Job Description

Organization:	Relief International
Position:	Area Manager
Reports to:	Country Director
Location:	El Fasher, North Darfur, Sudan

About RI:

Relief International is a leading nonprofit organization working in 20 countries to relieve poverty, ensure well-being and advance dignity. We specialize in fragile settings, responding to natural disasters, humanitarian crises and chronic poverty.

Relief International combines humanitarian and development approaches to provide immediate services while laying the groundwork for long-term impact. Our signature approach — which we call the RI Way—emphasizes local participation, an integration of services, strategic partnerships, and a focus on civic skills. In this way, we empower communities to find, design and implement the solutions that work best for them.

Summary of the position

The Area Manager has overall responsibility of the functionality of the office and sub-offices/programme implementation sites of RI in North Darfur. The Area Manager will be responsible for the support departments in North Darfur and supporting and guiding the programme implementation in relation to communication and collaboration with the authorities, personnel, supplies procurement and storage, logistics, security and finance.

Reporting to the Country Director based in Khartoum, the Area Manager is the direct line manager of a team of senior officers including support departments (HR, logistics,  procurement, security, IT, Finance). The Area Manager is responsible for effective implementation of program, and closely collaborates with programme coordinators (health, nutrition, WASH) and correlate programming with support functions, adhering to the protocols and operating procedures of the organisation.
 

Position Responsibilities and Duties

Programme Management

• Overall responsibility for managing the RI staff in North Darfur, including ensuring positive and collaborative working relationships in line with RI’s Code of Conduct, leading performance planning and evaluation process 
• Responsible for the planning and timely implementation of all activities (health, nutrition and WASH) ensuring adherence to RI and donor policies and procedures
• Managing RI El Fasher office, including efficient and effective financial operations and budgeting, administration, human resources, logistics, procurement and security in compliance with RI and donor regulations
• Ensure the timely and quality delivery of weekly update, monthly, quarterly and annual project re-ports and staff contributions to organizational monitoring and evaluation requirements to ensure project quality, relevance and accountability to RI’s beneficiary populations
• Support programme staff to create synergy between the 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 RI presence

Field Level Coordination.

• Maintain RIs visibility/presence, reputation maximizing benefits of sustained relationship with partners and other stakeholders.
• Identify and networks with partners and relevant stakeholders to strengthen RI programming.
•  Attend and or delegate RI staff to take part in all IASC and any other agency coordination for as in North  Darfur state, share critical issues with the Country Office.
• Take a lead role in planning and supporting any donor mission, Joint mission within the state in collaboration with the Country Office.
• Provide updates to CD on any major development within North Darfur that might impact on RI programs.
• Take a lead role in Field level bi- lateral engagement/negotiation with UN and the donors at Field level and share feedback to DCDs and CD.
• Works closely with State Ministries /Departments and other government agencies to obtain the necessary support required by RI in North Darfur.

System compliance

• Assure adherence to RI specifically to finance, logistics, IT, security, HR and Procurement follows policies and procedures that are in compliance with the RI handbook and funding source policies.
• Ensure that RI procurement and related policies and procedures are up-to-date and disseminated in a timely manner and that all appropriate staff are trained and competent.
• Update and contextualize the RI standards for assets/equipment to be purchased, as required.
• Review monthly operations’ reports and give feedback to all operations staff, department managers and other key staff as needed.
• Participate in mobilization for all new projects and project extensions
• Ensure donor reports for assets are timely completed and submitted to the finance/program and other departments as appropriate.
• Ensure disposal of assets is reviewed annually and donor requirements followed
• Conduct timely rollout of appropriate RI GSO initiatives and updates
• Maintain current knowledge of and ensure compliance with local government regulations.

Finance and administration

• Define, in cooperation with Finance Manager and Finance Officer, support costs budget.
• Works with the sector leads to conduct filed level BvA review and share inputs with the country office for consideration.
• Maintain a site-level budget overview and collaborate regularly with the finance team to monitor spending and ensure the timely utilization of all grants.
• Review and/or approve (checking for accuracy & compliance) all high level procurements, framework agreements, leases and other large value, high risk financial commitments.
• Ensure that Cash flows are shared with Finance Manager to facilitate cash flow in the field office.
• Manage and ensure a proper spend down plan of support costs’ country budget
• Maintain Operation Department’s archives and administrative files
• Prepare annual audit and be a liaison with all pre-qualified outside vendors.

See: UNICEF Free Online Courses With Free Certificates

Human Resources

• Practice excellent human resource management, supporting the development, promotion and retention of a motivated team of qualified and experienced staff.
• Ensure staff are well versed with RI’s Code of Conduct, accountability, respectful dialogue with the displaced, refugees and host communities, and prevention of sexual exploitation, and abuse
• Promote professional development by identifying training and capacity building opportunities and ensure staff performance plans and evaluations are conducted on a regular basis.
• Identify staffing and/or skill gaps and see that these gaps/needs are filled
• Support the recruitment of all program and operational staff and provide day-to-day supervision of department.
• Ensure all staff undertake objective Performance management through appraisals.

The English language courses offered by US EMBASSY

Logistics, procurement and warehouse management

• Coordinates, manages and monitors the workings of Logistic and Procurement Sub-Departments at North Darfur level
• Work with in-country operations teams to roll out and improve operational systems and ensure standard operation policies and procedures are adhered to
• Assess North Darfur office fleet management standards; ensure appropriate allocation and safe use is achieved throughout the servicing of programs and staff; rental service agreements and contracting is done in alignment with RI procurement standards and fuel and maintenance systems are in place
• Support warehouse teams to ensure systems and reporting are in place for the effective storage and distribution of all program stocks.  Support in the trial of an inventory management system for pharmaceutical stocks
• Support in the ongoing creation and upkeep of field office asset registers; ensuring that all program and operations assets are logged, issued with unique RI asset numbers and logged.
• Based on RI policies and procedures, improve and/or define logistic and procurement processes at mission level

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 Senior Security Officer 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 Senior Security Officer

Qualifications & Requirements

• MA Degree in Social Sciences, International Development or Business Administration or related field.
• Solid experience in program management (5 to 8 years)
• Experience working with the international donors’ funding.
• Experience in rolling out systems in a field office and in supporting programmes
• Strong computer competency with word processing, spreadsheets, and databases
• 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 
• Ability to identify and communicate potential problems and propose solutions to the level of management and then effect change
• Willingness to travel to remote field sites to provide technical support supervision and monitoring.

Check: Stanford University Free Online Courses

RI Values

RI upholds the Humanitarian Principles: humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and operational independence. We affirmatively engage the most vulnerable communities. RI values:

• Inclusiveness
• Transparency and Accountability
• Agility and Innovation
• Collaboration
• Sustainability 

Check: Harvard University Free Online Courses

How to Apply

Interested candidates are required to submit a detailed CV and cover letter latest by November 19th, 2021. We greatly appreciate your interest in working with RI, but we’ll only be able to contact shortlisted candidates. Due to the urgency of this role, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and selected candidates interviewed prior to the closing date that may appear on any of the job boards where this vacancy is posted.

Related posts

• No related posts.