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”.
I bring strong intercultural competence, negotiation expertise, and advanced communication skills, developed through my leadership of multiple international missions. I work effectively with diverse stakeholders and multicultural teams, contributing to the design, coordination, and implementation of multinational projects and partnerships.
I have 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.
Field experience:
- 2025: Ireland, MODEX field exercise for EUCPT-TAST, Project Manager,
- 2024: Estonia, UCPM Mass Evacuation advisory mission to the Baltic States. Team member of the EUCPT (European Civil Protection Team), as sheltering expert,
- 2023: Moldova, multinational tabletop exercises for actors involved in UCPM response, Project Manager,
- 2022: Jordan, multinational tabletop exercises for actors involved in UCPM response, Project Manager,
- 2021: INDIMA knowledge network project management and communication, Project Manager,
- 2020: Member of the federal staff of Austrian Red Cross HQ (Covid-19 response),
- 2020: Coordinator for COVID-19 sampling and testing activities in all nine provinces (April to November 2020), for Austrian Red Cross,
- 2019-2020: Project Manager IRONORE2019 (EU-funded Full-Scale Exercise), for Austrian Red Cross,
- 2019: Project Manager of three EU-funded HNS TTX (AL, AT, Ghana),
- 2018: Nepal, tabletop exercise for Danish Red Cross / Nepal Red Cross Society, Deputy Exercise Director,
- 2018: EU MODEX AUT, USAR exercise Erzberg: a member of EXCON,
- 2017: EU MOLDEX (PPRD East 2): observer/evaluator at the field exercise in Moldova,
- 2016-2017: PACES: Preparedness for Appropriate Accommodation in Emergency Shelters, Lecturer,
- 2016: Nepal: Ambulance personnel training for rehabilitation projects, Team Leader,
- 2015: Nepal (Earthquake), assessment mission for rehabilitation projects, Team Leader,
- 2014: Austria/Italy (Exercise), preparation and coordination to conduct a multinational civil protection field exercise, Exercise Director
- 2013: Austria, preparation consortium setup and arrangements for the participation on EU co- financed tenders, Project Manager,
- 2012: Austria, realignment of a Civil Protection Unit for the Samaritan Styrian Headquarters, Chief Commander, Chief of Operations,
- 2011: Haiti (Earthquake), Reconstruction project of wells, latrines and dispensaries, Project Manager,
- 2011: CODRII full-scale exercise, NATO PfP Exercise, Chisinau, MD, Team Leader for the WPU,
- 2011: EURETS full-scale camp management exercise, Malacky, SK, Exercise Director,
- 2010: Hungary (Toxic spill), assessment mission for possible temporary sheltering, Team Leader,
- 2010 – 2011: Austria, project management of an EU-funded multinational Civil Protection project for temporary shelters, (EURETS) Project Manager,
- 2010: Haiti (Earthquake), Humanitarian Aid with multinational members, Head of Mission,