Officer, Volunteering and Branch Development

Organizational Context

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest humanitarian network, with 191-member National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. IFRC uses the Triple R – response, resilience and respect – to deliver on Strategy 2030. IFRC responds to disasters and crises, ensuring timely, coordinated and locally led humanitarian action. IFRC supports its members in building community resilience in the areas of climate and environment, health and wellbeing, and migration and displacement. IFRC promotes respect for our fundamental principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality, including in our work on values, power and inclusion. The IFRC focuses throughout on our core mandate – our raison d’être – of strategic and operational coordination, humanitarian diplomacy, National Society development, and accountability.

IFRC is led by its Secretary General and has its Headquarters in Geneva and five regional offices in Africa (Nairobi); the Americas (Panama); Asia Pacific (Kuala Lumpur); Europe (Budapest); and MENA (Beirut) as well as representation offices, service centres and delegations across the globe. The IFRC has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment and other forms of harassment, abuse of authority, discrimination, and lack of integrity (including but not limited to financial misconduct). IFRC also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles.

The Ebola outbreak, declared mid‑May 2026, is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, with hundreds of suspected cases and hundreds of deaths reported across Ituri, South Kivu and North Kivu provinces. It began with clusters of unexplained deaths in early May and is spreading in a context of weak health systems, population movement, insecurity, and community mistrust, which together increase the risk of sustained transmission and cross‑border spread to neighbouring countries such as Uganda and South Sudan. The absence of an approved vaccine or specific treatment for this strain makes the outbreak particularly complex and heightens the urgency of rapid containment.

The IFRC is scaling up a national society‑led response centred on community engagement, surveillance, and infection control, supported by an emergency appeal. Red Cross volunteers are mobilized in affected areas to conduct door‑to‑door awareness, counter misinformation, encourage early care‑seeking, and support safe and dignified burials, key to breaking transmission. At the same time, the IFRC is coordinating closely with governments and partners, strengthening cross border preparedness, mobilising resources and surge capacity, and supporting logistics, infection prevention control, and community-based surveillance to contain the outbreak and reduce regional spread.

Job Purpose

Provide technical advice and support to NSs and its branches and enable quality assurance in volunteering development and branch development in line with IFRC secretariats global direction. Further practice leadership in these technical areas by bringing better alignment and coordination among all stakeholders relevant to this topic. This includes strengthening NS local units/branches and their services as well as ensuring a coherence in approaches including through key thematic area assistance such as disaster response/preparedness, health and social services.

The aim is to safeguard the RC/RC Movement principle of “Voluntary Service”, Contribute to building strong branches in line with the IFRC branch development framework and promote NS self-reliance through sustainable local action, including regular services run by volunteers mobilized by local units and branches, as well as local actions defined, organized and initiated by volunteers themselves

Job Duties and Responsibilities

Technical expertise and leadership in IFRC support to NS

• Adapt IFRC global tools on volunteering and branch development to the NSs branch contexts, organization priorities and needs and promote a holistic approach to strengthening NS voluntary service. This includes engaging other file holders in NS development department and forming multi-disciplinary team(s) for specific tasks as required.
• Advise the branch leadership committee (governance and executive)identify opportunities and develop new initiatives to assist NS in strengthening and sustaining its local action in conjunction with the Ebola response; This includes strengthening activities delivered by volunteers mobilized through local units and branches, as well as helping branches build the practice of shaping local action through volunteers themselves defining, organizing and initiating activities.
• Advise the branch leadership and DRC RC secretariat to strengthen positive volunteering experience, including their safeguarding and wellbeing, deepened understanding and action taken for their motivation, and ensuring volunteering becomes not only task delivery but a space for volunteers to build belonginess and purpose.
• Provide assistance in NS membership drives, as relevant to strengthening their population coverage for greater local presence and participation.
• Provide support to NS in strengthening youth engagement, including developing strategies, building capacity, and promoting active participation of young people in Emergency operations and decision-making processes.
• Support NS to establish structured and systematic approaches to Branch Development and serve as an advisory on strategic placement and alignment of Branch structures.
• Support NS to translate outcomes of various capacity assessments (PER, OCA, Due diligence) and BOCA 2.0 to inform broader plans on NS Branch Development aimed at strengthening their capacity for grass-root regular service delivery as well as response to crises and disasters.
• Foster peer learning and experience exchange in Branch twinning, Branch forums, seed funding and document emerging approaches in short practice notes for wider learning.
• Collect data on NS volunteers, members, local units and branches.
• Develop and/or identify good practices of promoting voluntary services through disaster response, health, social services and other thematic work for learning and knowledge sharing.

Quality assurance and global alignment in IFRC support to NS

• Provide input and feedback on the use of global indicators to measure progress and success in strengthening NS local presence (i.e. local units and branches) and their services run by volunteers.
• Promote, monitor, and provide technical guidance on adherence to IFRC policies and global standards on NS development, including volunteering development.
• Conduct periodic stock taking and reviews for collective reflection on technical assistance including in times of emergency to ensure greater alignment and consistency for long-term future of NS.
• Analyze and provide technical feedback on support provided by the Kinshasa country cluster delegation including through analysis on the plans, budgets and key reports for regular feedback and continuous improvement.

Job Duties and Responsibilities (continued)

Contribution to IFRC positioning

• Ensure that IFRC global campaigns and events on youth, volunteering, and Branch Development are managed efficiently and effectively at the branch level in the DR Congo in collaboration with all relevant teams across the Secretariat.
• Contribute to and technically lead advocacy initiatives on priority areas such as safety, security and well-being of volunteers and national legislations on volunteer protection as well as dissemination of Movement’s Fundamental Principle of Voluntary Service and localisation.
• Publish periodic opinion/analytical pieces for global advocacy, awareness raising and fundraising purposes.

Accountability and agility

• Identify areas most relevant to the branch and contribute to the strengthening of IFRC technical capacity and expertise in those areas for specialization. These cover a range of issues under the general themes of youth engagement, membership drives, volunteering or branch development.

Education

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in social work, development studies or related areas; Extensive practical experience can be considered in lieu of academic qualification

Preferred

• Training in non-profit management

Experience

Required

• At least 3 years of work experience at a NS or other non-profit organisations. Management roles and experience is an advantage
• Proven experience in branch development and volunteering development
• Experience in social mobilisation for grass root services/initiatives including resource mobilization and fundraising
• Team building and engagement for multidisciplinary interventions

Preferred

• Proven experience in facilitating an organisational change process
• Experience in youth mobilisation including through sport-based work

Knowledge, Skills and Languages

Required

• Analytical skills and ability to think strategically
• Excellent communication skills: written and oral
• Basic knowledge and skills for coaching and mentoring
• Excellent negotiation and persuasion skills
• Financial management and reporting
• Demonstrated core proficiency in (a) digital communication & collaboration, (b) basic digital content creation, (c) digital safety & security, (d) data literacy, and (e) problem
• solving with technology (including responsible use of AI assistants.
• Understanding of and commitment to IFRC’s mission and values.
• Fluent spoken and written French
• Good command of English

Preferred

• Data analysis and management
• Good command of another IFRC official language (Spanish and Arabic)

Competencies, Values and Comments

Values: Respect for diversity; Integrity; Professionalism; Accountability

Core competencies: Accountability, Diversity, Teamwork, Communication, Innovation, Trust building, Empowering others and National Society Relations