CVA Coordinator - Caracas

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is one of the world's leading humanitarian NGOs, operating in over 30 countries to provide assistance and protection to refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced persons, returnees, people on the move, and vulnerable local populations. DRC is currently seeking a highly qualified national or international CVA Coordinator to be based in Caracas, Venezuela.

DRC manages its operations in Venezuela under the direction of the country office in Caracas, with four field offices in the states of Sucre, Apure, and Zulia (Maracaibo and Santa Barbara de Zulia). The organization implements an integrated approach encompassing Protection, Food Security & Livelihood, WASH, and Disaster Preparedness sectors.

Overall purpose of the role: The CVA Coordinator will provide country-level technical leadership for DRC Venezuela's cash and voucher assistance (CVA) portfolio. This role will establish and strengthen DRC's CVA capacity, assess the operating environment and markets, define feasible and safe delivery modalities, guide programme design and implementation, and ensure consistent technical quality across emergency and ongoing responses.

The Coordinator will work across programme and support functions to ensure that CVA programming is needs-based, market-informed, protection-sensitive, accountable, and compliant with DRC procedures and donor requirements. The role will serve as DRC Venezuela's senior CVA focal point, provide strategic and technical advice to the Senior Management Team (SMT), oversee the technical quality of CVA interventions, and represent DRC in relevant inter-agency coordination mechanisms and technical working groups.

Responsibilities:

1. Country-level CVA technical leadership, preparedness, and strategic management

Conduct a rapid review of DRC Venezuela's existing CVA experience, capacities, projects, systems, risks, partnerships, and operational gaps. Develop a practical country CVA roadmap covering strategic priorities, minimum preparedness actions, roles and responsibilities, implementation arrangements, and resourcing needs. Establish or contextualize country-level CVA standard operating procedures, decision-making workflows, tools, and templates in line with DRC's CVA guidance and internal controls.

Clarify roles and handovers across Programmes, MEAL, Finance, Supply Chain, Protection, Grants, IT/Information Management, and field teams, including segregation of duties and payment reconciliation. Maintain an up-to-date CVA risk register and propose mitigation measures covering operational, fiduciary, protection, data-protection, safety, access, and reputational risks. Provide regular strategic and technical advice to the Senior Management Team (SMT) on CVA feasibility, portfolio priorities, delivery modalities, operational risks, compliance, resourcing, and key go/no-go decisions. Act as the country-level technical authority for CVA, setting minimum technical standards and reviewing programme strategies, designs, budgets, tools, and major adaptations before approval or implementation. Maintain oversight of the country CVA portfolio and provide timely analysis to the SMT on performance, technical quality, emerging risks, coordination developments, and strategic opportunities.

Coordinate technical decision-making across Programmes, MEAL, Finance, Supply Chain, Protection, Grants, IT/Information Management, and field teams, escalating material issues to the Head of Programme and SMT as required.

2. Assessments, market analysis, and response options

Lead or support rapid market assessments and market monitoring to determine market functionality, accessibility, supply capacity, price dynamics, and potential inflationary effects. Integrate CVA considerations into multisectoral needs assessments and lead response options analysis to determine whether cash, vouchers, in-kind assistance, services, or a combination is most appropriate. Map and assess financial service providers and other delivery channels, including their coverage, liquidity, costs, compliance requirements, accessibility, data protection, user experience, and capacity to reach at-risk groups. Support the definition and regular review of transfer values using expenditure-gap analysis, relevant minimum expenditure baskets, market prices, programme objectives, and coordination guidance. Document assessment findings and provide clear, actionable recommendations for programme design and management decisions.

3. Programme design, implementation support, and technical oversight

Design or refine high-quality CVA interventions, including multipurpose cash and sector-specific cash, in close collaboration with relevant technical coordinators and field teams. Design and oversee the full operational cycle for direct DRC implementation: targeting and eligibility, registration and verification, informed consent, data management, payment preparation and authorization, distribution controls, reconciliation, referrals, complaints and feedback, and post-distribution monitoring. Develop or adapt implementation-ready tools, including workplans, distribution plans, participant communication materials, monitoring tools, payment-file templates, reconciliation tools, and incident-escalation procedures. Provide hands-on support to assess, select, and establish contractual and operational arrangements with financial service providers in collaboration with Supply Chain, Finance, Legal/Compliance, and IT, including non-live testing where feasible. Conduct desk-based and simulation testing of workflows and tools, address identified gaps, confirm operational readiness, and provide ongoing technical support and quality assurance during implementation. Contribute technical inputs to concept notes, proposals, budgets, donor reports, and programme revisions involving CVA.

4. Quality, protection, accountability, and MEAL

Ensure that protection mainstreaming, conflict sensitivity, gender, age, disability inclusion, and safe and dignified access are embedded throughout the CVA programme cycle. Work with MEAL and Protection teams to establish appropriate indicators, monitoring plans, post-distribution monitoring tools, community feedback and complaints mechanisms, referral pathways, and approaches to detect unintended harm once implementation begins. Promote meaningful participation of affected people in modality selection, delivery-channel design, communication, monitoring, and programme adaptation. Review monitoring and feedback data and ensure that findings are used to adjust transfer values, delivery arrangements, targeting, risk controls, and programme quality.

5. Coordination and representation

Represent DRC actively and consistently in relevant inter-agency coordination mechanisms and technical working groups. Contribute to inter-agency tools, standards, assessments, market monitoring, transfer-value discussions, and harmonization of approaches. Take on a lead or co-lead role in relevant inter-agency coordination mechanisms and technical working groups when requested by the coordination mechanism and agreed by DRC country management. Maintain constructive engagement with donors, UN agencies, NGOs, local organizations, authorities, financial service providers, and private-sector actors relevant to CVA. Engage with DRC's regional/global CVA technical resources and relevant communities of practice.

6. Capacity strengthening, learning, and handover

Assess staff and partner capacity needs and deliver targeted training, coaching, simulations, and on-the-job support on CVA and market-based programming. Establish practical internal reference materials and a repository of approved tools to support consistent implementation after the assignment. Facilitate cross-functional learning and after-action reviews and document good practices, challenges, and recommendations. Prepare and complete a clear handover plan, identifying ongoing actions, responsible staff, outstanding risks, and technical support needs.

Note: All references to CVA implementation in this Job Description apply only where implementation is assessed as feasible and appropriate in the Venezuelan context and is duly approved by DRC country management.

Experience and technical competencies:

Minimum 5 years of progressively responsible experience in the design, implementation, and monitoring of humanitarian CVA and market-based programming. Demonstrated experience establishing or strengthening country-level CVA systems, SOPs, preparedness, and cross-functional business processes. Strong experience conducting market assessments, response options analysis, transfer-value analysis, and financial service provider assessments. Hands-on experience with direct implementation of multipurpose and/or sector-specific cash assistance, including payment delivery, reconciliation, post-distribution monitoring, and adaptive management. Experience representing an organization in relevant inter-agency coordination mechanisms and technical working groups. Strong understanding of protection risks, accountability to affected populations, data protection, fraud risk, financial controls, and safeguarding in CVA. Experience developing practical technical guidance and delivering training and coaching to programme and support teams. Experience in emergency response, fragile contexts, and Latin America is strongly desirable.

Skills required: Excellent analytical, facilitation, communication, and stakeholder-management skills, with the ability to deliver under short timelines.

Education: University degree in economics, social sciences, international development, humanitarian action, business administration, or another relevant field. Relevant technical training or certification in CVA, market analysis, or humanitarian programme management is an asset.

Languages: Professional fluency in written and spoken Spanish. Professional working proficiency in English.

Key stakeholders: Internal: Head of Programme; technical coordinators; Area/Base Managers; Emergency, Economic Recovery, Protection, WASH/Shelter, MEAL, Grants, Finance, Supply Chain, IT/Information Management, and field teams. External: relevant inter-agency coordination mechanisms and technical working groups; UN agencies; national and international NGOs; local partners; authorities; donors; financial service providers; private-sector and research actors.

We offer: The opportunity to be part of one of the best NGOs worldwide. Access to over 1,000 free online trainings and certifications. Contract duration: subject to budget availability. Salary: Band G / Terms of Employment for national or expatriate staff, as applicable. HCM insurance fully covered by the organization.

DRC Core Competencies: Achieving Excellence: Focus on achieving results and ensuring efficient processes. Collaboration: Engage relevant parties and encourage feedback. Taking the Initiative: Take ownership and initiative while seeking innovation. Communicating: Listen and speak effectively and honestly. Demonstrating Integrity: Act in accordance with DRC's vision and values.

Application Process: All applicants must upload a cover letter (max. 1 page) and an updated CV (max. 2 pages, without attachments) in English or Spanish, on the DRC employment platform. Applications sent by email will not be considered.

Application Deadline: Sunday, september 13 at 11:59 pm Local Time. Please note that applications will be reviewed continuously, and interviews will be scheduled as soon as a suitable candidate is identified. DRC reserves the right to close the vacancy before the deadline once a suitable candidate is identified.

Start Date: September 2026

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