Switzerland: Lead Editor

Project summary

The State of Humanitarian Shelter and Settlements (SoHSS) report aims to raise the profile and understanding of the humanitarian shelter and settlements sector, by providing a comprehensive picture of the extent and nature of humanitarian shelter needs and responses and offering an analysis of current trends in the humanitarian shelter and settlements sector with the supporting statistical evidence base.

The SoHSS is proposed as a biennial publication with two distinct parts:

• Part 1: A series of articles by leading thinkers, practitioners and representatives from a diversity of those engaged in addressing the issue of humanitarian shelter and settlements needs from humanitarian agencies, donor and affected governments, researchers and academics, around a common thematic area of interest which each edition will focus on.

• Part 2: A mapping and statistical analysis of current humanitarian shelter needs and responses as well as trends and evolution of the shelter and settlements sector within the humanitarian system, including cause and effect relationships and the dynamics imposed by those trends, and evolutionary paths on the humanitarian system as a whole.

The SoHSS report will constitute a key tool for advocacy with humanitarian policy makers, donors, government officials, and senior management of humanitarian agencies and institutions to better prepare for and meet the shelter and settlements needs of populations affected by humanitarian crises.

In addition to a useful advocacy tool, the publication will advance the science, methodologies, and application of the shelter and settlements sector in humanitarian interventions. The SoHSS report primarily targets policy makers, donors, governments and senior management of humanitarian agencies and institutions with a view to enhance the profile and understanding of the humanitarian shelter and settlements sector and inform these key decision makers in adopting policies and strategies that more effectively address the humanitarian shelter needs of crises affected populations.

Role and responsibilities

The Lead Editor will be responsible for overseeing strategy, thematic development, commissioning, and editing of both parts 1 & 2 of the SoHSS report for publication. Where appropriate the Lead Editor may also be responsible for writing relevant sections should he or she have a particular area of expertise relevant to the report. The Lead Editor will work in association with the Project Manager and the Global Shelter Cluster (GSC) SoHSS Working Group (WG), which will support the Lead Editor with overall project guidance and decision making.

The responsibilities of the Lead Editor include:

Editorial Board,researchand content:

• Take the lead along with the project manager to establish and manage the Editorial Board, to guide the overall concept finalization, content development and eventual finalization for the SoHSS 2018. The Editorial Board will consist of the GSC SoHSS WG but may include additional members based on their expertise.
• Research and develop overall theme and chapter outlines so that the project concept note evolves into a workable report outline, with the support of the WG and the Project Manager.
• Work closely with the Project Manager and the WG to keep abreast of current thinking/evolving issues that will impact on the development of the content of the SoHSS 2018.
• Identify and suggest themes for part 1 and indicators/data to be included in part 2, based on awareness of and research into current and/or key issues relating to humanitarian shelter and settlements, and in consultation with the WG.

• Have overall responsibility for the reviewing and editing process, including reviewing all submitted articles/chapters, identifying gaps in coverage for each theme, securing additional articles as necessary, sending articles to Editorial Board members and reviewers for specific themes for comment, and liaising with authors to secure approval of edited material.

• Act as focal point for members of the Editorial Board and circulate and, where appropriate, incorporate the comments of board members in the draft chapter texts.

• Revise and edit all articles/chapters submitted by writers: note that this may include substantial rewriting of text in order to ensure that all articles are accessible to SoHSS’s varied, international readership and to assist authors for whom English is not their first language. It may also include writing/editing photo captions.

• The editor will also draft an introductory chapter to the SoHSS report, providing an overview of the report objectives, content and key messages.

• Deliver a final text of optimal quality by the required deadline.

• Final report sign off will be done by the WG. The editor’s post-sign off role will include final editorial changes at proof stage, final proofing, i.e., checking the report before it goes to print to identify inconsistencies or any other errors and support with any last minute editing or related modifications, which may arise before the report is finally submitted for printing.

Contributors:

• Identify key networks through which to publicize and disseminate the call for articles.
• Identify appropriate writers and articles for selection and endorsement of the WG. This includes the writer, consultancy firm or institution to be selected to research and develop part 2 of the SoHSS report.
• Act as focal point for writers and manage them on a day-to-day basis, including monitoring the standard of incoming text and manage writer’s deadlines. If the deadline is not being respected by the writer without a valid reason, the editor will flag the issue with the Project Manager for further follow-up.

Design, production and dissemination process:

• In coordination with the project manager, support the design and production process, including photo research, preparation of files for an external designer, liaison with the designer during a design process, proof-reading, and approval of final files to go to print.
• Develop and/or contribute to the development of promotional material, such as brochures, posters, videos or presentations to support launch and promotional events for the SoHSS 2018.
• Work with the web service developers to ensure the SoHSS’s presence online is effective.
• Support the distribution of SoHSS by identifying opportunities for publicity, promotion, and dissemination.
• When requested, represent the SoHSS and undertake networking and research at occasional conferences/events.
• The editor will assist the media and communication specialists that the project may engage in the preparation of the media pack and the preparation activities for launching the report, as well as with the event itself. It is possible that the editor could be required to support additional promotional events organized with GSC partner organizations, after the main launch event.

Selection criteria

• A degree or equivalent experience preferably in the field of social sciences;
• Excellent editing and writing skills in English;
• Good interpersonal skills and ability to communicate clearly, effectively and diplomatically, taking into account language and cultural differences;
• Demonstrable knowledge and experience of issues in humanitarian shelter and settlements and in the international humanitarian community more broadly;
• Good proof-reading skills;
• The ability to demonstrate an eye for detail across all aspects of the role;
• Good promotional and networking skills;
• Good IT skills, including MS Word and Excel;
• The ability to manage and prioritize a varied and busy workload and work to deadlines;
• Experience of digital and print publishing;
• Experience of writing for publication.
• Previous lead editor experience in similar publications preferred.

Timeframe

The consultancy for the SoHSS report Lead Editor is to start immediately and is for a maximum of 100 days of work over a 5-month period. If additional time is required to meet the overall objective of this assignment, an extension may be possible for an additional period to be determined and subject to prior donor approval and the availability of resources.

About the Global Shelter Cluster

The Global Shelter Cluster (GSC) is an Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC)[1] coordination mechanism that supports people affected by natural disasters and internally displaced people in conflicts with the means to live in a safe, dignified and appropriate shelter. The GSC enables better coordination among all shelter actors, including local and national governments, so that the people who need shelter assistance get help faster and receive the right kind of support. The GSC’s scope includes all activities related to achieving the right to adequate housing with a humanitarian focus. This includes emergency and longer-term shelter support, shelter-related non-food-items (NFIs), housing construction and reconstruction, settlement support such as site planning and urban planning, shelter preparedness and risk reduction.

The GSC management structure includes Working Groups, which are task-oriented and time-bound structures with clear executable deliverables to address particular identified needs or advance GSC activities. The GSC SoHSS WG is responsible for the overall direction, development, and publication of the GSC SoHSS report.

[1] The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) is the primary mechanism for interagency coordination of humanitarian assistance. It is a unique forum involving the key humanitarian partners, including UN agencies, the IFRC, the ICRC, and the main international NGO consortia.

The Global Shelter Cluster accepts applications from individual consultants, research institutions, academic institutions, consultancy firms, groups of consultants or other institutions with the expertise and resources to take on this task. The consultancy for the SoHSS report lead editor is to start immediately and is for a maximum of 100 days of work over a 5-month period.

Interested applicants, please send a letter of interest explaining the approach towards the outlined role and responsibilities and how your experience, qualifications, and skills make you an ideal candidate for the role and include your CV. Please also include your asking fee or total budget. Applications are to be sent to pablo.medina@ifrc.org by the end of Wednesday, November 15, 2017.