Josef Riener DRR Expert

Josef Riener emergency management, disaster relief, and project management

Josef brings more than twenty-five years of expertise in disaster relief, humanitarian aid and emergency management in a range of operational and strategic functions. He has led complex international deployments, directed field missions, and held senior strategic advisory roles across major Civil Protection and humanitarian projects.

With extensive engagement in the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM), the United Nations system, and internationally active NGOs, Josef possesses deep expertise in multilateral coordination, operational leadership, and large-scale emergency response frameworks. He is a trained UCPM expert and has served on an EUCPT advisory mission, contributing to high-level assessment and coordination efforts.

As a consultant and senior adviser, he provides strategic guidance in emergency, disaster, and crisis management, with particular focus on shelter systems and medical response operations. He covered various positions within the EU Civil Protection Mechanism as evaluator, instructor, and project coordinator in EU co-financed projects. In field operations, Josef has served as Head of Mission and Team Leader of Medical Emergency Response Teams, leading rapid-onset disaster interventions and complex emergency operations worldwide. He holds a master's degree in "European NGO management".

Josef brings substantial experience in international operations, functional command, and the design and implementation of major projects and capacity-building initiatives. He has carried out numerous international missions and projects in senior leadership positions with internationally active NGOs and the Red Cross.

• 2005 - 2007 Sri Lanka: team leader of a medical emergency response team, and project manager for a housing and medical facilities reconstruction project
• 2010 Haiti: head of mission of the emergency response, and project manager for the construction of wells, latrines and dispensaries
• 2015 -2016 Nepal: team leader of medical assistance and later ambulance training project
• 2019, 2020 Austrian Red Cross: project manager of IRONORE2019, a full-scale exercise,
• 2020 Austrian Red Cross: operational manager at the Covid-19 response coordination,
• 2021 INDIMA: project management and communication,
• 2022 - 2023 EU HNS TTX: project management and communication,
• 2024 EUCPT mission: subject matter experts for sheltering in an EUCPT advisory mission
• 2024 - 2025 MODEX Lot 4: project manager, supporting the project coordinator and media coverage,
• 2025 - 2026 CROSSFLOOD: senior advisor for the project coordinator, conducting a full-scale exercise in a post-conflict environment.

Josef brings strong intercultural competence, negotiation expertise, and advanced communication skills, developed through his leadership of multiple international missions. He works effectively with diverse stakeholders and multicultural teams, contributing to the design, coordination, and implementation of multinational projects and partnerships.

Contact Josef through the Network or direct at john.twigg@resilienceadvisors.eu

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