Shelter & Settlements Advisor

Description

• Summary

  CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort) is a crisis response organization that saves lives and strengthens communities impacted by or vulnerable to crisis.

  The Shelter & Settlements Advisor provides technical leadership for CORE's shelter and settlements work in the June 2026 Venezuela earthquake response. The Advisor shapes and quality-assures the shelter approach — grounded in CORE's camp-decompression strategy and the official housing-habitability classification (Presidential Commission Green / Yellow / Red) — spanning engineer-led safety assessments, home repairs, partial and full demolition and site clearance, emergency shelter, host-family hosting, and cash-based / cash-for-rent housing support.

  The role integrates build-back-safer and seismic considerations, protection, gender/GESI, and humanitarian minimum standards (Sphere), and contributes to response strategy, concept notes, and donor proposals (including IOM) — while building the capacity of CORE staff and local partners.

  Based in Caracas, this is a full-time, fixed-term position for an initial three-month contract, with the possibility of extension based on response needs and funding. The position will require rapid mobilization and deployment to Caracas on short notice; candidates must be prepared to relocate for the duration of the contract.

  Main Responsibilities

  These tasks are illustrative, not exhaustive — the specific mix depends on how the response evolves.

  Assessment

  • Lead and advise engineer-led structural safety and habitability assessments, applying the official Green/Yellow/Red classification (Presidential Commission) to determine which homes are safe, repairable, or unrepairable.

  • Determine shelter priorities, immediate activities, and required resources; identify hazards (e.g., asbestos) and mitigation measures.

  Design & Strategy

  • Shape and adapt CORE's shelter approach for the Venezuela context — repairs, partial and full demolition with site clearance, emergency shelter on cleared plots, host-family hosting, and cash-for-rent / CVA — aligned to the camp-decompression goal.

  • Set technical standards (build-back-safer, seismic, Sphere) and integrate protection, gender/GESI, DRR, and environmental considerations.

  • Contribute to response strategy and develop concept notes, ToRs, bills of quantities, budgets, and proposals to CORE and donor (including IOM) standards.

  Implementation & Quality Assurance

  • Provide technical oversight and quality assurance of repairs, demolition, and emergency shelter works; define scopes of work and verify standards.

  • Ensure logistics, materials, and MEAL (including post-distribution monitoring) are in place; uphold land/tenure and legal requirements.

  • Coordinate debris/rubble removal and site clearance to enable repair and rebuilding — mechanisms, heavy-equipment coordination, worker safety, hazardous-material (asbestos) awareness, and disposal.

  Capacity Building

  • Mentor, coach, and train CORE staff and local partners on shelter assessment, repair, build-back-safer techniques, and safe demolition.

  Coordination & Representation

  • Represent CORE on shelter matters with government counterparts (including the Presidential Commission), the Shelter/CCCM cluster, UN/IOM, donors, and partners; provide regular technical updates to the Deputy Response Lead and CORE team.

  Scope & Travel

  Reports to: Deputy Response Lead (technical line to the Director of Global Humanitarian Response).

  • Key internal contacts: Response leadership, the Program Manager and field teams, Cash & Markets, M&E, Logistics/Procurement, and Communications.

  • Key external contacts: government counterparts (including the Presidential Commission), UN/IOM, the Shelter/CCCM cluster, donors, and local professional bodies / private sector for the built environment.

  • Based in Caracas, Venezuela, for the duration of the contract; frequent travel to affected communities and worksites within Venezuela.

  • Must be able to mobilize on short notice and relocate to Caracas for the contract period; must hold a current passport valid for international travel.

  Requirements

  • Minimum 5–7 years' humanitarian experience, with at least 4 years in shelter, including earthquake/seismic recovery, in a seismic urban/coastal setting.
  • A built-environment or technical qualification (structural or civil engineering, architecture, construction management, or housing/land/property rights) is strongly preferred; equivalent experience can substitute for qualifications, but not vice-versa.
  • Commitment to CORE's mission, values, and humanitarian principles.
  • Proven ability to design and deliver earthquake shelter and recovery programs: structural safety assessment/tagging, build-back-safer and seismic-informed repair, and quality assurance of works.
  • Experience overseeing home repairs and partial/full demolition with quality assurance and worker safety, and coordinating debris/rubble removal and site clearance (heavy-equipment coordination, cash-for-work a plus, hazardous materials including asbestos).
  • Experience with host-family and cash-based/cash-for-rent housing support, and knowledge of transitional/emergency shelter and settlement options (host family, collective centers) and support modalities (cash/CVA, NFIs, construction, technical assistance).
  • Skilled in needs assessments, shelter strategy development, and concept notes/proposals to donor standards (including IOM).
  • Applies gender-sensitive programming and protection minimum standards in shelter; familiarity with Sphere and the Red Cross/NGO Code of Conduct.
  • Strong people skills: works independently and as a team player; leads, supports, and trains local and international staff; engages affected communities sensitively and participatively.
  • Strong written and oral communication skills; negotiates and represents CORE clearly with internal and external stakeholders.
  • Integrity, resilience, and adaptability under stress and in harsh conditions; culturally and self-aware.
  • Abides by CORE's Code of Conduct and zero-tolerance PSEA policy; reports safeguarding concerns via established mechanisms.
  • Professional working Spanish strongly preferred (for field and government engagement); strong English required.