Swedish Red Cross Country Representative – Syria

Are you SRC’s new Country Representative in Syria?

Title: Country Representative
Place of assignment: Damascus, Syria
Type of posting: International Delegate, unaccompanied
Desired starting date: April, or as soon as possible
Contract period: 2 years, with the possibility of extension

Background

Swedish Red Cross (SRC) works in partnership with the Syrian Arabic Red Crescent (SARC) and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) branch in Syria. The focus for the programme portfolio is to support health services at the primary health care level, mental health and psychosocial support clinics (MHPSS), Green Response and WaSH. SRC aims at systematically mainstreaming the cross-cutting issues of Community Engagement and Accountability (CEA) and Protection, Gender and Inclusion (PGI) into the programme. SRC supports its partners in several processes and working groups and collaborates with various Red Cross and Red Crescent movement partners present in Syria.

Your role in the organisation

As the SRC Country Representative in Syria, you will ensure effective representation and strategic engagement with partners. You have the overall responsibility for the programme activities and budget including mainstreaming of crosscutting issues of CEA and PGI into our programme. You lead the SRC in-country team, and you are responsible for security management. You are part of the Middle East, North Africa, Americas and Asia Pacific (MENA AP) unit and reports to the Head of Unit, who is based in Stockholm.

Key duties and responsibilities

• Represent SRC in relevant forums, meetings, and events, promoting humanitarian diplomacy objectives in collaboration with partners, advocate for humanitarian priorities and engage in relevant working groups and processes to ensure effective collaboration and influence.
• Manage the SRC country programme and office, including security management, budget, financial and audit reporting. Ensure that SRCs internal procedures and systems are followed.
• Develop and implement the SRC country strategy for Syria in line with SRCs overall strategic objectives.
• Identify, cultivate, and strengthen partnerships with various Red Cross and Red Crescent movement partners present in Syria to enhance coordination, synergy, and impact of SRCs humanitarian work.

Your profile

To be a successful Country Representative at the Swedish Red Cross, you must first and foremost be skilled in networking and relationship building with a proven track record of creating and further developing strategic partnerships to meet the organizational goals. You understand that communications and advocacy work play an integral part in making a positive impact on individuals facing vulnerability. You know the basics of how to work with humanitarian diplomacy and can represent the Swedish Red Cross in a strategic capacity towards a variety of stakeholders.

You are also experienced in managing humanitarian operations in the field. You are a capable leader who creates a positive working environment with the purpose of being effective and achieving results. You can facilitate a seamless collaboration between your in-country team, the host national societies, and the subject matter experts and support functions contributing to your country programme remotely from Sweden. You are systematic and structured, with the ability to handle high workloads. You meet deadlines and can work with an elevated level of independence.

As an SRC employee, you share the Red Cross Red Crescent humanitarian values including diversity and actively work against all forms of discrimination. You understand, respect, and comply with the SRC Code of Conduct.

Syria is a high-risk environment. At all times, the Country Representative respects and follows relevant communication as well as security rules.

Required qualifications and experience

• Relevant academic degree (3-5 years of full-time study) in a relevant field
• Minimum 5 years of relevant working experience from positions in the humanitarian and/or development cooperation sectors holding similar responsibilities
• Significant field experience, preferably in the MENA region, in complex and volatile contexts
• Experience in resource mobilization and results-based management, including programme design and proposal writing, planning, budgeting, monitoring and evaluation
• Experience in leading teams
• Experience in organisational development and capacity building
• Relevant security training for work in high-risk environment (HEAT or equivalent)
• Proficient knowledge of written and spoken English

Desired qualifications

• Experience of working or volunteering within the Red Cross and the Red Crescent Movement
• Experience of working with Sida and EU (specifically ECHO) funded projects
• Experience of working with cross-cutting perspectives, such as protection, gender and inclusion, community engagement and accountability, conflict sensitivity, green response and climate change
• Understanding of the current political, social, and humanitarian situation of the region
• Knowledge in written and spoken Arabic and Swedish

Other Requirements

• In line with the principle of neutrality, SRC does not assign personnel to a country of which they are nationals
• Candidates must be in good health and are required to pass a medical check-up prior to departure to the duty station
• Candidates must hold a manual driving license and have experience in driving manual transmission vehicles

The recruitment process

Please note that only applications made through our website will be considered.

For more information about the position, please contact Carina Andersson, Head of Unit, MENA AP, International Department: [email protected]

The closing date is 11 February 2024. Our process includes cognitive and administrative tests, interviews, background checks and references. Please note that the recruitment process will only commence once the deadline for application has passed.

Candidates who are selected for roles with the Swedish Red Cross undergo a background check before an offer of employment is given. As the Swedish Red Cross is part of the Inter-Agency Scheme for the Disclosure of Safeguarding-related Misconduct, one of the three references given must be from the candidate`s current or most recent employer. Final candidates will also be screened against EU and UN sanction lists.