Emergency Team Leader

The position will be posted until a qualified candidate is found.

CARE International in Kenya seeks urgently an Emergency Team Leader based in Dadaab, Kenya and support CARE’s response to drought crisis in the Horn of Africa. Purpose / Role The Team Leader leads and manages the emergency team and is the interface between the Emergency Team and the ACD Program and the Country Director where there is an existing CARE International Country Office. Where there is no Country Office, the Team Leader will head the operations and report to the Temporary Presence Coordinator. The Team Leader is responsible for the quality and effectiveness of CARE’s emergency response within his/her designated area of responsibility. He/she is the leader of the Emergency Response Team, responsible and accountable for developing, coordinating and managing all emergency activities. The Team Leader has overall responsibility for the security and well being of emergency staff.

Responsibilities and Tasks 1. Assessment, Program Design and Planning • In association with the Country Director/ Assistant Country Director Program, ensure emergency assessments are executed and from them an integrated emergency response, implementation and exit strategies are developed. • Ensure that CARE International Members (through the Country Director/ACD P) are provided with regular sitreps and are aware of humanitarian developments and CARE’s response to them. • Coordinate the development of all project implementation plans and budgets within the framework of the agreed emergency response programme and strategy. • Assist and advise the Country Director and ACD P with securing donor funding for emergency projects. • Oversee project design and proposal preparations for institutional and public funding.

Emergency Project Management and Implementation • Maintain ongoing surveillance of the developing humanitarian emergency situation and adjust activities accordingly. • Ensure adequate monitoring, reporting and acquittal of emergency response activities in accordance with CARE International’s humanitarian accountability framework, relevant SPHERE standards, and essential environmental mitigation measures. • Ensure that different sectoral activities are implemented in a coordinated and integrated manner. • Ensure all emergency personnel understand and carry out their duties in accordance with humanitarian principles, core values, the Code of Conduct and SPHERE.

General Management and Leadership • Ensure all emergency staff are fully briefed on all aspects of security, social and cultural norms and local conditions and behaviour. • Establish and maintain constructive working relationships with other NGO’s, UN agencies, host government, bilateral and multilateral donors, and other principle stakeholders including the military where present and if necessary. • Recommend changes to the emergency team composition and functioning with Country Office and partners to maximise emergency programme quality and effectiveness. • Create the conditions to ensure effective teamwork and morale. Ensure staff well being is addressed. • Conduct performance appraisals of emergency staff if and as required, ensure regular feedback and mentoring on individual performance. • Ensure the Country Director, Assistant Country Director P, Line Management, and CARE Members are kept informed about assessment progress, emergency response implementation and strategies, project plans, progress reports, and other significant developments. • Promote a productive work environment respectful of the Code of Conduct with zero tolerance for verbal and physical abuse or discrimination against other persons on the grounds of race, colour, sex or creed.

Human Resources • Ensure that human resources implications for CI RED and CARE International for both existing and anticipated emergency response are fully assessed, identified, described and communicated. • Monitor ongoing human resources issues and make recommendations and adjustments accordingly. • Ensure CI RED members receive thorough briefings and information. • In liaison with the HR staff make sure staff have suitable rest, relaxation and that well being is addressed

Public Relations/Media • Support the Country Director and CI RED Media Officer to ensure positive coverage and the timely provision of situation reports and fundraising material to National Member Headquarters and the CARE International Secretariat. • Ensure all information, publicity and fundraising material recognises and respects the dignity of disaster victims.

Safety and Security • Ensure all CI RED personnel understand individual and collective responsibilities for safety and security. • Liaise with the CI RED Security Officer (whether in-country or not) to ensure compliance with CARE International Security Guidelines and their effective application in the local context. • Monitor the operational environment with respect to increased level of threat and advise the Country Office, CI RED staff, CARE International and the CARE International Security Officer. • Keep the Secretariat and other interested CARE members advised of changes and threats to the security of CARE staff, assets and operations.

Program Support • Ensure that program support functions are established and maintained in accordance with CARE International policies and procedures. • Ensure compliance with all host country legal, contractual, labour and statutory requirements including registration in countries where CARE has no pre-existing presence. • Ensure with the Logistics Officer the establishment and maintenance a functional procurement and supply chain management system. • Ensure with the Logistics Officer the timely and appropriate establishment of all logistics infrastructure (warehousing / transport / distribution) and associated operating / management /monitoring systems. • Ensure with the HR manager that the systems used for HR are adapted to the emergency context to ensure a rapid response while maintaining an acceptable level of accountability in regards to the recruitment. • Assist the CO review the current structure and responsibilities of the emergency response team particularly with a view to ensuring balanced staff responsibilities in order to avoid overload and/or burn out.
• Review HR policies (R&R, CTO) to ensure that they are appropriate for an emergency response context.

Financial Management and Planning • Ensure with the Finance Manager the establishment and maintenance of CARE International financial management and accounting systems for all CI RED assessment and response activities and assets.

Telecommunications • Ensure with the Telecommunications Officer that secure and reliable communications/ information management facilities are established and maintained. • Ensure CI RED members are familiar with usage, procedures and relevant communications protocols.

Key Internal Contacts Country Director, Emergency Response Director, CI RED team

Key External Contacts Other NGO’s, UN agencies, host government, bilateral and multilateral donors, and other principle stakeholders including the military where present

Reporting Lines The Team Leader reports to the Country Director in those countries where CARE has a Country Office or to the Emergency Response Director in situations where CARE has no Country Office (until such time as a Temporary Presence Representative is on the ground). There may be circumstances where initially the role of this post and that of Assessment and Co-ordination is combined.

All CI RED personnel report to the Team Leader.

Selection Criteria Core Competencies • People Skills: Ability to work independently and as a team player who demonstrates leadership and is able to support and train local and international staff and also able to work with disaster affected communities in a sensitive and participatory manner.

• Communication Skills: Well developed written and oral communication skills. Able to communicate clearly and sensitively with internal and external stakeholders as a representative of CARE. This includes effective negotiation and representation skills.

• Integrity: Works with trustworthiness and integrity and has a clear commitment to CARE's core values and humanitarian principles.

• Resilience/Adaptability and flexibility: Ability to operate effectively under extreme circumstances including stress, high security risks and harsh living conditions. Works and lives with a flexible, adaptable and resilient manner.

• Awareness and sensitivity of self and others: Demonstrates awareness and sensitivity to gender and diversity. Have experience and the ability to live and work in diverse cultural contexts in a culturally appropriate manner. Has a capacity to make accurate self-assessment particularly in high stress and high security contexts.

• Work style: Is well planned and organized even within a fluid working environment and has a capacity for initiative and decision making with competent analytical and problem solving skills.

• Knowledge and skills: knowledge of CARE policies and procedures, Sphere and the Red Cross/ NGO Code of Conduct. Requires general finance, administration, information management and telecommunication skills and proficiency in information technology/ computer skills.

• 3 – 5 years humanitarian aid experience.

• Multiple language skills desirable.

Technical Competencies required for this position are

• Minimum of 5 years humanitarian aid experience in complex and natural disasters. • High level of all aspects of managerial experience, including managing multi-million dollar budgets. • Experience in complex decision making and leading a multi-disciplinary, multi national team under difficult circumstances. • The highest level of expertise in representation and negotiation with governments and donors. • Strong understanding of the humanitarian emergency operating context, including Sphere, the humanitarian system, donors, security, civil military liaison and program management. • Relevant language skills for the country of deployment.

Notes: We thank all candidates for the responses to this advertisement. However, we regret that we will be able to contact only short listed candidates.

Contact Information: Please apply online at www.care.ca or www.careersunited.org .You will need to register before submitting your resume.

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