Country Director at Danish Refugee Council

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 Burundi, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania 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 Kenya operation falls under the EAGL Regional Office based in Nairobi. DRC work in Kenya began in 2005 with activities in support of refugees implemented through partners. Direct implementation began in 2009 in the Rift Valley Province to support IDPs from the post-election violence. In 2010, DRC commenced direct programming in Dadaab, with current operations in Dadaab, Kakuma, Kalobeyei, Lodwar, Mandera, and Nairobi urban programme. The programme is also implementing border security and peace building programmes in Mandera and Wajir Counties, a cross border resilience programme in the Mandera Triangle and a land conflicts programme in Turkana County. DRC focuses on Protection, Economic development, Durable Solutions, and Community Driven Development programming, amongst others.

About the job

The Country Director’s prime objectives will be to provide leadership and strategic management with a view to position DRC as the leading INGO in Kenya on protection of displaced populations and the promotion of durable solutions; oversee the strengthening of DRC’s 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 PMs have clear and realistic performance-based management goals. Tasks include:

• Direct line management of SMT, Consortium Managers, Area Managers, and country wide programme support team;
• Support PMs 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 Kenya 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 Kenya;
• Identifying key developments and trends in refugee response in countries and position the organisation to best deal with these
• Ensure that the key regional and 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 Kenya annual programme portfolio analyses,
• Playing a key role in fundraising and donor contract management.

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 Kenya programme is delivered in a safe and secure manner. Tasks include:

• Working with DRC’s Regional Security Advisor and Kenya safety specialists 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 Kenya 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.

About you

To be successful in this role we expect the following:

• 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
• Fluency in English (speaking, writing, reading) is essential
• Fluency in Swahili preferred

Moreover, 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: Upholding and promoting the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation to DRC’s values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.

We offer

Contract length: 2 years

Level: D

Designation of Duty Station: Nairobi with frequent travel to field locations; Family – non-accompanied

Start date: 7 June 2020

Please note this is a national contract. And is open only to Kenyan nationals both within and external to DRC.

For questions regarding the vacancy please contact Heather Amstutz, heather.amstutz@drc.ngo.