build tools, guidance and expertise across the HEROS programme and support the development of the humanitarian roster.

Project Overview
The Humanitarian and Stabilisation Operations Team (HSOT) is contracted by Palladium to deliver the Humanitarian Emergency Response Operations and Stabilisation Programme (HEROS), working with FCDO’s Humanitarian Response Department (HCRD) and the Migration and Conflict Directorate (MCD), as well as multiple UK Government teams and partners in 130 countries. The team provides operational and advisory support to meet humanitarian needs and restore stability in sudden-onset disasters, protracted crises and complex emergencies.

**Primary Duties and Responsibilities**:
Supply high quality technical expertise to inform FCDO’s design and delivery of humanitarian strategies, plans, policies, programmes and guidance in the immediate aftermath of a crisis in ways that are consistent with UK and international commitments, principles, standards and ambitions. This includes surging into FCDO’s Crisis Centre and deploying overseas for up to 4 weeks at a time.
Act as the HSOT Response Lead when required, working closely with the Coordination Lead and the Director to ensure a coherent integrated approach to response, which is evidence-based, context-specific and tailored to the evolving demands of a disrupted humanitarian landscape.
Contribute to HEROS preparedness initiatives, including supporting and participating in team and cross-capability preparedness planning, scenario development, simulations and exercising, as well as ensuring that learning from past responses informs preparedness work.
Continuously develop, test and update the advisory tools in the HEROS response ‘toolbox,’ ensuring tools are evidence-based, informed by lessons from past responses and preparedness work, and ready to be used in response, consulting within HSOT and with FCDO’s humanitarian cadre and external experts.
Support the development and management of the humanitarian and UNDAC rosters, including contributing advisory inputs to: recruitment to and from the roster; the design and delivery of training for roster advisors; the management of communities of practice; and performance management of deployed advisors.
Identify and advance opportunities for HSOT’s advisory services to contribute to FCDO’s priorities for advancing Localisation and the reform of the multilateral system, that are evidence-based and tailored to the context.
Assist in strengthening engagement on Standby Partnership (SBP) and UNDAC strategy and operations by providing meaningful advisory inputs into, and ensuring implementation of, SBP and UNDAC annual strategies, representing FCDO at annual SBP and UNDAC events, working groups etc., reviewing mid and end point mission reports, contributing to client reporting proactive risk/issue identification and mitigation.
Support HCRD to integrate humanitarian concerns across FCDO and other Government Department’s work as requested, advising on possible risks, opportunities and solutions.
Ensure their skillset remains relevant through continual learning and professional development, as well as promoting and championing learning, development and professional excellence within the advisory function and wider contract.
Develop strong networks and relationships within FCDO and with external actors, complementing not cutting across HCRD, Post and wider FCDO relationships, both with respect to generalist and specialist skillsets and areas of interest.
Provide technical and strategic advice and support to FCDO on Protection and Inclusion; this will include:
Providing technical guidance on Protection and Inclusion issues to inform and implement FCDO humanitarian policy as per the UK Humanitarian Framework, the International Development (Gender Equality) Act 2014, FCDO’s Disability Inclusion and Rights Strategy, the UK National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security and the UK’s commitments under the Call to Action on Protection from GBV