Area Manager - Somaliland

Contract Grade:               B

Contract Length:             2 years

Date Needed By:             20th November 2014

New Post or Replacement:         Replacement

Accompanied / Unaccompanied: Unaccompanied

Exact Job Location:          Hargeisa, Somaliland

Reports To:                         Assistant Country Director Programmes

Responsible For:              Senior project officers, Finance/ Admin Officer, Logistics Officer

Liaises With:                      Finance team, WASH Advisor, M&E Unit, Grants and Information Manager, Programme Support Officer, Logistics team in Mogadishu and Nairobi, HR Manager, HR Office.

Job Purpose:

This role is responsible for the management of the Somaliland programme with additional responsibility for the management and strategic oversight of the Food, Income and Markets (FIM) work in Somaliland.

As Area Manager, responsibility will be for day to day management of the Somaliland programme. This will include management of the support functions of logistics, finance and administration and oversight of the programme interventions in Somaliland. This will be done in close coordination with the Country Director, Assistant Country Director for Programmes, WASH advisor and the Finance, Logistics and HR Manager.

This role is also responsible for ensuring the effective and high quality implementation of FIM activities in Somaliland, in coherence with the WASH interventions as part of the integrated programme being implemented by Concern. In addition, technical support to the FIM team/s in South Central Somalia may also be required.

1. Main Duties & Responsibilities:

• As a member of the senior management team, contribute to the Somalia/ Somaliland Programme’s decision-making processes and strategic management of the programme.
• Conduct performance development reviews for staff under supervision in a timely manner.
• Monitor direct report performance based on agreed job descriptions and ensure their compliance with all Concern policies.
• Identify training needs for staff and provide the training necessary for the delivery of a high quality integrated programme through technical support training and advice.
• Ensure staff comply with the Programme Participants Protection Policy (P4) and code of contact (CoC).
• Ensure Concern Somaliland develops and maintains capacity to respond to emergencies.
• Monitor the humanitarian situation within Somaliland, Concern’s operational areas in particular, and make recommendations to the SMT for action.
• Represent Concern with government departments, UN agencies, private sector partners and NGO fora in Somaliland.
• Any other relevant duties as may reasonably be requested by the ACD-P or Country Director.

• With support from the the Assistant Country Director Programmes and the General Systems Manager, assume overall responsibility of managing the Hargeisa and Gabiley offices including budget and expenditure management, staff management, administration, security, logistics and IT.
• Review, develop and maintain systems that support effective and efficient implementation of a quality program.
• Line-manage finance, admin and logistics staff with support from Finance, HR and Logistics managers.
• In consultation with HR, relevant managers and staff, ensure sufficient human resources for the program and support in recruitment, retention and succession planning.
• Ensure that regular staff meetings are held and that the Somaliland team are made aware of any developments in Mogadishu, Nairobi and Dublin offices.
• Oversee compliance to Concern and donors policies, procedures and procurements requirements.
• Take a lead in ensuring that the Security Management plan (SMP) is reviewed, rolled out and implemented.
• Report all security related issues to the CD and ACD-P as necessary.
• With other senior managers and the Security Focal Group, ensure that all Concern staff adhere to Concern’s security standards.

• In liaison with the WASH Advisor and other relevant PMs, lead the team in implementing Concern’s Country Strategic Plan in Somaliland.
• Lead the development, implementation and monitoring of Concern’s integrated Somaliland Programme in Gabiley Region.
• Line-manage Senior Project Officers for WASH and FIM teams.
• Liaise with the WASH Advisor to ensure the WASH team receive sufficient technical support.
• Support programme staff and the M&E unit in the implementation of the M&E systems and the regular review of information to enable programme decisions and ensure continuous learning.
• Undertake regular monitoring and support visits to programme sites, providing feedback to managers and staff and closely follow-up on recommendations.
• Facilitate programme planning annually and quarterly; support the development of workplans and ensure both output databases and workplans are regularly updated.
• Ensure that monthly and annual reports and donor reports are submitted on time and in the correct format.
• Ensure cross-cutting themes are mainstreamed appropriately across Concern’s Somaliland programs.
• Take responsibility for the timely submission of high quality donor reports and proposals; work with the Grants and Information Manager to identify funding opportunities.
• Identify and develop strategies for working with local CBOs.

• In consultation with the CD, ACD-P, WASH advisor and Finance Team, Lead the preparation of the program budget collaboratively with program and finance staff.
• Track and manage project budgets and ensure expenditure is in line with agreed project plans and budget and submit budget revisions on time.
• Review the management accounts and donor allocations and respond to Finance team within the set deadlines.

• Develop the FIM program in line with Concern’s global policies, country strategic plan and Concern’s PCMS.
• Provide technical and strategic direction in relation to livelihoods (agricultural, non-agricultural) and natural resource management (watershed management).
• Manage on-going relations with project participants and address any potential constraints in a timely manner.

• Contribute to the development of organisational learning through information sharing with other Concern fields and SAL where applicable.
• Support the documentation of success cases and disseminate learning within the country programme and organisation.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

ESSENTIAL

Education, Qualifications & Experience Required:

• Degree in Development related discipline;
• At least 5 years’ experience in NGO development work, at least 1 of which in a similar management level position;
• Specific expertise in at least one of the following areas: community development, food security, dry land agriculture, watershed management, capacity building, working with partners;
• Experience of budget development and financial management;
• A proven track record in Participatory Programme Cycle Management Systems (PCMS);
• Experience of working in an insecure environment;
• Excellent report and proposal writing skills;
• Good negotiation skills;
• Ability to mentor, support and train staff;
• Fluency in English;
• Flexibility;
• Ability to motivate a team;
• Facilitation and interpersonal skills;
• Analytical and problem solving skills.

DESIRABLE

Education, Qualifications & Experience Required:

• Management qualification;
• Knowledge of Somalia/ Somaliland;
• M&E knowledge and experience, specifically designing and conducting surveys and analysing data;
• Knowledge of Concern internal systems.

Special Skills, Aptitude or Personality Requirements:

• Ability to work both as part of a team and on own initiative, be a self-starter, and work with minimal supervision. Ability to get on with people and get the best out of them.
• Familiar with logistics, HR, Finance, and administrative processes of Concern.
• Ability to organize and prioritize workload, using initiative when appropriate.

All applications should be submitted through our website at https://jobs.concern.net by closing date 26.11.14. CV’s should be no more than 4 pages in length.

Due to the urgency of this position, applications will be short listed on a regular basis and we may offer posts before the closing date.

Concern Worldwide is an Irish-based non-governmental, international, humanitarian organisation dedicated to the reduction of suffering and working towards the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest countries.

Concern has a Staff Code of Conduct and a Programme Participant Protection Policy which have been developed to ensure the maximum protection of programme participants from exploitation and to clarify the responsibilities of Concern staff, consultants, visitors to the programme and partner organization, and the standards of behaviour expected of them. In this context staff have a responsibility to the organization to strive for, and maintain, the highest standards in the day-to-day conduct in their workplace in accordance with Concern’s core values and mission. Any candidate offered a job with Concern Worldwide will be expected to sign the Programme Participant Protection Policy and the Concern Staff Code of Conduct as an appendix to their contract of employment.   By signing the Programme Participant Protection Policy and the Concern Staff Code of Conduct candidates acknowledge that they have understood the contents of both the Concern Staff Code of Conduct and the Programme Participant Protection Policy and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these two documents.

Concern receives a substantial amount of funding from external donors each year. Increasingly donors are introducing requirements whereby future funding is conditional on Concern ensuring that the names of any new employee or volunteer do not appear on terrorism lists generated by the European Union (List of person, groups and entities to which Regulation (EC No. 2580/2001 applies), the US Government (Office of Foreign Assets Control list of specially designated Nationals and Blocked Persons) and the United Nations (Consolidated List). Any offer of employment (either paid or voluntary) with Concern Worldwide will not be made pending a clearance check being conducted on the applicant. For additional information please consult our web site or contact the Human Resource Division in our Head Office.

Concern Worldwide is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.