Head of Mission - Somalia at INTERSOS

Code: SR-02-653

Country: Somalia

Duty Station: Nairobi, Kenya with frequent travels to Somalia

Starting date: 01/09/2018

Contract duration: 12 months

Reporting to: Regional Director, who receives a written monthly report

Supervision of: Mission Staff

General context of the project

This position will support in particular the H&N AICS project in Somalia to support Jowhar Regional Hospital in providing emergency integrated primary care health services, secondary health facility and nutrition services.

INTERSOS assumed responsibility for running Jowhar hospital in 1994, which was, and in fact remains, the only one in the region, with a catchment area of approximately 60,000 people living in the town and another 160,000 people in the surrounding rural areas (half of whom are nomads).

The programme includes the running and the strengthening of the hospital's facilities, a centre for the treatment of tuberculosis and a mother and child health csare clinic, and mobile clinic system in rural area. INTERSOS is supporting coverage of primary healthcare in Jowhar and Balcad districts, as well as Baidoa district, strengthening disease prevention and increasing the quality of services in regard to the referral mechanism of complicated cases to JRH. INTERSOS manages acute malnutrition for approximately 20,000 beneficiaries through OTP operations covering 48 villages within catchments areas of the 5 health centres. The referral mechanism also allows the transfer of SAM cases to the stabilization center at JRH. INTERSOS is also the Health Cluster Regional focal point and has successfully re-established the Health Cluster mechanism in Middle Shabelle and has led and coordinated rapid and effective multiagency response to several extensive crisis and responded to any epidemic outbreak (AWD/ Measles) in the area.

General purpose of the position

The Head of Mission is the organisation’s official representative in the country and is responsible for the planning, management and implementation of the country programme on the basis of defined strategies.

Main responsibilities and tasks

To all intents and purposes, represent INTERSOS in the country of operation – by means of a proxy received from the Secretary General upon appointment to the post – and act in accordance with specific directions and supervision from the Regional Director.

Specifically:

• to establish and maintain relations with local institutions, donors, NGOs, International Agencies and other stakeholders;
• to define country priorities based on context and needs analyses;
• to monitor donor intervention strategies and priorities in the country;
• to evaluate, promote and elaborate new projects;
• to sign contracts and, where necessary, may delegate other international operators; under exceptional and duly motivated circumstances, may sign a proxy to delegate local operators;
• to establish, guarantee and monitor government recognition procedures for the organisation and the host country formalities.
• Manage and coordinate country operations.
• Specifically:
• to define programming and planning of mission activities and check implementation;
• to check monthly planning of activities and relative expenses;
• to assume responsibility for procurement processes for goods, work and services and to ensure conformity to procedures;
• to be responsible for procurement processes of goods, work and services and to ensure conformity to procedures;
• to be responsible for selection of local suppliers to be included in a ”list of reliable suppliers” for use in specific procurement procedures;
• to supervise, monitor and evaluate project implementation phases also by periodic visits to areas of operation;
• to define mission’s economic and financial planning, guaranteeing self-sufficiency and consistency of expenses against budget constraints;
• to carry out monthly checks and assessments of mission’s economic and financial status;
• to assume responsibility for funds management of the mission and for the bank accounts management;
• to approve reports and intermediate and final financial reports and assume responsibility for presentation to donors;
• to write monthly reports on country operations for the Regional Director;
• to assume responsibility for custody of all mission documentation, and for all project documentation, upon closure of projects;
• to be responsible for the management of INTERSOS assets and third-party goods;
• to be responsible for accurate application of all procedures defined by INTERSOS and donors.
• Manage human resources in the country; in particular, ensure the direct supervision and appraisal of operator performance.
• Specifically:
• to propose recruitment of expatriate personnel to the Regional Director;
• to define contracts with local personnel and supervise recruitment of higher echelon operators;
• to provide personnel with education and training, ensuring distribution and acquisition by mission personnel of INTERSOS Model, Values Charter and Ethical Code;
• to brief expatriate personnel in relation to mission activities, specific project activities and security conditions in the country;
• to ensure collection of local labour legislation, to be made available in the mission for consultation;
• to define communication/information flows and oversee group dynamics, promoting cohesion and motivation;
• to be responsible for mandatory notifications to Embassies/Consulates and International Organisations in relation to the presence of international personnel in the mission; to send the Regional Director the appraisal forms for international personnel upon conclusion of their collaboration;
• Be responsible for security, providing the definition of specific procedures and behaviours, and monitoring the implementation of regulations and protocols in line with INTERSOS Security Manual

Required profile and experience

Education

• Master degree in Social Science, Community or a similiar field;
• Development, Social Work and/or equivalent practical field experience, preferably with a humanitarian organisation.

Professional Experience

• Minimum 5 years professional experience in return and/or emergency programs: technical focus on nutrition in emergency, population movements and reintegration is an asset;
• Previous experience in humanitarian program management is required;
• Previous experiences in complex emergency context are an asset.

Professional Requirements

• Deep knowledgeof the cluster system and humanitarian country system;
• Demonstrable experience in establishing and maintaining collaborative relationships with donors and government counterparts;
• Good interpersonal skills to work effective with different stakeholders including different communities in the target areas, humanitarian actors, service providers, local and national authorities;
• Programme Management skills, including new proposal writing;
• Good problem solving attitude;
• Excellent organisational, team-building and participatory training skills and experience is required, as well as ability to work as part of a team;
• Strong representation and negotiation skills;
• Demonstrated leadership and interpersonal skills;
• Previous working experience in Somalia will be an asset.

Languages

• Fluency in written and spoken English;
• Good reporting and communication skills are required.

Personal Requirements

• Comfortable to work in a High Risk Environment. Team worker and flexible in job planning;
• Ability to travel frequently to different areas in Somalia working in stressful situations and at times, in hardship field locations.