Head of Mission

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COUNTRY : Kenya. CITY : Dadaab. Starting date: ASAP. Closing date for application : 05/10/2011. Lenght of the assignment: 6 months, with possibility of extension. Advertisement reference: SURMANE/Firstname/HOM/Kenya

Handicap International is an independent and impartial international aid organisation working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster. Working alongside persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, our action and testimony are focused on responding to their essential needs, improving their living conditions and promoting respect for their dignity and their fundamental rights. Handicap International is a not-for-profit organisation with no religious or political affiliation. It operates as a federation made up of a network of associations that provide it with human and financial resources, manage its projects and implement its actions and social mission. For more details on the association: http://www.handicap-international.fr/en/s/index.html Through its Emergency Response Department (ERD), created in 2006 after the merge with Atlas Logistique, the organization is committed to: Provide an adequate response to major natural disaster and conflict situations, anywhere in the world as much as possible within 72 hours; Provide assistance to vulnerable groups (refugees, IDPs, persons with injuries, elders, children, etc.) affected by a crisis and maximize the number of beneficiaries. Within vulnerable groups, target especially PwD and meet their specific needs; Constantly monitor chronic crises and/or conflicts to ensure preparedness for and rapid response to eventual emerging needs.

Directly linked to the Emergency Response Department of Handicap International France, the expatriate will be mandated for the following mission:

JOB CONTEXT:

MISSION CONTEXT

Somalia, the neighboring country of Kenya, has been designed the most failed state of the world in 2011 . Due to civil conflict and drought, United Nations decided in 1992 to start an operation in Mogadishu (“Restore Hope”). In the same time, several tens of thousands people fled Somalia to Kenya. As a result of these influxes, the creation of refugee camps in the North Eastern part of Kenya has been decided and especially in Dadaab. Most of these refugees are still in Dadaab today. Dadaab is located in the east of Kenya, at about 90km from the Somalia border. The camps complex is composed by three “historic” refugee camps: Dagahaley, Ifo and Hagadera, located in a circle of 17km around Dadaab. Despite official closure of the Kenya / Somalia border by the Kenyan Government in January 2007, Dadaab refugee camps complex has received over 200,000 Somalia refugees over the past four years. Since October 2010 however, the numbers of refugees increased to over 10,000 a month, mainly because of the conflict in Somalia and since May 2011 because of the long and severe drought in the horn of Africa. The United Nations have declared on 20th of July a situation of famine in 2 regions of Somalia and on 3rd of August 2011 it was extended to 5 regions of Somalia. The number of refugees received between January and mid July 2011 is more than 60,000. The current population in the camps is around 400,000 refugees, while the three camps (Dagahaley, Hagadera and Ifo) have a total holding capacity of 90,000 persons (30,000 each). There are about thousands of new refugees who have no where to settle and are spontaneously settling on the outskirts of the camps. The rate of registered refugees arriving in the camps should continue rising. As of the end of July 2011, an average of 1,330 persons was arriving daily in Dadaab . It is anticipated that an estimated additional 80,000 new refugees will arrive in the next months, should the rains continue to fail and aid delivery in Somalia remains restricted. The sharp increase in arrivals combined with the prevailing drought situation in the Horn of Africa is impacting more on the newly settled refugees. Indeed, during the previous months, newly arrived refugees were not taken in charge immediately at their arrival in the different camps in Dadaab, because the Kenyan Government and UNHCR did not have the capacity to register this large number of refugees daily. Therefore, refugees could not receive any basic services as food and water at their arrival in Dadaab camps, creating situations of extreme vulnerability and sometimes to deaths. Despite the presence of humanitarian stakeholders in Dadaab, the huge influx of new refugees has made it extremely difficult to deliver sufficient and efficient humanitarian assistance, especially in the spontaneous settlements (vast areas around the different camps with no existing services at all). However, in response to the critical needs of newly settled refugees, the Kenyan Prime Minister made a public statement requesting UNHCR to open the new sites in the area and provide assistance in terms of health care, shelter, education and food. As a result UNHCR and implementing partners (IPs) decided to open two new camps (Ifo Extension and Kambioos) with an additional capacity of 180,000 refugees. The resettlement in these new camps has started on July 25 and is still under process.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Under the direct responsibility and support of the Emergency Relief Department Desk Officer, you will be responsible for:

? Ensuring the global coordination of the emergency program implemented within the country (may it regards strategic, operational, human, material or financial aspects); ? Representing Handicap International emergency activities towards institutional donors, local authorities and partners; ? Ensuring application and respect of logistics, accountability and financial procedures, based on the management and the support of administrative and logistics coordinators; ? Ensuring the operational management of the team placed under your responsibility (expatriate and national staff); ? Ensuring strategic emergency programs development in accordance with humanitarian needs identified as well as financial opportunities to be raised in the frame of Handicap International’s mandate and expertise, in close coordination with DAD’s Program Director in Nairobi ; ? Ensuring the security of the DAU staff members, operations and means related to the program under your responsibility, in coordination with the designated field security officer and in coordination with DAD’s Program Director in Nairobi; ? Ensuring a successful operational differentiation with DAD program in Dadaab, through a smooth and efficient coordination at each level of both teams. ? Ensuring the success of the handover of programs implemented towards Development Desk, when decided so by HQ Programs Steering Committee; ? Ensuring smooth and regular reporting activities by all member of the mission, including yourself, towards Head Quarter.

MAIN TAKS OF THE EXPATRIATE

Under the direct responsibility and support of the Emergency Relief Department Desk Officer, you will be responsible for:

REPRESENTATION ? You are the main interlocutor of Handicap International Emergency activities towards local authorities, institutional donors, humanitarian actors and partners; Coordination with DAD Program director at Nairobi in this regard. ? You ensure active participation of your team members and yourself to appropriate coordination and information meetings (clusters, NGO coordination, security etc.); ? You represent the organisation, its emergency activities and other programs (if decided so in coordination with DAD) during delegation visits; ? After consultation with the desk officer, you may respond to media solicitations.

STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE programs ? You regularly follow up emergency humanitarian needs, donors strategies, financing opportunities into the region; ? You regularly update programs strategy suggestions for Handicap International in the region; ? You may be asked to lead assessment missions for the elaboration of new projects; ? You ensure proposal and reports writing (renewal of projects or new projects); ? You discuss proposal submitted towards potential donors and negotiate related budgets. ? You ensure smooth coordination with DAD Program director at Nairobi in this regard

Supervision AND monitoring ? You ensure the coherence and the homogeneity of all projects under your responsibility (methodologies, indicators and results follow up); ? You organise and animate team coordination meetings on a weekly basis; ? You organize field visits on a regular basis; ? You organize and animate workgroups on a regular basis with each project manager; ? You inform your desk officer of any relevant issue related to the project implementation; ? You ensure a monthly follow up of the projects impact indicators (both qualitative and quantitative); ? You guarantee the respect of applicable logistics and administrative procedures through management of the administrative and logistics coordinators; ? You are responsible for the monthly follow up of the budgets through management of the administrator and the operations Manager; ? You are responsible for the transparency of acquisition, utilisation and follow up of all materials and equipments dedicated to the projects through management of the logistician coordinator; ? You are responsible for eligibility and good utilisation of funds allocated to the projects.

SEcuritY MANAGEMENT ? Update DAU security plans in collaboration with the field security officer and in coordination with the DAD Program director at Nairobi; ? Ensure, in collaboration with the field security officer, the strict respect of any applicable security measures; ? Participate or ensure participation of the field security officer to interagency security meetings; ? Ensure a geopolitical regional information update : information searching, sources crossing, interagency sharing information; ? Coordinate implementation of any emergency security procedure (evacuation, hibernation, etc.) and ensure link with HQ and DAD Program director at Nairobi.

TEAM MANAGEMENT ? You ensure good relationship, smooth coordination and conflict resolution between the DAU team and the DAD teams in Dadaab and Nairobi ? You ensure strict application and respect of the General Terms and Conditions of engagement for expatriate staff of Handicap International. You can suggest to the desk officer precision/adaptation of certain rules taking into account the specific context of the mission (security, social life, breaks, etc.); ? You define, with each expatriate, his action plan and delay for reaching defined goals (IAP); ? You support and advise your team in the implementation of their IAP; ? You ensure feed back towards your team about issues potentially raised by them; ? You ensure a good communication – coordination – information level of each member of your team through regular coordination meetings (or other if needed); ? You are concerned and aware on the personal and professional evolution of each expatriate, and its development within the mission : individual interviews, oral and written evaluations; ? You ensure conflict resolution (personal and professional) within your team and inform your desk officer; ? You propose relevant needed adaptation to the organisational chart of the mission and contribute to its implementation (job descriptions, etc.), in collaboration with the expatriate team and the desk officer; ? You support expatriates in their national staff management: coordination meetings, individual interviews, etc.

Reporting ? You receive and take acknowledgment of technical sitreps sent by your team (administrative, logistics, and project technical sitreps); ? You update the missions weekly and monthly sitreps, and send them weekly and monthly to the emergency desk officer; ? You regularly update partners and DAD team on the organisation activities (especially in relevant coordination meetings) and send activities reports when accurate; ? You regularly update donors on projects follow up (through contractual demanded or ad hoc reports); ? You provide the desk officer with a mission report and/or handover document at the end of your contract; ? Debriefing at HQ at the end of your mission (and during Home-Break).

CANDIDATE PROFILE:

3 years experience at key management position within international organisations; Previous experience in disability field is mandatory;Keen on developing the links and continuum between relief activities and development projects;Motivated by constant programme adaptation to an evolving context and set up of partnerships with local and international partners;Good skills in organisation, co-ordination and the transfer of knowledge are essential;Excellent communication skills and a commitment to team work;Strong interpersonal and intercultural skills ;Ability to work under high pressure with a great level of personal organisation;Ability to work in a tense context with strict security measures;Proven experience in project writing and reporting; Previous experience in conflict zone is mandatory.

REQUIRED LANGUAGE SKILLS:

Excellent written and spoken English;

JOB ENVIRONMENT:

Based in Dadaab with travel throughout the country (Nairobi, Garissa)

EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS:

Volunteer: 750 or 850 Euros monthly indemnity + living allowance paid on the field + accommodation + 100% of the medical cover taken in charge by HI + repatriation insurance + indemnity for partner and children Salary: “salary bracket” gross salary/month + 457 Euros net expatriation allowance + 50% of the medical cover taken in charge by HI + repatriation insurance + indemnity for partner and children

To apply, please send your CV and a cover letter to: Jeanne Vogt HANDICAP INTERNATIONAL Direction de l’Action d’Urgence Réf : SURMANE/Firstname/HOM/Kenya. E-mail : officerh3@handicap-international.org

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