Country Director- Central African Republic 298 views

Founded in 2011, the International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO) is an international charity that supports the safety of aid workers by establishing safety coordination platforms in insecure contexts. INSO provides registered NGOs with a range of including real-time incident tracking, analytical reports, safety related data and mapping, crisis management support, staff orientations and training.

INSO services with their day-to-day risk management responsibilities and improve their overall situational awareness to support evidence-based humanitarian access decisions.

The Organisation has grown from innovative start-up to become a globally recognised charity and a valuable component of the humanitarian safety coordination system.

Today the Organisation provides daily support to more than 930 beneficiary organisations (NGO) in fourteen of the world’s most insecure countries and has earned a strong reputation for performance, principles & professionalism.

INSO Central African Republic (CAR) Country Office

INSO CAR operations were launched in 2014 and currently assist around 60 NGO partners. The operations are managed from the country office in Bangui, and two sub-regional offices in Bossangoa (North) and Bambari (East). INSO services are essential in the Central African context where NGOs are exposed to high criminality rates, continued activities of armed groups and a wide range of safety issues. On average, the country program records 1 NGO incident every day. Our services are highly rated by registered NGO users.

We are currently seeking an experienced humanitarian professional to lead our team as Director of the INSO CAR programme. French is the working language of the INSO CAR programme, fluency in written and spoken French is required.

Job Summary:

The INSO Director sets the overall strategic framework within which all other programme elements occur and provides leadership, coordination, representation, supervision and management in relation to all staff and services. The Director will be an experienced and emotionally mature individual with advanced understanding of humanitarian operations at leadership level.

The Director will possess solid programme and human resources management skills and will be a natural and confident communicator, consensus-builder and networker. Successful candidates will combine keen intellect and analytical skills with pragmatism, patience and a good sense of humour. They will enjoy the challenge of translating strategic concepts in to workable practices in difficult environments. Ideal candidates will come from an NGO/humanitarian background (senior management and programs) and are not required to have military/police backgrounds.

Major Responsibilities:

• Coordination of all staff and resources in the delivery of INSO services, including production of information and analysis (monthly briefings, biweekly written reports, situational reports), high-level engagement and briefings, surveys, training and capacity building, and emergency support as needed.
• Staff management
• Professional development of INSO staff; recruitment as required.
• Ensuring quality, relevance, and value of INSO’s services, making changes when necessary.
• Programme management, including annual funding strategy, budget management, and contractual compliance.
• Compliance with INSO’s global policy in operational and administrative areas.
• Building and maintaining a strong network of relevant contacts

Mandatory Requirements:

• Fluency in written and spoken French
• Good command of written and spoken English
• Previous experience as an NGO Country Director
• Minimum of one year of recent experience in Central African Republic or a similar context in Central Africa and advanced knowledge of local history and current social, political, and security contexts within the region.
• Solid understanding of principles and practices in broad humanitarian action, NGO safety and risk management, humanitarian access, and civil-military coordination
• Master’s degree-level of education or equivalent work experience in a relevant field (please specify).
• Minimum of five years in conflict affected contexts.
• Minimum three 3 years in an NGO senior management role and crisis management.
• Proven analytical skills and experience with producing and editing analytical products
• Experience with humanitarian grant management, donor proposals and reporting (preferably with DG ECHO, USAID-OFDA, SDC, DFID grants)
• Experience with budget management and monitoring
• Outgoing and confident personality, and a calm demeanour during crises. A self-starter who takes initiative to achieve results.
• Excellent networking, diplomatic, and representative communication skills.
• Flexibility to work irregular hours and in austere environments.

Preferred Characteristics:

• Direct experience and involvement in a crisis management role.
• Experience in a highly-visible interagency role.
• Detailed understanding of INSO mandate and services.
• Existing (relevant) local information networks and contacts.
• Previous INSO experience (as a team member, a member of INSO’s country advisory board or as a beneficiary closely involved with the programme).

Key Personal Competencies:

• A people manager
• Calm demeanour in stressful or crisis situations
• A good listener
• An effective communicator
• Team player
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Excellent analyst

INSO’s Safeguarding 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.

Terms & Conditions:

12-month contract with expected start date of 01 April 2020. €5,500 per month salary, 4 days annual leave per month and 7 days of R&R every 2 months with €1,250 R&R allowance each cycle, global medical coverage and $200,000 AD&D coverage.