Country Director Georgia

The “Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund Deutschland (ASB)” is a German aid and welfare organization with more than 300 branches at national, regional, district and municipal levels all over Germany.

More than 1.2 million members provide a broad social basis for our organization and more than 20,000 employees as well as over 17,000 volunteers form part of ASB ensuring a high level of quality in areas such as rescue services, civil protection and social services. Since its foundation in 1888, ASB has acted as a politically and denominationally independent association ensuring a high level of continuity and reliability. ASB’s Foreign Aid Department provides both direct emergency relief to people hit by man-made or natural disasters and longer-term rehabilitation measures designed to promote recovery and to rapidly help restore the livelihood of refugees, internally displaced persons and other vulnerable groups. ASB currently has a portfolio of more than 100 relief, rehabilitation, development and inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction projects and runs own offices in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Haiti, Indonesia, Iraq, Kosovo, Nicaragua, Niger, Serbia and Ukraine.

ASB launched its operations in Georgia in 1992 in the wake of the country’s first civil war. At that point, the main focus of its activities was to provide humanitarian assistance necessary to improve living conditions of the socially vulnerable and those who were affected by the war. In 1997, after the situation stabilized, ASB withdrew from the country. In 2010, ASB re-assessed the possibility of becoming engaged in Georgia again, this time focusing on activities to strengthen social services, to support IDP populations, to engage in activities to build resilience and inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (iDRR), and to support the establishment of the Georgian Samaritan Association (SSK). Today ASB runs one office in the capital employing 8 local and 1 international staff (Country Director) and implements its projects mainly via Georgian partner organizations as well as Georgian and Armenian authorities on municipal and national levels.

ASB is currently seeking expressions of interest from qualified and committed individuals for the following position:

Country Director Georgia

The Country Director is responsible for the overall leadership and strategic development of the ASB Country Programme in Georgia. He/She is reporting to and supervised by the respective Desk Officer at ASB’s National Federations headquarters in Cologne, Germany.

Duration: 12 months (extension foreseen depending on performance)

Start: May 1st or at your earliest availability

Location: Tbilisi, Georgia

Vacancy: International position

Salary: ASB offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience

Key responsibilities include:

• Programme Management: supervision of Project and Programme Managers re the implementation of running projects, including supervising the implementation of all project components implemented through local partners. Timely development and submission of required project documentation including evaluations, interim and final project reporting
• Programme/Project Development: ensure ongoing programme and project development through continuous fact-finding, assessment and proposal development in close cooperation with ASB HQ including fund-raising with donors present in the country
• Representation: liaison and representation activities with the Government of Georgia, UN agencies, the INGO community, Donors, Partners, the Media and other external stakeholders
• Partnerships & Alliances: maintaining existing as well as building new partnerships on strategic and implementation level
• Financial Oversight: supervision of Financial Managers in controlling all financial expenditures and oversight of financial management systems to ensure compliance with ASB’s as well as donor financial guidelines, procedures and policies
• Reporting: submission of monthly progress reports, donor reports, end of year reporting and the preparation of an annual report for external publication
• Internal Communication: regular and close communication with ASB’s HQ in the process of further development of the ASB’s approach in Georgia in line with ASB’s overall mandate
• Day to day management of the ASB Georgia team of 8 local staff
• Safety and Security: management and coordination activities to ensure the overall safety and security of staff and compliance with security guidelines and procedures

Key Requirements:

• Relevant University Degree (degree in humanitarian/development or refugee studies an advantage)
• Minimum five years of relevant work experience abroad on senior management level; preferably in a Refugee/IDP, iDRR or Social Entrepreneurship setting
• Knowledge and understanding of project management tools (PCM, Logical Framework analysis, objectives and indicators etc.)
• Strong proposal development skills
• Budget development and strong budget management experience
• Experience with international donor agencies such as EuropeAid, USAID/BPRM or others
• Strong leadership skills and a supportive management style (experience managing national staff)
• Proficient knowledge of administration
• Strong communication skills, with excellent written and spoken English (knowledge of Georgian and/or German are an advantage)
• MS Office proficiency
• The ability to inspire your team and to work independently