Sr Program Advisor, Humanitarian Foresights

Title: Sr Program Advisor, Humanitarian Foresights

Employee Working Location: Partially Virtual / Hybrid (Canada)

Employment Status: Permanent Full-time

The Canadian Red Cross (Red Cross) - an inspirational not for profit organization, helps people and communities in Canada and around the world in times of need and supports them in strengthening their resilience. As a Canada's Best Employers 2026 , we are committed to having an accessible, diverse, inclusive, and barrier-free work environment.

The Canadian Red Cross is looking for an analytical Senior Program Advisor who can turn research and emerging insights into useful guidance and concrete products. This role will help us understand what is changing, what it may mean, and where future risks and opportunities may emerge by bringing together data, operational insight, and diverse perspectives to support evidence-informed decisions, innovation, and organizational readiness.

The successful candidate will be comfortable working with ambiguity, exploring complex problems, testing assumptions, and translating a wide range of information into clear and useful insights. They will work collaboratively across teams and with external partners to identify emerging issues, strengthen analysis, and support the development of practical responses and new opportunities.

In this role, you will :

• Implement and continuously improve a humanitarian foresight cycle, including the development of annual risk-based scenarios, to support operational and longer-term planning with evidence-based assumptions.
• Conduct research, environmental scanning, and analysis using internal and external sources to identify emerging humanitarian trends, risks, opportunities, and planning implications.
• Develop clear foresight products, scenarios, briefings, presentations, and recommendations that translate complex information into useful insights for planning and decision-making.
• Apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills to frame complex challenges, test assumptions, and identify practical options.
• Support the identification and assessment of innovative approaches, service improvements, partnerships, and future opportunities.
• Develop risk-based scenarios and assess potential humanitarian impacts, readiness, and capacity or capability needs to support strategic planning, program or service design, and organizational improvement.
• Build and maintain internal and external partnerships across public, private, academic, and humanitarian sectors to gather and validate insights, strengthen analysis, share relevant risk information and lessons learned, and support senior leaders' engagement in foresight and emergency-planning forums.
• Contribute subject matter expertise and advice to projects and initiatives that strengthen organizational readiness, effectiveness, and impact.
• Contribute effectively within project and matrix teams; support planning and reporting; maintain organized team documentation and records, including SharePoint filing; manage relevant subscriptions and information resources; and continuously improve foresight methods, tools, and products through research, learning, and collaboration.

What we are looking for:

• A minimum of six to nine years of job-related experience and a three-year college diploma or university degree in social sciences, community development, Indigenous studies, public administration, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. A graduate diploma or degree, professional degree, certification, or designation in a related field may be required.
• Experience in research, strategic analysis, policy, program or service design, foresight, risk analysis, innovation, planning, emergency management, or a related field.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to gather, integrate, interpret, and assess complex information.
• The ability to identify patterns, trends, risks, opportunities, and connections across different issues and sources.
• Demonstrated problem-solving skills and comfort working on complex issues where the way forward may not be immediately apparent.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate complex information into concise and accessible insights.
• Experience preparing briefings, reports, presentations, recommendations, or other products for decision-makers and diverse audiences.
• Strong collaboration, facilitation, and stakeholder-engagement skills.
• Curiosity, sound judgment, initiative, and a willingness to explore new ideas and approaches.
• The ability to work independently under broad direction while contributing effectively within cross-functional or matrix teams.
• Experience with horizon scanning, forecasting, scenario planning, systems thinking, futures methods, or innovation methods would be an asset.
• English proficiency required, French is a strong asset.

Working conditions:

• The work is primarily performed in an office or remote-work environment and requires sustained concentration and the ability to process significant amounts of information.
• The role may require occasional travel and flexibility during periods of heightened operational activity.
• Participation in emergency planning, preparedness, or response activities may be required.
• As we work with and support people (managers, colleagues, beneficiaries/customers, volunteers, donors and external partners) and communities in Canada and around the world, applicants whose first language is not English may be required to perform the responsibilities of the role in English.
• Eligibility to work in Canada: At this time, we welcome applications from candidates eligible to work in Canada. If you are not a citizen or permanent resident of Canada, we encourage you to carefully review your visa to find out whether you are eligible to work in the job you are considering applying for. Refer to our FAQ for more information.
• If you are selected for this role, you will be required to complete a successful pre-employment screening process which includes a satisfactory Enhanced Police Information Check (E-PIC).