Emergency Response Manager

Location: Dnipro

Reporting line manager: Area Manager Dnipro/Eastern Ukraine

Technical support: Emergency Response Advisor (based in Dnipro)

Duration:12 months, with possible extension

Conditions: Employment contract, gross monthly salary € 5,500, Risks allowance of € 500/month (High risks areas), Program Management Allowance € 400, medical insurance and repatriation insurance and accommodation provided. Visa fees covered. Contribution to the luggage transportation up to €250. R&R (7 days including travel days) every 8 weeks with an allowance of €1,000. Annual leave of 28 days per calendar year.

Starting date: ASAP

CARE INTERNATIONAL

CARE International (CI) is among the world’s largest international non-governmental humanitarian relief and development confederations. Drawing on more than 75 years of experience, through its 21 Members, as both a practitioner and thought leader, CI’s work reaches over 100 countries worldwide to save lives, defeat poverty and achieve social justice.

CARE’s vision is to seek a world of hope, inclusion, and social justice; where poverty has been overcome and people live in dignity and security. CARE focuses heavily on women and girls, and the areas of gender equality, diversity, and inclusion are at the center of our work because we know that we cannot overcome poverty and social injustice until all people have equal rights and opportunities. We recognize that power relations between people and within systems and structures are unequal and that these are entrenched in our broader systems, structures, and institutions.

At the core of the CI Confederation is a globally distributed Secretariat, which provides coordination and support to its Members in areas including governance, strategic planning, communications, membership development and accountability, advocacy, humanitarian response, and program development. In addition, the Secretariat represents the CI Confederation at the United Nations and the European Union, and with other external stakeholders.

Context in Ukraine

On 24th February 2022, the invasion of Ukraine marked a significant escalation to the conflict that started in 2014. It continues to profoundly impact the lives of people across the country at various levels. The front line is continuously shifting and there are areas under Russian military control, as well as cities under siege. Attacks on military installations and critical civilian infrastructures are conducted in the whole territory of Ukraine, often resulting in collateral civilian casualties. The conflict has caused the largest population movement in Europe since World War II, with over 5 million currently displaced within Ukraine and 6 million refugees across Europe. OCHA had counted 17.6 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.

At least one-third of the country’s energy infrastructure is damaged, leaving millions without heating and access to water. In October 2022, the Russian Federation claimed to have annexed four Ukrainian oblasts, further increasing the challenge of access to these areas. Therefore, an ongoing priority for the international humanitarian response is to reach newly accessible areas in the East and South, and to provide aid to previously unreachable and particularly hard-hit areas of Ukraine.

CARE UKRAINE

CARE prioritizes a locally led response and is partnering primarily with Civil-Society Organizations (CSOs), National NGOs, local authorities, and when needed, INGOs with a longstanding presence in the country and access to hard-to-reach areas. CARE Ukraine deliberately and strategically prioritizes partnerships with local and national Women Led and Women Rights organizations (WLO’s/ WRO’s), further strengthening the Gender in Emergencies (GiE) principle and the Women Lead in Emergencies (WLiE) approach.

In the first few weeks after the escalation of the war, virtually all humanitarian aid inside Ukraine was organized and implemented by local actors. These groups (together with local authorities) remain the principal aid providers but are quickly being exhausted of funds, fuel, and physical energy. Thereby, a considerable proportion of CARE’s resources is dedicated to strengthening and supporting the capacities of local partners.

As of October 2023, CARE Ukraine has established partnerships with over twenty local/national organizations (incl. WLO’s/WRO’s). From the more than 45 million that have been raised for Ukraine thus far, more than half is allocated to local/national partners. Through the activities that have been implemented so far, CARE Ukraine has been able to reach more than 800,000 people, including IDPs and affected populations in hard-to-reach areas.

While CARE Ukraine’s country office is currently located in Lviv, we also have a coordination office in Kyiv as well as area offices in Dnipro and Odesa, covering both the East and South of the country.

Role Objectives

The Emergency Response Manager is responsible for the management and implementation of the CARE’s Emergency Response in Ukraine, ensuring that emergency interventions are timely and efficiently led planned. Though CARE in Ukraine is aiming at developing a reliable and fair locally-led programme, the Emergency Response Manager will be prioritizing modalities of intervention (direct implementation or partnerships) depending on the specificities of each emergency intervention.

Under the management of the Area Manager Dnipro/Eastern Ukraine (Kharkiv, Dnipro, Donesk oblasts), the Emergency Response Manager will lead Emergency assessments wherever needed, conduct actors mapping, propose emergency response plans, including preparedness modalities and budgeting, contribute in proposals development if required by the Business Development Manager, implement the first phase of the emergency response, conduct post-intervention monitoring, and ensure coordination with other external actors.

The Emergency Response Team will be based in both Dnipro and/or Kharkiv, the area of intervention includes all areas where emergency situations may occur, essentially, but not exclusively, frontline and newly liberated areas.

The position holder will be essentially responsible for:

• Management and supervision of the Emergency Response Teams Eastern Ukraine,
• Contributing to the writing of an emergency response guideline for CARE Ukraine
• Planning and coordinating the implementation of Emergency Response activities including conducting needs assessment, identifying partners, etc.
• Ensuring that all implemented activities and interventions meet the quality standards and complaint with CARE’s program framework
• Participating in the design and implementation of Monitoring and Evaluation plans for Emergency Response activities in CARE Ukraine, ensuring that the data collected can be processed into quality reports that can be used for management decision for future interventions
• Ensuring the development of need-based interventions
• Ensuring logistical support and needs for the project implementation in coordination with peers managers
• Ensuring compliance to the security rules in-country in collaboration with the Security, Safety and Access Manager

The main responsibilities include:

Program Management

• Define and structure a reliable and time-efficient Emergency Response mechanism appliable in all possible areas of Ukraine exposed to the ongoing conflict
• Take the lead in the identification of scenario of crisis, and the definition of preparedness plans accordingly (including all security and logistics aspects required for triggering an Emergency response)
• In case of emergency, whenever and wherever possible, lead Emergency assessments on-site, map the possible risks to be mitigated, define a response plan accordingly, look at budgets/project available to address the needs identified, mobilize all needed resources, including partners, to ensure a timely engagement
• Identify all security and logistics aspects needed to facilitate/optimize emergency response in-country
• Safely organize/supervise emergency distributions when required/needed in collaboration with all possible resources available (authorities, partners, CARE staff)
• With the support of the DCD Programme Implementation, collaborate closely with Sector advisors and other peer managers to ensure the quality of the planning, implementation and follow up of all technical aspects of the Emergency response, especially with regard to gender and protection issues
• Participate in preparation of monthly/quarterly reports and contribute to the writing up of proposals and budgets to donors when required by the Business Development Manager
• Lead lessons learnt exercise after each emergency intervention to identify areas of improvement
• Conduct frequent monitoring field visits to CARE Ukraine projects and provide feedbacks as necessary/requested
• Assist in setting up, implementation and monitoring of beneficiary feedback mechanism for the response
• Work closely with Monitoring and Evaluation team on the project indicator tracking, conducting of different assessments
• Ensures that all interventions meet quality standards and are in compliance with CARE global program framework

Staff Management

• Supervise Rapid Response Coordinator and Rapid Response Officers, support with setting up the objectives, conduct mid-term reviews and provide feedback as necessary.
• Lead and manage the team (including people planning, performance, well-being and development)
• Provide guidance and technical support to the team
• Ensure effective planning and quality implementation of the field/support activities
• Ensure clear goals are set for the team; provide identified capacity building, coaching and mentoring

Representation and Coordination

• Establish network and good relations with the programme team, operations, authorities and partners
• Represent CARE Ukraine in coordination meetings in relation with emergency responses
• Prepare weekly/monthly progress updates and contribute in the writing up reports to donors.
• Ensure that CARE play a positive and proactive role within all Rapid Response Mechanisms and Humanitarian Coordination meetings
• Coordinate with other humanitarian organizations working in Ukraine to ensure that they are aware of CARE Ukraine programme intervention and activities so that follow-on actions can be planned in a strategic manner to avoid over-lapping.
• Ensures good relations and positive interaction with partners, local authorities and beneficiary communities.

HR/Finance/Logistics/Security

• Works closely with other program team, HR, finance and logistics teams to ensure proper project planning, timely recruitment, timely procurement of materials, renting of premises (e.g warehouses), compliance with security regulations, proper budget management (including budget forecasting and follow-up)
• Support the monitoring of financial commitments and expenditures against budgets and provide timely feedback on budget follow-up
• Plan and coordinate proactively logistics and movements of staff from and to different operational areas
• Initiate procurements for the Rapid Responses and follow up to ensure the timely execution
• Ensure distribution plans are prepared and shared with logistics in a timely manner

Requirements

Mandatory criteria for longlisting:

• Minimum 8 years of experience in managing humanitarian programme with international NGOs in complex and conflict-affected contexts
• Minimum 5 years in managing acute emergency crisis, including rapid response mechanisms
• Experience in Ukraine will be a strong asset
• Minimum 3 years of relevant experience in people management and leadership

Expected

• Excellent knowledge in project cycle management, essentially in emergency settings
• Skills and knowledge of financial, procurement, safety and HR practices in Ukraine and in humanitarian organizations
• Proven experience in developing partnerships with national aid organizations, CBOs, CSOs and/or WROs.
• Proficiency in English; Ukrainian and/or Russian would be an asset
• Computer skills (including Excel and Word)
• Excellent interpersonal and diplomatic skills
• Good organizational skills
• Leadership skills and ability to make decisions in difficult situations
• Capacity to work under a high level of stress
• Adaptation capacities to dynamic context
• Trustworthiness and sense of responsibility
• Organizational skills, reactivity, ability to be thorough and to adapt

Accountability within CARE:

A commitment to CARE values and CARE’s integrity framework is critical to working with CARE. Any candidate offered a job with CARE will be expected to adhere to the following key areas of accountability:

• Comply with CARE’s policies and procedures with respect to safeguarding, code of conduct, health and safety, confidentiality, do no harm principles and unacceptable behaviour protocols.
• Report any concerns about the welfare of a child or vulnerable adult or any wrongdoings within our programming area.
• Report any concerns about inappropriate behaviour of a CARE staff or partner.

Safeguarding:

Children and vulnerable adults who come into contact with CARE as a result of our activities must be safeguarded to the maximum possible extent from deliberate or inadvertent actions and failings that place them at risk of abuse, sexual exploitation, injury, and any other harm. One of the ways that CARE shows this on-going commitment to safeguarding is to include rigorous background and reference checks in the selection process for all candidates.

Gender equality:

CARE is committed to meeting the standards of the CARE International Gender Policy (2019). Through this policy, CARE seeks to promote the equal realization of dignity and human rights for girls, women, boys and men in all diversities, and the elimination of poverty and injustice. Specifically, this policy seeks to improve the explicit incorporation of gender in programmatic and organizational practices.