Associate Director- Safe House and Case Management at Heshima Kenya

Position Overview:

The position generally supports the senior management in ensuring strategic program direction, continued high performance and responsiveness to changing needs within the Safe House and Case Management Programs. She provides technical support and guidance to ensure that program implementation adheres to appropriate standards. Supports capacity building of program staff and partners and contributes to the overall strategic goals of the assigned programs/projects. Reporting to the Director of Programs, the Associate Director is responsible for five primary functions: leadership of program, leads (over 10 staff), overseeing the day-to-day operations and provision of strategic direction of the Safe House, case management and child protection within the organization programs and community level, psychosocial support programs and the design and implementation of annual program/project descriptions and budgets, development of annual operational plan and the program policies to improve program effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, impact and sustainability as measured through short term and long term Individual Cases levels of psychosocial stability, self-confidence, independence and baselines, mid-term and end term surveys/studies. The Associate director is responsible for creating strong and lasting synergy with the other programs and functions within the organization, and lasting partnerships with government line ministries at county and national levels, UN Agencies, foreign missions, private sector and; other stakeholders. The position plays a key role in resource mobilization through concept and proposal development, and; establishment and increase of partnerships and networks for the program and the organization in general.

Core Duties

• Leads case management and child protection team in program design and drawing aligned work plans and budgets and oversee day to day implementation of the approved program activities
• Develops quarterly and annual reports for tracking program/project progress and impact, program expenditures and donations
• Demonstrates and leads on high program quality for positive team experience and exceptional project accomplishments
• Participates in developing program literature and publications, updating website content, and creating signage for workshops and events
• Building, maintaining and encouraging a productive working relationship with all staff members in the organization.
• Stimulating employees for achieving the desired results via positive methods and attitudes.
• Ensuring that the morale of all the department personnel is positive and providing a viable organization so as to meet the commitments
• Providing leadership that would encourage employee productivity and also the responsiveness.
• Leads in developing and execution of both long term and short term recruitment strategy in case management and safe shelter and positioning the organization to be strategically competitive and attractive to partners and donors.
• Carrying out supervisory responsibilities that include planning, assigning and directing the work of supervisees, appraising the performances, rewarding the best employees and addressing complaints and also resolving the problems.
• Under the leadership of the DoP, ensures quality technical support and performance management program for staying with the budgets
• Program Management
  • Responsible for overall management of the safe House day to day operations, case management, child protection and Psychosocial support to the organization persons of concern.
  • Maintains a safe, confidential environment for the safe house resident’s and ensures 360 degrees safety of the safe house residents
  • Supervises Case Management and Child Protection Coordinator and Counselors, and other team members to ensure maximum effectiveness and efficiency in the delivery of critical service needs to the persons of concern
  • Manages safe house donation acquisitions, distributions and storage
  • Reviews case management, child protection and safe house services on an ongoing basis and develop new strategies’ to address needs and or complex issues as they emerge both within and without
  • Oversees the best interest process at the three levels of the organization service delivery- at the Safe Shelter, Girls Empowerment Program and community level
  • Develops and manages outreach strategy that includes Home visits, relationship development, communications, and compliance
  • Manages the administration and evaluation of programs. Oversee the interpretation, implementation and compliance with policies and regulations both for the organization and the government regulatory arms
  • Recommends actions and/or resolve complex issues that often span the program boundaries
  • Represents the program at the Organization level and/or to external constituencies.
  • Conducts crisis intervention, assessments and oversee intake procedures for clients to the program
  • Facilitates monthly and quarterly outdoor events for the safe shelter residents as necessary
  • Ensures that case management and child protection team, counselors and volunteers provide high quality, fair, culturally relevant, accessible services to the organization persons of concern; similarly ensuring that the agency mission and philosophy and policies are adhered
  • Provides direct services to clients including crisis intervention, advocacy-based counseling, legal and medical advocacy, information and referrals, safety planning, and other supportive services
  • Reports emergency cases or cases facing high risk directly to the Country Director for directions
• Operational management
  • Ensures the smooth day-to-day operations and administrative oversight of 24/7 safe house including 24 hour on call responsibilities
  • Serves as liaison to the Children Department, UNHCR,IOM, foreign missions, judiciary and other partners
  • Provides direct services to clients through crisis hotline, crisis counseling, individual case management, and preparation of protection schedules
  • Provides on call administrative back-up coverage on evenings, weekends, & holidays
  • Adheres to contractual obligations and compliance updates dictated by multiple government departments, UNHCR and donors to maintain high integrity and performance
  • Manages program aspects of fiscal oversight to program including budget and supplies requisition and management
  • Monitors and updates, as needed, systems policy and procedures for program and operation manuals
  • Enhances organizational excellence by establishing operational benchmarks, timelines, and resources needed to achieve strategic goals, proactively recommending and driving the same
  • Supports strategic and operational planning for programs and tracks activity delivery progress to ensure target delivery is on track
  • Evaluates programs, policies and procedures. Identifies issues, and develop alternative solutions which may include changes to programs components, policies and procedures.
  • Attracts, develops, coaches, and retains high-performance team members, empowering them to elevate their level of responsibility, span of control, and performance
  • Work with staff to develop systems to ensure consistency, high-quality project management.
  • Supports the senior leadership team, line managers, and staff to make consistent and progressive steps toward organizational and programmatic consistency and sustainability; effectively communicates work plans and priorities derived from the organization's strategic plan and objectives by partnering with senior management to follow through with coordinated accountabilities, objectives, and associated budgets.
  • Partakes in resource mobilization through concept and proposal development, establishment and increase of partnerships and networks for the program and the organization in general
  • Knowledge Management:
    • Provide leadership in development of inter-team communication and cohesiveness, sustaining culture and supporting staff during organizational growth
    • Develop the necessary systems, processes, and tools to better support the facilitation, collection, and sharing of knowledge that is generated by the programs
    • Develop dissemination system to share organizational learning with a broad range of audience
    • Work collaboratively with the senior management team to integrate cross program activities and functions
• Community and Public Relations
  • The Associate Director holds outreach responsibilities and works closely with the Director of Program and CD to present a strong, positive image of the organization products and services to relevant stakeholders
  • Assist with the production of key communication tools such as an impact report and contribute to update the organization website
  • Assist with the production of outreach materials (displays, brochures, flyers, articles, press releases, website and background materials)
  • Undertakes other responsibilities/duties not outlined above which are commensurate with a role of this nature in the humanitarian sector and which have been discussed and agreed between the line manager/superiors and the post holder

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, Sociology, Counselling Psychology or related field with at least five (5) years of successful experience in program planning and management including grant funded programs. Master’s Degree in project planning and management, business administration, Social Work, Counselling Psychology or other related field preferable.
• At least 4 years’ experience in management of safe shelter, case management and child protection programs
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in nonprofit middle or senior management level, preferably in girls and women empowerment programs
• Knowledge of sexual and gender based violence/domestic violence and sexual assault/abuse issues and solutions
• Understanding of challenges facing refugees in Kenya and in the region
• Knowledge of health and safety regulations regarding the safe shelters
• Experience working with young people, preferably most vulnerable (experience working with refugee children will be a plus)
• Demonstrated ability to handle confidential and sensitive information
• Program Leadership and Management: This individual will have taken a hands-on approach in leading a variety of initiatives. The ideal candidate will have a track record of effectively leading a performance-based and outcome-based program and staff
• She will have developed and operationalized strategies that have taken a program or organization to the next stage of growth
• Team Building and Development: The successful candidate will have recruited, managed, and developed a strong team of staff, program/project officers, and development professionals. This individual will serve as a “player/coach” to motivate and mentor his or her team
• Exceptional Communication and Influencing Skills: As a voice/advocate for the program will have strong written and verbal communication skills. She will be a persuasive, credible, and polished communicator with excellent interpersonal and multidisciplinary project skills.
• This individual must work collaboratively with internal as well as external partners and other organizations, providing exposure for program impact to variety of audience
• Unwavering commitment to quality programs and excellence in organizational and project management with the ability to achieve strategic objectives, and manage a budget
• Strong demonstrated fundraising experience with the ability to engage a wide range of stakeholders including UN Agencies, foreign missions and private
• Ability to work effectively in collaboration with diverse team and culturally sensitive
• Integrity, positive attitude, mission-driven, and self-directed with demonstrated passion for the organization mission and commitment to working collaboratively with a management team of senior professionals
• Solid judgment and apparent leadership skills
• A team player, who can interrelate and operate effectively with peers and other associates within a collegial, yet demanding, work environment
• An individual who is able to handle a variety of constituencies, manage multiple tasks simultaneously and thrive in a complex environment with multiple priorities
• Strong analytical skills; basic business intuition, and common sense
• Strong work ethic

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Great verbal and written communication and skills.
• Knowledge about various business processes and daily office procedures.
• Great team player and the ability to shoulder responsibilities.
• Knowledge about the preparation of various reports.
• Superb coordination skills i.e. adjusting actions as per others’ actions.
• Active listening that involves paying full attention to the opinions of others.
• Superb interpersonal skills to push a proposal through.
• Proficiency in computer applications especially MS Office.
• Ability withstand stressful situations that may arise as a result of challenging work environment (interaction with children who have under gone very painful situations)
• Flexible enough to stretch beyond working hours to complete important and critical aspects of the job requirements