Job Opportunity at Danish Refugee Council - Area Manager

 

Area Manager 

DRC has been implementing emergency response projects in Tanzania since the onset of the Burundi refugee crisis in 2015 in the refugee camps in the Kigoma region, close to the border with Burundi. DRC’s integrated projects for refugees, asylum seekers and host communities comprise sectors such as Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM), Protection, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Shelter and infrastructure, General Food Distribution (GFD), Livelihoods and Environment focused programming.

The Kigoma Region in Tanzania is bordering Lake Tanganyika and has a relatively low population density. The refugee hosting area within Kigoma host over 200,000 refugees mainly from Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In Kibondo/Kasulu the climate is mild, the environment is green and in general the situation is safe. Kibondo is a small rural town with limited services.

About the job  

The Area Manager is responsible for the overall management and strategic direction of DRC’s response in Kigoma under the direct supervision of the Country Director (CD) Tanzania-Burundi. The Area Manager will represent DRC with the local government bodies, the UN and international organizations in-country, donors, other stakeholders, beneficiaries, and other (I) NGOs as part of regular and quality communication to maintain good relations. The post-holder will build the portfolio of DRC in Kigoma by ensuring high quality implementation of all projects and supporting new business development. S/he will need to clearly understand and ensure fair, accountable and transparent management of program and support departments, and promote a learning environment for staff and the organization. The Area Manager will also be responsible for full compliance with DRC Standard Operating Procedures and general operations.

Responsibilities:

Management and coordination: 

• Overall responsibility for the daily management of the Kigoma-based program and support teams in the Kibondo and Kasulu offices as well as for the camp-based staff in Nyarugusu and Nduta camps, including ensuring respectful, 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. 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.
• Daily management of the Kibondo office, including ensuring compliant financial operations and budgeting, administration, human resources, logistics, procurement and security in line with DRC and donor regulations. This position directly manages the CCCM-, Livelihoods-, Protection-, General Food Distribution-, and Support Services Managers. In addition, this position works closely with the Grants Management Coordinator and Finance Manager.
• 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 Burundi and Tanzania offices. As a general guideline, the Area Manager will represent DRC with Kigoma-based stakeholders, while the Country Director will manage relationships with stakeholders who are based outside of Kigoma.

2.     Programming and technical support:

• Provide oversight of all programming in the Kigoma-region 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 needs of conflict-affected communities 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.
• Implement the vision developed for the Tanzania program, identify opportunities, and liaise with donors and partners.
• Work with the program and support teams to contribute to new program development, including both narratives and budgets, by coordinating and compiling inputs from other technical and support staff.
• Ensure the timely delivery of high-quality program and project reports to donors and relevant stakeholders.
• Ensure humanitarian accountability to DRC’s beneficiary populations through effective project monitoring and community engagement.
• Support staff to integrate protection concerns and awareness into other sectors as relevant.
• Ensure all managers actively capacitate their teams to ensure further nationalisation of positions where possible and/or relevant. 

3.   Support services: Finance, administration, human resources, logistics and procurement:

• Through the Support Services Manager ensure full compliance with DRC and donor financial guidelines and policies with regards to all support services.
• Oversee and regularly utilise a comprehensive master budget of DRC’s operations in Kigoma jointly with the Head of Support Services.
• Assume responsibility as primary budget holder of all projects and lead in the development of new budgets and spending plans.
• Collaborate regularly with the Country finance team to monitor spending and ensure the timely utilization of all grants, including ensuring regular monthly budget follow-up is conducted in Kigoma.
• Through the Support Services Manager ensure in-country 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.
• Ensure staff evaluations are conducted on a regular basis and are uploaded onto DRC’s cloud-based ERP HR software.
• Through the Support Services Manager ensure supply chain processes are in place and fully compliant with DRC and donor policies and standards.
• Collaborate with the Support Services Manager to ensure field-based records are well managed, fulfil DRC and donor requirements, and are always uploaded into DRC’s cloud-based ERP system and available for use in donor reports.
• Ensure all procurement requests are submitted using DRC’s ERP supply chain system and approvals are done in accordance with DRC’s budget holder policy.
• Ensure monthly follow up of procurement plans in coordination with the budget follow up process to inform any adjustments in spending as required in advance of project closure.

4.  Safety and Security:

• Assume responsibility for staff safety in the area of operation, although the primary focal point for safety and security will be the Support Services Manager.
• Ensure all relevant information regarding safety, security and the context is collected, updated and shared in a regular and timely manner.
• Collaborate with the Regional Safety Coordinator, and the 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, mature leader with a proven track record of developing effective initiatives, programmes, and impact. Moreover, we also expect the following:

Required

• Master’s degree in law, social sciences, international development, or other relevant field.
• Minimum of 4 to 6 years of work experience within the field of protection, particularly within the field of humanitarian response and refugee protection, with experience working for an international NGO
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in a senior project management position.
• Excellent analytical and writing skills.
• Excellent written and spoken English
• Knowledge of Swahili an added advantage.
• Strong initiative and self-motivated, with a strong commitment to teamwork and humanitarian principles.
• Ability to multi-task and cope with competing demands under tight deadlines.
• Identify priority activities and assignments, adjust priorities as required.
• Ability to operate and think strategically, coupled with proven analytical skills and the use of these to problem solve and make firm decisions.
• Prior experience fundraising for Humanitarian and Development focussed activities.

Desirable

• Prior experience with DRC in a similar role
• Prior experience with DRC’s ERP system
• Experience working in the Economic recovery/ Livelihoods and/or Environment sector
• In this position, you are expected to demonstrate each of DRC’ five core competencies:
• Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results to position DRC and ensure excellence in all deliverables.
• Collaborating: You lead regional 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.

We offer

Contract length:  2-year contract possibility of extension, subject to performance and funding.

Band: E Management

Designation of duty station: Non-family and unaccompanied position

Start date: June -July 2022

Salary and conditions in accordance with the Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for Global Expatriates available at http://www.drc.dk under Vacancies graded as M.E for qualified National staff the terms of employment will be in accordance with DRC terms for National staff in Tanzania. For questions regarding the vacancy please contact Stephan Deutekom at stephan.deutekom@drc.ngo.

Applications

All applicants must send a cover letter (max 1 page) and an updated CV (max 3 pages) in English. The cover letter should outline your personal motivation for applying, suitability and what the candidate will bring to this role and your key qualifications for the position. Apply online on our page Current Vacancies at http://www.drc.ngo. Applications sent by email will not be considered.

Closing date for applications: 2nd May 2022

If you have questions or are facing problems with the online application process, please visit  drc.ngo/jobsupport

DRC as an employer

By working in DRC, you will be joining a global workforce of around 8000 employees in 40 countries. We pride ourselves on our:

• Professionalism, impact & expertise
• Humanitarian approach & the work we do
• Purpose, meaningfulness & own contribution
• Culture, values & strong leadership
• Fair compensation & continuous development

DRC’s capacity to ensure the protection of and assistance to refugees, IDP’s and other persons of concern depends on the ability of our staff to uphold and promote the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation DRC’s values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment. DRC conducts thorough and comprehensive background checks as part of the recruitment process.

If you have questions or are facing problems with the online application process, please visit drc.ngo/about-us/job-and-career/support-for-job-seekers

Danish Refugee Council is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive and positive work environment based on mutual respect for all employees. All applicants are considered for employment without attention to race, age, ability, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, or any other factor. At DRC we celebrate diversity and appreciate our employees for the people they are and their unique skills, backgrounds, and perspectives. We encourage all interested candidates to apply!

The deadline for submitting the application is 02 May 2022.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY