YEMEN – FIELD COORDINATOR (M/F) – AL MOKHA – WEST COAST

ABOUT THE MISSION

Desired start date: ASAP
Length of the mission: 1 year
Location: Yemen, Al Mokha

The mission has a forecasted budget of about 13M Euros for the year 2022. It operates from Aden, where the coordination is based, and 2 operational field bases located in Al Turbah and Al Mokha. The mission is composed of approx. 20 expatriates and about 120 national staffs. Objectives for the mission for 2022 is to build on its Emergency Response capacity to expand in hard to reach areas, and develop qualitative interventions responding to emergency and protracted needs, while enhancing resilience.

In Al Mokha, SI implements emergency and resilience WASH programs, funded by ECHO, CDCS, and SDC and Dutch MOFA. WASH activities entail water trucking, rehabilitation of water network, construction of emergency latrines and showers, distribution of hygiene kits, hygiene promotion, and cleaning campaigns; and a 3-years resilience project looking for more innovative, sustainable and resilience focus wash activities. Under its FSL portfolio, SI distributes unconditional, multi-purpose cash to IDPs.

SI has been one of the first humanitarian actors to access the West Coast, and remains as of today positioned in hard-to-reach areas close to the frontline of Hodeidah and Maqbanah. SI aims at maintaining this positioning and further expanding its presence. After a significant scale up in financial and operational volume on the West Coast in 2019, SI is expecting to maintain a similar portfolio in the area for 2022.

ABOUT THE JOB

Job description:

The Field Coordinator leads the base in Al Mokha (with sub-base in Al Khawkhah). In coordination with the Technical Coordinators and under the leadership of the Country Director, he/she develops the response strategy of the mission.

He/she supports and oversees the implementation of programs across the different areas of intervention.

He/she actively coordinates with humanitarian partners and the community to identify emergency needs, gaps in response, and proposes appropriate response as part of the mandate of SI.

With the support his/her team, he/she maintains close monitoring of the security situation in its areas of operation, and negotiates access to hard-to-reach areas with relevant stakeholders.

He/she oversees support department and ensure adherence to SI procedures.

Specific stakes and challenges:

• Volatile security context and access constraints
• Structuration of the base: Al Mokha base was opened late 2018, hence still in need of structuration (HR setup, inter-department work, compliance, etc.).
• Strategic orientations: the humanitarian context in the West Coast is slightly moving from pure emergency to protracted situation, with IDP facing long displacements, few pockets of emergency, necessity to tackle roots cause of needs, host community to be targeted with resilience approach, etc.

Priorities for the 2/3 first months

• Structure the base/reach target structure and related capacity building and compliance work
• Operationalization of SI strategy in the area / projects development
• Close security follow-up and pursue the access strategy

YOUR PROFILE

The applicant must have a strong experience in context mixing emergency programming and early recovery response, and in implementing or overseeing such projects in complex humanitarian environment.

Experience and skills

• Post-graduate with at least 5 years’ experience as humanitarian worker
• Previous experience as Field Coordinator a prerequisite
• Experience in security management in tensed context;
• Experience in implementing/supervision emergency project
• Good and proven writing and spoken English are required
• Knowledge of emergency and recovery programming
• Experience in delivering training and capacity building of staff;
• Knowledge of project cycle management, and project reporting
• Knowledge of Arabic and experience of the Yemen or Middle-eastern countries is an asset

SI WILL OFFER YOU

A salaried position
According to experience, starting from 2600 euros gross per month (+ 10% annual leave allowance paid monthly ie 2860 euros gross) and a monthly Per Diem of USD 750. SI also covers accommodation costs and travel expenses between the expatriate’s country of origin and the place of assignment.

Breaks: During the assignment, a system of alternation between work and time off is implemented at the rate of 7 working days every two months spent in the field.

Social and health cover
Expatriates benefit from an insurance package which refunds 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.

LIVING CONDITIONS:

The situation in Al Mokha city is relatively safe, but significant military presence of the coalition. Living conditions are good in a new guest-house/office building fully furnished with roof top and gym room, with internet, and electricity (with some cuts). There are currently other expatriates from 5+ other INGOS permanently based in Al Mokha. Field visits are possible for international staff if the security situation allows.

The coordination office in Aden is shared with the guesthouse (same building). Security rules in Aden are rather restrictive, with a curfew at 20.00 pm, extended to 22.00 pm in the area where most INGOs are located. Expatriates are allowed to go to the supermarket, to one gym, one restaurant, and two beaches (including one reachable by boat). Guesthouse is comfortable as per middle-east standards (large rooms with AC, good-standard bathrooms with running water). A gym and rest area have recently been built on the roof of the Guesthouse to improve expatriates’ living conditions.

SECURITY:

The security situation on the West Coast differs between Al Mokha, where SI Office/GH is located; and districts of Hodeidah governorates (beyond 1h drive from Al Mokha).

In Al Mokha, the situation is stable and calm due to heavy military presence from the coalition. Main risks in Al Mokha relate to landmines/UXO/IED presence (not in Al Mokha city, but in neighboring districts), celebratory fire, and/or cross-fire due to personal disputes. Criminality remains low in the city, owing to heavy military presence, while kidnapping is not considered a major threat in the area.

COVID 19 :

SI recommends vaccination against Covid-19, using WHO approved vaccines. If possible, the vaccination should be done before departure in order to reduce the logistical constraints once on the ground.