Anticipatory Action Coordinator at Danish Refugee Council (DRC)

About The Job

DRC is seeking a National Anticipatory Action Coordinator to lead the implementation of the Scaling Anticipatory Action for Displacement (SAAD) project in Nigeria. SAAD, funded by Carnegie Corporation of New York for 24 months (July 2026 to June 2028), aims to shift humanitarian crisis management from reaction to prevention by combining machine learning displacement forecasting with community-based early warning systems, protection monitoring, and conflict-sensitive anticipatory planning.

In Nigeria, the project will build on DRC's protection monitoring system and peacebuilding programming to anticipate localized conflict dynamics that precede displacement. By linking displacement forecasts to existing early warning systems, SAAD will identify escalating transhumance-related tensions, resource competition flashpoints, and community-armed group friction along key displacement corridors. When predefined thresholds are met, pre-agreed anticipatory measures will activate, including conflict prevention including humanitarian mediation and dialogue, relevant social cohesion initiatives,  and targeted protection services, aiming to interrupt escalation pathways before violence peaks and displacement occurs.

The National AA Coordinator is the primary technical and coordination lead for SAAD in Nigeria. Under direct management by the DRC Nigeria Head of Programme and technical supervision by the Regional AA Coordinator (West Africa and Americas) and the Global Lead on Anticipatory Action, the Coordinator is responsible for Anticipatory Action Plan (AAP) development, trigger design, stakeholder coordination, pooled fund activation, evidence generation, and donor reporting.

Responsibilities:

Technical Implementation and AAP Development

• Lead the development and operationalization of conflict-sensitive Anticipatory Action Plans (AAPs) for Nigeria, integrating DRC's protection alert system into trigger design to shift activation earlier in the crisis curve, before violence peaks and displacement occurs.
• Define pre-agreed anticipatory intervention packages, including conflict prevention (humanitarian mediation, dialogue processes), relevant social cohesion initiatives, and targeted protection services, with clear trigger thresholds and institutional roles and responsibilities.
• Coordinate the refinement and localization of DRC's machine learning displacement forecasting model for Nigeria, integrating protection monitoring data, transhumance and conflict early warning signals, and community-based indicators from hard-to-reach areas.
• Lead the Integrated Context Analysis (ICA) process for Nigeria, including community consultations, key informant interviews, and mapping of existing conflict early warning systems, transhumance corridors, displacement drivers, and protection risks.
• Facilitate co-design processes with civil society organizations, protection actors, peacebuilding stakeholders, and government institutions to develop and validate AAP triggers and intervention packages.
• Ensure AAP design is conflict-sensitive and protection-centered, with specific attention to transhumance dynamics and farmer-herder resource competition as drivers of displacement in Nigeria.
• Provide operational oversight of AAP activations, ensuring timely delivery of anticipatory actions and robust evidence capture.

Coordination and Stakeholder Engagement

• Represent DRC in the National Technical Working Group on Anticipatory Action, ensuring coordination with government duty bearers, UN entities, Red Cross, INGOs, and local civil society, protection, and peacebuilding actors.
• Maintain and strengthen partnerships with local civil society organizations, peacebuilding actors, and academic institutions supporting AAP co-design, sub-grant implementation, and local knowledge production.
• Coordinate closely with DRC Nigeria's Protection Monitoring team, Partnerships Coordinator, and emergency response colleagues to align anticipatory action with existing country systems and ensure operational coherence.
• Support institutionalization of anticipatory action within national disaster risk management and early warning architectures, including engagement with relevant government counterparts at national and sub-national levels.

Data, Analysis, and Learning

• Work with DRC's global and regional data analysts to monitor displacement forecasts, refine trigger thresholds, and ensure forecasting models reflect current field realities in Nigeria.
• Oversee the implementation of the SAAD MEAL framework in Nigeria, including impact assessments of displacement mitigation and cost-effectiveness.
• Coordinate the project's academic partnership with a Nigerian university, supporting joint research design, longitudinal monitoring, and data collection during AAP activations.
• Document and systematize evidence from AAP activations, including trigger-to-action intervals, intervention outputs, and after-action review findings.
• Contribute to the South-South learning exchange between Nigeria and Colombia, sharing evidence, methodological adaptations, and lessons from contrasting implementation approaches.
• Contribute to global, regional, and national knowledge-sharing through case studies, learning briefs, and policy papers.

Business Development and Advocacy

• Contribute to SAAD's national advocacy strategy on anticipatory action for displacement in conflict-affected settings.
• Support DRC Nigeria's broader business development efforts by contributing to AA-related proposals and donor engagement.
• Represent DRC's anticipatory action approach at national and regional forums, contributing to positioning DRC as a thought leader on anticipatory action in conflict-affected settings in West Africa.

Reporting, Communication, and Project Management

• Ensure quality and timely technical and financial reporting in line with SAAD project requirements and Carnegie Corporation of New York donor standards.
• In close collaboration with the DRC National Peacebuilding and Conflict Analysis Specialist, manage sub-grants to local partners, overseeing implementation quality, financial compliance, and after-action documentation.
• Maintain regular communication with the Regional AA Coordinator, global project team, and country management on progress, challenges, and emerging risks.
• Manage field travel budget and contribute to workplan and budget monitoring throughout the project cycle.

Experience and Technical Competencies:

To be successful in this role, we expect you to combine technical depth in anticipatory action or humanitarian preparedness with strong coordination skills and a grounded understanding of Nigeria's conflict and humanitarian landscape.

Required

• At least 5 years of experience in humanitarian programming in conflict-affected settings, with at least 2 years directly working on anticipatory action, early warning, rapid response mechanisms, or disaster risk management.
• Demonstrated experience working in Nigeria or the West Africa region, with strong contextual understanding of transhumance dynamics, farmer-herder conflict drivers, displacement patterns, or humanitarian coordination systems.
• Experience designing and implementing anticipatory action projects or preparedness systems, including trigger development, anticipatory action planning, and participatory co-design processes is a clear asset.
• Familiarity with protection monitoring systems, peacebuilding, and conflict-sensitive programming in complex displacement contexts is a clear asset.
• Strong coordination and facilitation skills, with demonstrated ability to convene and sustain multi-stakeholder processes involving government, civil society, and humanitarian partners.
• Ability to manage multiple competing priorities and work under pressure in complex, politically sensitive environments.
• Willingness and ability to travel up to 30% of time, including to field locations in conflict-affected areas.
• Full professional fluency in English (written and spoken) is required.
• Proficiency in MS Office and strong working knowledge of data tools for monitoring and analysis.

Desirable

• Experience with peacebuilding or social cohesion programming in conflict-affected settings.
• Experience managing sub-grants to local partners.
• Experience with quasi-experimental MEAL methods in humanitarian settings.

Education:

Academic background in International / Humanitarian Affairs, Political Science or Peace and Conflict Studies, Geography or Environmental Studies with a conflict/displacement focus, Social Sciences (Sociology, Anthropology) with a displacement or forced migration specialization, or related field.