NEEDED COUNTRY DIRECTOR

Desired start date: 1st June 2020
Duration of the mission: 12 months
Location: Position based in Amman with movements in Syria

ABOUT THE MISSION

Syria mission is working into 2 heavily affected areas of Syria by the last years of conflict: Northeast (NES) and Northwest (NWS). Syria mission is dedicated to provide lifesaving activities to the most vulnerable population. Main activities include emergency wash (water distribution and rehabilitation, distribution of essential NFI (winterization, hygiene, shelter, new arrival kits, etc..) and cash, and WAHS and Health infrastructures rehabilitation. The mission has been expanded in 2018-2019 through a major consortium with 4 partners led by SI. The consortium will support equitable and safe access to essential basic services including WASH, Shelter and Health in NES.

The SI Syria mission counts about 340 national staff, more than 60 expatriates, and has a 25 million USD budget forecasted for 2020.

ABOUT THE JOB

The Country Director is Solidarités International official representative for the country. He is in charge of the smooth running of the mission. He/She provides strategic vision and leadership to the mission and is responsible for the programmatic development and organizational structuration of the mission. He/She is responsible for the implementation of the strategy and he guarantees the accountable overall management of the mission.

He/She monitors projects, ensuring that they are progressing in accordance with the Solidarités International charter and complying with internal and contractual procedures.

He/She mobilizes the material and financial resources necessary for the programs to run effectively and supervises the administration of these resources. He coordinates the teams in place and ensures their security on the mission.

He/ She is the direct liaison for Solidarités International HQ.

Number of persons under direct management: 1 DCD Program, 1 DCD Support, 3 Field Coordinators, 1 Conformity & Transparency Coordinator.

THE MAIN ACTIVITIES

• Coordination and strategic orientation:Monitor and analyze the humanitarian, political, cultural, social and economic context and develop/adjust strategy to address the identified humanitarian needs
• Relevance and operational quality / operations monitoring : Guarantee the coordination, development, monitoring and evaluation of programs implemented on the mission.
• Resource management : Propose and organize the Human, financial and logistic layout of the mission.
• Human Resource Management: Build and maintain team dynamics that enable Solidarités International objectives to be carried out effectively in the country.
• Security : Be responsible for the security of all teams and property on the mission, under the supervision of the HQ Desk Officer.
• Relationships with financial donors / fund-raising : Monitor and analyze financial donor strategies.
• Internal and external communication :Ensure that deadlines are adhered to and that documents produced by the mission are of good quality.
• Representation: Act as the Solidarités International official representative in the country for aid workers, local political and administrative authorities, the civil society and the media.

YOUR PROFILE

• Masters’ degree or equivalent in law, political science, organization / project management or other relevant field
• 10 years of professional humanitarian experience, including at least 2 missions in a complex and volatile context ; minimum of 5 years of experience as HoM/Country Director, Program coordinator or equivalent,
• Proven experience in conflict contexts and insecure environments, with consequent experience in supporting emergency response
• Excellent communication, organizational and prioritization skills
• High management abilities and capacities to provide distance technical support
• Significant knowledge and experience of working with major institutional donors, including: ECHO, OFDA, DFID, UN Agencies.
• Diplomacy, autonomy, perseverance and creativity
• Robust knowledge and strong interest for the Syrian crisis and in the Middle east context

Languages:

• Fluent English: speaking, reading and writing skills
• Arabic is an asset

SI WILL OFFER YOU

The salary starts from 3.300 euros gross per month, and a monthly Per Diem of 785 USD and a housing allowance. To this will be added the valorization of your experience.

Vacation: during the assignment, a system of alternation between work and time-off is implemented at the rate of one break every three months. For a one-year assignment, the expatriate will have a 7-day break during the 3rd and the 9th month (with 750 USD allocated by Solidarités). He or she will also be entitled to go back to his or her home country for a 14-day period after six months spent on the mission (Solidarités will cover travel costs).

Social and medical cover: Expatriates benefit from an insurance package which reimburses all healthcare expenses (including medical and surgical expenses, dental care and ophthalmological expenses, repatriation) and a welfare system including war risks. Essential vaccination and antimalarial treatment costs are refunded.

Living conditions : Living conditions in Amman are very good and staff has access to a wide range of restaurants, cafes and bars. Most of occidental products (food, clothing…) are easily accessible in Amman. The country also proposes several destinations for weekends.

Security inside Northeast Syria is volatile and justifies specific arrangements for accommodation and movement in the areas of intervention. Adherence to strict security procedures is necessary, while the security levels can vary according to the different geographical locations and the changes of context.

In Erbil (Iraq) where there will be occasional travel to access NES, security levels are good, restrictions are mainly related to obtaining visas for international staff, which can take some weeks.