National Director at the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS)

The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) is an international Catholic organization with a mission to accompany, serve and advocate on behalf of refugees and other forcibly displaced persons. JRS undertakes services at national and regional levels with the support of an international office in Rome. Founded in November 1980 as a work of the Society of Jesus, JRS was officially registered on 19 March 2000 at the Vatican State as a foundation.

JRS programs are working in 51 countries and provide assistance to refugees in camps and cities, individuals displaced within their own countries, asylum seekers in cities, and to those held in detention centers. The main areas of work are in the field of education, emergency assistance, healthcare, livelihood activities and social services. At the end of 2016, more than 733,400 individuals were direct beneficiaries of JRS projects.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: National Director

Location: Nigeria

Main Responsibilities

• Under the supervision of the JRS Regional Director West Africa and the Great Lakes, the National Director directs and supports the work of JRS at the national level of the JRS operation in the country of intervention.
• General objective of the position:
• Make JRS-related staff and systems efficient and effective, and create a motivating, inclusive and productive working atmosphere.

Expected Results:

• Development, coordination, supervision, and capitalization of current and future projects according to the needs of the populations and funding opportunities;
• Represent JRS and strengthen professional relations with different religious communities and in particular the Jesuit community, civil authorities, international organizations, NGOs, UN agencies and other humanitarian actors;
• Improvement and optimization of the functioning of the coordination and continuity of JRS bases in the country of intervention;
• Ensure the execution of the fundraising strategy to ensure the financial stability of the operation;
• Support the Program Officer in managing the development of proposals and facilitate the implementation of the practical/logistical/administrative aspects of the interventions;
• Coordinate with all stakeholders at the security management level to ensure the safety and well-being of personnel.

Development, coordination, supervision, and capitalization of current and future projects according to the needs of the populations and funding opportunities:

• Coordinates the development, drafting and preparation of the documents necessary for the presentation of new projects (narrative and budget), with the support of the regional and international office;
• Supervises the preparation of narrative and financial reports, the implementation of internal audits and/or external evaluations in accordance with the deadlines set;
• Carries out field missions to supervise activities;
• With the support of the Program Manager of the national office, checks the updating of monitoring tools (indicators, activities, financial) in conjunction with the project managers;
• Measures the impact of projects on populations;
• Ensures proper compliance with donor procedures and contractual obligations, particularly with regard to procurement, human resources and accounting.

Represent JRS and strengthen professional relations with different religious communities and in particular the Jesuit community, civil authorities, international organizations, NGOs, UN agencies and other humanitarian actors:

• Represent JRS in meetings with the authorities or technical services of the State;
• Ensure the active participation of JRS in coordination meetings (clusters, general coordination);
• Maintain good relations with operational partners (national and international NGOs) and other humanitarian actors;
• Maintain good relations with the Jesuit community and the various religious communities;
• Ensure good communication and collaboration with all humanitarian and non-humanitarian partners;
• Intensify relations with donors, especially those with whom JRS does not currently work, and ensure the promotion of our actions in the field.

Improvement and optimization of the functioning of the coordination and continuity of JRS bases in the country of intervention:

• Accompany the team in the achievement of their annual objectives and in their professional development through continuous support;
• Supervise local and expatriate staff, and supervise all administrative, technical, financial and logistical functions in the countries with the support of the regional office;
• Serve as a model/example of good communication, information sharing and intense team collaboration, and ensure that the rest of the team follows the example;
• Be reassured of the sharing of information and the continuity of the functioning of the office by ensuring that all data is regularly updated in SharePoint;
• With the support of finance staff, oversee the economic and financial management of bases and all projects;
• Participate in the selection of personnel in collaboration with the Human Resources Officer of the national office and supervise the correct management of personnel;
• Carry out or supervise the evaluation of all staff to guide the renewal or not of contracts and to promote their professional development;
• Disseminate internal regulations, code of conduct, and other procedures to ensure the well-being of staff and our populations served.

Ensure the execution of the fundraising strategy to ensure the financial stability of the operation, support the Program Officer in his management of the development of proposals and facilitate the implementation of the sides practical/logistical/administrative interventions:

• Supervise the coordination of the process of presenting new projects (narrative and budget) with the support of the regional and international office;
• Raise funds for projects, through contacts with “local donors” (embassies, representations of international agencies, United Nations agencies);
• Supervise the preparation of narrative and financial reports, the implementation of internal audits and/or external evaluations in accordance with the deadlines set;
• Carry out field missions to monitor activities;
• With the support of the program manager and the regional office, check the updating of monitoring tools (indicators, activities, financial) in conjunction with the project managers;
• Measure the impact of projects on populations;
• Ensure proper compliance with donor procedures and contractual obligations, particularly with regard to procurement, human resources and accounting;
• Work on improving the logistical aspects to facilitate the timely implementation of activities (means of transport, means of communication, etc.).

Coordinate with all stakeholders in terms of security management to ensure the safety and well-being of personnel:

• Work on improving the logistical aspects for the safety of personnel (means of transport, means of communication, etc.);
• Ensure compliance and application of the SOPs and the security plan by all team members, starting with himself;
• Facilitate security capacity building for the entire team;
• Ensure JRS participation in security meetings (UNDSS, INSO) and inform the regional and international office of any change in the security context;
• Update the security plan, ensure its dissemination/understanding and its proper application by the teams;
• Inform the regional and international offices of any security incident at JRS bases, and follow the advice of the Chief Security Officer (Andy Brown).

The National Director is also responsible for any other task necessary for the proper and timely execution of the projects. A monthly report is to be sent to the Regional Director on the work carried out in the field.

Qualifications and Experience

• Higher education in Political Science, Development / Humanitarian Aid or equivalent;
• Experience of at least 3 years in a similar position and/or in the international cooperation sector;
• Experience in managing development and emergency projects;
• Excellent sense of organization, management and planning;
• Excellent computer skills and the main software;
• Perfect command of French and English (written and spoken);
• Knowledge of the Procedures of the main donors (EU, UNHCR, ECHO, UNICEF, BPRM, Other major donors.)
• Good reporting capacity;
• Good management and personnel management skills;
• Flexibility and ability to work in a difficult context, under pressure and in an often-uncomfortable environment;
• Ability to work in a team and in a multicultural context;
• Respect for the values and mission of JRS;
• Develop the sense of advocacy;
• Willingness and ability to travel in the field.

Application Closing Date
20th September, 2023.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Applications to: waf.recruitment@jrs.net and copy to: alberto.huertas@jrs.net and patrick.etamesor@jrs.net using the job title as the subject of the mail.

Note

• Female candidates are encouraged.
• Any request that does not scrupulously respect these conditions will be systematically rejected.
• Only successful candidates will be contacted for a test and/or interview in the event of an official job opening for this position in the region.
• Any file that is incomplete or sent beyond the deadline for receipt of files will be systematically rejected.