This is a 24 month, replacement role with unaccompanied terms based in Hargeisa, with a salary of Grade 4 €40,003 – €44,449. You will spend up to 15% time between Mogadishu and Nairobi for internal and external meetings.
You will report to the Programme Director (PD), and you will have a dotted line relationship to the Systems Director (SD) for support in management of the Somaliland offices and operations.
You will directly line manage the Operations Manager, Somaliland Programme Manager and Social Transfers Programme Manager.
You will work closely with: Deputy Programme Director, Programme Coordinators and Managers (Emergency, Resilience, Durable Solutions, WASH/Construction, Health/Nutrition and Education), MEAL Manager and his team, Grants & Information Manager, Partnership Advisor, Country Financial Controller and his team, HR Manager and Logistics Manager. You will also liaise with HQ Technical Advisors and Desk Officer. You will liaise with government representatives, Consortia counterparts, and partner NGOs.
We would like you to start on or before 1st September 2020.
Job Purpose :
This role heads up Concern’s programming, operations and team (approx. 30 staff) in Somaliland, and as such sits on the Senior Management Team (SMT).
The Somaliland Coordinator is focal point for representation of the organization to stakeholders, and oversees (in collaboration with respective PC/PMs) quality and accountable design, implementation and monitoring of programmes and ensures efficient support systems.
Concern’s Somaliland programme comprises of Resilience, Emergency Response, and Social Transfers/Safety Net programming with community-driven interventions in rural and urban livelihoods and food security, WASH, natural resource management and DRR, gender equality, cash transfers and NFI distributions. Donors include EU, ECHO, Irish Aid, DFID, German Government plus Foundation grants.
Key Responsibilities :
You will provide strategic oversight and effective management of Somaliland operations and programming. Working closely with the Programme Director and Deputy PD, you will ensure alignment with the Country Strategic Plan and organisational approaches, and oversee quality of programme development and implementation. You will also oversee day-to-day management of operations from the main office in Hargeisa and sub-office in Borama, ensuring effective and efficient support functions of logistics, transport, finance, administration, I.T. and HR, as well as security management. You will achieve this in close collaboration with the Systems Director, Country Financial Controller and HR Manager. You will formally represent Concern to stakeholders in Somaliland on behalf of the Country Director.
Specific Responsibilities :
Leadership and Representation :
- As a member of the Senior Management Team (SMT), contribute to development, implementation and review of Concern’s Country Strategic Plan ;
- Act as primary focal point representing Concern in Somaliland to Government authorities, NGO Consortium, clusters, donors, consortia leads, peer INGOs, local partners, UN, learning partners, private sector partners and contractors ;
- Guide and support staff to proactively and effectively manage relationships with authorities and key stakeholders, including targeted communities and programme participants, addressing any potential constraints in a timely manner ;
- Actively participate in relevant coordination, consortia, or sector-specific meetings; seek appropriate inputs from team members and ensure dissemination of meeting minutes and action points timely to relevant colleagues ;
- Share information appropriately on Concern activities with key stakeholders, drawing on field-level experience, best practice and challenges to advocate and influence for effective coordination and programmatic complementarity, adaptations, replication and scale up ;
- Ensure knowledge and roll out amongst Concern Somaliland team of the Country Accountability Plan in line with adherence to the Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability ;
- Support designated Somaliland Emergency Response Team (ERT) members to fulfil their role should the ERT be activated by the CD on recommendation of the SMT and Emergency Coordinator.
HR Management :
- Line manage Operations Manager, Somaliland Programme Manager and Social Transfers Programme Manager; conduct Performance Development Reviews as per Concern guidelines ;
- In consultation with HR, PD and SD, ensure sufficient human resources and support in recruitment, retention and succession planning ;
- Support staff capacity building and professional development of Somaliland staff, identify training needs and seek relevant staff capacity building opportunities ;
- Ensure team members are aware of core Concern policies and procedures relevant to their work and, with the support of others, carry out regular briefings on these policies, including the Code of Conduct and Associated Policies, CHS, Safeguarding, etc.
Operations Management :
- Lead review, development and maintenance of support systems that facilitate effective and efficient implementation of a quality and accountable programme in Somaliland ;
- Oversee compliance to Concern and donor policies, procedures and logistical requirements ;
- Ensure all staff are aware of and adhere to the Security Management Plan’s Standard Operating Procedures (SoPs), ensure a functioning Security Focal Group and support effective flow of information for decision-making ;
- Facilitate visits by external parties (donors, journalists, government authorities, head office colleagues) to programme areas in Somaliland.
Programme Management :
- Together with the PD and DPD, ensure alignment of Somaliland programmes with strategies, approaches and priorities per organisational and country strategic plans ;
- Lead development, quality implementation, monitoring and reporting for all programmes in Somaliland, in collaboration with the respective Programme Coordinators/Managers, Grants and MEAL Managers, and supported by the PD and Deputy PD ;
- Stay abreast of contextual issues to ensure that both existing programme implementation and new programme development is informed by a sound analytical understanding of priority needs, opportunities and constraints on the ground ;
- Pro-actively foster cohesion and synergies within and between Emergency-Development programming and across various locations, supporting an adaptive management approach and learning culture ;
- Facilitate programme planning annually and quarterly; ensure timely and accurate costed work plans, budgets, procurement plans and monitoring plans are developed, effectively tracked appropriately shared and regularly updated ;
- Work with the Grants & Information Manager to ensure that Grant Management System (GMS) is maintained with grant documents donor reports plus internal monthly and annual reports are compiled and submitted on time and to quality ;
- Play a key role in timely, relevant, coordinated and effective emergency response by Concern in Somaliland; actively remain updated on the humanitarian context and share information and analysis with SMT and the Emergency Coordinator timely to inform decision-making on emergency interventions plus adaptations as required to longer-term programmes ;
- Oversee implementation and support regular review of the Complaints Response Mechanism in all Somaliland programming locations ;
- Support the MEAL Unit and programme staff in implementation of monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning systems, ensuring a regular review of data/information to inform programmatic decisions and promote continuous learning ;
- Undertake regular monitoring and support visits to programme sites, providing constructive feedback to managers and staff and closely follow-up on recommendations ;
- Engage with the line Ministries in Somaliland for joint programme monitoring and coordination ;
- Support effective mainstreaming of cross-cutting issues – especially (gender) equality, protection, safeguarding and conflict sensitivity – throughout Concern’s Somaliland programme ;
- In collaboration with the PD and DPD, liaise with Head Office Technical Advisors for inputs to ensure quality of and learning from programmatic interventions and approaches ;
- Ensure that relevant coordination matrixes are updated regularly and shared as necessary.
Financial Management and Fundraising :
- Support timely and accurate preparation of programmatic and operational budgets, in collaboration with the PD, SD, CFC, Grants Manager and Programme colleagues ;
- Be Grant Owner and budget holder of various grants (incl. Irish Aid, EU, foundations), act as location signatory for all Somaliland grants in liaison with respective budget holders ;
- Track and manage project budgets and ensure expenditure is in line with agreed plans; support Somaliland team to submit budget revisions on time and flag up early any expenditure challenges ;
- Review monthly management accounts and donor allocations, responding to Finance team within the set deadlines ;
- Work with Logistics colleagues to support timely procurements ;
- In conjunction with the Grants Manager and PD, explore opportunities to expand funding to reach the most poor and vulnerable populations.
Skills and Experience :
Essential :
- Masters level qualification in International Development, Humanitarian Studies, Management, or other relevant discipline of study ;
- At least 5 years’ experience in international development and/or humanitarian programming (preferably exposure to both), in complex contexts; at least 2 years at a senior level ;
- Ability to represent an organisation at senior levels with government, Clusters, Consortia, etc. ;
- Proven skills to negotiate and influence based on organisational experience and priorities ;
- Experience managing multi-sector programmes, ensuring effective overall leadership and efficient collaboration between sub-teams ;
- Strong financial management skills; ability to develop and ensure efficient utilisation of budgets ;
- Familiarity with Logistics, HR, Finance and Administrative functions and ability to oversee such ;
- Proven competencies in managing staff, strengthening capacity and building effective teams ;
- Demonstrable understanding of and commitment to security protocols, with experience ensuring effective roll out and monitoring of context and risk analysis ;
- Strong abilities in Results-Based Programme Cycle Management, including learning from monitoring data and field-level experience to inform and adapt programming to reach outcomes ;
- Experience working with major institutional donors (e.g. DFID, EU, ECHO, OFDA, UN, Irish Aid, World Bank) and ensuring compliance to donor contractual requirements ;
- Excellent collaborative report writing and proposal development skills in the English language ;
- Experience working in complex multi-stakeholder or consortia partnerships and structures ;
- Understanding of, commitment to, and ability to support mainstreaming of principles of Equality (esp. Gender), Centrality of Protection, Safeguarding, and Conflict Sensitivity.
Desirable :
- Knowledge of key programming approaches in Resilience, Social Protection/Safety Nets/Graduation, Emergency Response and/or Durable Solutions to protracted displacement ;
- Technical expertise in two or more of the following: community-driven development, climate resilience, food and nutrition security, agriculture, pastoralist livelihoods, watershed management, natural resource management, WASH, DRR, cash transfer programming, social safety nets ;
- Technical knowledge and experience in monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL), including inputting to survey development and analysis of data ;
- Experience working with and through local partner organisations, including capacity building ;
- Working understanding of the Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability (CHS) ;
- Experience in Somalia/Somaliland or comparable contexts ;
- Familiarity with Concern Worldwide strategies, programmatic approaches and organisational culture is a distinct advantage.
Competencies and Attitude Traits :
- Strong commitment to ensuring accountability to all stakeholders, particularly targeted communities ;
- Ability to work effectively on own initiative and as part of a team, to organize and prioritize workload, working with minimal supervision ;
- Strong inter-personal skills and proven ability to establish effective working relationships with key actors at all levels and work collaboratively with people from different socio-cultural backgrounds ;
- Results-focused with a keen eye to detail; and solutions-oriented with a problem-solving attitude ;
- Flexible and adaptable, with ability to work on own initiative ;
- Strong personal resilience capacity, able to manage pressure and work to conflicting deadlines in dynamic and challenging contexts ;
- Willingness to travel within Somaliland and to Somalia, stay in basic conditions in volatile areas.
Application submission :
All applications to be submitted through the Concern website at https://jobs.concern.net by closing date.
CVs should not exceed 4 pages. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the position may be confirmed before the closing date, if a strong candidate is identified.
Concern Worldwide is an Irish-based non-governmental, international, humanitarian organisation dedicated to the reduction of suffering and working towards the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest countries.