We are looking for a highly qualified, self-motivated Area Manager who is able to work with diverse teams of both national and international staff as well as local government authorities, UN agencies, I/NGOs and other partners under difficult, stressful and sometimes insecure conditions.

Background

Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is operational in South Sudan since 2005, working with the overall aim of achieving durable solutions for displaced populations. The Danish Demining Group (DDG) started Humanitarian Mine Action in 2006.

Danish Refugee Council main programme objectives (2019-2021) in South Sudan are:

To save lives and alleviate suffering among displaced people and their hosts

To reduce displacement related risks and support and facilitate solutions

To promote peaceful, inclusive and resilient societies and address root causes to displacement

DRC primarily operates across Upper Nile and Unity states, both of which are heavily affected by conflict and experience high numbers of internally displaced populations as well as refugees in need of humanitarian assistance. DRC has operational bases in Maban, Malakal, Kodok and Aburoc in Upper Nile and in Bentiu, Mayom, Kodok and Ajuong Thok in Unity state, supported by a country-office in Juba.

DRC recently developed important multi-sectorial mobile response teams based in Juba able to rapidly respond to new and urgent humanitarian situations countrywide at short notice to conduct assessments and responses

About the role

The Area Manager has overall responsibility for the implementation and strategic direction of DRC’s projects in Malakal PoC and across Upper Nile State. The Area manager will be responsible for developing and maintaining effective relationships and communication with donors and UN agencies in the field as well as partner NGOs and government agencies operating in Upper Nile.

Reporting to the Country Director, the Area Manager is the direct supervisor of an international and national team of project managers and operations staff who in turn oversee large teams of international and national programme and support staff. The Area Manager provides support and guidance to project teams on project cycle management, budgeting, proposal development and operational functions, including finance, logistics and procurement. In addition, The Area Manager provides leadership to ensure the successful implementation of all projects, with the support of the country-wide Technical Coordinators and constantly monitors the context to ensure programing is relevant and responsive to priority needs. In this capacity, the Area Manager is also responsible for representing DRC publicly at the field level, including in coordination fora, with other agencies and with donors, and for providing the direct link in communications between DRC's Malakal and Juba offices, seeking Juba program direction and input on important programmatic and operational issues in a timely manner.

Responsibilities

Coordination/Representation

• Actively participate and represent DRC in coordination meetings with UN agencies, UNMISS and coordination meetings with NGO colleagues, local authorities and other stakeholders.
• Liaise with partners, local authorities, and local communities whenever it serves the objectives of the programs
• Identify gaps in service provision to IDPs, proactively referring those gaps to relevant forums or advocating with government authorities or humanitarian partners for additional support

Programme & Project Management

• Overall responsibility for the planning and timely implementation of all activities by project managers (Shelter/NFI, Protection, CCCM, FSL), ensuring adherence to DRC and donor policies and procedures.
• Responsible for ensuring that projects are delivered on time, within budget and achieving their targets.
• Oversee the strategic direction of the DRC programmes, in close collaboration with the Technical Coordinators, to ensure that there is a regularly updated area level strategy.
• Work with the Technical Coordinators, Grants Manager, Deputy Country Director - Programmes and Finance Manager to contribute to new project development, including both narratives and budgets
• Maintain regular interaction and consultations with other DRC Area Managers to promote synergy and cross learning among DRC teams and projects in other program areas of the country.
• Coordinate the development for emergency response in coordination with the country wider Emergency Manager in case of additional large-scale emergencies.
• Ensure the timely and quality delivery of weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual project re-ports and staff contributions to organizational monitoring and evaluation requirements to ensure project quality, relevance and accountability to DRC's beneficiary populations
• Support program staff to create synergy between sectors
• Continuously monitor Programme quality and develop relevant accountability initiatives in the field as well as strengthen the effort to document the impact of activities and DRC presence

Finance and Administration

• Maintain a site-level budget overview and collaborate regularly with the Juba-based finance team to monitor spending and ensure the timely utilization of all grants, supervising finance and administration staff.
• Support project managers and support staff in the development of site specific budgets and spending plans.
• Ensure full compliance with DRC and donor financial guidelines and policies while managing the projects.
• Overall responsibility for budgeting and spend at the area level.

Human Resources

• Lead the implementation of an area nationalization/staff capacity building strategy.
• Support site-level recruitment processes and ensure that relevant staffing structures are in place, are reflective of appropriate gender balance, and promote opportunities for nationalization.
• Promote professional development by identifying training and capacity building opportunities.
• Ensure staff are well versed on DRC's Code of Conduct, accountability, respectful dialogue with the refugees and host communities, and prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse.

Logistics and Procurement

• Effective supervision of the logistics and support services team.
• Support project managers, program coordinators, support staff and work with Juba-based logistics and procurement team to develop and track the implementation of site-specific procurement plans.
• Ensure the observance of DRC procurement, logistics, warehousing and asset management procedures procurement and also full compliance with Donor regulations and policies and standards.

Safety and Security

• Assume overall responsibility for staff safety in the area of operation.
• Ensure that all relevant information regarding safety, security and the context is collected, updated and shared in a regular and timely manner.
• Ensure that the NGO Safety Advisor manages basic security planning including information gathering and regular updating of risk assessments, standard operating procedures, and evacuation and contingency plans.
• Make decisions and assist the Safety focal point to manage security incidents at local level, in consultation with the Country Director and the Country Safety Coordinator.

About You

Experience and technical competencies:

Proven experience managing humanitarian programmes and operations in complex environments.

• A university degree in a related subject
• A post-graduate qualification or equivalent experience is desired Field experience and broad knowledge of characteristics relevant to conflict-affected or post-conflict contexts, and specific operational experience with refugee emergency and recovery programming within a host community.

• Solid experience in project cycle management, including proposal writing, budget management and donor reporting.
• Experience of coordinating activities across locations
• HR staff management of both expats and national staff in challenging environments
• Proven experience of capacity building and training, including preparation of materials and facilitation and roll out of a training plan
• Proven experience of financial management and use of financial tracking tools.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, cross-cultural communication and ease in managing a multi-ethnic team
• Good team leadership and conflict resolution skills, consensus team building, and adaptability
• Experience delivering programmes to tight deadlines
• Good computer and IT skills and strong communication and writing skills
• Ability and willingness to work in remote and isolated location with ever changing security scenarios

Desirable qualifications

• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude.
• Self-motivated and able to work with a minimum of guidance and supervision.
• Experience working in security-sensitive environments and enforcement of team security protocols is an asset.
• Experience with protection, CCCM, SNFI and/or FSL programming is an asset.

Commitments

DRC adheres to the Core Humanitarian Standards. All staff are required to contribute to the achievement of these standards

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate each of DRC’ five core competencies:

• Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results through the Regional team both to position DRC and ensure excellence in all deliverable.
• 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.

Conditions

Salary and conditions will be in accordance with Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for Expatriates; please refer to www.drc.dk under Vacancies. This position will be placed at Employment Band – E2 ( Management).

Key stakeholders: (internal and external)

Project Managers, Technical Coordinators, support team, communities, government officials, Juba support teams

Application process

​Interested? Then apply for this position by clicking on the apply button

All applicants must upload a cover letter and an updated CV (no longer than four pages). Both must be in English. CV only applications will not be considered.

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

Applications close 30 June, 2020.

Gender Equality: DRC is committed to achieving gender parity in staffing at all levels. In the light of this, women are particularly encouraged to apply to bridge the gender gap.

Equal opportunities: DRC is an equal opportunities employer. We value diversity and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment based on mutual respect for all employee. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, disability status, religion, ethnic origin, colour, race, marital status or other protected characteristics
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

Read more here about what our employees say about working in DRC.

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. Visit drc.ngo to read more about what we do to secure robust safeguarding mechanisms.

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

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