Base Manager

Danish Refugee Council is currently looking for a highly qualified Base Manager to be based in Krakow, Poland with frequent visits to field locations.

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a leading protection agency whose mandate is to promote and protect durable solutions to conflict and displacement-affected populations on the basis of humanitarian principles and human rights. DRC is implementing a multi-sector response to support Ukraine refugees, IDPs, and host populations both within Ukraine and in the neighbouring countries of Poland, Romania and Moldova and wider Europe. DRC has been operating in Ukraine since 2014, following previous operations in the 1990’s and between 2007-2013. Over the years, DRC successfully maintained its presence in the government-controlled areas (GCA) and adapted its programmes to provide early recovery and durable solutions to people affected by the conflict including IDPs and communities living along the contact line, as well as reduce the threats of explosive ordnance with a growing humanitarian mine action programme. Due to the ongoing conflict that began in Feb 22, DRC opened offices in Poland, Moldova and Romania to provide support to displaced populations through a partnership with civil society organizations and national NGOs, duty bearers, and other actors. DRC continues to implement in these three countries through partnerships, technical assistance and capacity exchange, and direct implementation in some cases.

About the job:

The Base Manager is accountable for the operational and programmatic planning, reporting, and implementation of activities in the assigned area of responsibility. S/he ensures overall oversight of support functions as well as program implementation; as such, the role is pivotal and requires a high degree of responsibility, flexibility and active collaboration and coordination with managers, officers and team leaders, including horizontal liaising among different technical managers/specialists based in Warsaw (protection, child protection, MHPSS, partnership, etc.). S/he will be responsible to finalize the establishment of the base in Krakow, provide field presence in Rzeszów and Przemyśl, and supervise operations in Wrocław; to recruit, manage and supervise the team (programme and support) in the area of responsibility ensuring that DRC procedures are efficient, resourced, donor compliant and streamlined in the project implementation; to represent DRC in the operating area and build relationships with key humanitarian partners, CSO, NGOs, INGOs stakeholders, and donors; to look for funding opportunities to expand DRC’s programmes.

Responsibilities:

Management and leadership

• Finalize the establishment of the base in Krakow. Provide field presence in Rzeszów and Przemyśl and supervise operations in Wrocław.
• Provide stable and reliable leadership and guidance to all departments, including troubleshooting and mentoring staff members by identifying clear deliverables, promoting capacity building, providing advice, recommendations and guidance as needed.
• Manage the performance and development of staff, including setting clear performance objectives, conducting regular performance evaluations and providing feedback.
• Support and monitor programme staff in planning and implementation of activities and DRC strategies.
• Assist and monitor support services departments ensuring that expenditure and processes are compliant with DRC procedures, donors’ regulations and national legislation.
• Coordinate programme and support services staff, promoting the flow of information between teams/departments as well as between the field office and the country office, ensuring decision makers have up to date relevant information.
• Ensure that all team members are aligned with DRC’s values, mission and vision.

Programming

• Provide leadership and, in collaboration with technical and support staff, ensure proper development, coordination, planning, integration, implementation and monitoring of DRC activities in the area, including reporting to donors and other relevant humanitarian actors.
• Supervise the implementation of the projects via monitoring and evaluation; the base manager should routinely join field visits as an independent eye to monitor for quality, efficiency and effectiveness of DRCs activities and help overcome challenges as needed.
• Work with technical and programme teams (both at the field and country office level) to ensure strong coordination, and avoid duplication, with other actors working in the same technical areas of intervention.
• Ensure that the programmes are implemented in accordance with DRC standard regulations and operational procedures.
• Ensure that communication with beneficiaries, target groups and representatives of authorities is conducted in a sensitive and respectful manner.

Finance and Administration

• Regular monitoring of project(s) expenditures and supervising programme and support teams to enable strong budget follow-up.
• Ensure full adherence and compliance with DRC’s country-level financial, HR and supply chain processes and procedures, DRC’s global policies and guidelines and donor requirements.
• Act in coordination with Support Services Team Leader as the budget holder for relevant budgets and sub-budgets; maintain a master budget for the field base.

HR

• Oversee efficient Human Resource management.
• Manage the recruitment, onboarding and retention of staff at Krakow office.
• Ensure that all staff receive the necessary training and support to perform their roles effectively.

Representation and Coordination

• Act as the DRC representative in the area of responsibility and attend all relevant technical forums/platforms and bilateral meetings (or assign relevant staff to ensure DRC regular presence).
• Cultivate good relations, liaison and close coordination with local authorities and key humanitarian actors, including UNHCR, other UN agencies, INGOs, NGOs, CSOs and donors.
• Maintain a robust understanding of the local context (needs, resources, actors operating in the area, etc.) and regularly provide contextual/programmatic reports and update of the humanitarian situation in his/her area of responsibility, including immediate sharing of sitrep in case of unpredictable changes.

Safety and Security

• Ensure adherence to DRC security procedures according to the DRC Operations Handbook and local security rules.
• Monitor developments on the security situation in the area of responsibility; and ensure staff safety measures are implemented.
• Ensure immediate communication with all relevant colleagues both locally and in Krakow for any security-related incident and ensure Safety Incident Reports are submitted

About you

To be successful in this role we expect you to have at least 3 years of experience in an INGO/NGO in the management of field offices and staff. Moreover, we expect the following:

• A University level degree in a relevant subject or relevant technical qualification
• Experience in project management and proven organizational skills.
• Strong people management and leadership skills (including those not in the management line).
• Experience in liaising and dealing with national partners (NGOs/CSOs) and local/government authorities.
• Professional background in working with internally displaced persons and/or refugees.
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to determine priorities and respect deadlines.
• Clear communication, and excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills.
• Fluency in English (speaking, writing, reading) is essential.
• Knowledge of Polish/Ukrainian language is an advantage

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’ five core competencies:

• Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process.
• Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback.
• Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation.
• Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly.
• Demonstrating integrity: You uphold and promote the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation to our values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment.

We offer:

Contract length: till December 31st 2023 (with the possibility of extension based on funding)

Band: F Management

Duty station: Krakow with frequent travels to field locations (Wrocław, Rzeszów, Przemyśl and as required)

Start date: February 1st, 2023

We offer competitive salary and benefits in accordance with the Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for national staff.