Country Director at Solidarites International

Location: 50% Abuja, 50% Maiduguri
Desired start date: 01/03/2018
Duration of the mission: 12 months renewable

About the Mission

• Solidarites International opened the Nigeria mission over the 2016 summer. Starting with a single project, this mission has quickly expanded and SI is now a major WASH and shelter actor in the Borno State. After fast growth it is not the time for the mission to settle and be structured in depth.
• The current political and military crisis has affected millions of lives in the area and SI is answering the targeted needs of displaced populations and host communities in Maiduguri suburbs, but also is IDPs camps and host communities in Borno State. The targeted areas of intervention are WASH (wide range of activities), shelter and logistics.

Here are the key numbers and information about the mission:

• Number of bases: 4 (Maiduguri, Dikwa, Monguno, Ngala)
• Number of coordination bases: 1 in Maiduguri (The mission also has a liaison office in Abuja)
• Number of expatriates: 22
• Number of national staffs: 120
• Budget: 7 million Euro
• Budget forecast for 2018: 7,5 million Euro

Type and content of program currently running:

• Multi-sectorial WASH and FSL project funded by EuropeAid (3 Three years) in consortium (leaded by ALIMA) - - started in January 2018 in Monguno, Ngala, Askira and Hawul
• Logistic Platform funded by WFP Monguno
• Emergency WASH et Shelter response funded by OFDA - Maiduguri, Monguno, Dikwa, Ngala
• WASH funded by CDC - Ngala
• Emergency WASH inHealth funded by ECHO- in partnership with ALIMA (leaded by SI) in Maiduguri and Monguno
• Emergency WASH funded by ECHO - Maiduguri, Monguno and Dikwa

New additional projects are being validated by donors for 2018:

• Multi-sectorial Health-Nutrition-WASH-Shelter-FSL-Protection project funded by ECHO (1 year) in partnership with PUI, ACTED, INTERSOS and TDH (leaded by ACTED) in Monguno/Kukawa and Maiduguri
• Emergency WASH in Health project funded by ECHO in partnership with ALIMA (leaded by SI) in Maiduguri and Monguno/Kukawa

Key Points

• This mission if young but rather strong and has potential to continue developing relevant and mandate-based interventions to cover the humanitarian needs in the area and to ensure a real humanitarian impact.
• The teams are well staffed with very diverse profiles (half former SI, large part of former national staffs from several SI missions, various backgrounds and technicalities). Only one position remains to be filled at the moment (Field Co Ngala).
• Overall the atmosphere is very good, people get along and there should be no hidden conflict to deal with.

About the Job
The Main Challenges of the position are:
Specific stakes and challenges:

• Structuration and strengthening of the mission: The mission is rather young (summer 2016) and has grown very rapidly, it is reaching a moment where it needs to be structured and strengthen to ensure a serene continuous evolution. This process is currently ongoing, but needs to be continued.
• Security management: strong improvements have been made during the last months in terms of security management and context follow-up & analysis. However, with 4 bases and a presence in volatile areas (level 4 of security in Monguno, Dikwa and Ngala), these efforts are to be pursued.
• Partnerships and representation: the mission is working in partnership with various partners within 3 consortia (2 with ALIMA, 1 with PUI, ACTED, REACH, INTERSOS, TDH). The governance / the management of these consortiums must be closely monitored and improved. A regular participation in coordination meetings (Abuja and Maiduguri) must also be ensured.
• Roles and responsibilities: A key management point is that in Maiduguri are located both an operational base and most of the coordination team. It will be important to ensure that communication schemes are in place and that there is no confusion between base and coordination (decision making, roles and responsibilities).
• Conflict management: Globally the atmosphere is rather pleasant and people get along very well: no ongoing conflict on this mission to deal with.
• National HR: the nationalization of several expatriates’ position is ongoing and will have to be monitored by HR Co with CD backup

Priorities for the 2/3 first months:

• Supervision of the 2018 programs launching, in link with the Deputy Country Director for programs;
• Improvement and development of the governance/management of the existing partnerships with other humanitarian actors (ALIMA, PUI-ACTED-REACH-INTERSOS-TDH);
• Implementation of the mission access strategy;
• Implementation and follow-up of the recommendations made after the mission internal and external audits carried out by the end of 2017;
• Development of a regional strategy, in link with SI’s office/platform in Dakar;
• Implementation of a communication/testimony collection strategy at mission level

Living Conditions:

• Life in Abuja is rather comfortable. In Maiduguri the base offers a comfortable environment, in spite of limited movements outside of the compound for security reasons.

Your Profile

• Extensive experience at a similar position
• Strong capacities in management
• Strong leadership, capacity to inspire and bring together various profiles
• Good capacity to analyze the context and identify humanitarian trends
• Strong workload resistance
• Strong background in security management (access + critical incident management)
• Understanding of projects and programs stakes (experience in WASH and or emergency is an asset)
• Previous experience in managing a consortium and strong partnerships with other NGOs (MoUs, negotiations, governance…)
• Experience in structuring a young mission with a fast growing pace.

SI will Offer You
A salaried post:
According to experience from 3000 euros gross per month, plus 10% annual leave allowance paid monthly.