Deputy Chief of Party at Danish Refugee Council

Overall purpose of the role

Reporting to the Chief of Party, the Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) will be responsible for the planning, management and oversight of delivery of all project activities, ensuring quality control, and the overall responsiveness of the assistance. The DCOP will be responsible for ensuring country delivery teams and mechanisms are fit for purpose, providing day-to-day solutions to operational challenges and closely tracking project deliverable. The DCOP will serve as a key member of project leadership alongside the Chief of Party (COP), and will therefore also be responsible for team management, project governance, reporting, award management, code of conduct compliance, and risk.

Key responsibilities

• Provide leadership and direction in project implementation and delivery especially implementing compliant, timely and on-budget activities to achieve the greatest impact toward programme goals and objectives;
• Lead on dynamic project work planning, ensuring all project commitments are translated into pragmatic and actionable sequences with adequate resources assigned and systematic tracking to ensure effective completion;
• Lead project coordination with the relevant country operations stakeholders (Project Country Leads, Area Managers, Heads of Support Services and department managers) to ensure optimal cooperation and collaboration so that the project is efficiently supported and integrated into the Country Offices, and so that the project follows all applicable DRC and donor policies and processes;
• Support the Project Manager and DRC Finance teams to produce accurate and compliant financial forecasts (internal and external) and project financial reporting;
• Working alongside the COP, foster and maintain a productive, respectful, and collaborative working environment for all project staff, not only those under the DCOP’s direct line management;
• Support the COP to prepare and submit programmatic reports for the donor, relevant country governments, project partners and DRC as required;
• Support the COP to maintain and update the project Risk Matrix with specific focus on operational and compliance risks. When assigned, take responsibility for implementing specific risk mitigation measures outlined in the project Risk Matrix;
• Support the COP to develop and strengthen partnerships by focusing on ensuring relevant partnerships are compliant with DRC procedures and compliant with technical global standards;
• Lead project compliance with donor requirements, for example code of conduct, ensuring regular and transparent reporting on compliance issues such as aid diversion. The DCOP will support with the submission of periodic project compliance reports

About you

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’s 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 act in line with our vision and values.

Qualifications and Experience

Essential:

• A minimum of 10 years’ experience working in the international humanitarian aid with at least five years’ experience in a similar operational role (Operations Manager, Deputy Chief of Party, Implementation Manager);
• Demonstrated experience working with displaced populations in an emergency setting together with at least 5 years of delivering large-scale operations;
• Strong project management experience, including resource management, work planning, implementation oversight and periodic review, and compliance management;
• Demonstrated experience with remote team management, as well as direct management of diverse teams;
• Proven background in large grants and award management;
• Demonstrated experience in managing and delivering large multi-location programs in complex operating environments;
• Operational expertise and experience in emergency and/or humanitarian aid programming;
• Robust project planning and delivery skills;
• High-level communications and interpersonal skills together with robust analytical and problem-solving skills;
• A demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with host governments, donors, partners, local organizations, and other stakeholders; and
• Fluent in written and spoken English.