DRC is looking to recruit an experienced, highly-qualified, and enthusiastic professional Country Director to provide overall representation, management, and coordination of our mision in Nigeria, while ensuring compliance DRC’s Operations Handbook.
This position is based in Abuja, but requires frequent travels to other DRC implementing locations, in particular in the Northeast states of Borno and Adamawa. In addition, regular travels to the Regional Office (in Dakar, Senegal) for strategic meetings should be expected. This position is a senior one, requiring a strong previous experience in a similar position. This position also requires strong ability in safety and safeguarding as well as full professional fluency in English.
Danish Refugee Council (DRC) has operated in Nigeria since 2015. Originally operating only in the Northeast of the country in response to the humanitarian needs there, DRC has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Federal authorities of Nigeria, allowing DRC to operate in all of Nigeria. Through partnerships with USAID, ECHO, and other implementing agencies, DRC is delivering life-saving assistance and protection to vulnerable, conflict-affected populations including internally displaced persons, returnees and host communities in the peacebuilding, humanitarian mine action, economic recovery, nutrition and food security, protection, shelter and non-food items (NFI), and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in Borno and Adamawa states. The Country Director is expected to lead on the geographical and sectoral expansion of DRC activities.
About the job
The Country Director is accountable for all aspects of DRC’s work in Nigeria. This role will be expected to lead and consolidate DRC programming and impact while overseeing the efficient use of resources. The Country Director will be also responsible to ensure that the organizational set up is adapted to the context of operations. This role is expected to be strong in management. The Country Director should be able to delegate specific duties as necessary while maintaining global oversight and accountability.
The main responsibilities and tasks of the Country Director are the following:
Representation
- Represent DRC to authorities, donors, partners, and in selected co-ordination forums
- Strengthen DRC’s position nationally and regionally
- Ensure that DRC maintains excellent and productive relations with all key stakeholders, especially beneficiaries, local authorities, the humanitarian community and donors
Direct managerial oversight and support
- Overall management of the operation and direct manager for senior staff members. This includes coaching, ensuring co-ordination between managers, recruiting, and development of staff
- Frequent travel to the field offices for direct operational support and representation
- Ensure compliance with internal and external reporting requirements including procurement
Fundraising & Advocacy
- As the majority of the fundraising is done locally, the Country Director will lead the process of applying for funding and broadening the funding basis in a challenging funding environment
- The Country Director will lead his/her team in the submission of high-quality concept papers, project proposals and budgets in line with the approved country and donor strategies
- Maintain high quality exchanges with the Regional Office team and mobilize the country team to participate in regional projects and strategies
- Lead in the team’s advocacy on all DRC key messages
- Actively engage with government and donor agencies to help influence the humanitarian response in Nigeria
Security & Safety
- Be accountable for ensuring that DRC country programme is delivered in a safe and secure manner
- Provide overall accountability for security, including development of and ensuring adherence to security procedures, monitoring of the security situation, analyzing the context, and ensure the implementation safety improvement plans
Support Services
- Together with the Head of Support Services, ensure that overall budget monitoring, financial management and expenses control, including compliance with minimum DRC and donor requirements, are done and ensure that necessary systems for risk mitigation are in place
- Manage the resources allocated effectively and transparently by respecting and meeting all legal requirements in country
- Together with the HR team, provide leadership support to staff and promote best practices in human resources management
- Provide coaching and counselling advice to staff when necessary and lead initiatives to develop staff capacity
- Organize regular meetings with the senior management team and all staff for the purpose of exchanging information, coordination and learning
- Ensure that the country senior management team is effective, mutually supporting and sufficiently involved in decision making
Programme Development
- Lead the development and update of the programme strategy, within DRC’s overall regional and global strategic frameworks
- Lead the development of the programme within the strategic objectives and not being constrained by the current limitations of existing programming
- Ensure that DRC standard regulations and operational procedures (Code of Conduct, DRC Management handbooks, SPHERE standards etc.) are followed
Accountability & Quality
- Be accountable for ensuring that programmes comply with the organizational quality and accountability commitments
- Guided by the Programme Handbook, continuously monitor and develop relevant accountability initiatives in the field as well as strengthening the effort to document the impact of DRC’s activities in Nigeria
In addition to the above, the Country Director may be asked to carry out other duties requested by the Regional Operations Director and/ or the Regional Executive Director. As stated above, the Country Director is based in Abuja but is expected quite frequently, especially in the States of Borno and Adamawa.
About You
To be successful in this role we expect you to posses the following:
Required
- Master’s degree in political science, international development, economics, management, international relations or other relevant field;
- Minimum 5 years’ relevant work experience in emergency contexts for a humanitarian agency or similar;
- Minimum 5 years’ experience in people management;
- Experience in representing a large international organization with donors, external partners and authorities;
- Experience with networking, advocacy, and coordination;
- Proven leadership skills and significant experience in managing large teams containing both national and expatriate team-members;
- Significant experience of grant management and a strong understanding of fundraising;
- Proven experience managing large and complex humanitarian operations;
- Experience in financial and safety management;
- Proven analytical and critical thinking skills;
- Working proficiency in MS Office Suite;
- Full professional fluency in English;
- Ability to work in a multinational and multicultural environment;
- Proactivity, with a sound commitment to teamwork and with a spirit of genuine collaboration.
Desirable
- Work related experience from the region/country
- Proficiency in Hausa or other Nigerian languages (or in French) is considered an asset but not a requirement
In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’ five core competencies:
Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process.
Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback.
Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation.
Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly.
Demonstrating integrity: You uphold and promote the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation to our values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.
General Regulations
- The employee shall follow DRC instructions on safety, confidentiality and ethical guidelines, including the Code of Conduct and the Humanitarian Accountability Framework
- Employee should not engage in any other paid activity during the DRC contract period without prior authorization
- Employee should not engage in any activity that could harm DRC or the implementation of any project during the DRC contract period
- Employee should not give interviews to the media or publish project-related photos or other material without prior authorization
- Employee shall return all borrowed equipment for the project to DRC after the end of the contract period or upon request
We offer
Contract length: 2 years
Band: D
Designation of Duty Station: Accompanied Duty Station l This position is based in Abuja but requires frequent travels to other DRC implementing locations – in particular in the Northeast states of Borno and Adamawa. Abuja is a modern city with access to most amenities, although power cuts can be frequent. Abuja has several international schools and wide variety of restaurants.
Start date: 1 October 2022
Other benefits:
In addition to the regular leave days provided, the position also comes with ten additional rest days to be used in addition to the accrued leave.
As home leave, DRC provides a paid for return ticket to the employee’s country of origin every six months, provided there is at least six more months remaining on the employment contract of the employee.
For an accompanied role, DRC provides a competitive benefits package consisting of a large accommodation allowance, health insurance for all the directly related-family members accompanying the employee, the coverage of an annual flight ticket for the directly related-family members accompanying the employee, and the coverage of the tuition’s fees for any child between 5-year-old and 18-year-old, up to an annual ceiling per child.
Salary and conditions will be in accordance with Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for Expatriates; please refer to drc.ngo under vacancies.
For additional information regarding the position, you are welcome to contact the Regional Executive Director at the following address: [email protected] or the Regional Head of Support Services at the following address: [email protected]. Applications via email will not be considered.
Application Process
All applicants must send a cover letter and an updated CV (no longer than four pages). Both must be in English**. You can apply for the vacancy.**
Application deadline: 17 August 2022, at midnight (Dakar-time).Applications submitted after this date will not be considered.
Due to the urgency of the position, DRC has the right to recruit a candidate who matches the required profile before the above deadline.
DRC provides equal opportunity in employment and prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability. DRC encourages all applicants to apply and does not practice any discrimination in any recruitment process.
However, due to internal DRC legal rules, all applicants shall take into consideration that DRC cannot offer an international employment contract to a citizen of the country of assignment (in that specific case: the Federal Republic of Nigeria). This applies even in case of dual citizenship and/or possession of a foreign residency card.
