Country Director

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.

Closing date: 02 May 2011
Location: Haiti

Country Director, Haiti
MM/HA/CD

Job Title: Country Director
Reports to: Regional Director
Job Location: Haiti, Port au Prince with regular visits to field programmes in urban areas, Saut d’Eau and La Gonave
Contract Details: Grade D, 3 years,
Job Purpose: The Country Director has overall responsibility for strategic development and effective management of the Concern Haiti country programme in line with Concern Worldwide organisational and country specific strategies, policies and procedures. S/he will chair the senior management team and represent the organisation with Government, donors and other International Organisations.

Main Duties & Responsibilities

A. General Responsibilities:

• Ensure the efficient and transparent use of all Concern’s resources in order to maximize the benefit to the targeted communities.
• Promote and ensure compliance with the requirements of Concern’s Programme Participants Protection Policy and implementation of Humanitarian Accountability Partnership (HAP) standards including Community based complaint and response mechanisms to ensure maximum protection to programme beneficiaries.
• Promote and protect the reputation of Concern in external settings, ensuring that the organization’s experience and expertise is well communicated and consistently presented, and that we are looked to as a professional organization

B.1. Leadership:
B. Specific Responsibilities

• Lead the implementation of the revised 2010/2012 country strategic plan that contributes to achieving Concern’s global strategy and objectives and considers changes following the 2010 Jan 12 earthquake.
• Provide leadership in the overall effective planning and direction of Concern’s programme and operations at country level.
• Build a strong and committed team of national and international staff adhering to Concern policies and procedures and applying key principles of transparency, accountability, good stewardship and participation.
• Create and maintain shared vision, amongst all Concern Haiti staff, of Concern’s programme goals and objectives and their role in achieving these.
• Lead and support in strengthening coordination and collaboration within teams and across all teams, maintain and ensure constructive communications, contribute to a positive working environment
B.2. Programme Development and Management:
• Oversee and lead the strategic development and implementation of programmes in line with Concern organisational and country strategic plan and following the Concern PCM policy including proposal writing and sourcing funding.
• Ensure that effective monitoring and evaluation systems including a Results Based Framework are established and implemented in line with Concern policies and tools to measure impact and efficiency.
• Ensure effective coordination of technical inputs (e.g. SAL advisors, regional advisors) in designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating programmes.
• Develop a country level funding strategy and maintain productive working relationships with donors and be responsible for undertaking country level negotiations related to securing funding, programming contracts, and reports.
• Manage the country programme effectively including allocation of resources and ensuring that appropriate monitoring and controls are maintained at all levels by working with programme and systems managers and staff.
• Provide adequate leadership and support to ACDP, Programme Coordinators and Managers in setting up high quality standards and implementation of recovery and development orientated sector programmes (Education, Livelihoods, Health and Nutrition) as well as cross cutting themes like equality, prevention of GBV, DRR, HIV and AIDS, social protection etc.
• Ensure that all programmes are implemented and completed according to programme documents including agreed plans and budget.
• Maintain effective communication and liaise with Concern head office in Dublin and ensure that high standard internal and donor reports are produced and submitted in timely manner and in line with relevant targets and objectives
B.3. Human Resources Management:
• Line manage senior management staff and be responsible for the overall management and development of national and international staff of Concern Haiti.
• Manage and support country programme team ensuring that there is clearly defined up-to-date structure and job descriptions for all staff.
• Ensure that regular staff Performance and Development Review (PDR) system is established and maintained and that PDRs are undertaken seriously at all levels.
• Develop, review, and effectively implement all Human Resources related policies and procedures in accordance with Concern policies and procedures and in line with the national labour law of Haiti.
• Work with CMT and programme managers to develop and implement sound staff development plans.
• Establish and maintain regular, participative and documented forums and meetings for all key staff to discuss policy, strategic, operational and management issues, coordinate planning and implementation of activities, and ensure information sharing.
B.4. Financial Management:
• Be responsible for overall financial management of Concern Haiti including participatory budget preparation, revision and monitoring.
• Ensure that the Concern organisational and country specific financial guidelines and procedures are adhered to.
• Ensure development and implementation of work and expenditure plans and ensure that programmes are implemented within agreed and approved budgets through undertaking regular budget monitoring of expenditure against budget.
• Ensure that internal and donor financial reports are submitted in a timely manner and up to high quality standard.
B.5. Policies and procedures:
• Ensure consistent implementation of Concern organisational and country specific policies and procedures.
• Liaise with Concern head office and technical advisors over country specific policy development and make recommendations for organisational policy revisions as necessitated by field conditions.
• Ensure that all Concern Haiti staff are familiar with policies and procedures and effectively implementing them.
• Ensure that support systems are in place and functioning in accordance with best practices in order to ensure transparency and accountability to programme participants, donors, government, and other relevant stakeholder.
• Be responsible for security and safety of Concern personnel and resources in Haiti including participatory development, review and implementation of Country Security Management Plan.
B.6. Representation and Networking:
• Represent Concern Haiti and maintain coordination and networking relationships with the government, donors and other national and international development actors in the country.
• Ensure that relationship and formal agreements with the government are maintained and updated as appropriate.
Represent Concern at various national level coordination forums.

Person specification:

1. Education & Qualifications Required
Essential:
Masters Degree in Development studies or related field
Desirable:
2. Experience Required
Essential:
Minimum 10 years in national or international agencies working in the development sector;
Minimum 3 years programme management in development countries, including financial management, HR management, programme design, networking with donors, agencies and national authorities.
Desirable:
- Experience in working in multisectoral and multicultural teams,
- Experience with line management of both national and international staff with different skill sets
3. Special Skills, Aptitude or Personality Requirements:
Essential:
- Excellent leadership - people management skills,
- Strong vision on Concern’s mission and capacity to share it,
- Proficient spoken English and French;
- Excellent English writing skills,
- Patience and good tolerance for frustration
- Computer Skills : conversant with Microsoft Word and Excel;
- Prepared to work and live in challenging surroundings

How to apply

All applications should be submitted through our website at www.concern.net/jobs

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