Desired start date: ASAP
Duration of the mission: 1 year
Location: Juba, South Sudan
ABOUT THE MISSION
SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL (SI) has been operating in South Sudan since 2006, conducting activities in emergency and post emergency context, particularly in rural and semi-urban areas, including IDP camp settings. Its expertise in running emergency WaSH intervention is highly acknowledged by all WaSH actors and donors. Furthermore, SI is implementing longer term WASH and FSL activities in multiple locations.
Despite significant deployment of humanitarian assistance, between February and March 2022, an estimated 6.83 million people (55% of the population) faced high acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above), of which 2.37 million people faced Emergency conditions (IPC Phase 4), and some pockets of Famine –IPC5. The situation will most likely worsen due to the reduced means of production, lack of resources, very weak means of communication, inflation and rising costs of living, and further floods forecasted in 2022-2023. Failure to restore agricultural production is not only driven by conflict-related displacements but also by increasing level of floods, disruptions of markets due to COVID-19, as well as restricted trade due to roads made inaccessible by insecurity or the rainy season. Moreover, climate crises that are likely to be affecting South Sudan such as droughts, flooding, and locust invasion will have repercussions on many levels: food security, access to water, population movement, and infrastructure (including shelters, markets) destruction. High food prices occasioned by depleted harvests as well as rain-induced deterioration of road networks that disrupts market supplies and functionality are also contributing to the high levels of acute food insecurity.
South Sudan is also witnessing further displacements within the country due to the sub-national and localized violence, which has increased since the beginning of 2022. The security situation is expected to deteriorate further as the transitional period following the signing of Revitalized Peace Process is nearing its end in 2023.
In 2022, the mission’s estimated budget is around USD 2,5+ million, and there are 50+ employees.
ABOUT THE JOB
General objectives
The Country Director is Solidarités International’s official representative in a country. He / She oversees the smooth running of the mission. He / She proposes mission strategy, according to the geopolitical and humanitarian context, and ensures its implementation once it has been validated. 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 / She coordinates the teams in place and ensures their security on the mission. He / She is the direct liaison for Solidarités International’s HQ.
Main responsibilities and priorities
Security
- Serve as main focal point for the mission for critical incidents.
- Liaise with security national authorities and other stakeholders (INGOs, INSO, NGO Forum, UN).
- Ensure security procedures and analysis are regularly updated.
- Brief new staff on security context of the country and the mission.
- Maintain overview of the security context by studying the daily, weekly, and quarterly security analysis from relevant organizations (INSO, NGO Forum).
External outreach
- Serve as main point of contact for strategic decisions with donors, UN, NGO Forum or other NGOs.
- Keep awareness of relevant donors and their funding priorities.
- Maintain regular communication with the donors.
- Represent SI in director level fora.
Annual strategy
- Lead the exercise of defining the annual strategy.
- Ensure the application of the strategy throughout the new proposals.
- Review the fulfillment of strategic goals.
Strategic management
- Lead the Coordination team in adhering to the strategy as well as maintaining the sufficient functional setup of the whole mission.
- Make strategic decisions influencing the direction of the mission, in discussion with HQ and coordination team.
- Maintain overview of the security and funding context of the country as well as situation of the mission (financial, HR, logistics) to inform the strategic decisions.
Coordination within the mission
- Lead the coordination between coordination departments and bases through regular meetings with coordinators.
- Lead weekly Senior Management Team Meeting.
- Ensure that mission monitoring tools are updated and shared on regular basis.
- Keep an overview of the gaps and needs in multiple locations and departments.
Coordination with HQ
- Ensure that desk is informed of the situation of the mission through regular updates and sharing of the monitoring tools as well as regular calls with desk manager.
- Request approvals from HQ on decision requiring decision above his / her level.
Team management
- Monitor the performance of his / her team directly managed.
- Ensure regular meetings with the directly managed team.
- Appraisal of team members.
Mains priority for the first three months
- Oversee the implementation of the annual strategy of 2022-2023.
- Sustain and further develop SI’s funding strategy in South Sudan and identify new donors to diversify the funding portfolio.
- Identify new possible areas of intervention, based on needs, analysis of SI’s added value and funding prospect.
- Continue looking for funding for emergency response.
- Support the Senior Management Team in their coordination roles.
- Regularly represent SI with donors, local authorities, and Coordination forum.
YOUR PROFILE
- Education:
Masters’ degree or equivalent in law, political science, international organization management or project management or a relevant field.
Experience:
- Minimum of 5-6 years of professional experience, including a minimum of 3 years in the humanitarian environment.
- Minimum of 1 year of experience as Country Director or equivalent, developing and managing sustainable relief programs (conflict and post-conflict settings), with specific skills in strategic planning, assessment, program design and development, and monitoring and evaluation + 1-2 years as coordinator of humanitarian actions.
- Previous experience with SI would be likeable.
- Proven experience in conflict contexts and insecure environments, with consequent experience in supporting emergency response.
- Experience of team management.
- Previous experience in South Sudan would be an asset.
Skills:
- Excellent communication, organizational and prioritization skills and the ability to multi-task and support and/or fill multiple positions at one time.
- High management abilities, and particularly team management skills and capacities to provide distance technical support.
- Significant experience of building and supervising large and culturally diverse teams of expatriate and national staff, and interest in capacity building of people.
- Significant knowledge and experience of grant writing and management for major institutional donors, including EU, BHA/USAID, ECHO, UN Agencies (UNHCR, UNICEF, etc.) and pooled funding mechanisms, such as SSHF.
- Ability, acquired through experience, to represent the organization and negotiate and defend SI’s interests with a diverse range of government officials, departments and ministries, civil society organizations, and other international organizations professionally and appropriately.
- Strong initiatives and improvisation capacities.
- Demonstrated attention to detail and ability to follow procedures, meet deadlines and work both independently and cooperatively with team members.
- Good stress management.
- Important flexibility and adaptability.
Languages:
Fluent in English, written and spoken. Arabic is an asset.
- Education:
SI WILL OFFER YOU
A salaried position
According to experience, starting from EUR 3300 gross per month (base salary EUR 3000 + 10% annual leave allowance paid monthly) + a monthly Per Diem of USD 700.
SI covers travel expenses between the expatriate’s country of origin and the place of assignment.
Breaks
During the assignment, a system of alternation between work and time off is implemented at the rate of 7 working days every 3 months. For a one-year assignment, the expatriate will have a 7 working days break at 3, 6 and 9 months (with USD 850 allocated by SI). In addition to these, SI adds 1 additional rest day per month of work, i.e. 12 additional days off for a one-year contract.
Insurance package
Expatriates benefit from an insurance package which covers 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 and security
The Country Director can live in a shared guesthouse with the other international staffs or can live in his/her own flat (with a housing allowance given by SI).
There is an internal curfew at night for international staffs. It is possible to walk in the streets during the day in the permitted zone around the office. There’s a driver available on evenings and weekends for movements out of office hours.
Juba, as the capital of South Sudan offers a good variety of markets, supermarkets, restaurants, and bars.
COVID19
Safety and security rules are regularly reviewed and adapted to the situation, to minimize the exposure to the COVID 19, in constant monitoring and adaptation to the context evolution.
Please note that SI strongly recommends its staff to get the vaccination against COVID 19, using WHO-approved vaccines. If possible, the vaccination should be done before departure, to reduce the future logistical constraints once on the field.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Please send us your CV and cover letter in English.
If you have already been technically validated by SI on the position, please mention it.
NB: the vacancy may close before the deadline.
More Information
- Job City South Sudan
