CHIEF OF PARTY

CARE is an international NGO with local staff and community partners in more than 90 countries. We create local solutions to poverty and inequality and we seek dignity for everyone every day and during times of crisis. These solutions have a broad range, from clean water to access to education; from microfinance to ensuring that everyone has nutritious food; from agriculture and climate change to disaster response. CARE puts women and girls at the center of everything we do because they have proven to be the best hope for creating lasting change in the world. Our staff live where they work, which makes us effective at understanding the challenges they face. We’ve been doing this for over 70 years, since World War II. It started with the world’s first CARE Package® of food for the post-war hungry in Europe. Our work today is as important as ever, we believe that poverty and inequality are historic injustices that we can end within a generation, for good. If you share our core beliefs: poverty is an injustice; poverty is solvable; and together, we have the power to end it, join us, and fight with CARE.

The Syria Resilience Consortium (SRC) was established in 2016 by six agencies – CARE, DRC, Humanity and Inclusion, IRC, NRC, and Mercy Corps. The consortium’s vision is a Syria in which all individuals, families and communities are resilient and characterized by social and economic well-being. In order to achieve this, the SRC collaborates with partners and donors to support individuals, families, and communities in Syria with tools and skills to rebuild their lives.

The SRC utilizes a integrated programming model where analysis, response planning, and implementation is coordinated across three response areas: North-West Syria, North-East Syria, and Southern-Central Syria (including Damascus). The Consortium Members recognize that a Program Coordination Unit (PCU) has been and will continue to be key to enabling the Consortium to achieve its objectives. The SRC is seeking an experienced and highly motivated candidate to fill the Chief of Party (CoP) position to support the consortium to become a leader in integrated resilience program and thought leader in resilience learning in complex crises.

The CoP leads the SRC, including the PCU. This PCU is mandated to coordinate the SRC members at Whole of Syria Level and liaise with the various Grant Holders of the Consortium on behalf of the Steering Committee, in order to facilitate: a) Impactful, coherent and efficient programming; b) Enhanced Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability & Learning (MEAL) and Knowledge Management; c) Impactful Communication, Representation and Advocacy; d) Provide Leadership in Donor Engagement, Networking and Resource Mobilization.

The Chief of Party reports to a Steering Committee with a representative of each of the Consortium Members. As the lead agency for the SRC, CARE serves as the host of the PCU, including the CoP. In addition to the Steering Committee, the CoP works with the Consortium Member Representatives and Area Coordinators. The PCU also leads consortium wide Task Forces on MEAL, Gender, Communications and Advocacy.

As the lead of the SRC, the CoP will lead in four key areas:

1. Program Coordination Unit (PCU) leadership
2. Strategy development, resource mobilization, impactful programming and knowledge management
3. Coordination, Representation and Advocacy
4. Financial Management

Responsibilities:

Lead the Program Coordination Unit

• Responsible for the overall performance of the PCU activities, resources and team, in line with the TOR for the PCU.
• Oversee the development of the PCU budgets and workplans.
• Provide line management, including performance management, to the Deputy Chief of Party, Communications Advisor (consultant) and the Financial Coordinator, and indirectly to the other positions and functions in the PCU (Finance, M&E and Data Management, Program PaQ, Admin and Grants Officer).
  • -Lead the PCU process of developing action plans for its various tasks and task forces.

Strategy development, resource mobilization, impactful programming and knowledge management

• The CoP is responsible for the coordination of a Consortium-wide process to develop strategic added value, knowledge and best practices at that level.
• Responsible for the development, implementation and review of the Syria Resilience Consortium Strategy and Roadmap. Due to extreme fluidity of the context in Syria, the current transitional strategy will have to be revisited soon.
• -Develop and implement resource mobilization plan, in consultation with the SRC Member Representatives and SC, as well as periodic reviews and revisions of this document.
• Based on the new strategy, and in collaboration with the Grant Holders, facilitate the development of individual, coherent donor proposals in order to increase impact and efficiency.
• Liaise with the Grant Holders to encourage donor dialogue and action to improve donor efficiency. Coordinate the SRC members around concrete proposals to donors as well as internal actions that will reduce paperwork (Less Paper More Aid). This includes streamlined reporting formats and plans, and MEAL.
• Oversee the development and implementation of a MEAL plan at Whole-of-Syria, consortium-wide level.
• Taking stock of program progress, oversee the consolidation of information for the SRC’s grant holders for effective grant management and reporting.

Coordination, Representation and Advocacy

• Facilitate Consortium-wide coordination for impactful Coordination, Representation and Advocacy.
• Oversee SRC research, advocacy and communications planning and implementation, in collaboration with the respective Task Forces
• Facilitate pro-active and strong communication and representation of the Consortium in external fora relating to resilience building in Syria, and in relevant parts of the UN Cluster system.
• Coordinate a common communication and advocacy agenda, focusing on GAD, resilience and livelihoods, and partnerships.
  • Represent the SRC in external fora, meetings and working groups.
• Facilitate a Steering Committee level process that leads to achievement of the SRC objectives at high level, in line with the SRC Roadmap and MOU.
• Work with the chair of the Steering Committee meetings (currently this is the CARE Country Director for Syria) to prepare for the meetings and follow up on agreements made in the Steering Committee meetings.
• Ensure effective mechanisms for information sharing and cooperation among Consortium partners are in place at the Whole-of-Syria level, as well as the level of implementation areas (‘hubs’).

Financial Management

• Lead budget development for all new grants/fundraising efforts for the PCU and Consortium Members
• Oversee and manage budget realignments of existing grants with consortium members
• Manage donor contractual compliance, ensuring project activities adhere to project proposal, budget, and donor regulations.
• Provide information and guidance to members to ensure compliance and create systems or procedures to facilitate member’s understanding of all compliance regulations • Review all necessary programme expenditures prepared by the Finance Coordinator
• In coordination with the Finance Coordinator, establish systems and monitor expenditure and projections on a quarterly basis against approved budgets to ensure expenditure stays within budget.
• Provide oversight and direction for Consortium Member financial management
• Review and finalize donor financial reports,
• Support the finance coordinator in the planning and coordination of grant audits,
• Lead the development of a funding allocation process and tool for new funding to be approved by the steering committee

This position requires:

• Great diplomatic skills
• Demonstrated resource mobilization skills; knowledge of donor policies, grand bargain and efficiency of aid
• Facilitation skills with the ability to drive forward through complex processes to reach decisions
• Good level of knowledge of state of global discussions and practices on
• passion for resilience and protracted crises

Qualifications:

• Post graduate degree in relevant field
• 10 or more years humanitarian experience with minimum 5 years senior management experience in resilience programming or related field.
• Fluent oral and written English
• Spoken Arabic
• Proven record in building and maintaining relationship with a variety of stakeholders including host actors, donors, partners and local organizations
• Previous experience as Chief of party and consortium experience highly desirable
• Good experience in multi-sectoral resilience programing including- livelihood, economic empowerment, gender and inclusion
• A thought leader with proven competencies and skills in the design, implementation, M&E and overall management of international donor-supported programs; Demonstrated commitment to GAD in programing
• Experience managing programmatic and financial reporting requirement with attention to demanding reporting schedules
• Experience working in MENA