Ukraine Country Lead

Ukraine Country Lead (INT8544)

Oxfam is a global movement of people working together to end the injustice of poverty.

This is a Rapid Recruitment – we would undertake shortlisting and interviews as applications come in and may appoint before a closing date.

Ukraine Response Programme Management Unit

In March 2022, Oxfam launched its response to the influx of refugees and other people forced to flee from Ukraine in Romania, Moldova and Poland. A Programme Management Unit (PMU) has been established to provide leadership, oversee, support and provide technical assistance to the response in the affected countries.

The PMU will be led by an Operational Lead and includes dedicated advocacy and influencing capacity; business support functions, and a programme quality team with technical support on gender in emergencies, protection, cash and voucher programming, monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL), and safeguarding. Poland / Romania / Moldova Programmes.

Oxfam is supporting a partner-led humanitarian response for the assistance and protection of refugees and other vulnerable people from Ukraine and the communities, organisations and authorities that are hosting and supporting them in neighbouring countries. The response is strongly driven by the protection needs of refugees and the need for national organisations and authorities to be supporting in scaling up for the refugee response, delivering quality protection support, as well as advocacy for the rights and protection of all refugees and people on the move needing protection.

Job Purpose

The country lead is part of the Ukraine response team which is being put in place in 4 countries.

The role will ensure that funds raised for the Ukraine response will reach affected populations. The response ambition is to be partners-led, aligned with Oxfam partnership principles.

The role will be ensuring Oxfam’s strategic engagement with partners and stakeholder to shape the country strategy and implementation.

Overall:

• Oxfam strives to realise a partner-led response to the Ukraine crisis
• Working in Poland, Romania, Moldova and Ukraine
• Mix of immediate response with medium term strategy
• Oxfam partnership principles are guiding and embedded within the ways of working

Crisis situation is fluid. Adaptive, flexible approach needed.

Location: Ukraine.

Job Type: Fixed Term 12 months

Job Description:

Strategy:

• Realisation of the context-relevant country response strategy, in connection with the overall Ukraine crisis response strategy

• Organise regular review and updating of the strategy, engaging in relevant relationships in country, and based on monitoring of, and changes in the context and in humanitarian needs. Explore opportunities for innovation and out-of-the box interventions and collaborations with impact

• Ongoing mapping and engagement of stakeholders responding to the crises in the country – including civil society, government and private sector – and propose where and how Oxfam could potentially add value

• Work with partners and allies to explore and seize opportunities for contributing to peace and sustainability – to influence immediate/intermediate responses (incl. influencing/our communications, innovation, capacity development, etc.)

• Ensure country response is in line with Oxfam’s humanitarian approach (community engagement, local humanitarian leadership, safe programming and feminist approach)

• Quality. Ensure that the response strategy (speed, scale, contextually appropriated, integrated) is in line with Oxfam’s overall ambitions and external commitments.

• High awareness of the complex Ukrainian context, particularly on the risks of humanitarian aid diversion and related to insecurity due to active conflict in the country; proactively prevents and mitigates such risks.

Leadership and Management:

• Lead all aspects of the country office set-up

• Legally represent Oxfam in the country

• Ensure safety and security assessments are conducted informing safety and security plans at local and national level;

• Prioritise with Area Managers and Security Coordinators the areas to assess considering the acute and evolving humanitarian needs

• Be responsible for all security management decisions in Ukraine

• Lead on the implementation of the country response including proper planning, program quality and quality partnerships. Provide strategic steer on amending activities where necessary

• Ensure humanitarian and early recovery projects are delivered on time and on budget. Support and maintain oversight of financial and people resourcing for the response by:

• Oversight of country funding, supervise and ensure monthly budget monitoring and financial management.

• Planning HR requirements. Ensure response components are properly resourced and funded. Oversee the HR capacity planner and make decisions (in consultation with the Operational Lead) regarding additional staffing if needed. Explore local solutions.

• Ensure a smooth recruitment of the whole team, ensure the set-up of policies and procedures

• Line manage key coordination roles and the area managers; ensuring that managers in country are in accordance with Oxfam’s policies and procedures, including but not limited to Oxfam’s gender justice policy and procedures, the Code of Conduct, Performance Management, Security, Health and Safety, safeguarding policies and local legislation.

• Make decisions in complex situations with minimal back office support using a systems-thinking approach and in relation to general compliance in programs.

• Strong coordination with other humanitarian actors in-country to ensure coherent, context-relevant and impactful implementation of the response. Oxfam or its partners are represented in the relevant sectoral working groups

• Development of appropriate MEAL for overall response. Lead on response reporting, in collaboration with partners and information dissemination

Our values and commitment to safeguarding

Oxfam is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and committed to promoting the welfare of children, young people, adults and beneficiaries with whom Oxfam GB engages. Oxfam expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us.

The post holder will undertake the appropriate level of training and is responsible for ensuring that they understand and work within the safeguarding policies of the organisation.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. Oxfam GB also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.

We are committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organisation and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.

How to apply

As part of your online application, please upload your up to date CV and a covering letter explaining your suitability against the essential criteria in the job profile.

About us

Oxfam is a global community who believe poverty isn’t inevitable. It’s an injustice that can be overcome. We are shop volunteers, women’s right activists, marathon runners, aid workers, coffee farmers, street fundraisers, goat herders, policy experts, campaigners, water engineers and more. And we won’t stop until everyone can live life without poverty for good.

Oxfam GB is a member of international confederation of 21 organisations working together with partners and local communities in the areas of humanitarian, development and campaigning, in more than 90 countries.

A thriving diverse Oxfam:

It’s people power that brings about change. To play our part as a global organisation working to overcome poverty and inequality, we need equality, diversity and inclusion across our community of staff, partners and volunteers. Together, we’re committed to becoming a more diverse workforce, better able to tackle the global challenges that face our world today.

To do that:

• We need to dismantle the unequal power structures that exist everywhere, this including Oxfam and the wider development and charity sectors.
• We need an inclusive Oxfam where everyone can bring who they are to our work and feels celebrated for the differences they bring.
• We want and need everyone, and that means we need you.