Advisor, Debris & Rubble Management – Venezuela Earthquake Response

Job Purpose:

CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort) is a crisis response organization that brings immediate aid and recovery to underserved communities across the globe. Our mission is simple: save lives and strengthen communities impacted by or vulnerable to crisis. Wherever the crisis is and whenever people are in need, we are there. CORE’s ability to impact communities is directly emboldened by each member of our staff and leadership. CORE is seeking a short-term Debris & Rubble Advisor to shape how CORE clears and reuses earthquake rubble across the impacted areas of Venezuela. This is an investigative, front-loaded advisory role: the Advisor maps CORE’s options, defines the scopes of work CORE could take on—directly, on contract, or as pilots—and produces an actionable debris and rubble removal strategy the team can move on. The Advisor writes in English and engages coordination bodies and authorities in Spanish to determine the authorizations, permits, and approvals required for each scope of work. This is a strategy and planning role; it does not involve directing field crews or operating equipment. This is a short-term, fixed-term consultancy of approximately 2–4 weeks. The role requires in-country deployment to the impacted areas of Venezuela for the contract period; international/expat candidates are welcome. The position may require mobilization on short notice.

Main Responsibilities:

Strategy & Planning

• Produce a full debris & rubble removal strategy for the earthquake-impacted areas of Venezuela, differentiated by setting (urban, peri-urban, rural, and peri-rural) and by level of impact.

• Develop a 6–12 month plan with defined scopes of work—laying out the rubble-removal scopes CORE could take on (direct implementation, contract, and/or pilot), with indicative sequencing, resourcing, equipment/labor mix, and cost drivers.

Options, Feasibility & Authorizations

• Assess the mechanisms available—large-scale contracts, cash-for-work/casual labor, and heavy-equipment (mechanized) debris removal—and, for each, the authorizations, permits, and coordination requirements.

• Scope heavy-equipment debris removal as a core clearance mechanism—the machinery mix (e.g., excavators, skid steers, loaders, dump trucks), how it is contracted or mobilized, output/throughput and cost drivers, disposal haulage, and site-safety requirements—and where it complements labor-based clearance.

• Engage coordination bodies and authorities in Spanish (national, state, municipal, and military as relevant) to confirm what CORE needs for each specific scope of work.

• Ground the strategy in field realities: debris volumes, disposal/dump-site options, road access, and hazardous materials (e.g., asbestos).

Recycling & Reuse (value-add)

• Assess where rubble recycling and reuse of undamaged cinderblock and materials can feed into the plan—feasibility, quality, and how it plugs into the scopes of work.

Concept Notes & Inputs

• As the investigation surfaces fundable activities, package findings into technical inputs CORE can drop into concept notes and proposals.

Coordination & Handover

• Work closely with the Response Team Lead, engaged engineers, and local partners; coordinate with humanitarian clusters and government/military bodies to avoid duplication.

• Hand over a clear, implementable strategy and set of scopes of work the team can execute.

Scope and Travel:

• Supervises: N/A (advisory role); works alongside the Response Team Lead, engaged engineers, and local partner staff.

• Requires in-country deployment to the impacted areas of Venezuela for the contract period (approx. 2–4 weeks); may require travel within Venezuela based on operational needs.

• Must be able to drive and hold a valid driver’s license.

• Must be able to mobilize on short notice; must have a current passport valid for international travel.

Qualifications:

• Relevant experience in humanitarian debris/rubble management, disaster recovery, engineering, construction, or a related field—earthquake experience ideal.

• A bachelor’s degree is welcomed but not required—equivalent professional experience, including work in disaster-affected or crisis settings, is strongly valued.

• Demonstrated ability to develop implementable strategies and scopes of work in emergency or high-pressure settings.

• Commitment to CORE’s mission and a strong understanding of the challenges faced by crisis-impacted populations.

Experience:

• Disaster debris/rubble management, ideally earthquake-specific.

• Writing implementable plans and scopes of work, and contributing to concept notes and proposals for donors.

• Contract-based and/or labor-based (cash-for-work) debris approaches, and heavy-equipment debris removal (e.g., excavators, skid steers, loaders, dump trucks). • Rubble recycling / material reuse (a plus).

• Coordinating with government, military, and humanitarian coordination bodies.

• Prior work in Venezuela, Latin America, or similar operating environments (a plus).

Skills & Competencies:

• Fully bilingual (English and Spanish) required—English for the written strategy, plans, and concept-note inputs; Spanish for engaging authorities and coordination bodies.

• Strong strategic and analytical skills; able to weigh options and set realistic, defensible scopes of work, targets, and cost drivers.

• Working knowledge of debris/clearance operations—including heavy-equipment debris removal—site safety, and hazardous-material awareness (e.g., asbestos).

• Familiarity with rubble recycling / material reuse and disposal considerations (a plus).

• Proficient in Microsoft Office; strong writing and documentation skills.

• Ability to work independently, mobilize quickly, and adapt in dynamic environments.

• Valid driver’s license and able to drive in-country.

• Preferred but not required: knowledge of cash-for-work program design, procurement/contracting for clearance, and coordinating with authorities on permits and authorizations.