Country Director

BACKGROUND

Founded in 1933, the International Rescue Committee responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping people uprooted by conflict and disaster. IRC offers life-saving care and life-changing assistance to people affected by war or disaster to survive, recover and regain their futures. At work today in more than 40 countries and in 22 U.S. cities, IRC leads the way from harm to home.

IRC has been operating in Jordan since 2007. Today, IRC assists Syrian refugees and Jordanian ost communities in achieving improvements in economic wellbeing, health, education and early childhood development and safety. IRC operates in Amman, Mafraq and Irbid governorates, with a main office in Amman and operations in East Amman, Azraq and Za’atari camps, Mafraq, Ramtha, and Irbid. Programming includes women’s and children’s protection and empowerment, livelihoods, primary and reproductive health care, and early childhood development. IRC Jordan’s annual budget is expected to be approximately $10 million for FY 2023 The team includes over 200 national staff, 200 local volunteers, and two international staff.

Job Overview/Summary:

The Country Director is responsible for overall leadership and supervisory management of IRC staff, programming, operations and relationships in Jordan, including program quality and accountability, acquisition and acqustewardship of resources, staff safety and security, performance management and external representation. The Country Director is IRC’s principal representative for the Jordan program to government officials, non-governmental actors, donors, international organizations, civil society, other NGOs and the media. The Country Director is expected to resource and manage a portfolio of responsive and effective humanitarian programs implemented both directly and with partner organizations. The Country Director will lead country program staff in pursuing the outcomes identified in IRC’s strategy for Jordan, bringing them together to deliver high-quality, cost-effective programming results with high levels of accountability.

Success in this position requires an individual with exemplary demonstrated leadership abilities who deploys strong communications and interpersonal skills effectively, both internally and externally. The successful candidate will enjoy developing networks to build partnerships and diversify program resources. S/he will be directly responsible for the overall coordination and strategic direction of the country program: providing oversight and coaching for directly supervised senior managers; leading country program teams to identify, design and deliver responsive, high-quality programs; ensuring efficient management of public grants and private funds for results, compliance, and focused, timely reporting; and oversight of financial management and support systems.

Major Responsibilities:

Leadership and Representation

• Lead the country program by establishing and maintaining open and professional relations with colleagues, promoting a strong team spirit throughout the country program, and providing guidance, oversight and resources to enable staff to perform successfully.

• Develop and carry out strategies that result in strong representation with: government ministries at various levels; UN agencies; donors including PRM, ECHO, Germany, Canada, SIDA, ECHO, USAID, UNICEF and other international organizations; international and local NGOs; and coordination fora.

• Ensure that IRC remains a partner of choice for major international donors.

• Develop and maintain a high level of understanding of donor priorities and planned funding streams.

• Initiate and sustain strong, mutually beneficial and authentic partnerships with local organizations.

• Seek out and pursue opportunities to raise the profile of the work of IRC and its partners, as well as the lives and the needs of the people IRC seeks to serve.

• Play a leadership role in efforts to improve stakeholder coordination in Jordan.

• Lead country program collaboration with colleagues in IRC’s MENA Region to deliver regional programming and advocacy.

• Ensure leadership and management processes enable the IRC to effectively adapt to contextual changes and fully leverage opportunities to expand humanitarian access and assistance.

• Work closely with regional leadership and leadership of the Syria country program to ensure agreement in how issues affecting all are addressed.

Strategic Direction, Program Quality and Growth

• Ensure the strategic vision and direction of the country program is aligned with IRC’s strategy to serve people with responsive, high-quality and accountable programming, and secure the resources necessary for realization.
• Ensure the strategy action plan is of quality, implemented and guides decision making.
• Ensure program quality through consistent use throughout the country program of: rigorous assessment, design, and proposal development and review processes; comprehensive monitoring & evaluation, accountability and learning systems; staff development investments; and partner organization capacity strengthening.
• Actively seek out and pursue opportunities to expand, in line with the IRC’s mission, humanitarian, resilience and development programming in Jordan, in terms of populations and areas served.
• Remain current on national and regional issues impacting the country program and partners, and develop responsive strategies to changing contexts.
• Ensure the SMT delivers the leadership, management structures, staffing skills and approaches, and operational systems required to ensure a coherent “one IRC” approach to achieve Jordan and regional objectives.

Safety and Security Management

• Take primary responsibility for overall management of safety and security for the country program.
• Oversee the management of all security issues, including appropriate response to emergency situations as they arise.
• Maintain a culture of safety and security throughout the country program, including trainings and briefings that prepare all country program staff for security incident prevention and response.
• Keep security, evacuation and contingency plans current and accessible to country program staff.
• Maintain close coordination and communication with the Regional Safety and Security Director on safety and security concerns and evolving issues that could adversely affect IRC staff or operations.

Staff Management, Learning and Development

• Supervise and mentor direct-report staff, including communicating clear expectations, setting performance objectives, providing regular and timely performance feedback, and leading documented semi-annual performance reviews.
• Oversee the management, coaching and development of national and international staff to build a team of skilled, committed and motivated staff. Coach, train, supervise and mentor direct-report staff, including communicating clear expectations, setting quarterly performance objectives, providing regular and timely positive and constructive performance feedback, and providing documented semi-annual performance reviews.
• Provide a measurable development plan including on-the-job learning with the aim of strengthening technical capacity, exchanging knowledge within the team and providing guidance on career paths.
• As part of succession plan and nationalization goals, identify, train and develop capability and capacity of national staff to successfully transition role and responsibilities.
• Creating and nurturing an environment that supports learning, teamwork and high performance at all levels.
• Promote and monitor staff care and well-being. Model healthy work-life balance practices. Support appropriate interventions in response to identified staff care needs of both national and international staff.
• Offer leadership support for successful adherence by all staff to IRC’s country, regional and Global HR Operating Policies and Procedures.
• Work with regional HR staff to identify and implement recruitment and retention strategies.

Stewardship and Operational Management

• Drive operational excellence to achieve optimal efficiency and cost-effectiveness in all functions and operations of the country program.
• Oversee the development, deployment and utilization of financial and operational policies, procedures, and systems to deliver compliance with IRC and donor requirements.
• Ensure responsiveness and appropriate levels of in-person and remote support to all offices, especially in the areas of HR, finance and supply chain.
• Provide timely and effective management and oversight of the Jordan country program’s financial position.
• Maintain effective and coordinated budget monitoring processes for grant funds and discretionary funds.
• Seek opportunities to introduce efficiencies and eliminate redundancies in existing business processes.

Communications

• Model and encourage active practice of the principles of the “IRC Way – Global Standards for Professional Conduct” throughout the Jordan country program.
• Maintain a healthy and empowering office environment that encourages open, honest and productive communication among IRC staff and with partner organizations.
• Maintain open communications with regional management staff, regional technical advisors, and HQ departmental staff.

Key Working Relationships:

Position reports to: Regional Vice President

Position directly supervises: A senior management team responsible for programs, operations, finance, HR, and compliance, Security and MEAL.

Key Internal Contacts:

• Country Program: All staff
• Region: Middle East and North Africa Regional Team
• HQ: Awards Management, Ethics & Compliance, Operations and Strategy, Finance, Global Philanthropy & Partnerships, Program Quality, Advocacy and Communications, and General Counsel

Key External Contacts:

• Partner organizations
• Host country government officials
• Public and private donor agencies
• International and national NGOs
• UN agencies
• Foreign governments

Professional Standards

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Harassment-Free Workplace, Fiscal Integrity, Anti-Retaliation, Combating Trafficking in Persons and several others.

Job Requirements:

Education:

• Graduate degree in a relevant field or equivalent experience

Work Experience:

• At least 12 years of progressively responsible international work experience, including leadership at the Country Director level of multi-site, multi-sectoral operations in a complex operating environment.
• Prior experience working within organizational structures in transition.
• Experience working in conflict/post-conflict or disaster response situations is desirable.

Demonstrated Technical Skills:

• Superior communications skills, verbal and written, in English. Arabic is desirable.
• Experience of managing security in a complex and rapidly changing security context.
• Proven ability to negotiate and work with partner organizations. Experience with organizational capacity strengthening and partnership building helpful.
• Strong budget and fiscal oversight capacities.
• Extensive representation experience and demonstrable fundraising success, including prior experience with European, US and international donors.
• Established capacity to handle stressful situations in a healthy, constructive manner.
• Ability to respond to multiple priorities in a timely manner, producing high-quality outcomes.
• A keen understanding of political complexities in the Middle East region.

Demonstrated Managerial/Leadership Competencies:

• Experience building personal networks at a senior level, resulting in securing new opportunities for the organization by keeping an eye on the direction of the humanitarian and developmental opportunities in country
• Demonstrated successful leadership and management experience with a multi-disciplinary teams in cross-cultural settings, including active mentoring and coaching.
• Effective in developing high-potential staff to achieve career growth and maximum contribution.
• Proven experience delivering appropriate levels of oversight of a portfolio consisting of a variety of complex, high-value donor-funded projects.
• Opportunity-awareness. A successful innovative approach to unpredictable programming, operational, and funding contexts.
• Ability to dispassionately represent program context, constraints, and successes to media, government, and other senior audiences.

Languages Required/Preferred:

• Professional fluency in written and spoken English.
• Arabic language skills a definite advantage.

Computer/Other Tech Requirements:

• Proficiency with the Microsoft Office Suite, especially Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
• Working knowledge of file sharing protocols such as Box an advantage.

Ability to Travel: Approximately 30% within Jordan; to other countries in the Middle East and North Africa region and IRC offices elsewhere for meetings, workshops, representation and conferences**.**

Gender Equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances.

Attention Returning National Candidates: IRC strives to attract, motivate and retain qualified national staff in our programs. We strongly encourage national or returning national candidates to apply for this position. If you are a national of the country in which this position is based and are currently located outside of your home country and possess over two years of international work experience, the Middle East and North Africa Region has introduced an attractive remuneration package. The package includes competitive compensation, return flight to post, shipping allowance, temporary housing and a relocation allowance. Certain restrictions may apply.

Working Environment

The position is based in Amman with frequent travel to field sites in Jordan and occasional travel regionally and globally. The IRC country office is in Amman, located in a modern professional building. Accommodation is in individual housing, which includes basic modern amenities including internet, water and electricity. Access to high-quality health care and schooling is readily available.

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.