Bangladesh: Bangladesh - Head of Mission - Dhaka
Country: Bangladesh
Closing date: 31 Oct 2013
MISSION
Solidarités International is an international humanitarian organization which provides aid and assistance to victims of war or natural disaster. For over 30 years the association has focused on meeting three vital needs - water, food and shelter - by carrying out emergency programmes followed by longer-term reconstruction projects. Whilst fully respecting the assisted populations’ customs and culture, Solidarités International’s programmes are implemented through the joint expertise of around 180 expatriates and 1500 local managerial staff and employees.
Solidarités International is currently present in Africa (Central African Republic, South Sudan, Kenya, Somalia, Mali, Niger, Mauritania, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast), in Asia (Afghanistan, Thailand, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Pakistan), in the Middle East (Syria and Lebanon) and in Haiti.
Solidarités International has now been present in Bangladesh for 5 years and the overall country operational objective for 2013 is to improve living conditions and resilience capacity of the most vulnerable persons to natural disaster, climate change and to discrimination.
Solidarités International’s strategy axis in Bangladesh are the following:
- Respond to recurrent natural crisis in a climate change context, in areas where SI is well settled, and integrating long term resilience as a cross cutting consideration to all our interventions
- Foster resilience of communities in order to limit impact of recurrent crisis and climate change in sectors relevant to SI capacities.
- Tackle silent crisis such as Arsenic, urban slums issues when SI has a demonstrated capacity to create a significant amelioration of the condition of the most vulnerable communities
- Integrated approach aiming at improving access to services for Rohingya refugees and host communities as well as maintain a humanitarian presence to be able to witness evolution of situation and be ready to respond to a sudden humanitarian crisis
SI expertise allows the mission to intervene both in emergency and recovery situations, and gradually shift to interventions aiming at fostering long term resilience of populations in disaster prone areas. SI is currently involved in a WaSH intervention in Cox bazaar which aims at improving access to WaSH to refugees and host communities and reduce the potential tensions related to the scarcity of resources in this area. The mission is involved in a cash transfer program in the NW of Bangladesh related to the 2012 September floods that hit this extreme disaster prone area. It has launched since March 2013 a DRR program in the SW of Bangladesh, within the NARRI consortium.
Goal/purpose:
The Country Director is the Solidarités International official representative in Bangladesh.
- S/He is in charge of the smooth running of the mission.
- S/He proposes the mission strategy, according to the geopolitical and humanitarian context and ensures its implementation once it has been validated.
- S/He monitors projects, ensuring that they are progressing in accordance with Solidarités International charter and Code of Ethic and Conduct and complying with internal and contractual procedures.
- S/He mobilizes the material and financial resources necessary for the programs to run effectively and supervises the administration of these resources.
- S/He coordinates the teams in place and ensures their security on the mission.S/He is the direct liaison for Solidarités International HQ.
MAIN TASKS
Coordination and strategic orientation:
- Monitor and analyze the humanitarian, political, cultural, social and economic context with the support of the Head of Mission Assistant
- Propose and develop an operational strategy consistent with the association’s policies and population’s needs
- Define and follow the strategy’s work plan with the coordination team
- Ensure the program are implemented and developed in accordance with annual operational strategy
- Propose new operational directions as contexts change in collaboration with the Program Coordinator and the Field Coordinator
Relevance and operational quality / operations monitoring:
These tasks fall under the responsibility of the Program Coordinator but the HoM will have the overall responsibility in terms of supervision:- Supervise the coordination, development, monitoring and evaluation of programs implemented on the mission- Ensure the relevance, quality and consistency of programs- Ensure that programs are implemented in accordance with Solidarités International technical requirements
Resource management:
These tasks fall under the responsibility of the Log/ Admin Coordinator but the HoM will have the overall responsibility in terms of supervision:- Propose and organize the Human, financial and logistic layout of the mission- Ensure the financial resources and means necessary for the completion of projects are mobilized- Guarantee that resources are used effectively- Ensure that programs are implemented in accordance with financial donor criteria
Human Resource Management:
- Build and maintain team dynamics that enable Solidarités International objectives to be carried out effectively in the country
- Promote Solidarités International ethics and values
- Make sure the Log Admin coordinator is the warrant of Solidarités International Human Resource policies and that procedures are applied (recruitment, performance reviews, etc.)
- Ensure work-life balance for Solidarités International staff and maintain suitable working and living environments
- Manage the coordination team as well as staff s/he supervises directly
Security:
- Be responsible for the security of all teams and property on the mission, under the supervision of the HQ Desk Officer
- Monitor and analyze the security situation and ensure that teams clearly understand it
- Ensure every new arrival on the mission receives a geopolitical and security briefing made in collaboration with the HoM assistant
- Ensure that documents and procedures relating to security are regularly updated
- Ensure that everyone complies with security rules and procedures on the mission
- Deal immediately with any security incidents that may occur on the mission and alert HQ without delay
Relationships with financial donors / fund-raising
- Monitor and analyze financial donor strategies
- Lead the fund-raising at mission level and ensure the mission’s financial stability
- Strengthen relationships between Solidarités International and financial donor representatives
Internal and external communication
- Ensure that deadlines are adhered to and that documents produced by the mission are of good quality
- Ensure compliance with formats and procedures in internal reporting
- Organize coordination meetings on a regular basis
- Ensure that key operational information is circulated correctly, on the mission and between the mission and HQ
- Ensure that the communication flow on the mission is understood and fluent
- Ensure that the mission has enough communication tools to be visible
- Make sure that the communication department at HQ level receives enough communication material from the mission (pictures,…)
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
- Attend humanitarian forums, clusters, relevant coordination meetings
- Represent SI in the Consortium that we are a member of (NARRI, ECB)
NGO AB:
- In collaboration with the Log Admin Coordinator make sure that SI follows NGO AB rules
- Follow with the assistant HoM the overall documents submitted to the NGO AB
PROFILE
Qualification :
- Post graduate level in development / humanitarian studies (desirable but can be balanced by experience)
Experience :
- Substantial experience in a senior management position in an overseas NGO environment, ideally in both emergency and developmental contexts
- Experience of strategic planning
- Experience of managing large teams in multiple locations with various problematic
- Experience of budget management and donor compliance
- Experience of establishing strong working relationships with colleagues from different functions and cultures
Technical skill and competence:
- Excellent representational skills, to represent SI to a broad range of people and organizations including donors and government officials.
- An ability to reflect on and learn from own performance and the performance of the program; and to act upon that learning
- A good understanding of security management
- A good understanding of DRR and climate change issues
- Confident and proficient in the use of MS Office
Personnal quality:
- An ability to analyse information quickly and accurately
- Good problem solving skills in day to day and crisis situations
- A flexible approach to managing and prioritising a high workload and multiple tasks with tight deadlines
- Ability to take decisions and work in autonomy
- An understanding of and commitment to SI’s mission and values
Language : Strong communication skills, with excellent written and spoken English
Other :
Desirable:
- Previous experience in South Asia
- Previous experience with SI
STATUS
Salaried post: According to experience from 2300 euros gross per month, plus 10% annual leave allowance paid monthly, and a monthly Per Diem of 450 USD. Solidarités International will cover accommodation and travel expenses from the expatriate’s home country to the site of the assignment.
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.
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 500 euros 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).
DURATION12 months - ASAP
CONTACTPauline Cartery, Recruiter Officer
How to apply:
CV & Cover Letter
https://emea3.recruitmentplatform.com/syndicated/private/syd_apply.cfm?I...
