Associate Director – Ukraine Regional Response Lead

Habitat for Humanity International (HFHI) is currently seeking a talented professional for the role of a Associate Director – Ukraine Regional Response Lead. This individual is responsible for the high level coordination and support of the Habitat for Humanity national organizations in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) in their efforts to respond to the Ukraine refugee crisis. Additionally, this individual will provide representation in inter-agency coordination and will secure long-term response funding.

This is a 2-year position that will be based in Bratislava, Slovakia with 40% travel.

ABOUT HABITAT’S RESPONSE TO THE UKRAINE CRISIS:

As millions of refugees flee violence in Ukraine, Habitat for Humanity is on the ground in four neighboring countries – Poland, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia – helping meet the shelter needs of displaced families. We are supporting refugees on the move, supplying them with emergency travel kits and hotel vouchers. Habitat is also working on mid- and long-term accommodations for refugees, by subsidizing rentals, refurbishing communal spaces that can act as shelter and supporting mid-term hosting arrangements with families who have opened up their homes. We also plan to lend our housing and construction expertise to partners who repurpose so-called empty spaces – such as unused schools and factories – to serve as shelter for refugees.

Key Responsibilities:
Program Management
* Serve as the overall lead of the Ukraine Response Program, coordinate with national organizations and implementing partners to ensure quality programming, to ensure integrated programming approach and provide regular management/operational inputs to the Director -Central and Eastern Europe/ Commonwealth of Independent States (CEE/ CIS) as and when required
* Monitor the development and implementation of country-level response activities, including training, technical tools, guidelines, and other relevant initiatives
* Ensure that appropriate monitoring and evaluation criteria and capacities are being deployed at country and regional level to measure the progress against the target set and quality of implementation
* Monitor and manage operational risk, ensuring awareness of the changing context, and that programs implemented address both safety and security and safeguarding risks
* Facilitate and pro-actively ensure that all cross-country activities are coordinated efficiently

* Serve as the Disaster Response, Reduction and Recovery (DR3) subject matter expert and provide capacity and coordination with national organizations and other implementing partners:
* Coordinate with national organizations to ensure their response is appropriate and aligned with humanitarian standards
* Liaises with national organizations to ensure alignment with HFHI DR3 Standard Operating Procedures and Foundational strategy
* Facilitate coordination, knowledge sharing, lessons learned and good practices from country-level response to the Ukraine refugee crisis are compiled and used to inform and improve future planning, programming, and implementation, and shared with relevant departments within HFHI and externally with other partners in the country
* Lead the HFH regional response plan development process and adaptation of the preliminary response strategy to ensure its relevance to the changing context, and ensure the scope and content of the operational plan is in line with HFH Pathway to Permanence framework and contextualized to the specific challenges of this response
* In coordination with Europe and Middle East (EME) leadership and HQ disaster response team, lead regional efforts to strengthen EME capacity in humanitarian programming, with a focus on developing appropriate recovery plans and frameworks at the country level and managing the smooth transition from relief to recovery to longer-term housing programming

Coordination and Partnership
* In coordination with the Director – CEE/CIS maintain regional-level partnerships with key players in the response and recovery area
* Support Habitat for Humanity to share experiences and to link with other actors (UN, NGOs) engaged in the response to the Ukraine refugee crisis

Resource mobilization
* Assist Resource Development Director to identify fundraising/resource mobilization possibilities to support Habitat for Humanity projects/programs in support of the Ukraine refugees’ pathway to permanent shelter
* Ensure accurate and timely reports for the donors according to approved guidelines

Key Requirements:
* University degree and/or postgraduate qualification in disaster management or equivalent major
* 5+ years of professional experience in leadership of humanitarian operations
* 3+ years’ experience of working for a humanitarian aid organization in fragile and complex settings
* Good understanding of the common global humanitarian environment and the CEE region
* Strong analytical skills and capacity to translate analysis into action
* Team leadership and team building skills
* Experience in resource mobilization
* Experience in managing and coaching people including distance management
* Ability to work in a cross-cultural and cross-functional environment
* Drive for change and improvements and ability to deliver strategies in a challenging environment
* Computer knowledge as a user – self-supporting in MS Word, Excel, Teams and PowerPoint
* Fluency in English both written and verbal
– Active support of HFHI Values & Commitments:
– Humility – We are part of something bigger than ourselves
– Courage – We do what’s right, even when it is difficult or unpopular
– Accountability – We take personal responsibility for Habitat’s mission
Safeguarding: HFHI requires that all employees take seriously their ethical responsibilities to safeguarding our intended beneficiaries, their communities, and all those with whom we work. Managers at all levels have responsibilities to support and develop systems that create and maintain an environment that prevents harassment, sexual exploitation and abuse, safeguards the rights of beneficiaries and community members (especially children), and promotes the implementation of Habitat for Humanity’s code of conduct.

Preferred:
* Experience in program management, strategy development, developing tools and guidance, providing technical assistance, and establishing and maintaining networks
* Fluency in one of the languages in the region (Polish, Romanian, Hungarian)