Country Director – Central African Republic – Central African Republic

Organization background

Founded in 2011, the International NGO Safety Organization (INSO) is an international non-governmental organization that supports humanitarian workers by establishing safety coordination platforms in insecure contexts. INSO provides registered NGOs with a range of free services, including real-time incident tracking, analytical reports, security data and maps, crisis management support, personal.

INSO provides daily support to over 1,000 NGOs operating in 16 of the world’s most dangerous countries.

INSO is headquartered in The Hague, the Netherlands, the international city of peace and justice.

INSO Central African Republic

INSO CAR opened in 2015 and currently supports 97 partners from a national office in Bangui and regional offices in Bosangoa and Bambari. The Central African Republic (CAR) consistently has one of the highest NGO incident rates of any country tracked by INSO.

If you are captivated by the challenge of translating strategic concepts into achievable practices in a challenging environment, this Country Director position is for you. This is an exciting and rewarding role with a high level of external representation and direct involvement in analysis and coordination services on humanitarian security and access.

Summary of work

You will provide direct leadership, coordination, representation, supervision and management of all country office staff and services and set the overall strategic framework. You will have strong NGO program and human resource management skills and be a natural and confident leader, communicator, consensus builder and networker. You will combine intelligence and analytical skills.

The CAR platform is well established, and your main challenges will be to maintain the continuity and quality of services while ensuring long-term development.

Although French is the working language, you must also be comfortable writing analytical reports in English.

Main tasks and responsibilities:

Program strategy and management

• Manage the Country Office team, including direct supervision of senior management and general oversight of program, operations and finance teams.
• Provide dedicated and effective leadership across the program and ensure cohesion across all functions.
• Develop overall strategy and provide annual program planning.
• Manage INSO resources efficiently and transparently in full compliance with internal and donor policies.
• Liaise with the regional director and the technical referents at the headquarters of each department.
• Responsible for the safety and security of staff, program and assets.

Representation and synergies

• Maintain and develop the organization’s reputation.
• Effectively represent and protect INSO’s principles of independence, impartiality and neutrality and promote INSO as a full member of the humanitarian community.
• Maintain donor engagement and actively track country-specific funding opportunities.
• Ensure compliance with donor regulations and requirements and produce compelling, high-quality donor proposals and reports that highlight INSO’s impact.
• Engage with third parties including local government, UN, diplomatic missions and international military forces.
• Participate in external coordination activities related to safety and security coordination and access.

Program support and monitoring

• Oversee the overall delivery of INSO services, ensuring program targets and objectives are met and quality is maintained
• Provide strategic analysis to senior humanitarian leadership.
• Lead crisis management support to individual NGO partners or the NGO community as a whole during critical incidents.

Mandatory requirements

Knowledge, skills and experience

Essential:

• Graduate degree or equivalent work experience.
• Fluency in French and English.
• 3-5 years of relevant work experience as an NGO Country Director or equivalent senior management experience in conflict/post-conflict settings.
• Experience in project management, donor liaison, reporting and compliance.
• Proven analytical skills.
• Solid understanding of the principles and practices of broader humanitarian action, NGO security and risk management, humanitarian access and civil-military coordination.
• Excellent networking, diplomacy and representative communication skills.

Good to have:

• Recent experience in the region.
• Direct experience and involvement in a crisis management role.
• Experience in an inter-agency role.
• Detailed understanding of INSO’s mandate and services.
• Previous INSO experience (as a member of a team, a member of the INSO National Advisory Board or as a beneficiary).

Personal qualities

• Ability to identify problems and find a solution.
• Excellent communication, organizational and management skills.
• Strong work ethic and ability to take responsibility for your actions.
• Ability to work under pressure.
• Confidentiality, integrity and ability to detect conflicts of interest.

INSO Safeguard Policy

INSO is fully committed to the safe recruitment, screening and vetting of all potential new staff, directors and volunteers and we will ensure strict adherence to our Code of Conduct and Safeguard Policy throughout the recruitment process.

Terms and conditions:

Twelve month contract, salary of €5,500 per month, 4 calendar days of annual leave per month and 7 days of R&R every 2 months with an R&R allowance of €1,250 per cycle, global medical coverage (outside the United States ) and AD&D coverage.