Country Manager at British Red Cross

Role reference: REQ0000020HV
Job Level: Grade 6
Directorate: International
Contract: 2 year fixed term
Reports to: Head of Region, West and Central Africa & Overseas Branches      

Scale and Scope of Role

• Direct reports: None at this stage, but potential management of officers and assistants Indirect report Matrix management of technical advisers and business partners
• Budgetary responsibility / accountability Up to £500,000 a year Accountability for other resources       

Reach and impact

• Work with the Nigerian Red Cross Society and possible other partner National Societies to understand organisational needs, assess the potential for BRC support, and contribute to the development of the capacity of National Societies to act.
• Work with the Nigerian Red Cross Society and possible other partner National Societies to provide assistance to respond to crises and build the resilience of vulnerable communities in the assigned countries.
• Lead BRC’s disaster and crisis response support for National Societies within the Lake Chad sub-region.
• Build and manage relationships with other stakeholders within the Lake Chad sub-region including other partner Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies providing support, institutional donors and diplomatic representations.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of the West & Central Africa regional strategy as a member of the regional management team.
• Strategically plan for and oversee the work of technical advisors and other specialist colleagues in order to ensure the technical quality of all programme delivery and support to partners.
• Work with Movement partners, including the IFRC, the ICRC, and
• National Societies to ensure effective coordination of support, review and learning mechanisms.

Context

• The British Red Cross helps millions of people in the UK and around the world to prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies, disasters and conflicts.
• Our volunteers and staff help people in crisis to live independently by providing support at home, mobility aids and transport. We also teach first aid skills.
• We are part of the global Red Cross and Red Crescent humanitarian network. We refuse to ignore people in crisis.
• Our principles and values
• Our values (compassionate, courageous, inclusive and dynamic) underpin everything we do. As a member of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the British Red Cross is committed to, and bound by, its fundamental principles: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality.

Directorate overview

• The role of Country Manager for Nigeria sits within the International Directorate.
• The international work of BRC is managed by an International Directorate of more than hundred and fifty people based in the organisation’s UK Office in London and by staff employed overseas supporting BRC funded programmes and partnerships across the Middle East, Asia and African Continents.
• Our International Directorate works in partnership with the wider Red Cross Red Crescent family: with some of the 191 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies around the globe, the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
• The International Directorate achieves its objective of responding to vulnerable people in times of crisis through; preparedness and capacity building of local communities and national societies; emergency response through supporting regional and international response tools to sudden onset, cyclical and slow onset emergencies around the world; we support affected communities to recover after a crisis and we support in finding sustainable local solutions to reduce risks.

Purpose of the Role

• The British Red Cross is finalising the review of its international strategy and has identified five areas of focus where there is an urgent need to accelerate the scale and quality of Red Cross Red Crescent work to meet growing and evolving humanitarian needs.
• It is in these five areas that the BRC will prioritise resource allocation and partnership: People on the Move, Chronic Hunger, Protracted Conflict, Cash Based Assistance, Community Engagement and Accountability.
• areas are integral components of our on-going core business of disaster preparedness and response in partnership within the RCRC Movement.
• The strategic direction for the West and Central Africa (WCA) region aims to contribute to the goal of increasing the resilience of vulnerable populations and reducing the impact of their vulnerabilities in situations of conflict, displacement and disasters.
• Nigeria is one of the WCA team’s key institutional partnerships. BRC has chosen a twin-tracked approach in Nigeria: supporting the emergency response in the North East through support to the ICRC (and ad hoc targeted support to IFRC when relevant) while also supporting the development of the Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS) for sustainability and to ensure national ownership of humanitarian action in country.
• BRC reinitiated contact with NRCS in 2015 and started re-engaging in Nigeria in 2017 through targeted NSD support with funds channelled through ICRC.
• Nigeria is a strategic context for BRC’s partnership with ICRC and revolves around cash, livelihoods and logistics BRC’s key technical expertise areas.
• The purpose of the Nigeria Country Manager role is to lead on the continued development, implementation and ongoing review of the BRC strategy in Nigeria and the crisis affected areas of the Lake Chad sub-region in line with the International Directorate Strategy.
• The Country Manager for Nigeria is the primary focal point for BRC’s programmes and partnerships in Nigeria and the Lake Chad sub-region, within which there is a strong likelihood that there will be a particular focus on Cameroon.
• The Country Manager (CM) will coordinate with all internal BRC stakeholders, relevant counterparts from the Nigeria Red Cross Society (NRCS), the ICRC and the IFRC at HQ and country levels, as well as with external actors to the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement (RCRCM) within the humanitarian sector. They will particularly focus on the partnership development with the ICRC in priority in the Nigeria and the Lake Chad sub-region but the remit could expand beyond to cover the Central Africa sub-region as well.
• The Country Manager will ensure that BRC’s funds and resources are used to achieve maximum impact on the lives of vulnerable people across the 4 countries affected by the Lake Chad crisis. They will develop and maintain BRC’s relationships and partnerships at bilateral and multilateral levels with a particular attention to the development of the bilateral partnership with the Nigeria Red Cross Society.

Main Responsibilities
Organisational strategy and development:

• Ensure regional and country programmes and operations contribute to achieving the BRC International Strategy.
• Lead on the implementation of the country plan for Nigeria and regional initiatives for the Lake Chad sub-region as stipulated in the Regional Action Plan.
• Monitoring of progress against the Regional Action Plan and the Regional MEAL framework.
• Lead on annual review of relevant parts of the Regional Action Plan such as the Country Plan for Nigeria and the Lake Chad sub-region, as well as the Strategic Operating Framework setting BRC’s intentions and priorities for its response to the Lake Chad crisis.
• Participate in BRC strategy reviews at regional and global level as appropriate.

Internal and External relations:

• In close coordination with BRC’s Sahel representative, act as BRC’s focal person for internal and external relationships across the Lake Chad region, with particular focus on Nigeria and Cameroon, at both UK and country levels.
• Ensure a good working relationship with the UK-based actors involved in the Lake Chad Crisis, including leading on the relationship with DFID (in collaboration with the DFID team), the Sahel NGOs working group, the Nigeria All-Party Parliamentary Group etc.
• Manage and further develop BRC’s relationship with field-based counterparts from and outside the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement
• Represent the BRC in relevant RCRCM meetings, inter-agency coordination meetings and corporate and donor meetings.
• Continue the awareness raising and advocacy work, aiming to raise the profile of the Lake Chad crisis as a ‘Silent Emergency’ in the UK, through close collaboration with the communications and fundraising division and the Humanitarian Policy team.

Partnerships with the RCRCM in Nigeria and across the region:

• This role is based in Nigeria and will start with the scoping for and set up of a BRC decentralized office in Abuja under the umbrella of the ICRC with an opportunity to embed BRC’s office into the NRCS.
• The Country Manager for Nigeria will begin in the role by focusing on developing the BRC’s growing relationship with Nigeria RC, as well as expanding continuing relationships within the Lake Chad sub-region, likely including Cameroon. The Country Manager will be responsible for scoping new countries in their remit area and potentially further developing partnerships in the sub-region.
• To achieve this, it will be critical for the Country Manager to develop strong relationships with key actors as follows:
• With the Nigeria Red Cross Society (NRCS)
• Lead on the development of the bilateral partnership between NRCS and the BRC: building and monitoring of the roadmap to bilateral partnership, including defining and monitoring milestones and indicators, in close collaboration with BRC’s Partnership and NSD adviser
• Coordination of all technical and financial support provided to the NRCS in the National Society Development area through the ICRC and directly if/when a bilateral partnership is developed.
• Review and follow-up on any other requests for support from NRCS
• Assess opportunities to engage in an ambitious long-term bilateral cooperation with NRCS including the identification of priority programmatic and geographic areas and fundraising opportunities at UK and regional levels.

With the ICRC:

• Manage BRC’s relationship with the ICRC in Nigeria and in the Lake Chad sub-region both at country and headquarters levels
• Lead on the follow-up and review of BRC-ICRC MoU for Nigeria and Lake Chad
• Manage the decision making process regarding ICRC staffing requests for the region and liaise with HR and technical teams to ensure that approved requests are processed in the best effective way in the required timeframe
• Sit in recruitment panels for ICRC delegates deployed to the Lake Chad region
• Coordinate with the ICRC National Society Development (NSD) delegate and Cooperation Coordinator to ensure appropriate use of BRC contribution to Nigeria Red Cross NSD programmes
• Coordinate with ICRC and BRC technical advisers and business partners, and other relevant actors, to ensure the best use of BRC targeted technical support to NSD programmes
• Coordinate the development of the Grant Agreement Documents (GADs) between BRC and ICRC
• Supervise BRC and ICRC’s compliance to GAD requirements including timely fund transfers to the ICRC and reporting requirements to the BRC
• Work closely with the BRC Cash and Markets team to coordinate technical support to the ICRC, in particular with regards to the cash preparedness programme in Nigeria
• Lead on the review of BRC-ICRC partnerships in protracted conflict contexts in the sub-region (Nigeria, Cameroon, CAR, DRC etc) – and liaise with BRC’s country managers engaged in similar contexts and partnership with ICRCwith the aim to develop innovative ways of working and to maximise the impact of BRC’s contributions to and trough the ICRC specifically in the area of NSD, cash and Sexual Violence.

Red Cross Red Crescent Movement cooperation:

• In Nigeria, lead BRC’s participation to the Movement Coordination Agreement (MCA) , more particularly sit in the technical committees such as the NSD committee
• In Nigeria, liaise with any other Partner National Society working with the NRCS bilaterally or multilaterally, and particularly with the Norwegian RC, to ensure maximum coordination and efficiency of BRC’s support
• Liaise with the IFRC, the ICRC and the other PNS involved in the humanitarian response to the Lake Chad crisis; this includes participating in the various Movement coordination meetings at regional and international levels (including via virtual communication)
• Play an active role in encouraging improved coordination between Movement actors and external stakeholders for cash based interventions in Nigeria and the Lake Chad region

Programme and financial management:

• Support the delivery and expansion of current programmes and partnerships within the region, with particular focus on growing partnerships and programmes with the Nigeria RC, and potentially expanding current Lake Chad sub-regional support in Cameroon.
• Ensure sound financial management of the budgets and resources allocated to the region, including compliance with BRC financial management procedures. Ensure that BRC’s processes and procedures are respected and that donor requirements are met at all stages of the project cycle management according to BRC’s International Management Methodology and Programme Cycle Methodology
• Ensure appropriate risk management through the monitoring of risk registers for all agreed programmes / partnerships.
• Liaise with the fundraising department to ensure appropriate resourcing for programmes in the region and lead on the development of project proposals to be submitted to donors when relevant

Disaster management:

• Lead on the day to day monitoring of the humanitarian context within the region and adapt programmes as appropriate.
• Lead on the day to day monitoring of the security in the region and ensure all security minimum requirements are in place during BRC visits in the targeted countries, in collaboration with colleagues from BRC Security Team, the WCA Disaster Management Coordinator, and ICRC, IFRC and National Society partners.
• With the support of the team’s Disaster Management Coordinator, act as response lead to coordinate BRC’s support for disaster and crisis response activities across the region, including coordinating BRC involvement in ICRC/IFRC appeals for the Lake Chad Sub-region as appropriate.

People management:

• No direct line management at the moment but the Country Manager could be required to line manage officers and administrative assistants in the future.
• Matrix management of relevant advisers involved in programmes in Nigeria and the Lake Chad sub-region.

Person Specification
Requirement:

Evidenced obtained through Shortlisting (S) Interview (I) or Assessment (A):
Knowledge/Essential:

• Relevant postgraduate Degree or equivalent work experience - S
• Current knowledge of the international and/or development issues - S
• Knowledge of the context, challenges and opportunities within the West and Central Africa region, including the Lake Chad sub-region - S, I
• Strong understanding of programme design, quality programming and effective delivery - S, I, A

Desirable:

• Knowledge of/experience working with the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. - S, I
• Project management qualification - S
• Good knowledge of the Nigeria context - S, I

Skills/Essential:

• Strong communication, relationship-building and diplomacy skills to facilitate the development and maintenance of strong and collaborative working relationships with partners across the RCRCM and beyond (including ICRC, IFRC, National Societies) - S, I, A
• Strong internal and external representation skills to represent the programmes and partnerships and influence a range of stakeholders - S, I
• Excellent financial management and reporting skills  - S
• Fluency in French and English (written and verbal) to facilitate professional working across Anglophone and Francophone African countries (Nigeria, Lake Chad sub-region). - S, I, A
• Confident use of Microsoft Office  - S, I

Desirable:

• Strong line management and people management skills.

Experience/Essential:

• Substantial experience in programme management in humanitarian and/or development context - S, I
• Experience in emergency response and disaster management - S, I
• Extensive experience of programme cycle management and leading on monitoring and evaluation - S, I
• Experience in partnership development and relationship building with local partners  - S, I
• Proven ability to effectively manage challenging relationships with a wide range of diverse stakeholders - I
• Experience working with colleagues remotely - S, I
• Experience of living and/or working within West and Central Africa - within the Lake Chad sub-region would be a particular asset - S, I
• Experience of leading on strategy/Country Plan development process - S, I
• Experience in donor relationship management and proposal development  - S, I

Desirable:

• Experience of working within the RCRC Movement would be a significant asset - S
• Experience in policy and advocacy work - S
• Experience working with DFID and other major donors - S
• Experience coordinating technical advisory support and matrix-management of advisers - S, I 

Behaviours

• Working in Partnership
• Embracing and leading constructive change
• Communicating and influencing
• Personal impact and self-management
• Problem solving
• Leading and engaging
• Developing yourself and others

Additional Requirements
Essential:

• Upholds the fundamental principles and acts with integrity, in accordance with the Society’s values (inclusive, compassionate, courageous and dynamic).
• Ensures inclusive practice and promotes diversity

Desirable:

• In order to be shortlisted for interview, you need to meet the essential criteria as outlined above. N.B. All disabled candidates who meet the essential criteria will be short-listed for interview in line with our commitment to the Disability Confident Scheme

Salary Range
£34,263