Field Coordinator at International Rescue Committee

Job Details

Dadaab field site was established in 1992 and is the largest and oldest camp in Kenya and it host about 250,000 Refugees majority from Somalia. The Camp as of now is occupied predominantly by Somalis at present. Most refugees and asylum seekers who arrived at Dadaab in the last few years are staying with relatives but some have been settled outside in three camps that is Hagadera the largest, IFO and Dagahaley. The IRC has implemented refugee assistance projects in Dadaab since 1992 and has been the lead health, and SGBV implementing partner in Hagadera. The IRC provides primary and secondary healthcare services, targeted nutritional services, quality reproductive health, and HIV related services, as well as the protection and empowerment of women and girls.

SCOPE OF WORK:

The IRC seeks an experienced Field Coordinator with significant humanitarian operations experience to manage the IRC’s field offices, staff, and operations. The individual must have previous experience working in volatile environments and in Refugee setting. The Field Coordinator will supervise staff, manage the office premises, liaise with local authorities, and contribute to program design and implementation.

Job Purpose/Objective

The Field Coordinator (FC) plays a key role in the overall leadership and management of the IRC Kenya Program. The Field Coordinator leads IRCs response in Hagadera Field Site and is responsible for supporting, coordinating and supervising timely and high-quality program implementation, with a specific focus in ensuring the effective functioning of all the support functions of the program. Under the supervision of Deputy Director of Operations (DDO), the Field Coordinator will be responsible for the overall field coordination, program support, and field office management working in close collaboration with other members of the senior management team including the Country Director, Deputy Director of Program (DDP), Deputy Director Grants & Accountability, Finance Controller, HR Coordinator, Technical Coordinators (Heath, WPE, Nutrition ERD Coordinator, Monitoring and evaluation Coordinator …etc.). The Field Coordinator will be based in Hagadera and may travel to other field sites as and when is required required.

Responsibilities and specific tasks:

• Field Office and Program Management
• Oversee day-to-day implementation of all programs in the field site, providing constructive supervision to the program managers to implement, monitor, and evaluate work plans including monitoring & evaluation mechanisms as agreed with the Deputy Director Programs and in coordination with the IRC sector Technical Coordinators.
• In close collaboration with relevant Technical Coordinator(s), lead the field-based teams in the development of new proposals and initiatives for the Hagadera field site in accordance with the country program strategic plan and IRC Strategic Action Plan 2020 framework.
• Participate in the development of budgets for program proposals in conjunction with the grants and finance departments.
• Ensure timely and quality program implementation, reporting, and monitoring.
• Contribute to assessments, program design, and budgeting.
• Ensure programs are in compliance with IRC, donor and national requirements
• Grants Management and Reporting
• In close coordination with the Grants department and the relevant Technical Coordinator(s), lead field-level Grants Opening, Mid-Term and Closing meetings.
• Review operational aspects of internal and external reports from the field site and ensure timely submission as required
• Lead review of Budget vs. Actual expenditure on a monthly basis with staff, ensuring timely and accurate feedback to the relevant Technical Coordinator(s) and the Grants, Finance and Supply Chain departments.
• In collaboration with the Technical Coordinator(s) address any over/under expenditure issues through jointly developed corrective plans.
• Monitoring & Evaluation
• Ensure appropriate M&E activities are carried out regularly by program staff in all sectors (data collection & analysis, monitoring of project progress against established work plans, monitoring of established indicators and utilization of results to inform program (re-)design);
• Support for Identifying gaps in M&E systems and make recommendations for improvements;
• Strategic Planning
• Support the integration of program activities to create coherent, quality and complimentary programming; Specific focus to ensure strong integration of program support functions with direct program related activities
• Participate in workshops at field level to establish and monitor annual operating plans for the strategic plan;
• Ensure that all project activities are consistent with established best practices and IRC’s Program Framework principles.
• Human Resource Management
• Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions.
• Ensure all staff in the field site know and understand IRCs Global and in-country HR Policies and the IRC Way Standards for Professional Conduct. Document and address breaches of policy and disciplinary issues in coordination with the Sr HR Coordinator in a professional manner and in line with the letter and spirit of the relevant policy.
• Ensure the Performance Management cycle is implemented and documented timely for all staff in the field site. Ensure feedback from technical coordinators is sought and incorporated in performance management cycles of program managers and heads of department, including but not limited to technical performance and capacity building needs.
• Provide direct supervision to the field site’s HR lead, ensuring recruitment, staff orientation, and payroll preparation, leave management and exit management processes are carried out timely and in line with relevant policies and procedures.
• Ensure that staff has capacity development plans in place based on documented capacity needs assessments exercise. Work with the appropriate technical resource (for example the Technical Coordinators) to achieve this
• Finance and Supply Chain and ICT Management
• In close coordination with the Finance department, lead the development and management of annual, comprehensive and inclusive field operating budgets.
• Oversee the financial management of field office operations by the Program Managers, and the Finance staff, including cash management, issuing and tracking advances, ensuring complete and correct use of all finance forms; timely notice to Nairobi of cash transfer needs;
• Ensure proper financial, supply chain and ICT management systems and control mechanisms are in place and adhered to in line with the IRC’s global and in-country finance and supply chain policies.
• Oversee the carrying out of supply chain support operations by Hagadera supply chain staff, including procurement (both local and through Nairobi), stock management, asset management, vehicle operations, equipment maintenance, and repair (including communications and computer equipment);
• Provide supervision and leadership to the field site’s finance and supply chain teams.
• Review and ensure timely submission of monthly and annual finance and supply chain reports from the field site as required.
• Security Management
• Act as IRCs Security Focal Point for the field site.
• Ensure all staff in the field site know and understand IRC Hagadera security regulations; Document and address breaches of policy and disciplinary issues in coordination with the Security Manager.
• Monitor the Hagadera security situation, attend security meetings and inform the Security Manager, and SMT where appropriate, of developments through submission of accurate weekly and –where needed- ad-hoc security and incident reports.
• Participate in the review and update of the country Security Management Plan.
• Assist the Security Manager in developing field specific Contingency Plans, Medevac, Evacuation Plans and SOPs.
• Assist the Security Manager with developing training plans for staff and conducting training.
• Representation and Coordination
• Represent the IRC with local government authorities (administrative, sectoral and security officials), non-state actors, UN agencies, NGOs, and donors at the field site level. Engage and or delegate to program staff for sector representation as appropriate.
• Represent the IRC with beneficiaries and communities to encourage accountability to those we serve
• Upon request by the Senior Management Team, organize and facilitate field visits for stakeholders interested in IRC’s Hagadera response.
• Coordinate IRC program activities with relevant officials and other humanitarian agencies;
• Assist in the preparation of regular reports to keep partners and stakeholders informed of IRC’s activities;
• Draft reports and provides verbal updates to the Country Director.
• Actively develop and maintain effective working relationships with key stakeholders at the county level including donors, government actors, local traditional leadership, beneficiary populations and their representatives, etc.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to Deputy Director Operations

The position directly supervises Program Managers; HR lead; Finance Manager and Supply Chain departments in the field site.

Indirect Reporting: None; Direct supervisees have dotted lines to their Program/Technical Coordinators.

Other Internal and/or external contacts:

Internal:

Country Director, Deputy Director Programs, Program Technical Coordinators (Health Services Co; Partnerships & Grants Co; Nutrition Co; WPE Co; M&E Co)

Finance Controller, Sr HR Co, Supply Chain Co, Security Manager

External:

Relevant other stakeholders e.g. NGOs UN bodies, local authorities non-state actors

Qualifications

• Eight or more year’s progressive management and leadership experience with an International NGO.
• Master’s Degree in management, International relation, development studies and MBA Bachelor’s degree plus 10 years of relevant experience is Field or Humanitarian sector will be required.
• Experience managing country program teams with a diverse portfolio; knowledge of major donors (including USAID/OFDA/PRM, ECHO/EC, DFID, CBM, UN Agencies).
• Strong background in Supply Chain, Logistics, Administration and program implementation
• Experience in IT is strongly preferred.
• Experience managing Security in a hostile environment.
• Excellent leadership, people management, interpersonal and negotiation skills and a demonstrated ability to develop harmonious teams in a cross-cultural context.
• Strong diplomatic skills. Ability to establish good working relationships with partners, donors and other stakeholders in a sensitive environment.
• Strong computer skills including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• English fluency required.
• Personal Characteristics:
• Strong sense of personal integrity.
• Attention to detail.
• Strong supervisory skills.
• Ability to multi-task.
• Good interpersonal and communication skills.
• Team spirit and problem-solving abilities.
• Willingness to live and productively work in insecure, unstable and/or harsh environments
• Flexibility and adaptability
• Desire to learn
• Cultural sensitivity

Standards of Professional Conduct: The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Harassment-Free Workplace, Fiscal Integrity, Anti-Retaliation, Combating Trafficking in Persons and several others.

Gender Equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances.