Area Manager

Danish Refugee Council, one of the world’s leading humanitarian NGOs, is currently looking for a highly qualified Area Manager for our operations in Riohacha, Colombia.

The primary objective of the Area Manager – Riohacha will be, together with the Country Director, Head of Programme and Support Services, to ensure the timely and effective delivery of assistance and services to the target population. Currently, the programmatic activities consist of Protection and GBV. Under the Country Director direct line management, the Area Manager will be based in Riohacha Office, and will be responsible for the overall management and activity implementation in Riohacha and Maicao, among others.

The position includes travel to the implementation sites in the mentioned area that DRC manages - as well as occasional visits to hosting areas: urban communities for assessment, and meetings with partners and donors as necessary. The position will include the line management of a team of international and national staff, capacity building of national staff on mixed migration response programming, support tasks and procedures

About the job

As Area Manager the post-holder is responsible for the following:

• Accountable for achieving DRC’s strategic goals and objectives within the area of responsibility.
• Accountable for making significant decisions on what the unit does: its purpose, functions and role, and for making commitments and decisions that require the expenditure of significant unit resources.
• Accountable for people management of direct reports, generally at least 3 employees. This includes hiring & firing, objective setting, probation, performance appraisal, development of staff, managing performance, including poor performance, etc..
• Accountable for making sound decisions based on DRC policies, MOPs, standards, and the advice of technical experts in DRC.

Your main duties and responsibilities in detailed will be:

Management

• Manage the humanitarian program activities and ensure the achievement of the expected results;
• Line manage area support and program staff ensuring inter-department co-ordination;
• Closely coordinate with the senior management team ensuring regular information flows;
• People management of direct reports (including development, people planning and performance);
• With team leaders manage the programme activities budget lines; ensuring effective and efficient use of resources including financial, human and all Planification of activities, action plans
• Ensure overall provision of and adherence to DRC policies, procedures, guidelines, systems and standard practices;
• Provide leadership in overseeing logistical/procurement, Human Resources/administration and office services activities and ensure their timely/efficient delivering.

Representation, coordination and reporting

• Liaise with UNHCR, DRC´s main donor in La Guajira, and coordinate with it all high-level
• Primary DRC representative in the area of operation and attend with support from DRC technical staff all relevant fora/meetings (GIFMM) in order to strengthen DRC’s position;
• Foster relationships with Government authorities and other relevant stakeholders in the area of operation;
• Support working relationships with donors, national and international organizations and local Preparation of field visits to donors
• Comply with internal reporting requirements, contribute to, and provide quality assurance of external reports from area of operation. 

Programme development

• Lead the process of adapting DRC national strategy to the local context and circumstances;
• Provide regular analysis on the context and humanitarian situation in the area for the development of project proposals and safety assessments in cooperation with the Head of Programme And Security Coordinator

Safety

• Ensure a safe and secure environment for DRC staff, beneficiaries and assets by ensuring the local security procedures are up to date and SOPs are being followed in line with the LSN and DRC policy.

About you

To be successful in this role we expect you to possess the following:

• Master's degree in political science, international development, humanitarian assistance, economics or other relevant fields; or Bachelor’s degree in relevant fields with 5 years’ working experience in similar positions
• Minimum 7 years' experience in relevant field overseeing humanitarian and development multi-sector, multi-donor programmes in complex and volatile environments;
• At least 5 years' experience in people management;
• Previous experience with DRC on similar position will be a plus
• Strong leadership skills and a competence in people management;
• Extended experience in managing integrated humanitarian programmes including protection, Shelter, WASH, Assistance through cash modalities, NFIs, and livelihood;
• Practical and extensive financial, Human Resources and administration management;
• Substantial work experience in the areas of emergency, mixed migration response in camps, rural and urban settings;
• External stakeholder management (especially with local authorities);
• Experience with relevant donor guidelines (ECHO, UNHCR, DFID, OFDA, BPRM);
• Proven excellent communication and report writing skills;
• Full professional proficiency in Spanish is mandatory
• Full professional proficiency in English is an asset 
   

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’ five core competencies: 

Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process. 

Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback. 

Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation. 

Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly. 

Demonstrating integrity: You uphold and promote the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation to our values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.

We offer

Contract length: 6 months

Band: E

Designation of Duty Station: Riohacha l Non-family Duty Station

Start date: 15 April 2023

Salary and conditions will be in accordance with Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for National Staff; please refer to drc.ngo under Vacancies.

Application process

All applicants must upload a cover letter and an updated CV (no longer than four pages) in English.

Closing date for applications: 9 April 2023

The screening process for this position is on rolling basis, so early submission of applications is encouraged.  DRC reserves the right to start with the next steps in the recruitment process prior to the closing date, should we identify a suitable candidate.

For questions regarding the vacancy please contact Irene Cabrera at irene.cabrera@drc.ngo. Applications sent by email will not be considered.

For further information about the Danish Refugee Council, please consult our website drc.ngo.