Solidarités International
Date of writing: February 1st2023
Contract start date: March 1st2023
Type of contract: Fixed term contract for 10 months until December 2023
Location: Erbil, Iraq / Regional travel required
ABOUT THE MISSION…
This position is recruited and contracted by Solidarités International, on behalf of the Humanitarian Logistics Cooperative.
The Humanitarian Logistics Cooperative, also known as “hulo”, is the first European Cooperative Society (SCE) created in June 2021 by 9 humanitarian organisations: ACTED, Action contre la Faim (ACF), the French Red Cross (FRC), Handicap International / Humanity & Inclusion (HI), Médecins du Monde (MDM), Oxfam Intermón, Plan International, Première Urgence International (PUI), and Solidarités International (SI).
Its objective is to increase the impact of humanitarian aid by strengthening links and solidarity between humanitarian logistics actors and improving performance through the pooling of logistics and supply chain resources and expertise. Hulo’s “Joint Initiatives” are already underway in three French-speaking African countries (Burkina Faso, Central African Republic and DRC), and hopefully soon in Lebanon and Iraq. Activities on the ground include joint procurement, shared human resources, a web-based platform for pooling resources, and joint environmental initiatives. These initiatives save time and money, improve the quality of goods and services provided, and therefore provide more effective assistance to those who need it most.
The Operations team currently consists of four people at headquarters and three additional international Country Coordinators, supported by national deputies or assistants. This position will expand the field team in an additional country.
SOLIDARITES INTERNATIONAL (SI) is an international humanitarian aid association which, for nearly 40 years, has been providing assistance to populations affected by armed conflicts and natural disasters by meeting their vital needs for food, water and shelter. Particularly committed to the fight against diseases linked to unsafe water, the leading cause of death in the world, SI’s interventions provide expertise in the field of access to drinking water, sanitation and hygiene promotion, but also in the essential area of food security and livelihoods. Present in some twenty countries, SI’s teams – 2000 people in total, made up of expatriates, national staff, permanent staff at headquarters, and a few volunteers… – work with professionalism and commitment, respecting the cultures of the countries where they work.
ABOUT THE JOB
The mission of the hulo Country Coordinator (M/F) is threefold:
He/she will be responsible for representing hulo to all stakeholders (including institutional donors) involved in its activities in the country.
He/she will therefore be responsible for animating, federating and expanding a network of humanitarian partners and assisting them in identifying joint initiatives.
Finally, in close collaboration with the Operations Department and the Business Analytics Department, he/she will have to pilot and guide the implementation of these initiatives, before systematically capitalising on the realisation of these projects.
Development of the portfolio of organisations that can participate in the Cooperative’s joint initiatives within the country of assignment:
Represent the Cooperative in existing meetings and forums.
Develop a local network of operational partners.
Maintain good relations with all country representatives of international and national organisations, donors and UN agencies, and clusters (and in particular the Logistics Cluster if present).
Prepare and facilitate information and promotional meetings to present the Cooperative, its mandate, approach, and activities.
In close collaboration with the Cooperative’s management, initiate any partnership useful for the development of the Cooperative in the country.
Design and implementation of joint initiatives with participating organisations in the country:
Propose a pooling strategy coherent with the country of assignment.
Collect needs from active in-country humanitarian organisations and identify all the potential pooling opportunities.
Define which joint initiatives could be concretely launched and implemented.
Identify the modalities of and the obstacles to launching joint initiatives.
Plan the implementation of each joint initiative.
Establish the necessary documentation for each joint initiative (including but not limited to: tender documents, MoUs with partners, etc…).
Coordinate the deployment of the “Shared Resources” (SR) platform in the country:
In conjunction with the “SR Product Manager”, define a deployment plan for the tool in the country.
Ensure the presentation and training of the platform to local users.
Ensure the mediation of ads posted on SR by user organizations.
Alert the IT team in case of bugs or usability problems.
Reporting / Capitalisation:
Write capitalization documents using the tools provided by the Headquarters team.
Participate in the continuous adaptation of the project through a return on experience (RETEX) on each joint initiative implemented.
Ensure the transmission of information to the Headquarters team for the preparation of donor reports.
YOUR PROFILE
Specific skills and experience:
Three to five years of experience in a variety of humanitarian contexts.
Good understanding of Humanitarian Supply Chain Management (SCM) and service sharing/pooling issues.
Experience in field coordination/representation (e.g., clusters, etc.) strongly preferred.
Ability to develop, plan, and evaluate projects.
Ability to create, maintain and expand a network of diverse partners.
Facilitation, presentation and facilitation skills.
Ability to motivate, guide and coach different partners around a common project.
Ability to create and develop good relationships with groups and individuals.
Ability to travel, be resilient, tolerate stress and work under difficult conditions.
Knowledge of humanitarian standards of accountability and best practices.
Excellent command of Microsoft tools.
SI WILL OFFER YOU
A salaried position
According to experience, starting from EUR 2 640 gross / per month (2400 base salary + 10% annual leave allowance, paid monthly); and a Per Diem of USD 750 / per month.
SI covers both travel expenses between the expatriate’s residency and the field.
Possibility of individual housing pack to be discussed, otherwise accommodation provided for in a shared guesthouse.
Living conditions
In Beirut, the guesthouse and the office are located at 10’ walk. The guesthouse is a 6 bedroom apartment, fully furnished and comfortable. Beirut is a very modern city, where you can find all kind of restaurants, shops, international libraries, bars, cinemas, etc.
Depending on the fuel situation, vehicles are available for evenings and week-ends if you have a valid driving license and after being validated for driving by the logistics department. Lebanon is a safe country you can discover by yourself. We have guesthouses available in 2 other Lebanese cities, Zahle and Tripoli, available on weekends. All common goods and amenities are available on all bases.
Security:
The political and security situation in Lebanon is complex and volatile. A government was created on Sept 2021, after more than 1-year vacancy, but the political situation remains very fragile. Elections are expected in May 2022, and could see rising tensions between the different political groups.
A financial and economic crisis has been hitting Lebanon hard, with high inflation, major loss of value of the local currency and shortages (on fuel, electricity, medicines, etc.). This has created an increased trend of small criminality.
Despite these on-going internal and external tensions, Lebanon’s security situation is currently acceptable. There is no curfew in place on the Lebanon mission and international staff can move around without too many restrictions even though Akkar and the Beqaa valley include some no-go areas. The security measures in place could still be upgraded quickly depending on the context’s evolution.
Breaks
During the assignment, a system of alternation between work and time off is implemented at the rate of on 7 working days every three months. SI provides a USD 850 break allowance.
For example, for a one-year assignment, the expatriate will have 7 working days off at 3, 6 and 9 month.
In addition to these, SI adds 1 additional monthly rest day / per month of work, i.e. 12 additional days off for a one-year contract.
Medical insurances
Expatriates benefit from an insurance package, which includes all healthcare expenses (including medical and surgical expenses, dental care and ophthalmological expenses, repatriation) and a welfare system, including war risks.
Essential vaccination and antimalarial treatment costs are refunded.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Do you recognize yourself in this description?
If so, please send us your CV and cover letter via this site:
Applications containing only CVs will not be considered.
Solidarités International reserves the right to close a recruitment before the deadline of the announcement.
Thank you for your understanding.
And to learn more about Solidarités International: www.solidarites.org