Consultant, Lead Editor and Author, the IFRC World Disasters Report; Mis, Dis and Harmful Information Edition

Organizational Context

The IFRC Solferino Academy

The IFRC Solferino Academy helps National Societies of the IFRC network transform so they can be more fit for the challenges and opportunities of the future. We aim to help National Societies be more anticipatory, agile and innovative.

We do this in alignment with the transformation priorities of the IFRC Strategy 2030 and the IFRC Agenda for Renewal. Our three areas of focus are;

We are a Think Tank for the IFRC Network

We provide platforms for new thinking and approaches where National Societies can learn from others and strengthen their own strategies and transformation processes.

We help leaders transform for the future

We support leadership in all its forms to develop the capabilities and insights needed to lead transformation, adapt to changing realities and to build systems and cultures for change.

We catalyse and promote Innovation

We develop initiatives that help promote innovation and the enabling environments necessary for it to thrive in our network.

The IFRC Solferino Academy is hosted in Rome, Italy by the Italian Red Cross but has staff located in multiple locations around the world.

The World Disasters Report 2025 (WDR 2025) is a flagship publication of the International

Job Purpose

Terms of Reference for the Role

Background

The World Disasters Report 2025 (WDR 2025) is a flagship publication of the International

Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). It contributes to policy change, new thinking, approaches, practices, and impacts across the humanitarian sector. Produced annually since 1993, the WDR has provided a unique perspective on disaster risk management and humanitarian response. It aims to identify key gaps and trends in the field and to inject fresh thinking into humanitarian policy and programming. Its unique role is to link the field experience of the IFRC Network and the wider humanitarian network with cutting-edge data and policy analysis.

Objective of the Report

The WDR 2025 report will:

1. Explore mis, dis and harmful information (MDH) and its impacts on humanitarian work and outcomes, including trust, safeguarding and humanitarian principles;

2. Help the IFRC Network understand better what we can/should be doing as a global network and wider humanitarian sector to combat this issue and to better to prepare ourselves for the escalation of these trends;

3..Act as a catalyst to strengthen the IFRC Network’s humanitarian diplomacy efforts and provide high level policy recommendations and actionable strategies for the IFRC National Societies around the world to prepare and address the MDH challenges.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

The Role

The Lead Editor and Author will play a pivotal role in orchestrating the development of the World Disasters Report 2025, ensuring it meets the highest standards as a humanitarian diplomacy tool, revealing the state of play, potential future developments and challenges related to MDH, as well as recommendations to address these challenges. It aims to deliver value to every National Society of the IFRC network, but to also help guide the wider humanitarian sector. The Lead Editor and Author will lead and coordinate processes to ensure robust, evidence-based content and strategic insights.

The Lead Editor and Author will work within the IFRC Solferino Academy team and will be supported by them to deliver the tasks outlined below. The team includes communications, network engagement, research coordinator/assistants, a project manager, and innovation/strategic foresight professionals. The project will also be supported by expert advisory groups, National Society experts, IFRC reference centres and thematic teams of the IFRC.

Responsibilities include:

Research and content coordination

• Oversee the review of significant existing research on MDH, leveraging expertise within the IFRC network and from external sources.
• Design and develop the report's detailed content structure (wireframe) in collaboration with the IFRC leadership and advisory boards.
• Coordinate and help select multiple authors for the different chapters of the report and support them in delivering their contribution, ensuring overall narrative coherence, rigour and precision of their contributions in line with the aims of the report.
• Oversee primary research activities by coordinating with subject matter experts, National Societies, IFRC and reference centres, partners, researchers, and other stakeholders.
• Oversee community consultation strategies to ensure authentic insights from affected communities are captured and reflected in the report.
• Collaborate with data analysts to integrate data trends and thematic insights into the report effectively.

Stakeholder engagement and coordination

• Coordinate and document inputs from National Societies and external stakeholders, including community stories, case studies and other contributions.
• Convene and chair multi-disciplinary, expert advisory groups ensuring they can effectively contribute to the development of content for the report.
• Manage feedback and review processes, consolidating inputs from key experts and advisory groups to refine content.
• Attend Solferino Academy and project team meetings as required and contribute to any reporting requirements and updates required by donors and IFRC management.

Editorial oversight and report development

• Guide the drafting and refinement of report chapters, ensuring clarity, coherence and relevance.
• Supervise the editing process, addressing feedback and integrating comments from reviewers and contributors

Job Duties and Responsibilities (continued)

Launch and dissemination

• Collaborate with the IFRC Solferino Academy to design innovative and engaging strategies for the report’s launch and dissemination, noting that dissemination strategies will occur throughout the year.
• Provide editorial guidance on packaging content for diverse audiences, particularly for policymakers, senior government officials, missions and other high-level decision-makers, but also for practitioners, including National Society staff and volunteers.

Strategic policy recommendations

• Synthesize insights, learnings, and expertise gained during the report process to shape the IFRC Network’s global approach to MDH.
• Contribute to actionable strategic recommendations for advocacy and humanitarian diplomacy to prepare and adapt to the MDH challenges.

Key Deliverables

• Report wireframe outlining the report's structure, including chapter focus areas and composition and key themes and content flow.
• Advisory Groups in place and contributing meaningfully to the report’s development.
• Draft initial report and its revisions delivered according to the agreed timeline and incorporating feedback from advisory boards, stakeholders, communities and experts.
• Regular updates summarising progress and next steps.
• High-quality final report completed according to the agreed schedule in late November, early December, ready for publication and dissemination.

Education

• University degree in related fields including international relations, journalism, communications or others, or equivalent professional experience (required)

Experience

• Significant experience in policy analysis, communications or research related to MDH
• Experience as a Managing Editor or writing major reports as a published editor or author in the fields of MDH with a policy advocacy focus (required)
• Ability to deliver content to support advocacy to influence policy in the Humanitarian sector (required)
• Experience in building relationships with relevant partners and stakeholders.
• Experience in research and data analysis (required)
• Experience working within the RC/RC National Society, IFRC or the IFRC Movement (preferred), or the wider humanitarian sector

Knowledge, Skills and Languages

• Very high professional standard of spoken and written English (required)
• Strong understanding of the challenges posed by mis-, dis-, and harmful information in today's global landscape and its implications for humanitarian work.
• Ability to work within a multicultural, multilingual, multidisciplinary environment.
• Deep understanding of global dynamics, ensuring a balanced and inclusive perspective that represents diverse regions and communities
• Good command of another IFRC official language (French, Spanish or Arabic). (preferred)

Competencies, Values and Comments

Management and Team

The consultant will report directly to the Head, IFRC Solferino Academy. The consultant will also work alongside and be supported by a number of Solferino Academy staff on a day-to-day basis. A project manager will support functional deliverables and overall project and task coordination, communications and network engagement staff will help with non-technical staff, volunteer and community level contributions as well as dissemination strategies, innovation, foresight and research staff will assist with liaising, selecting and supporting expert contributors, stakeholder management, content development, research approaches and reporting, among other duties.

Details of the Role

The role is expected to be 10 months in duration. We anticipate that it will require at least 100 days to ensure delivery on all the tasks and completion of the report, but this is open for proposal. The role will be home-based, but with some travel to Genèva anticipated and potentially other IFRC locations. We require the role to start immediately.

How to apply

Candidates should submit a CV and a cover letter explaining how the consultant meets the key selection criteria. Candidates should also outline how many days they anticipate to work on the project and provide a quote for their daily rate. An interview will also form part of the selection process for preferred candidates.

Applications should be submitted to solferino.academy@ifrc.org with the title “Application for Lead Editor and Author World Disasters Report”. Applications should be received by midnight 9th February 2025.