Emergency Area Program Manager at Danish Refugee Council (DRC)

Location: Mubi, Adamawa

Responsibilities
Multi-Sectorial / Rapid Needs Assessments:

• Monitor the humanitarian situation in the areas of operation and contribute to the prioritization of areas of intervention;
• Compile, review and disseminate multi-sectorial assessment reports internally and externally;
• Present summary results of multi-sectorial assessments during external coordination meetings as requested by the EC;
• Supervise the conduction of RA, MSA and RPA remotely and in the field, depending on security situation and needs;
• Oversee development and correct implementation of tools and methodologies for assessments;
• Suggest improvements to the tools and methodologies depending on context and field-testing.

Program Management:

• Ensure effective community engagement and safety analysis for responses according to needs identified in Food security, WASH,Shelter and NFIsand Protection while linking with other sectors in DRC (AVR/MRE, livelihoods and recovery);
• Ensure appropriate selection of beneficiaries or areas to be targeted following technical methodologies defined by Emergency Coordinator and Protection Coordinator and with the agreement/support of local communities.
• Ensure appropriate implementation of the activities in the four (4) sectors under his/her responsibility:
• Food Security: general food distribution and blanket supplementary feeding program.
• WASH: water points and sanitation facilities construction and operational maintenance, hygiene Kits’ distribution and hygiene promotion.
• Shelter and NFIs: distribution of NFIs kits, emergency shelter kits, shelter rehabilitation kits and transitional shelters construction.
• Protection: identification/referral/follow-up of cases with specific vulnerabilities, trainings on protection mainstreaming, community-based protection initiative.
• Manage all the relationships with supports teams at Mubi base level (M&E, Logistics, Procurement, HR and Finance) to ensure that the required means are available on time to implement activities following established workplan.
• Be the focal point for interacting with other programs/activities implemented at Mubi base level, (AVR, MRE, Livelihoods/recovery).
• Liaise with the Protection Coordinator, the Maiduguri WASH/Shelter-NFIs Manager and the Maiduguri Food Security Manager to get required technical inputs to match good quality standards for the respective activities under his/her responsibility.

General Management:

• Line manage national staff, conducting performance reviews, setting objectives and ensuring expected performance criteria are met;
• Adapt the team structure according to needs, resources and capacities if required, with support of Emergency Coordinator and Protection Coordinator.
• Develop job descriptions and recruit qualified staff (national);
• Ensure high quality project implementation in accordance with donor and DRC regulations as well as in line with agreed log frames/indicators, budgets, procurement plans, and work plans;
• Review BFUs regarding activities/projects under his/her responsibility and check the good budget allocation of the related costs.

Coordination:

• Attend any coordination meetings held at Mubi or Yola levels regarding the sector under his/her responsibility.
• Pro-actively coordinate with other NGOs working in areas of intervention covered by Mubi base, notably regarding context/needs follow-up and for joint/one-agency assessments and responses if any emergency situation should happen;
• Support field staff to develop contacts and coordinate closely with stakeholders including local authorities, security actors, community representatives and CBOs where relevant to establish supportive networks and channels of communication.

Safety, Access and Logistics:

• Work closely with the Safety Unit to share local contacts, to ensure appropriate security plans for field missions are in place, and to discuss support needs for new areas of intervention;
• Develop contact networks in area of operation for coordination on alerts, assessments and responses;
• Contribute to Access and Safety SOPs;
• Ensure logistics are regularly appraised of the needs and logistical requirements for activities’ implementation, and work closely with logistics and procurement colleagues to support timely and safe delivery of emergency activities.

Monitoring, Accountability and Reporting:

• Ensure that all activities are included in project M&E plans and supervise the implementation. Ensure key lessons learned are incorporated in new project proposals.
• Make recommendations to the Emergency Coordinator and the Protection Coordinator on improvement of response relevance, efficiency, appropriateness, timeliness and accountability
• Oversee the implementation of recommendations in order to ensure continuous improvement of interventions;
• Ensure correct application of accountability, protection and age, gender and diversity-related protocols during assessments and implementation of activities through training and updating of protocols and methodologies;
• Maintain close links with M&E units for the assessments and responses;
• Include the participation of beneficiaries and communities, particularly those most vulnerable or at-risk, in all stages of the project cycle where appropriate.

Education

• A University level degree in relevant subject or technical qualification in relevant sector.

Experience and Technical Competencies
Essential:

• Minimum 4 years of working experience in a humanitarian context and experience in complex emergencies and high-security environments
• Experience of access management in a high-security context, demonstrated ability to liaise with a variety of stakeholders in a professional and adaptive manner, including security actors and local authorities.
• Working experiences with at least 2 of the 4 sectors to be covered by the position (Food Security, WASH, Shelter & NFIs and Protection).
• Master degree in social sciences or in any of the technical sectors to be covered by this position (Food Security, WASH, Shelter & NFIs and Protection).
• Solid experience in staff management in a cross-cultural environment required
• Strong experience in conducting large scale distributions in remote locations with limited humanitarian presence
• Proven ability to build external relationships with diplomacy, tact and professionalism in a complex and demanding environment.
• Proficiency in common computer packages and financial software i.e. Word, Excel, Power point etc.
• Must show ability to work in an isolated and challenging environment.
• Strong reporting, report-writing and assessment skills.

Desirable:

• Previous working experience in Sahelian contexts.
• Previous working experience in similar emergency challenging context.
• Knowledge of local languages and culture
• Strong understanding of Nigerian context and local dynamics as well as conflict sensitivity and protection concerns.

Languages:

• Fluency in written and spoken English
• Desirable: Knowledge of local languages in NE Nigeria (Hausa, Kanuri, Fulani).