Country Director

Contract

This is a DRC - Expatriate or National contract. More about DRC - Expatriate or National contracts.

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a leading protection agency with a mandate is to promote and protect durable solutions to conflict and displacement affected populations on the basis of humanitarian principles and human rights. DRC is implementing a multi-sector response to support Ukraine refugees, IDPs and host populations both within Ukraine and in the neighboring countries of Poland, Romania and Moldova and wider Europe.

DRC has been operating in Ukraine since 2014, following previous operations in the 1990’s and between 2007-2013. Over the years, DRC successfully maintained its presence in the government-controlled areas (GCA) and adapted its programmes to provide early recovery and durable solutions to people affected by the conflict (IDPs and communities living along the contact line), as well as reduce the threats of explosive ordnance with a growing humanitarian mine action programme.

Due to the ongoing conflict that began in Feb 22, Ukraine is experiencing one of the largest humanitarian crises in Europe since World War II. Currently, there is an estimated 6.3 million displaced people who have crossed international borders and 8 million internally displaced people. DRC has operational offices in Lviv and Chernivtsi in Western Ukraine, Dnipro in eastern Ukraine, and explosive ordnance clearance operations in Chernihiv oblast, and a planned base in Kyivska oblast. The country office is in the process of moving back to Kyiv.

DRC currently employs over 250 staff in Ukraine and will continue significant scale-up in 2022 to implement emergency response in the Protection, Livelihoods, Shelter/NFIs and Humanitarian Disarmament and Peacebuilding (humanitarian mine action) sectors, using direct interventions, support to duty bearers and civil society organizations (CSOs), and partnerships with CSOs. DRC will continue and adapt its durable solutions portfolio to the evolving context.

About the job

The Country Director’s prime objectives will be to provide leadership and strategic management to implement DRC’s emergency response while continuing the consolidation of the with a view to position DRC as the leading INGO in Ukraine on protection and support of displaced populations and the promotion of Durable Solutions, oversee the strengthening of DRC’s programme development, quality and accountability framework and be a proactive partner in the wider regional strategic and programme development processes.

Your main duties and responsibilities will be:

**Direct managerial oversight and support****: Ensure that the SMT and PMs have clear and realistic performance-based management goals. Tasks include:

• Direct line management of SMT, Area Managers, and country wide programme support team
• Support AMs to establish good management support for their teams
• Provide on-going support and coaching, and ensure that staff has the necessary capacity to fulfil their responsibilities

**Programme Strategy****: To develop and update the Ukraine programme strategies and linkages with Ukrainian refugee hosting countries within DRC overall regional and global strategic frameworks. Tasks include:

• Keeping abreast key conflict and displacement trends in the region that could impact the country;
• Identifying key developments and trends in refugee response in countries and position the organisation to best deal with these
• Leading a consultative process for local strategy development,
• Leading the Ukraine annual programme portfolio analyses and review process
• Playing a key role in fundraising and donor contract management.

**Quality and Accountability****: To be responsible for ensuring that programmes comply with the organisational quality and accountability commitments. Tasks include:

• Ensure that the Operations and Programme Handbooks are utilized throughout all offices,
• Lead process of developing and updating the local Humanitarian Accountability Framework and Quality Management System,
• Promote accountability concepts and practices.

**Safety and Security****: To hold overall responsibility for ensuring that Ukraine programmes are delivered in a safe and secure manner. Tasks include:

• Working with DRC’s Regional Security Advisor and Ukraine safety team to ensure that all security management protocols and procedures are updated, made locally relevant and applied consistently,
• To be overall responsible for ensuring security analyses is being done collectively and regularly,
• Ensuring compliance with risk mitigation against corruption, fraud and diversion.

**Representation, Coordination and Stakeholder management****: To ensure that DRC maintains excellent and productive relations with all key stakeholders, especially beneficiaries, local authorities, the humanitarian community and donors. Tasks include:

• Representing DRC at relevant and senior forums/ meetings,
• Ensuring other staff are appropriately representing DRC at relevant forums/ meetings,
• Maintaining agreed profile of DRC at country level,

• Conducting regular stakeholder analyses to ensure that DRC has good understanding of dynamics/ relationships,

• Engaging in, and where effective, leading coordination processes amongst key stakeholders.

**Advocacy and communication****: To lead the Ukraine advocacy in all DRC key messages including:

• In collaboration with Country and Regional Advocacy experts, prepare and implement an advocacy and communication strategy,
• Guiding staff to advocate clearly, appropriately and strategically.

**Financial accountability****: Ensure that the different programmes deliver financial accountability. Tasks include:

• Playing an active and coordinating role in linking finance teams with the regional finance teams, and financial management itself,
• Ensuring that financial systems are followed by FOs and that financial reports submitted are accurate,
• Ensuring the finance and programme teams have a productive engagement.

About you

Required

• University degree in relevant field; Master’s degree preferred
• At least 7 years’ management experience, as head or senior member of humanitarian programme/organisation;
• Demonstrated experienced with conflict related displacement issues
• Good communicator and proven diplomacy with all types of stakeholders
• Proven commitment to accountable practices and knowledgeable of quality assurance systems
• Hands on experience in managing staff in insecure and remote locations with strong human resource management skills in general.
• Experience of managing budgets and multiple donor contracts
• Demonstrated experience in donor contact, fundraising and networking
• Fluency in English (speaking, writing, reading) is essential

Desired

• Demonstrated experience in complex crisis, experience in Ukraine is beneficial
• Fluency in relevant national languages beneficial

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’ five core competencies:

Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process.

Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback.

Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation.

Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly.

Demonstrating integrity: You uphold and promote the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation to our values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.

We offer

Contract length: 24 months

Band: D

Designation of Duty Station: Kyiv with frequent travel to field locations l Non-family Duty Station

Start date: 01 September

Salary and other conditions are offered in accordance with DRC’s Terms of Employment for international staff or DRC National Staff salary scale; please refer to drc.ngo under Vacancies. For questions regarding the vacancy please contact Heather Amstutz Ferrao at heather.amstutz@drc.ngo. A****pplications sent by email will not be considered.

Application process

All applicants must upload a cover letter and an updated CV (no longer than four pages) in English. A****pplications sent by email will not be considered.

Closing date for applications: 26 June

Please note that applications will be reviewed continuously and interviews will be planned as soon as a suitable candidate is identified - so early submission of applications is encouraged. DRC remains a right to close the vacancy once a suitable candidate is identified.

For further information about the Danish Refugee Council, please consult our website drc.ngo.