INSO recruits 01 Regional Director- West Africa (French & English required)
Organisation Background
Founded in 2011, the International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO) is an international NGO that supports the safety of aid workers.
We provide registered NGOs with a range of free services including real-time incident tracking, analytical reports, safety related data and mapping, crisis management support, staff orientations and training. Our services help NGOs with their day-to-day risk management responsibilities and improve their overall situational awareness to support evidence-based humanitarian access decisions.
Today the organisation has more than 1000 employees based across 17 of the world’s most insecure countries.
INSO has its global headquarters in The Hague, the international city of peace and justice.
Position:
We are now seeking a qualified and experienced individual to join our headquarters programme group as Regional Director – West Africa (RD WA). The post offers an opportunity to help the safety of the humanitarian community and use your experience and skills to support the Director of Field Programs by leading and developing INSO programs in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria and Cameroon, and by bringing INSO West Africa experience to bear on further structuring of INSO field operations and the global outreach. INSO’s projected start-up in Haiti is also assigned to the RD WA portfolio.
The post is funded and available immediately, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. The deadline for the submission of applications is 27 November 2021.
INSO plans for the recruitment of one additional Regional Director in 2022. Applications received under this call for RD West Africa may also lead to the establishment of a recruitment pool for this future position. Please indicate if you are interested in this post also.
Expériences / Formation
Job Summary:
Regional Directors are responsible for overseeing INSO project implementation in their assigned areas (approx. 4-6 countries, EUR 2-4 million budget per office). They are a functional expert in all aspects of delivering INSO projects in the field as well as being an experienced generalist in NGO safety practises, humanitarian field architecture, project/grant management cycles and donor relations. Under the leadership of Director of Field Programs and in collaboration with the Global Training Manager, the Regional Directors are involved in structuring, improving and developing INSO field programs.
The main role is to lead, manage, mentor and support (and sometimes serve as a substitute) Country Directors in accomplishing their obligations and to ensure that INSO country projects operate as intended. For this purpose, Regional Directors are hands on and spend a significant amount of their time in their assigned countries.
Regional Directors are based out of the HQ in the Hague. At the Headquarters, the Regional Directors coordinate and communicate across all Departments and play a key role in cross-departmental learning and support.
Regional Directors are supervised by the Director of Field Programs and line manage up to six Country Directors in their assigned area.
Main Duties and Responsibilities:
A. Programme Strategy, Management & Quality
The overall aim is to ensure that INSO projects provide high quality services that are relevant and adaptive to NGOs needs while protecting INSO’s reputation and principles and effectively delivering its mandate.
* Support the CD in development and implementation of an approved Annual Plan- assessing, critiquing and contributing to short and long range country strategy to improve NGO safety – and ensure the plan is relevant to INSO’s mandate, NGO needs and is achievable within the context (security, legal, environment, funding etc);
* Ensure that all projects under their supervision adhere to INSOs mission and principles and contribute to further its reputation as an accountable, humanitarian and professional organisation and valued member of the global and local humanitarian community;
* Ensure that projects follow standard internal policies, program framework and quality standards.
* Monitor the ongoing relevance of the project to the needs of NGOs in the context and ensure the project and team take and retain their proper place as a central node in the local humanitarian architecture.
* In coordination with other technical referents (analysis & information & training), monitor and quality control outgoing products and services (with frequent sampling) to ensure INSO products remain of objectively high value and quality (good analysis, accurate data, helpful & timely advice etc);
* Independently monitor beneficiary satisfaction and attitudes with periodic meetings and feedback sessions;
* Lead new project scoping and development missions
B. Grant Management & Fundraising
The overall aim is to ensure that projects remain fully funded and that INSO meets all of its contractual obligations on time and on budget.
* Comprehensively orient CD in their grant management responsibilities and the general principles of program cycle management, providing ongoing mentorship and advice as needed;
* Actively supervise and support the CD in fundraising for the Annual Plan with the aim of full funding at all times. Anticipate funding gaps and identify appropriate mitigation plans ahead of time;
* Supervise grant/contract management to ensure full compliance with donor specific conditions and timely submission of mandatory reporting in accordance with established timeframes, notably INSO SOP 4 Annual Plan, Proposals and Reports and specific donors/contract requirements;
* Where required, support the CDs in the submission of reports via donor technical channels (APPEL, ART) ensuring correct format and content;
* Ensure that projects operate within their funded means and that activities and spending are consistent with budget plans. Support the CD in identifying and implementing required modifications or changes to project activities and grant documents to reflect actual changes in the context and/or priorities and strategy, updating the Annual Plan where necessary;
* Ensure that CDs are engaged in effective grant management procedures including regular financial and performance (indicator) review, cross team communication and forward planning/forecasting;
* Support and guide the CD in developing and managing their relationships with other HQ personnel and departments involved in the program management cycle including Finance Controller and Operations staff.
C. Personnel Management, Mentorship & Leadership
The overall aim is that projects are fully staffed by competent, well managed, motivated and happy employees.
* Lead the recruitment (as Hiring Manager) of vacant Country Director positions;
* Direct line management of Country Directors including effective training and orientation, setting written performance objectives, monitoring performance, providing regular feedback, support and frequent on-site mentoring and overseeing disciplinary procedures where required.
* Supporting the CD in delivery of his/her own HR and team management responsibilities and monitoring her/his performance in such, modelling good leadership practices and providing an open and supportive management space;
* Monitor and maintain correct staff structure with country offices to ensure proper and fair allocation of tasks/service delivery responsibility between personnel;
* Monitor overall team morale and motivation, intervening where necessary to inspire, lead, mitigate problems or resolve conflicts;
* Foster open, collegial and positive communication within and between regional teams (and beyond) to inject a spirit of unity of purpose.
D. Regional Cooperation, Development & Synergies
The overall aim is to develop strong, interconnected regional programming (where necessary) that acknowledges and reflects common dynamics, maximises our capability and meets our partners and donors where they need us.
* Where possible, seek to develop a wider regional programming strategy approach and maximise regional team cohesion and opportunities for cross context learning.
* Establish and develop a regional/desk donor contacts base and actively track regional and CO specific funding opportunities;
* Coordinate closely and frequently with the Director of Field Programs, other Regional Directors and the Global Training Manager to maintain a ‘whole of INSO ’ project approach and prevent regional imbalance and division;
* Develop connections to regional NGO, UN and donor hubs, groups, forums etc.
E. Representation
The overall aim is to be a good ambassador for INSO and to promote its work and reputation effectively and positively.
* Serve as an active senior representative of the organisation, maintaining and building the reputation of the organisation both internally and externally;
* Constructively participate, and represent the projects perspective, in internal meetings and conferences providing briefings and presentations as required.
* Represent INSO for new project start-ups (scoping missions), NGO, UN, forum or donor conferences as required.
F. Cross Departmental Support & Coordination
The aim is effective flow of information and coordinated action between departments in support of common goals and priorities.
* Establish and maintain close and cooperative relationships with all INSO departments in pursuit of coordinated action, understanding their responsibilities, capabilities and limitations;
* Establish and maintain regular communication with the designated Financial Controller/s, in pursuit of good situational awareness of the financial health of the region (through regular BvA & financial planning) monitoring and coordinated communications to COs;
* Provide timely information, input and responses to financial, HR, procurement, administrative, legal or other processes related to the CO as may be required (r.e signing PRs, recruitment documents, tender reviews, powers of attorney etc);
* Where requested, support other departments in setting and communicating requirements to COs, supporting the CD in setting priorities and taking required actions and integrate such into CD performance standards (e.g inputs to global products, implementation of CHDC or HRIS);
* Facilitate and organise CD orientation with other departments and support integration of learning into practice.
G. Project Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning
The aim is to have and use standard project evaluation & learning tools to assess project performance and quality in a routine and comparable manner.
* Support the Director of Field Programs in development of a comprehensive project monitoring, evaluation and learning framework (project audit) with key standards and indicators;
* Lead periodic project evaluations (at least once per year per CO) to assess project performance against the established benchmarks, identify gaps and recommendations for follow-up;
* Ensure integration of evaluations into Annual Planning, project policy development and other areas as required;
* Support the Director of Field Programmes and SMT in the ongoing development of INSO programme strategy (policy, standards, quality etc) to integrate organisational learning, cross contextual experience and sector wide changes with the aim of keeping INSO at the cutting edge of innovate practice.
Knowledge, Skills and Experience:
Essential:
* Master’s degree in international relations, international security or another relevant field.
* 5-7 years managing teams ideally within multinational and/or matrixed organizations.
* Experience overseeing implementation of organizational and program budgets of at least $2M annually.
* Demonstrated experience working with a range of different stakeholders (e.g. from global headquarters to boards to in-country or field teams).
* Management and operational experience at field and regional/headquarters level
* Established operational expertise in humanitarian safety, access and coordination.
* Excellent French and English language skills, both written and oral.
Nice to Have:
* Relevant previous employment experience with INSO in a senior position in the field or HQ-based role.
* Relevant experience in providing support to country directors and country programs from a headquarters/regional/roving support capacity or from a peer-to-peer perspective.
* Operational experience in West Africa (central Sahel – Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger; Lake Chad basin – Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad).
Personal attributes:
* Proven ability to identify issues, analyse and participate in the resolution of issues/problems.
* Excellent communication, and organizational skills.
* Excellent listening and questioning skills, combined with the ability to interact confidently with staff to establish what the problem is and explain the solution.
* Demonstrated understanding of humanitarian principles and practices.
* Ability to work effectively and efficiently unsupervised.
* Strong work ethic and capacity to take responsibility for his/her own actions.
* Meeting of tight deadlines.
* The holder must safeguard the access of information by unauthorized parties.
Salaire
Terms & Conditions:
Fixed-term (renewable) full-time contract based in The Hague, Netherlands, €7,250 per month, 8% vacation pay (vakentiegeld), 2.5 days annual leave per month. This post is eligible for a Highly Skilled Migrant visa sponsorship.
Safe-guarding Policy:
INSO is fully committed to safe recruitment, selection and vetting of all potential new staff, trustees and volunteers and we will ensure rigorous compliance with our Code of Conduct and Safeguarding policy throughout the recruitment process. As such, the following safe recruitment practices will be applied:
* All offers of employment will be conditional on receiving at least two satisfactory professional references.
* INSO will ask candidates about significant gaps in employment history or frequent changes of employer and address.
* All essential qualifications and relevant professional accreditations and memberships will be verified.
* The successful candidate will be required to provide a valid proof of identity (passport, ID card).
* All new hires will receive an orientation in INSO’s safeguarding policy and procedures and associated documents (Code of Conduct, Whistleblowing etc.).
* All new hires will be required to sign and abide by the Code of Conduct as a condition of employment.
Comment postuler
Interested applicants are requested to send the following to jobs@hq.ngosafety.org and reference “Regional Director” in the subject line of the email. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. The closure of applications is on 27 November 2021. Please include the following in your application:
* An up-to-date CV (2 page maximum).
* A cover letter explaining your motivation and interest in the position. Please explain how you meet the minimum requirements of the role.
Please do not send any additional information (such as copies of certificates, copies of diplomas, other writing samples, etc.) and keep the total size of your application under 2MB if possible.