Deputy Regional Director - Horn of Africa

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) invites applications for the position as Regional Deputy Director (DRD) for our Horn of Africa and Yemen operations.

DRC has been providing relief and development services in the Horn of Africa since 1997. Using a human rights framework, DRC has mainly focused on Somalis who are displaced by conflict, but we also oversee programmes for internally displaced in Kenya, Yemen and Ethiopia and a civil society support programme covering the Great Lakes Region. Programmes include, amongst others, Protection, Livelihoods, Integrated Emergency Assistance, and Advocacy.

The Regional Office is based in Nairobi and oversees 4 Country Offices and 16 sub-offices in the Somali region. There are also non-operational region-wide initiatives, focusing on mixed migration issues, civil society engagement, and regional advocacy and policy influencing on displacement related issues.

Currently the office oversees over 40 expatriate staff and 450 DRC national staff.

PURPOSE

DRC strives to be one of the absolute leading displacement focused INGOs in the Somalia region in terms of relevance, impact and quality. To that end, DRC is currently engaged in an organizational development process aimed at building more solid strategic, programmatic and operational coherence and synergy across the region.

In close collaboration with the Regional Director and DRC regional senior programme staff and advisors, the incumbent’s prime objectives will be to provide leadership and strategic management of the programme-strategic aspect of this process, oversee the strengthening of DRC’s programme development, quality and accountability framework and coordinate DRC’s regional engagement in protection and migration issues.

The DRD is part of DRC Regional Senior Management Team and has direct line-management of the Regional Grant Management and Programme Development Section, including a number of regional senior technical programme advisors.

The desired candidate is expected to have senior level management experience and a demonstrable successful track record of organizational development and resource mobilization. He or she must also be able to conceptualize and articulate DRC vision and have the strong oral and written communication skill required to translate the vision into action.

Experience and understanding of refugee and displacement issues is an advantage and ideally the candidate will have a good standing in the region and/or from other similar complex protracted displacement situations.

OVERALL RESPONSIBILITIES

The work will mainly consist of:

Direct managerial oversight and support of DRC Regional Grant Management and Programme Development Section, including a number of Regional Senior Advisors (Food Security; Protection: Shelter; Emergency; Communication)

• Ensuring that the each has clear and realistic performance based management goals.

Strategic programme development

• Ensuring DRC country programmes are guided by a consistent, updated regional strategic framework that promotes a right based approach to the displacement challenges in the region.

Oversee compliance with DRC programme quality and accountability system

• This includes ensuring a coherent application by Country Programmes of procedures and requirements as set out in DRC Programme Handbook, as well as strategic quality related commitments (HAP; Code of Conduct, etc).

Ensure learning across programme areas

• This includes promoting continued programme learning and ensuring consistency and application of good programme approaches and practices across.

Donor, grant and relationship management

• Working with RD, CDs and others to ensure high quality donor and stakeholder relationships and compliance.

Policy coordination

• Play a key role in promoting DRC as a main actor within protection and migration issues in the region, through coordination of DRC activities and interaction with key players such as UNHCR, IOM, relevant NGOs, and government counterparts.

REPORTING ARRANGEMENTS The position is supervised by the Regional Director

The Deputy Regional Director directly supervises the following positions:

• DRC Regional Grant Manager (Consist of a 4-person unit)

• Senior Regional Advisors

• On selected basis the RDD is also requested to directly supervise Country Directors.

QUALIFICATIONS

In addition to the above mentioned requirements, following qualifications are expected:

• Proven ability with respect to the design, management, monitoring and evaluation of large scale country and/or regional programmes, preferably with a focus on protection and durable solutions for refugees and displaced people.

• A minimum of 7-10 years of management experience at senior level, preferably in complex humanitarian environments.

• Experience with humanitarian accountability.

• Experience of fund raising, networking, advocacy and coordination highly desirable.

• Experience with donor liaison.

• Strong analytical skills.

• Fluency in written and spoken English.

• Cultural sensitivity and adaptability.

• Work related experience from the Horn of Africa region or similar complex displacement situations.

CONDITIONS

Duty station: Nairobi, Kenya. Extensive travelling in the region is to be expected.

Contract: 1 year, salary and conditions are in accordance with the Danish Refugee Council. See “Terms of Employment for Expatriates” (available at www.drc.dk under Vacancies). The Deputy Regional Director will be employed at level A2.

Job start: As soon as possible.

FURTHER INFORMATION

You are welcome to contact Regional Director, Peter Klansoe (peter.klansoe@drc.dk), or Head of Desk, Mikkel Tolle (mikkel.trolle@drc.dk ) for further information on the programme and the position.

Please note that applications are not to be sent to Mr. Klansoe or Mr. Trolle, as we only receive applications via our online-application system on www.drc.dk under Vacancies/Current vacancies/Deputy Regional Director – Horn of Africa. APPLICATIONS SENT DIRECTLY TO MR. TROLLE OR MR. KLANSOE WILL NOT BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION.

APPLICATION AND CV

Only motivated applications that address the stipulated duties and meet the required qualifications, sent together with a CV, will be considered.

CV-only applications will not be considered.

We only accept applications sent via our online-application system on www.drc.dk under Vacancies/Current vacancies/Deputy Regional Director – Horn of Africa.

Please send your application, in English and marked “Deputy Regional Director – HoA” no later than 28. August 2011.

We plan to hold interviews in Copenhagen, Denmark during weeks 38 and 39, 2011.

Please contact Anne Oxholm, job@drc.dk, if you have questions to the application process or experience problems with your on-line application.

ABOUT DRC

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a private, independent, humanitarian organization working on all aspects of the refugee cause in more than thirty countries /areas throughout the world. The aim of DRC is to protect refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) against persecution and to promote durable solutions to the problems of forced migration, on the basis of humanitarian principles and human rights. DRC works in accordance with the UN Conventions on Refugees and the Code of Conduct for the ICRC and NGOs in Disaster Relief.

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