Area Manager 122 views0 applications

Overall purpose of the role

The Dolo Ado-based Area Manager, reporting to the Country Director, is responsible for the overall implementation and strategic direction of the organization’s current and future projects in Liben, Afder and Dawa zones of the Somali region, and is the direct supervisor of both program and support staff in the Dolo Ado field office. The Area Manager advises DRC’s program and support staff to ensure all programming in the assigned areas of operation is in line with DRC Ethiopia’s country strategy and is in full compliance with the organization’s policies and best practices. Furthermore, the Area Manager is responsible for leading project cycle management, proposal development and program strategy – ensuring the successful implementation of all activities, and relevance and responsiveness of the activities to priority humanitarian needs in the assigned areas of operation. In this capacity, the Area Manager is also responsible for representing DRC publicly at the site level, including in coordination fora with other agencies, and for providing the direct link in communications between DRC’s Dolo Ado field office and the organization’s Addis Ababa country office. Finally, it is essential the Area Manager collaborates with the Addis Ababa based Security Coordinator and Senior Management Team to provide safety and security management of the Dolo Ado-based team and ensure all safety and security measures, including contingency plans and standard operating procedures, are in place and well understood by all staff.

About the job

Management and Coordinator:

• Overall responsibility for the recruitment and daily management of the Dolo Ado-based program and support teams, including ensuring positive and collaborative working relationships in line with DRC’s Code of Conduct and assessing staff capacity to provide or recommend relevant training or coaching as needed.
• Daily management of the Dolo Ado office, including ensuring compliant financial operations and budgeting, administration, human resources, logistics, procurement and security in line with DRC and donor regulations.
• Represent DRC publicly at the site level, including in coordination fora with other agencies, and for providing the direct link in communications between DRC’s Shire field office and the Addis Ababa office.

Programming and Technical Support:

• Provide oversight of all programming in the assigned areas of operation in compliance with core protection principles and best practices, and DRC and donor regulations, while upholding rigorous project cycle management standards.
• Design and support in conducting needs assessments to inform program design as well as identify risks and vulnerabilities, including those related to gender, age and diversity.
• Develop concrete initiatives to respond to protection risks experienced by the Somali refugee and IDP population in the assigned areas of operation as well as specific strategies which build upon existing assets within the population.
• Contribute to the strategic direction of programming through active and ongoing participation in and contribution to strategic planning meetings and development of strategic documents.
• Work with the Head of Programs and finance team to contribute to new project development, including both narratives and budgets, by coordinating and compiling inputs from other technical and support staff.
• Ensure the timely and quality delivery of all organizational and project reports and staff contributions to organizational monitoring and evaluation requirements to ensure project quality, relevance and accountability to DRC’s beneficiary populations.
• Support staff to integrate protection and migration concerns and awareness into other sectors as relevant.

Finance and Administration:

• Provide daily management of the field office’s finance team.
• Oversee and regularly update a comprehensive master budget of all of DRC’s operations in the assigned areas of operation.
• Assume responsibility as primary budget holder of all projects and lead in the development of new budgets and spending plans.
• Collaborate regularly with the Addis Ababa based finance team to monitor spending and ensure the timely utilization of all grants.
• Ensure full compliance with DRC and donor financial guidelines and policies.

Human Resources:

• Manage the Dolo Ado-based team and support respectful and positive working relationships which allow for the effective implementation of all activities. This is to be achieved through leadership, team building, day-to-day support, capacity-building and strong, generalist knowledge in all of DRC’s core sectors, including protection, WASH and livelihoods.
• Lead site-level recruitment processes and ensure that relevant staffing structures are in place and are reflective of appropriate gender balance.
• Promote professional development by identifying training and capacity building opportunities and ensure staff are well versed in core protection concepts, DRC’s code of conduct, accountability, respectful dialogue with the refugee population, and prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse.
• Collaborate with the Addis Ababa human resources department to ensure staff evaluations are conducted on a regular basis.

Logistics and Procurement:

• Collaborate with the local Supply Chain team and Addis Ababa-based Supply Chain team to develop and maintain procurement plans.
• Ensure logistics and procurement processes are in place and fully compliant with DRC and donor policies and standards.
• Collaborate with the Supply Chain team to ensure field-based records are well managed, fulfill DRC and donor requirements, and are always up-to-date for use in donor reports.
• Monitor budget lines to ensure spending is in line with project timelines and implementation schedules.
• Regularly review procurement plans with procurement and logistics, and finance teams to adjust spending as required in advance of project closure.

Safety and Security:

• Assume responsibility for staff safety in the area of operation.
• Ensure all relevant information regarding safety, security and the context is collected, updated and shared in a regular and timely manner.
• Collaborate with the Addis Ababa-based Security Coordinator and Senior Management Team to make decisions and manage security incidents at a local level.

About you

To be successful in this role, we expect you to be a positive leader with a proven track record of developing effective initiatives, programmes, and impact.

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate each of DRC’ five core competencies:

• Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results through the regional team both to position DRC and ensure excellence in all deliverables.
• Collaborating: You lead country initiatives and processes by involving relevant parties and encouraging feedback.
• Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation.
• Communicating: You listen to other stakeholders and staff; and you communicate concisely and persuasively.
• Demonstrating integrity: You act in line with DRC’s vision and values.

Qualifications and Technical Competencies:

• Master’s degree in law, social sciences, international development, or other relevant field.
• Minimum of 8 to 10 years of work experience within the field of law or protection, particularly within the field of humanitarian response and refugee protection, with experience working for an international NGO, UN agency or relevant ministry or local authority.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in a senior project management position.
• Excellent analytical and writing skills.
• Excellent written and spoken English.
• Knowledge of Office software packages and experience using data analysis tools.

Languages:

• Excellent verbal and written English.
• Knowledge of Amharic an added advantage.

We offer

Contract: Salary and other conditions are offered in accordance with DRC’s Terms of Employment for International staff (you can find them on drc.ngo). This position is graded at Employment Band E2.

Duty station: Dolo Ado, Ethiopia

Availability: April 2020

Duration: One year contract with possibility of extension, subject to performance and funding.