Country Director

DRC has been providing relief and development services in the Horn of Africa since 1997. Using a human rights framework, the DRC East Africa and Great Lakes (EAGL) operation focuses mainly on people who are affected by displacement, including refugees, internally displaced, and migrants in Ethiopia, Djibouti, Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Somalia, South Sudan, Somalia and Uganda. The EAGL Regional office also supports non-operational initiatives, focusing on mixed migration issues, civil society engagement, and advocacy and policy initiatives related to displacement.

The Somalia operation falls under the East Africa and Great Lakes Regional Office based in Nairobi. DRC began working in Somaliland in 1998, expanding to Puntland and Somalia a few years later. Current DRC programme sectors include protection (mixed migration, IDP, refugees, child), food security, WASH, shelter, and livelihoods under all three platforms (Emergency Response, Solutions, and Addressing Root Causes). The Danish Demining Group (DDG) is a specialized unit within the Danish Refugee Council (DRC). DDG has operated in Somaliland since 1999 and in South Central Somalia since 2007 clearing mines and other explosive remnants of war, expanding to include other aspects of Armed Violence Reduction, namely to strengthen local institutions and enhance local capacity for addressing safety needs, addressing small arms as a tool of violence, building capacity for conflict management and peace and strengthening relationships between security providers and communities.  The program is rooted in a participatory process, where DDG assists target communities to assess their safety and security situation, define and prioritize their safety and security needs and identify resources to address these needs (Community Safety).

Overall purpose of the role: The Somalia CD’s prime objectives will be to provide leadership and strategic management with a view to position DRC as the leading INGO in Somalia on protection of displaced populations and the promotion of durable solutions; oversee the strengthening of DRC and DDG programme development, quality and accountability framework and be a proactive partner in the wider regional strategic and programme development processes.

Responsibilities:

Direct managerial oversight and support: Ensure that the SMT and Area Managers(AM) have clear and realistic performance based management goals. Tasks include:

• Direct line management of SMT, DRC & DDG HoPs, Area Managers, Head of support Services and Country Safety Coordinator.
• Support AMs to establish good management support for their teams;
• Provide on-going support and coaching, and ensure that staff has the necessary capacity to fulfil their responsibilities.

Programme Strategy: To develop and update the Somalia programme strategy, within DRC/DDG’s overall regional and global strategic frameworks. Tasks include:

• Keeping abreast key conflict and displacement trends in the region impacting Somalia;
• Identifying key developments and trends in refugee response in countries and position the organisation to best deal with these
• Ensure that the key regional & global frameworks are contextualised and applied in the country program context and ensure that staff understand these,
• Leading a consultative process for local strategy development and ensuring that beneficiaries remain at the center of our work,
• Leading the Somalia annual programme portfolio analyses,
• Playing a key role in fundraising and donor contract management.
• Oversee smooth functionality of the new business development and partnership unit.

Quality and Accountability: To be responsible for ensuring that programmes comply with the organisational quality and accountability commitments. Tasks include:

• Ensure that the Operations and Programme Handbooks are utilized throughout all offices,
• Lead process of developing and updating the local Humanitarian Accountability Framework and Quality Management System,
• Promote accountability concepts and practices,

• Promote effective evidence development and learning across the country operation

Safety and Security: To hold overall responsibility for ensuring that DRC’s Somalia programme is delivered in a safe and secure manner. Tasks include:

• Working with DRC’s Regional Security Advisor and Somalia Safety Coordinator to ensure that all EAGL security management protocols and procedures are updated, made locally relevant and applied consistently,
• To be overall responsible for ensuring security analyses is being done collectively and regularly,
• Ensuring compliance with risk mitigation against corruption, fraud and diversion.

Representation, Coordination and Stakeholder management: To ensure that DRC/DDG maintains excellent and productive relations with all key stakeholders, especially beneficiaries, local authorities, the humanitarian community and donors. Tasks include:

• Representing DRC/DDG at relevant and senior forums/ meetings,
• Ensuring other staff are appropriately representing DRC/DDG at relevant forums/ meetings,
• Maintaining agreed profile of DRC/DDG at country level,
• Conducting regular stakeholder analyses to ensure that DRC/DDG has good understanding of dynamics/ relationships,

• Engaging in, and where effective, leading coordination processes amongst key stakeholders.

Advocacy and communication: To lead the Somalia team’s advocacy in all DRC/DDG key messages. Tasks include:

• With Regional Office to prepare and implement an advocacy and communication strategy,
• Guiding staff to advocate clearly, appropriately and strategically.

Financial accountability: Ensure that the different programmes deliver financial accountability. Tasks include:

• Playing an active and coordinating role in linking finance teams with the Regional finance teams, and financial management itself,
• Ensuring that financial systems are followed by FOs and that financial reports submitted are accurate,
• Ensuring the finance and programme teams have a productive engagement.

Experience and technical competencies

• At least ten years’ management experience, as head or senior member of humanitarian or development programme/organisation; at least five years in East Africa region

• Demonstrated experienced with conflict related displacement issues
• Good communicator and proven diplomacy with all types of stakeholders
• Proven commitment to accountable practices and knowledgeable of quality assurance systems
• Hands on experience in managing staff in insecure and remote locations with strong human resource management skills in general.
• Experience of managing budgets and multiple donor contracts
• Demonstrated experience in donor contact, fundraising and networking

Education: (include certificates, licenses etc.)

• A Masters University degree in relevant field

Languages: (indicate additional languages required for the role e.g. French, Arabic, etc.)

• Fluency in English (speaking, writing, reading) is essential
• Somali/Arabic and/or Somali languages beneficial