Regional Director East Africa – HQ

Organisation Background

Founded in 2011, the International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO) is an international NGO that supports humanitarian aid workers by establishing safety coordination platforms in insecure contexts. INSO provides registered NGOs with a range of free services, including real-time incident tracking, analytical reports, safety-related data and mapping, crisis management support, staff orientations and training.

INSO services help NGOs with their day-to-day risk management responsibilities and improve their overall situational awareness to support evidence-based humanitarian access decisions.

INSO provides daily support to more than 1000 NGOs operating in 16 of the world’s most insecure countries and has earned a strong reputation for its performance, principles and professionalism.

INSO is registered in the Netherlands with its headquarters based in The Hague, the international city of peace and justice.

Position:

We are now seeking a qualified and experienced individual to join our headquarters Field Programs Group as Regional Director – East Africa (RD EA). This is an exciting opportunity to make a significant contribution to the safety of the humanitarian community and use your humanitarian sector knowledge, experience and skills to lead and develop INSO programs in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Mozambique. Working closely with the Director of Field Programs, you will contribute to structuring INSO field operations and global outreach. The portfolio currently includes established INSO programs in Somalia and Kenya and start-ups in Mozambique and Ethiopia.

The post is fully funded and available for an immediate start.

Job Summary:

Regional Directors are responsible for overseeing INSO project implementation in their assigned areas (approx. 4-6 countries, EUR 2-4 MM budget per country program). They are a functional expert in all aspects of delivering INSO projects in the field as well as an experienced generalist in NGO safety practises, humanitarian field architecture, project/grant management cycles and donor relations. Under the leadership of the Director of Field Programs and in collaboration with the Field Program Group (the Global Training team, Grant Manager and MEAL Manager), the Global Analysis and Research team, and the Technology & Innovation team (holders of the CHDC project), the Regional Directors participate in structuring, improving and developing INSO field programs.

The main role is to lead, manage, mentor and support Country Directors (CDs) in accomplishing their tasks and responsibilities and to ensure that INSO country projects operate as intended. For this purpose, Regional Directors are hands on and spend a significant amount of their time in their region.

Regional Directors are based at our Headquarters (HQ) in the Hague. At the HQ, the Regional Directors coordinate and communicate across all Departments through the course of their work and play a key role in cross-departmental learning and support.

Regional Directors are supervised by the Director of Field Programs and line manage up to six Country Directors in their assigned area.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

A. Program Strategy, Management & Quality

The overall aim is to ensure that INSO projects provide high quality services that are relevant and adaptive to NGO needs while protecting INSO’s reputation and principles and effectively delivering its mandate.

Support CDs in development and implementation of Annual Plans, – assessing and contributing to short-and-long range country strategy to improve NGO safety – and ensure the plan is relevant to INSO’s mandate, NGO needs and is achievable within the context (security, legal, environment, funding, etc.); Ensure that all projects adhere to INSO’s mission and principles and contribute to further its reputation as an accountable, humanitarian and professional organisation and valued member of the global and local humanitarian community; Ensure that projects follow standard internal policies, program framework and quality standards. Monitor the ongoing relevance of the project to the needs of NGOs in the context and ensure the project and team take and retain their proper place as a central node in the local humanitarian architecture. In coordination with other technical referents (analysis, information, training), monitor and quality control outgoing products and services (with frequent sampling) to ensure INSO products remain of objectively high value and quality (good analysis, accurate data, helpful & timely advice, etc.); Independently monitor beneficiary satisfaction and attitudes with periodic meetings and feedback sessions; Lead new project scoping and development missions B. Grant Management & Fundraising

The overall aim is to ensure that projects remain fully funded and that INSO meets all contractual obligations on time and on budget.

• Manage regional grants if applicable
• Comprehensively orient CDs in their grant management responsibilities and the general principles of program cycle management, providing ongoing mentorship and advice as needed;
• Actively supervise and support the CDs in fundraising. Anticipate funding gaps and identify appropriate mitigation plans;
• Supervise grants management to ensure full compliance with donor regulations and timely submission of reports;
• Support CDs in identifying and implementing required modifications to project activities and grant documents to reflect changes in the context and/or priorities and strategy, updating the Annual Plan where necessary;
• Ensure CDs are engaged in effective project management including regular financial and performance indicator reviews, cross team communication and forecasting;
• Support and guide the CDs in developing and managing their relationships with other HQ personnel and departments involved in the program management cycle including Finance Controller and Operations staff.

C. Personnel Management, Mentorship & Leadership

The overall aim is that projects are fully staffed by competent, well managed, motivated and happy employees.

• Lead the recruitment (as Hiring Manager) of vacant Country Director positions;
• Line manage Country Directors; provide effective training and orientation, set written performance objectives, monitor performance, provide regular feedback, support and mentoring; oversee disciplinary procedures where required.
• Support CDs in their delivery of HR and team management responsibilities and monitor their performance, modelling good leadership practices and providing an open and supportive management space;
• Monitor and maintain staff structure with country offices to ensure proper and fair allocation of tasks/service delivery responsibilities between personnel;
• Monitor overall team morale and motivation, intervening where necessary to inspire, lead, mitigate problems or resolve conflicts;
• Foster open, collegial and positive communication within and between regional teams (and beyond) to inject a spirit of unity of purpose.

D. Regional Cooperation, Development & Synergies

The overall aim is to develop strong, interconnected regional programming (where necessary) that acknowledges and reflects common dynamics, maximizes our capability and meets our partners and donors where they need us.

• Where possible, seek to develop a wider regional programming strategy approach and maximize regional team cohesion and opportunities for cross context learning.
• Establish and develop a regional/desk donor contacts list and actively track regional and CO specific funding opportunities;
• Coordinate closely and frequently with the Director of Field Programs, other Regional Directors and the Global Training Manager to maintain a ‘whole of INSO ’ project approach and prevent regional imbalance and division;
• Develop connections to regional NGOs, UN and donor hubs, groups, forums etc.

E. Representation

The overall aim is to be a good ambassador for INSO and to promote its work and reputation effectively and positively.

• Serve as an active senior representative of the organisation, maintaining and building the reputation of INSO;
• Represent the region in internal meetings and conferences providing briefings and presentations as required.
• Represent INSO for new project start-ups (scoping missions) and with NGOs, the UN, forum or donor conferences as required.

F. Cross Departmental Support & Coordination

The aim is effective flow of information and coordinated action between departments in support of common goals and priorities.

• Establish and maintain close and cooperative relationships with all INSO departments in pursuit of coordinated action, understanding their responsibilities, capabilities and limitations;
• Establish and maintain regular communication with the designated Financial Controller/s;
• Provide timely information, input and responses to financial, HR, procurement, administrative, legal or other processes related to the Country Office as may be required (signing PRs, recruitment documents, tender reviews, powers of attorney, etc.);
• Facilitate and organise CD orientation with other departments and support integration of learning into practice.

G. Project Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning

The aim is to have and use standard project evaluation & learning tools to assess project performance and quality in a routine and comparable manner.

• Support the Director of Field Programs in development of a comprehensive project monitoring, evaluation and learning framework (project audit) with key standards and indicators;
• Lead periodic project evaluations to assess project performance against the established benchmarks, identify gaps and recommendations for follow-up;
• Ensure integration of evaluations into Annual Planning, project policy development, etc.;
• Support the Director of Field Programs and Senior Management Team in the ongoing development of INSO program strategy.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

Essential:

• Master’s degree in international relations, conflict, humanitarian practice or another relevant field.
• 5-7 years managing teams ideally within international NGOs.
• Experience overseeing implementation of organizational and program budgets of at least $2M annually.
• Management and operational experience in the field (ie: Program Director, Country Director) and at the regional/headquarters level (Regional Director, Desk Manager, Head of Emergency and/or Analytics teams, etc.).
• Established operational expertise in humanitarian safety, access and coordination.
• Excellent English language skills, both written and oral.
• Operational experience in East Africa (Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Mozambique).

Nice to Have:

• Relevant previous employment experience with INSO in a senior position in the field or HQ-based role.
• Relevant experience providing support to country directors and country programs from a headquarters/regional/roving support capacity or from a peer-to-peer perspective.
• French or Arabic language skills.
• Demonstrated experience working with a range of stakeholders (e.g. from global headquarters to boards to field teams).

Personal attributes:

• Proven ability to identify issues, analyze and participate in the resolution of issues/problems.
• Excellent communication, and organizational skills.
• Excellent listening and questioning skills, combined with the ability to interact confidently with staff to establish what the problem is and explain the solution.
• Demonstrated understanding of humanitarian principles and practices.
• Ability to work effectively and efficiently unsupervised.
• Strong work ethic and capacity to take responsibility for their actions.
• Ability to meet tight deadlines.

Safe-guarding Policy:

INSO is fully committed to safe recruitment, selection and vetting of all potential new staff, trustees and volunteers and we will ensure rigorous compliance with our Code of Conduct and Safeguarding policy throughout the recruitment process.

Terms & Conditions:

Fixed-term (renewable) full-time contract based in The Hague, Netherlands, €7,250 per month, 8% vacation pay (vakentiegeld), 2.5 days annual leave per month. This post is eligible for a Highly Skilled Migrant visa sponsorship and relocation allowance.