Area Manager at Danish Refugee Council (DRC)

Danish Refugee Council, one of the world’s leading humanitarian NGOs, is currently looking for a highly qualified Area Manager to be responsible for  the coordination, management, development, and representation of DRC programming in Adamawa State, Nigeria.

Danish Refugee Council (DRC), and its Humanitarian Disarmament and Peacebuilding technical unit - the Danish Demining Group (DDG), has had an operational presence in Nigeria since 2015. DRC Nigeria is the largest DRC country mission in the West Africa region and one of the largest DRC country missions globally. Currently, DRC delivers life-saving assistance and protection to vulnerable, conflict-affected populations including internally displaced persons, returnees, and host communities in the areas of armed violence reduction, humanitarian mine action, livelihoods, nutrition and food security, protection, shelter, and non-food items (NFI) and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in 30+ Local Government Areas (LGAs) across Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states in northeast Nigeria.

We are recruiting to fill the position of:

Job Title: Area Manager

Location: Mubi, Adamawa (Non-family Duty Station)
Employment Period: 12 months
Type of contract: Expatriate contract
Contract length: 1 year with the possibility of extension
Level: E
Start Date: As soon as possible

About the Job

• The Area Manager will be responsible for compliance to DRC policies and procedures. S/he shall be responsible for the planning and implementation of safety procedures/protocols within the assigned area & ensure the safety of all staff and assets.
• As DRC’s primary representative and line manager of all staff in the area, the Area Manager (AM) is responsible for the coordination, management, development, and representation of DRC programming in the area.
• S/he will oversee program implementation according to DRC strategies in the area and ensure that operations are implemented within DRC’s regulations, procedures, guidelines and strategy; enable a productive and accountable relationship with beneficiaries, communities’ leaders/representatives, relevant governmental authorities, donors, national and International NGOs and UN Agencies.
• The position requires a high degree of responsibility, flexibility and understanding of complex organisational charts including horizontal liaising among different senior managers.  S/he reports to the DRC Country Director.

Your Main Duties and Responsibilities will be:
Management:

• Provide, together with Head of Programmes DRC and DDG, coordination and integration of DRC activities in the area including, but not limited, to protection, emergency response, food security/livelihoods and WASH.
• Direct line management of the non-programme staff (HR, Finance, Logistics & Procurement, and Safety) based in Adamawa State, including recruitment, coaching, capacity building and ensuring interdepartmental co-ordination.
• Liaise and closely coordinate with the Senior Management Team members.
• Encourage a positive, innovative, and mutually supportive team spirit amongst the Adamawa State team

Representation:

• Act as the main DRC representative in Adamawa State and attend all relevant forums/meetings including active participation in the Humanitarian Regional Team (HRT) with the objective to strengthen DRC’s position in the area.
• Develop, implement, and regularly revise a DRC engagement strategy and acceptance in the area.
• Responsible for building and maintaining good relations with key stakeholders including: Local Authorities, UN/INGOs, Clusters

Safety and Security:

• Ensure adherence to security procedures and monitoring developments in the security situation.
• Actively support the country safety department to develop and regularly update the local security plan for his/her area of responsibility.
• Be a member of and/or actively support the Crisis Management Team as required and if requested.
• Develop and maintain a security focal persons' network in his/her area of responsibility.

Finance and Administration:

• Provide budget monitoring of assigned budgets, financial control in compliance with DRC country office requirements and as per the Operations Handbook.
• Ensure necessary systems in procurement are followed according to DRC Operations Handbook for all projects in the state.

Reporting:

• Ensure compliance with internal reporting requirements and participate in the DRC internal coordination mechanisms as required.

Accountability:

• Guided by the DRC Programme Handbook, continuously monitor and suggest relevant accountability initiatives in the field as well as strengthen the effort to document the impact of DRC activities in the area.

About You
To be successful in this role we expect you to possess the following:

Required Qualifications:

• University degree in international relations, management, human rights, social science or related field;
• Minimum 5 years professional work experience within international humanitarian/development work
• Good understanding of displacement issues of both internally displaced and refugees and related international standards/frameworks
• Solid project management experience
• Extensive experience in representation and networking
• Excellent negotiation, advocacy, and communication skills
• Professional fluency in written and spoken English.
• Familiarity with EU-ECHO, DFID, UN, and US donor guidelines 

Required Skills & Qualities:

• Mature judgment combined with a proactive, resourceful, and energetic approach to problem solving.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; and strong organizational and time management skills
• A team player and self-starter able to inspire and influence action.
• Ability to handle confidential and politically sensitive issues in a responsible and mature manner.
• Proven ability to work effectively under minimum supervision.
• Demonstrated behavior of professional and personal ethics.
• Willingness to undertake regular field visits and interact with different stakeholders.
• Basic computer skills and experience in use of applications such as Microsoft Office
• Ability to coordinate different stakeholders in a complex work environment.

Desired:

• Experience or knowledge of the NE Nigerian context
• Previous experience of working in insecure locations.
• Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to establish effective working relations with local staff and other stakeholders.
• Excellent analytical and strategic skills

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: Upholding and promoting the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation to DRC’s values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.

As well as follow the general regulations:

• The employee shall follow DRC instructions on safety, confidentiality, and ethical guidelines, including the Code of Conduct and the Humanitarian Accountability Framework
• Employee should not engage in any other paid activity during the DRC contract period without prior authorization.
• Employee should not engage in any activity that could harm DRC or the implementation of any project during the DRC contract period.
• Employee should not give interviews to the media or publish project-related photos or other material without prior authorization.
• Employee shall return all borrowed equipment for the project to DRC after the end of the contract period or upon request.

We Offer

• Salary and conditions will be in accordance with Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for Expatriates; please refer to drc.ngo under Vacancies. Applicants must be aware that DRC cannot employ, under an expatriate contract, a citizen of the country in which she/ he is going to be stationed (in such case, the Republic of Nigeria).

Application Closing Date
22nd February, 2021.