Central African Republic: Team Leader

Organization

The World Service is an internationally recognized humanitarian and development arm of the Lutheran World Federation. We work with partners like BPRM, ECHO, Lutheran Churches and Agencies worldwide, and UNCHR, to whom we are the 5th biggest implementing partner.We serve all people irrespective of ethnicity, gender, religion, race, or political conviction. For more information please see www.lutheranworld.org.

Purpose of the position

The LWF World Service Team Leader is responsible for the implementation of the LWF World Service Emergency Operation in CAR. S/he shall be based in Bangui, with extensive travels to the operational bases (at present Bouar, Carnot and Bebérati), and is responsible and accountable to the LWF World Service Regional Program Coordinator for Central Africa, for the overall supervision, implementation and administration of all LWF World Service projects in CAR.

The position is to be based in the capital, Bangui, where the Team Leader will be expected to focus a significant portion of her/his time on donor and government relations and resource mobilization. The Team Leader is the representative of the LWF World Service in CAR. A candidate with entrepreneurial skills and sensibilities is strongly desired in order to help develop a broad and diversified donor basis as well as a team able to deliver operational excellence. The Team Leader will be expected to look for opportunities to develop the LWF World Service Emergency Operation in CAR, increasing the number of projects and the diversity of donor partners, and linking current humanitarian projects with future rehabilitation and development-oriented activities, as appropriate and in response to evolving priorities. Institutional donors, especially UNHCR, are highly important to LWF World Service globally and in CAR particularly, thus a Team Leader with good knowledge of UNHCR cooperation is highly desirable as is a Team Leader with an innovative and pragmatic approach. Appropriate use of cash & vouchers, sustainable livelihoods programming, the rights-based approach and a sensitivity for vulnerability and protection of the populations with which we work, a people-centered empowerment approach, and a focus on peace, social cohesion, and social justice are approaches that are at the core of the way LWF World Service works and that we expect the Team Leader to adopt, adapt to the context, promote, and innovate upon.

Besides responsibility for external representation and creative leadership in growing the program, the Team Leader is responsible for providing leadership and management to his/her direct supervisees, the Program Coordinator, Program Managers and Finance Manager, and the entire staff of the Emergency Operation in CAR. A Team Leader who has experience in building teams, recruiting and coaching qualified staff, upholding high standards of conduct and performance, and communicating a clear vision of mission and purpose is sought to build strong operational capacity. The Team Leader will travel significantly to field sites, both those serving refugees from the Central African Republic and their host communities, where LWF World Service is building its operations serving persons displaced (refugees and IDPs) by insecurity and active conflict.

Required Qualifications

• A university degree, preferably in international development, agronomy/agricultural development, social sciences, public health, engineering, business administration, or other fields of studies with direct relevance to the position. • Strong skills in writing and communicating both in French and English, as one of the primary responsibilities of the Team Leader will be to ensure the quality of documents and reports for external audiences such as concept notes, project proposals, project reports, and evaluation reports as well as communication with LWF head offices. • Good knowledge and practice in the use of standard office software. • Applicants are required to be in sympathy with the core values of our organization

Knowledge and Experience

• Proven experience in managing and leading teams in humanitarian and/or development contexts is a must for this position. Candidates having mostly worked in development contexts must be able to demonstrate a good understanding of humanitarian principles and operational contexts, including the demands related to the management of a portfolio of short-term projects. • At least two years of work experience leading project teams with 10+ persons. • Proven track record of project acquisition as well as experience in managing projects through the entire project cycle, from assessment to evaluation.

Language Skills • English: Excellent verbal and written skills • French: Excellent verbal and written skills

Main duties

• Leadership:

1. The Team Leader provides overall leadership to the LWF World Service Emergency Operation in CAR.
2. Ensures effective leadership in all aspects of the LWF World Service Accountability Framework, including the LWF Code of Conduct.
3. Promotes, implements and upholds the vision, mission, core values and relevant objectives of the Global LWF World Service strategy.
4. Facilitates and actively seeks to promote the profile of LWF World Service as a principled and effective international humanitarian organization.
5. Promotes and facilitates the establishment and strengthening of national and regional networks relevant to the LWF World Service strategy for the country/region, such as relations between World Service and LWF member churches, LWF donor partners, and fellow ACT Alliance members.
6. Leads and ensures the effective coordination and operation of the country management team in close collaboration with the Program Managers and Finance Manager and the heads of field offices. • Management:

Programmatic work:

1. The Team Leader is responsible for the planning, supervision, implementation, monitoring, documentation, administration and evaluation of the LWF World Service Emergency Operation in CAR.
2. Ensures effective operational as well as strategic management, facilitates learning and capacity building in the program; The Team Leader will lead the development of a country strategy in 2017.
3. Promotes participation and collaboration with affected populations, as a central element of accountability commitments and in line with Core Humanitarian Standards.
4. Ensures that regular monitoring of program/project at sites in the country/region takes place by the responsible staff members an d monitors staff performance on a regular basis.

5. Ensures that timely, accurate and relevant reports are submitted according to agreements.

   Human Resources:

6. The Team Leader acts as the direct supervisor of the LWF World Service staff based in CAR, national as well as international.

7. Develops staffing plans in accordance with LWF policies, procedures and budgets, and supervises all matters pertaining to LWF World Service personnel in CAR, both national and international.

8. Ensures that new staff are provided with thorough orientation to the LWF’s priorities and guiding principles and standards as a humanitarian organization, the LWF World Service Emergency Operation in CAR and the project to which they are assigned.

9. Monitors and addresses security matters and informs/advises her/his supervisor. Develops and employs a country security plan for all levels of field staff and visitors to the program.

10. Ensures that recruitment is gender-sensitive with the goal of gender balance within the staff, both in terms of numbers and levels of responsibility.

11. Ensures that the skills of staff are developed and utilized to the fullest extent possible.

12. Prioritizes staff development and continual learning for staff and, as applicable, implementing partners and ACT Alliance members.

Fundraising and Finance:

1. The Team Leader is responsible for ensuring that the finances of the Emergency Operation in CAR are managed according to the standards and policies set out in the World Service Finance Manual.
2. Supervises the implementation of approved projects within the agreed budgets and timelines and ensures timely submission of high-quality reports.
3. Ensures the complementarity and close working relations of finance and program units.
4. Ensures efficient financial management of the program activities and administration, including effective internal control systems to promote financial accountability, and ensures that the financial transactions are conducted in accordance with the relevant priorities and World Service procedures.

5. Actively engages in negotiations with related agencies, UN agencies, EU delegations and other potential partners humanitarian and development work in CAR to maximize local resource mobilization and diversification / expansion of the project portfolio under management.

   • Program:

6. The Team Leader ensures all interventions are in accordance with the World Service policies and guidelines, and with guidelines, policies and procedures of the ACT Alliance, specifically concerning the Red Cross / Red Crescent and NGO Code of Conduct, the Sphere Minimum Standards and the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS).

7. Ensures that the different program approaches in the LWF World Service Global Strategy, specifically the integrated, rights-based, and empowerment approaches, are incorporated into the projects, programs and policies of the Emergency Operation.

8. Addresses, monitors and documents environmentally sound project implementation in accordance with relevant LWF World Service policies and internationally agreed standards.

9. Mainstreams gender, age, disability, and diversity aspects into program implementation.

10. Works in close collaboration with local partners wherever possible, including the local LWF member church, based on mutual accountability, trust and respect.

11. Promotes accountability, especially to the conflict-affected population, in all LWF World Service projects.

• Relations:

1. The Team Leader maintains a close working and consultative relationship with LWF Member Churches and other appropriate ecumenical, interfaith and/or faith-based partners through frequent informal coordination and collaboration.
2. Plays an active role in the ACT Alliance forum, ensuring participation in strategic discussions, and providing support where possible.
3. Maintains the requisite consultative relationships with the relevant governmental authorities, national organizations and coordinates contacts with voluntary agencies engaged in work related to the program objectives of LWF World Service Emergency Operation in CAR.
4. Maintains close communication and cooperation with LWF´s related agencies and their local and regional offices.
5. Fosters and maintains good coordination and collaboration with international and bilateral cooperating and co-financing partners, particularly with UN, governments and their agencies, and other international and national NGOs, and promotes the Principles of Partnership.

Major Challenges • Building a growing and promising but relatively young emergency operation into a larger, more stable, and established country program. This challenge includes building a strong, competent and committed team and team spirit among the staff; training, coaching, and developing staff; and institutionalizing a strong culture of principled and effective management and leadership of operations, including leading teams of staff. • Building effective and strong relationships with donor partners. • Nurturing relationships with LWF Member Churches in CAR, including through frequent contacts, assessment and understanding of church capacity and politics, promoting and supporting opportunities for collaboration, and managing the expectations of our member churches. • The Team Leader will be expected to be enterprising and entrepreneurial. The Team Leader should be capable, driven, ambitious, and a self-starter. Over time, the emergency operation is expected to grow in size while also maintaining high standards in project delivery and accountability. LWF is rolling out a new web-based PMER system and the World Service Emergency Operation in CAR is expected to fully use all of the software’s tools for project cycle management and to demonstrate results using performance and impact indicators.

Please follow the link to apply:

https://lutheranworld.recruiterbox.com/jobs/fk069nq?cjb_hash=O_BImc69&apply_now=true