Humanitarian Response Team Leader at Save the Children Nigeria

Save the Children is the world's leading independent organisation for children. We work in 120 countries. We save children's lives; we fight for their rights; we help them fulfill their potential. We work together, with our partners, to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Humanitarian Response Team Leader

Location: Maiduguri
Contract length: 12 months with possible extension

The Role

• The Humanitarian Response Team Leader will generally be deployed to manage a Category 1 or 2 response, and to provide response oversight and strategic direction to the country programme in collaboration with the Country Director and the Director for Humanitarian Programme.
• The Humanitarian Response Team Leader is responsible for identifying needs and resources and elaborating programmatic, operational, strategic and leadership recommendations for the emergency response in line with Save the Children's local, national and global priorities.
• The post-holder will develop and manage programmes or country support functions and negotiate and network at the State, national and international level.
• They will ensure that all relevant Save the Children policies and procedures with respect to child safeguarding, safety and security, code of conduct, equal opportunities and other relevant policies are in place.
• The post holder will play a leading role in the effective scale up and management of Save the Children emergency programmes to increase impact and enable positive change for children.
• Save the Children in Nigeria has experienced a rapid scale up of its humanitarian response from 6 to 17 million USD over the past two years. The response is focused on the northeast of Nigeria which is experience a massive humanitarian crisis due to the insurgency and counter-insurgency operations. The Save the Children humanitarian response in the northeast focuses on sectors like: FSL, nutrition, education, WASH and child protection.

Key Areas of Responsibilities

• Assume overall oversight of the regional, Category 2 emergency response in northeast Nigeria, in collaboration with the Director for Humanitarian Programme, the Country Director and other relevant CO SMT members
• Ensuring strict compliance of programme activities with Save the Children national and global policies and procedures and with relevant donor regulations and agreements, SPHERE guidelines and the NGO code of conduct.
• In coordination with the Director for Humanitarian Programme, lead on the State level strategic planning for the humanitarian response to ensure an effective emergency response in all of its phases of delivery
• In collaboration with the Director for Humanitarian Programme, have oversight over the development of relevant master budgets, aligned with the Response Strategy objectives, for the duration of the response and for multiple sites and multiple sectors where appropriate. S/he will take overall leadership on the implementation of the Response relevant national level budgets, while keeping relevant stakeholders informed and ensuring any corrective actions are taken where required.
• In coordination with the Deputy Team Leader- Programme and other relevant (E)SMT level members from both the Field and CO teams, s/he will ensure the preparation of a timely programme delivery and submitting the donor reports on project activities in compliance with internal SCI requirements and any relevant external donor requirements.
• Submit weekly field reports to the Director of Humanitarian Programme
• Ensuring that the relevant project monitoring plans and systems for identifying and tracking the indicators and develop processes/procedures and forms to support monitoring and inform learning are established and implemented.
• Ensure optimal safety and security management procedures and practices are in place for the emergency response programme and continually monitor the safety and security situation, adapting staff safety and security procedures accordingly in collaboration and cooperation with the Borno based Safety and Security Coordinator and the Country Security Manager
• Oversee effective functioning of logistics systems to procure, store and distribute stock, supplies and services for the timely delivery of project objectives at national level
• Ensure strong accountability to beneficiaries
• Plan, identify and resource appropriate and effective structure & staffing needs for entire response; In liaison with the Director for Humanitarian Programme and the HR Director ensuring that personnel policies are in accordance with national laws)
• Oversee the development & implementation of staff well-being (policy) and ensure appropriate staff well-being and R&R policy and processes in place

Qualifications and Experience

• Extensive experience (5 years +) with an iNGO of working within a senior management role and within a complex country programme in an emergency response or fragile state setting; and/or extensive experience of setting up responses in out of area contexts
• Previous experience of managing programme teams in large-scale/complex, first or second phase emergency response is essential
• Proven understanding of the complexities of humanitarian action within a civil conflict setting (humanitarian principles; do no harm; protection of civilians; IHL and other legal frameworks that apply)
• Degree or equivalent field experience
• Senior management experience of leading a diverse, multi-function and/or multi-sector team at a Country Director or other relevant SMT level.
• Experience of managing multi-donor, multi-site programmes (including ECHO, DFID and OFDA) of USD 5m+ in a first phase response at regional or country level
• Multi-site security management in insecure environments
• Experience of international level representation with key stakeholders, and co-ordination with other iNGOs/UN, local civil society and government stakeholders (HCT, Cluster or Working Group meetings, community engagement etc)
• Experience of international media representation and advocacy
• Experience of M&E and beneficiary accountability systems in large complex programmes
• Experience of developing and negotiating successful partnerships with institutional donors
• Proven ability to influence change at an operational and strategic level
• Politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience, tact and diplomacy
• A high level of written and spoken English
• The capacity and willingness to be extremely flexible and accommodating in difficult and sometimes insecure working circumstances.
• Commitment to the aims and principles of SC. In particular, a good understanding of the SC mandate and child focus and an ability to ensure this continues to underpin our support
• Previous experience with Save the Children in a humanitarian response programme
• Previous experience in northeast Nigeria or the Lake Chad Basin
• Knowledge of Hausa or Kanuri

Application Closing Date

Note

• Please apply in English or French using your CV and covering letter as a single document, including your salary expectations for this role.
• Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.