International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies
Organizational Background
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, with a network of 192 member National Societies. The overall aim of the IFRC is “to inspire, encourage, facilitate, and promote at all times all forms of humanitarian activities by National Societies with a view to preventing and alleviating human suffering and thereby contributing to the maintenance and promotion of human dignity and peace in the world.” The IFRC works to meet the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable people before, during and after disasters, health emergencies and other crises. IFRC has a Strategy 2030 – Local action, Global reach, which embodies our longstanding vision, to ensure that the Red Cross and Red Crescent remains a dynamic global network of organisations that are fit for purpose and always there to accompany people and communities. The strategy has 3 goals and 7 transformations to address 5 global challenges including climate and environmental crisis, evolving crises and disasters, growing gaps in health and wellbeing, migration and identity, and values, power and inclusion.
The IFRC is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (Movement), together with its member National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The work of the IFRC is guided by the fundamental principles: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality.
The IFRC has its Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland and five regional offices in Africa, Asia Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, Europe, and the Americas. The IFRC also has country cluster delegation and country delegations throughout the world. Together, the Geneva Headquarters and the field structure (regional, cluster and country) comprise the IFRC Secretariat.
This role sits within the IFRC Country Cluster Delegation (CCD) based in Bangkok, covering the four countries of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam. The CCD also provides secretariat support to the Southeast Asia Red Cross Red Crescent Networks and represents IFRC with the United Nations ESCAP and other regional organizations based in Bangkok. This role also works closely with the IFRC Delegation in Jakarta, as the focal point for coordination with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) secretariat.
Job Purpose
The Support Services and Partnerships Coordinator is responsible for the efficient and effective running of the support services, to ensure delivery of operational support to the national societies in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Viet Nam. The role manages Finance, Administration, Logistics/Procurement, Human Resources (HR), Information Technology (IT), Security, and Legal to ensure accountability, transparency and risk management in accordance with IFRC’s policies and procedures and to support strengthening of national society capacity in these areas. The role facilitates support to IFRC member societies hosted and integrated into the IFRC CCD in Bangkok, or wherever IFRC has a legal presence and delegation within the cluster. The role also facilitates IFRC’s external engagement and relationship management with the United Nations (UN) regional organisations and development agencies located in Bangkok, to progress IFRC’s global humanitarian diplomacy targets and regional resource mobilisation and partnerships strategy, together with the HoCCD and in coordination with the Partnerships and Resource Development Unit in the Asia Pacific Regional Office. The Support Services and Partnerships Coordinator is a member of the CCD Bangkok Senior Management Team and feeds into strategic and operational strategies for the delegation.
Job duties and responsibilities
Finance:
- Manage the CCD’s Finances and financial risk management to ensure compliance with IFRC’s Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and with respect to the longer-term financial situation
- Manage a finance department of 4-5 staff ensuring a robust efficient and effective financial infrastructure in compliance with IFRC procedures
- Ensure relationships with donors are managed well, including identifying and managing risks related to pledge management and performance
- Liaise closely with auditors either external or internal. Act upon Audit Report Recommendations and ensure implementation and follow up maintenance of these recommendations.
- Ensure that IFRC internal control procedures are in place and regularly reviewed to identify possible areas of weakness in financial controls within the system, implement changes to address these.
- Ensure detailed, realistic and achievable budgets are presented for the country cluster delegation.
- Lead a monthly review of finances, together with the Finance Manager to ensure financial risks are being well managed.
- Provide clear, concise and decisive financial advice to the Head of CCD including areas of financial risk or irregularity.
- Oversee the recovery of Shared Office and Services Costs (SOSC) as per costing principles of full cost recovery.
- Provide training and compliance with IFRC’s procedures including Fraud and Corruption prevention.
- Train, support and advise the National Society in the development of its financial management and systems with collaboration of Finance Development colleagues in the region.
Human Resources (HR):
- Manage HR staff to ensure that all IFRC CCD staff are well supported, recognised and have professional development opportunities, in accordance with global and local human resource procedures
- Draft HR staffing plans annually (and ad-hoc, if needed) accompanied by a financial funding plan to ensure that all tasks can be fulfilled by CCD and that all positions are fully funded.
- Oversee the recruitment and management of staff in accordance with the CCDs long-term and operational plans
- Regularly review national staff regulations to ensure compliance with IFRC and local labour standards.
- Support, train and advise National Societies on HR matters
- On behalf of the HoCCD, ensure the CCD is an inclusive and safe workplace for all, including leading awareness sessions and compliance on upholding integrity and being a contact point for complaints of misconduct, (sexual) harassment, abuse, fraud etc.
- Support the HoCCD with ensuring protection, gender and inclusion within the CCD including advancing Women in Leadership in accordance with IFRC’s commitments
- Participate in regional HR activities and feed into strategies and plans as part of a regional and global human resource team
Administration and Logistics:
- Ensure the well-functioning of the office, including renovations or relocations and that administration and logistics supports all of the CCD and member society operational needs
- establish and review effective administrative process and procedures in the CCD Office in accordance with administrative and logistics global procedures (fleet, procurement, assets, etc.)
- Coordinate administrative support to IFRC, including those members hosted or integrated within the CCD
- Regularly review internal procedures and documents to ensure they meet IFRC standards and requirements and meet local requirements.
- Manage the Administration and Logistics team, including the Executive Assistant to the Head of Delegation.
Information Technology:
- Ensure efficient deliverables of the outsourced IT service provider.
- Ensure safe data storage and integration of CCD specific IT websites into global IFRC websites. Ensure safety to cyber attacks of these websites administered by the CCD.
- Ensure an optimum level of communication and IT services for the successful implementation of programmes.
Legal:
- Act as a focal point in dealing with the legal advisors (local lawyers and IFRC legal department).
- Lead IFRC’s efforts to establish and manage legal status agreements within Thailand, Cambodia, Viet Nam and Laos
- Ensure all contracts are in accordance with IFRC standards and with local laws.
- Work on other legal tasks such as reviewing NS statutes as requested by Head of CCD.
Security:
- On behalf of the HoCCD, act as a security focal point for Thailand: gather and review security information, attend security meetings, liaise with partners (RCRC, UN, INGOs), share information, provide security briefings and advice.
- Review Thailand security regulations regularly and update them if required, ensure compliance with minimum security standards, and ensure compliance to global security procedures.
- Undertake security assessments of IFRC office, homes of delegates or event locations.
- Provide regular security updates to the CCD and the Regional Security Officer and coordinate work with security focal points in other CCD countries
Business Continuity Planning:
- Lead on drafting business continuity planning processes for CCD Bangkok and support National Societies to develop their own business continuity plans taking into account COVID-19 but also other scenarios.
- Ensure that CCD meets the hygienic safety requirements to protect staff from COVID-19 transmission.
Internal and External Engagement:
- Regularly liaise with ICRC and IFRC member societies both in terms of support services provision but also in terms of ensuring information sharing and collaboration as relevant.
- Work closely with relevant counterparts in National Societies and ensure close collaboration with the National Society Development unit to provide technical support for capacity building of National Societies counterparts.
- Engage on IFRC and RCRC positioning across Asia Pacific to advance key humanitarian diplomacy priorities including localisation of aid, climate change, pandemic preparedness and disaster risk management under the overall resilience agenda
- Establish a structured dialogue and collaboration development process with targeted UN agencies based on agreed and coordinated engagement strategies with a focus on UNESCAP, UNDP, UNOCHA, UNHCR, WFP and UNICEF through regional leads and in close liaison with relevant IFRC offices and technical leads;
- Analyse and facilitate IFRC engagement and partnership with targeted international and regional organisations;
- Develop policy briefs and materials to support IFRC positioning and key messaging on occasion of meetings and events;
- Advise and facilitate development of evidence-based materials and research pieces to support advocacy efforts;
- Identify partnerships and resource development opportunities with multilateral organisations and development agencies based on Bangkok;
- Facilitate and/or organise briefings for the diplomatic community;
- Support the organisation of pledging events and conference in relation to critical disaster or crisis;
Confidentiality
- Maintain strict moral confidentiality and do not disclose neither spread any confidential or sensitive information.
- Organize archives of all reports and documents and treat them as confidential material
Position Requirements
Education
- University degree in Administration, Management, Law, Political Science or other relevant discipline (Required)
- Relevant professional training courses (Preferred)
Experience
- 10 years working in development or humanitarian programmes (Required)
- Work experience with the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement (Required)
- At least 5 years work experience managing and supporting staff (Required)
- At least 5 years professional experience in humanitarian advocacy (Required)
- Solid experience working with governments / diplomatic community (Required)
- Working experience with international organisations (Required)
- Experience in project management including multi-stakeholder engagement (Preferred)
- Working with international funding agencies (e.g. EU, financial institutions or governments) (Required)
- Experience in strategic planning (Required)
Knowledge and Skills
- Self-supporting in computer skills (Required)
- Excellent training, facilitation and communication skills (Required)
- Excellent written and spoken English (Required)
- Familiarity with international financing systems for humanitarian and development sectors (Required)
- Familiarity with critical policy agendas (Required)
- Ability to work in a diverse cultural context (Required)
- Highly organised, with ability to create a team approach (Required)
Excellent communication skills; influencing skills
- Excellent relationship building skills; ability to build and strengthen internal and external networks, and establish effective partnerships, with National Societies (Required)
- Demonstrated skill in analytical and strategic thinking. (Required)