Head of Office

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest humanitarian organisation, with a network of 191 member National Societies (NSs). The overall aim of the IFRC is “to inspire, encourage, facilitate, and promote at all times all forms of humanitarian activities by NSs, with a view to preventing and alleviating human suffering and thereby contributing to the maintenance and promotion of human dignity and peace in the world.” The IFRC works to meet the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable people before, during, and after disasters, health emergencies, and other crises.

The IFRC vision is: “Our global Red Cross and Red Crescent network brings people together for the good of humanity, driving the changes that will create a better future for all.” The IFRC approach is: “We are firmly rooted in the right, agency, and action of people to drive change for themselves, for their communities, and for the world. We take a systems approach, recognising the inter-connectedness of all aspects of work, and devote particular attention to people who are vulnerable, excluded, or marginalised.”

The IFRC has five regional offices in Africa, Asia Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, Europe, and the Americas. It also has country cluster delegations and country delegations throughout the world. Together, the Geneva headquarters and the field structure (regional, cluster, and country) comprise the IFRC Secretariat.

In Africa, the IFRC operates a Country Cluster Delegation in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This delegation provides support to, fosters cooperation among, represents, and strengthens the national Red Cross societies of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, the Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda.

In Burundi, the Unified Plan reflects the priorities of the Burundi Red Cross (BRC), Participating National Societies (PNS), and the IFRC Secretariat. It results from a joint planning process and serves as a framework for joint monitoring and reporting. It is revised on an annual basis to adjust priorities and funding requirements to the needs in country.

In this regard, the Head of Office (HoO) has a dual role encompassing the duties and responsibilities of an IFRC representative in Burundi, including developing effective humanitarian diplomacy and managing the resources of the IFRC Secretariat, and IFRC membership coordination. The approach also aligns with changes that the IFRC Secretariat is making as part of its continual transformation to be more local, innovative, agile, lean, and effective, driven by five strategic shifts: deepening localisation and accountability; sharpening its humanitarian focus, influence, and impact; intensifying trust and collaboration; accelerating digital transformation; and transforming the Secretariat to be more agile and impactful.

To this end, he or she will oversee a portfolio composed of (i) a country-level plan that reflects the priorities of the BRC Society, its partner societies, and the IFRC Secretariat; and (ii) small, medium, and large-scale emergency operations, each led and managed by a programme or operations manager. In leading and managing support for the BRC, he or she will also coordinate, collaborate, and forge strategic partnerships with a focus on Burundi.

Reporting to the Head of Delegation (HoD), the incumbent is a key member of the management team of the delegation.

The IFRC has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, and other forms of harassment, abuse of authority, discrimination, and lack of integrity (including but not limited to financial misconduct). The IFRC also adheres to strict child-safeguarding principles

The HoO plays a strategic and enabling role in strengthening the BRC as a strong and trusted local actor whose leadership inspires and mobilizes volunteers, ensures trust and accountability, advances digital transformation, and secures sustainable resources for the future.

As the senior IFRC Secretariat representative and business manager in-country, the HoO provides effective strategic and operational coordination of IFRC membership support, maintains close collaboration with the ICRC and other partners, and ensures coherent implementation of the IFRC’s unified plan and emergency operations in Burundi.

S/he leads and manages a multidisciplinary team to: (a) realize the benefits of the unified plan and emergency operations on time and within approved budgets; (b) meet the funding and staffing requirements of emergency appeals and the unified plan; and (c) strengthen and scale up the capacity of the BRC while addressing the needs of people affected by crises.

Working closely with the HoD and technical counterparts, the HoO ensures effective resource mobilization, sound security management for IFRC personnel and visitors, and supports the BRC leadership through governance and management transitions as needed. S/he may assume additional strategic or operational responsibilities, including acting as Operations Manager, as delegated by the HoD

1. Strengthens the BRC to sustainably deliver services and to advocate on behalf of vulnerable people, including to:

• Establish and maintain close working relations with the leadership of the BRC, and champion their work.
• Understand the needs and concerns of BRC and ensure that the IFRC network provides relevant support.
• Strengthen the BRC to efficiently deliver humanitarian services and development programmes.
• Support and assist the BRC in its plans to strengthen its financial sustainability and volunteer growth.
• Ensure that IFRC Secretariat renders quality support, assistance, and services to the BRC.
• Ensure effective analysis of the humanitarian impact in-country of the IFRC five global strategic priorities identified in S2030 and work with the BRC on practical solutions.
• Ensure regular monitoring mechanisms to evaluate the progress of the IFRC network in implementing operational and programme commitments.

2. Develops effective humanitarian diplomacy in Burundi, including to:

• Monitor and analyse political, economic, and social trends in for planning purposes and to inform the IFRC Secretariat and partners, and to use this information to review plans with the BRC.
• Assist the BRC to develop effective humanitarian diplomacy, advocacy, and external relations ensuring that these build on and promote the IFRC's priorities.
• Work with the BRC to formulate policy objectives for humanitarian diplomacy and external relations in line with the IFRC's global priorities.
• Represent the IFRC at national events and meetings.
• Assist the BRC to strengthen its role as an auxiliary in the humanitarian field.

3. Coordinates, collaborates, and forges strategic partnerships with a focus on Burundi, including to:

• Build effective partnerships with a wide range of partners and stakeholders in government, civil society, academia, and the private sector in Burundi in support of the BRC and PNS.
• Lead resource mobilisation for the BRC’s humanitarian services and development programmes.
• Assist the BRC in enhancing global, regional, and national engagement including in fora.
• Foster effective cooperation and coordination with ICRC and IFRC members in Burundi for all purposes.
• Assess, analyse, and harness opportunities for mobilizing resources and raising fund for the IFRC network.

4. Manages IFRC Secretariat resources, including to:

• Manage all staff under authority and ensure the application of all established HR policies and procedures, and that staff hired in country are employed in accordance with local laws and practices.
• Ensure sound financial management of the IFRC Secretariat's plans, that effective budget planning is in place, and that plans operate within approved budgets.
• Ensure that IFRC Secretariat plans are properly planned, managed, monitored, and evaluated, and the quality and timeliness of the reporting of the IFRC Secretariat's plans.
• Ensure highest standards of accountability through preventive measures and firmed actions on issues raising concern of no compliance on integrity, reputation, and transparency.
• Ensure all IFRC personnel, assets, and operations are adequately protected under comprehensive and effective 24/7 security management, and that identified risks are managed.
• Facilitate the conditions to put in place the IFRC Renewal to enhance Secretariat efficiencies and the provision of relevant support to NS priority transformations.

5. Provides oversight to membership services and to emergency operations, including to:

• Be accountable for articulating a shared vision of how best to respond to the assessed and expressed needs of the affected population and Burundi Red Cross, for a collaborative, cooperative and coordinated approach which includes membership coordination, towards a single unified operation.
• Be accountable for the required or expected joint planning, implementation and reporting of the unified plan and emergency plans of action, and for budget management.
• Be accountable for required or expected monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning to comprehend and demonstrate the impact of membership services and humanitarian interventions.
• Be accountable for required or expected risk management of membership services and emergency operations, including wellbeing, safety and security of staff and volunteers.
• Be accountable for required or expected resource mobilization to meet the staffing and funding requirements, in close collaboration, coordination, and cooperation with relevant colleagues.

6. Realises the benefits of membership services and emergency operations, including to:

• Ensure alignment, consistency, and compliance, especially with policies, procedures, standards, methodologies, instruments, theories, and practices, including donor requirements.
• Ensure effectiveness, especially for meeting (and adapting to) the needs of people, expectations and capacities of the Burundi Red Cross society and PNS.
• Ensure efficiency, especially for wasting supplies, money, and time.
• Be responsible for having a detailed insight of the membership services and emergency operations including budgets, and for planning, ensuring that capacity building opportunities are fully exploited.
• Improve standard operating procedures, protocols, and practices to make them more efficient and effective, and undertake any other pieces of work that is required or expected to deliver value.

7. Leads and manages a multidisciplinary team to fulfil the duties and responsibilities of this job description, including:

• Provide support and advice to Red Cross leaders and change agents to (i) deliver consistent, nationwide, and relevant services to vulnerable people through volunteers and staff for as long as needed, and (ii) respond effectively and efficiently with timely and appropriate humanitarian assistance to meet the needs of those most affected by disasters and crises.
• Act as an escalation point from managers to address issues to keep membership services and emergency operations on track, including developing and recommending solutions to problems that cannot be effectively addressed at the managerial level.
• Lead, coach and mentor managers and teams as required and expected, with a focus on capacity building, professional development, and career management.
• Maintain open, accessible, and transparent communication with volunteers and staff.
• Provide regular training, guidance and learning for staff and volunteers.
• Acts as an operations manager whenever required, including making choices between alternatives, analysing, accepting, and mitigating risks, considering the realisation of benefits and risk tolerance, at high speed.

• University graduate degree in management or relevant field
• University post-graduate degree in business or relevant field
• Basic Training Course / IMPACT or equivalent knowledge
• Certificate in project management or programme management from Project Management Institute (PMI) or similar

• 10+ years of progressive experience in a similar role, or development programme or project management
• 10+ years of progressive experience in emergency response, disaster management or coordination of international response
• 10+ years of experience within the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement or membership-based non-governmental organizations
• 7+ years of experience working in resilience, risk reduction, public health, environment, and development
• 7+ years of experience in managing staff
• 5 years of experience in organizational development and capacity building
• 5 years of experience in coaching, skill transfer, training, and staff development
• 5 years of experience in multidisciplinary project integration across sectors and holistic approaches
• 5 years of experience in drafting proposals and reports to institutional donors such as ECHO and DEVCO, GAC and BHA, and, World Bank

• Expert in institutional capacity building, professional development, and change management
• Expert in project or programme management, including budget and resource management
• Expert in risk and benefit realisation management
• Expert in writing project concepts, proposals and in reporting
• Proficient in integrated programming, holistic and multidisciplinary approaches including needs assessment
• Proficient in resource mobilization and fundraising
• Proficient in team and people management, including coaching and mentoring approaches
• Proficient in coordination, cooperation and collaboration mechanisms, methodologies, and approaches
• Proficient in community engagement and accountability
• Proficient in gender and diversity in emergency and developmental programming
• Proficient in integrating participatory approaches into all stages of project management cycle
• Proficient in computer literacy (Microsoft Office suite)
• Fluent in spoken and written English and French

• Values: Respect for diversity; Integrity; Professionalism; Accountability.
• Core competencies: Communication; Collaboration and teamwork; Judgement and decision making; National society and customer relations; Creativity and innovation; Building trust.
• Functional competencies: Strategic orientation; Building alliances; Leadership; Empowering others
• Managerial competencies: Managing staff performance; Managing staff development.