South Sudan: Area Coordinator - South Sudan

Terms of reference

Job Title: Area Coordinator

Code: 41-918

Duty station: South Sudan

Starting date: 01/04/2019

Contract duration: 6 months

Reporting to: Program Coordinator

Supervision of: Project Managers

Dependents: //

General context of the project

South Sudan is anchored to the bottom of the world league table for education. Access to education is still a significant issue due to ongoing conflict and lack of human and physical resources. More than half of its primary school age children – over 1 million in total – are out of school. South Sudan has a larger proportion of its children out of school than almost any other country in the world, along with the deepest gender inequalities.

INTERSOS has been present in South Sudan since 2006 with a country office in Juba and field bases in six States of the country, namely Jonglei, Upper Nile, Unity, Eastern Equatoria, Western Equatoria and Central Equatoria. INTERSOS focuses on implementing emergency response and relief programs in different sectors: Protection, Education, NFI/Shelter and WASH with a special focus on serving the conflict-affected population, which were forced to displace from their homes by the conflict but also the hosting communities, which often are equally vulnerable.

General purpose of the position

The position of Area Coordinator is aimed at ensuring prompt and effective delivery and design of programs in the assigned duty station, with a supervision of all the main aspects of program implementation. This will be done mainly through the following:

• Ensuring the planning, implementation as well as monitoring and evaluation of projects and timely achievement of the set targets as stated in project descriptions and logical frameworks.
• Delivering timely quality reporting on project activities, including findings in terms of impact and changes at the level of individual beneficiaries and communities
• Establishing and managing relations pertaining to project activities, with all relevant stakeholders such as local authorities, relevant partners, donors and institutions
• Guaranteeing an efficient and resourceful financial management of project operations, in compliance with INTERSOS management model and donor regulations and guidelines
• Ensuring strong support in project team management and coordination (in particular coordination between possible different projects on-going in the area of intervention
• Contributing to the development and drawing of new projects and program strategy
• Representing INTERSOS and, based on guidance given by the Program Coordinator and the Head of Mission, establish and maintain fruitful relations with local governmental institutions, NNGOs, INGOs, any other relevant stakeholders
• Performing, if needed, supportive functions (i.e. administration, logistics)
• Coordinating and managing security in close link with all projects’ staff and under the supervision of the Head of Mission

Main responsibilities and tasks

More specifically, the Area Coordinator will:

Ensuring activities implementation

• Supervising and supporting PMs in preparing, managing and regularly updating the project activities work plan and related financial plan, while ensuring timely and quality implementation of activities in compliance with the defined project strategies as well as INTERSOS and donor guidelines.
• Undertaking regular field visits to supervise and support PMs in providing technical guidance and ensure regularly monitoring the progress of project activities
• Conducting regular meetings with PMs

Ensuring financial management and procurement

• Supervising and supporting PMs in preparing, monitoring and implementing financial and procurement plan for the project, including monthly updates.
• Supervising and supporting PMs in ensuring the preparation and approval of weekly liquidity plans.
• Verify and approve purchase, contracting and budget line allocations.
• Supervising and supporting PMs in verifying on a weekly basis the bookkeeping entries in the INTERSOS accounting spreadsheets (PN): verifying budget line allocations, budget expenditure status against current operations and the financial plan for the respective project implementation period.
• Supervising and supporting PMs in ensuring purchase and contracting of goods, services, supplies in line with the relevant INTERSOS procurement guidelines / donors procurement guidelines
• Supervising and supporting PMs in verifying the list of expenditures, prior to finalizing the interim and final financial reports.
• As per delegation letter, compiling a report on the contracts and checks signed on behalf of the HoM and send monthly to HoM.

Managing team and ensuring relevant capacity building and on-job coaching to the project staff

• Supervising and supporting PMs in managing all national and international staff.
• Supervising and supporting PMs in ensuring regular performance evaluation of project staff (national and international, as needed) as per internal rule with support of HR coordination at mission level.
• Supervising and supporting PMs in ensuring the timely recruitment of national staff, in coordination with relevant support staff, as per INTERSOS policy for staff recruitment.
• Ensuring respect of and adherence to INTERSOS rules and regulations, code of conduct and ethical values chart.
• Establishing a participatory process to inform and develop relevant response strategies for conflict mitigation and to promote cohesion amongst staff.

Monitoring and evaluation

• Supervising and supporting PMs in ensuring monitoring and verification of beneficiaries’ assistance.
• Supervising and supporting PMs in ensuring the application of relevant monitoring systems and ensuring that those systems permit appropriate implementation, including quick response to changing circumstances and erroneous assumptions in the project design.
• Supervising and supporting PMs in assessing, analyzing and evaluating the impact of project activities and needs of the target populations in the project areas, periodically updating the situational analysis and proposing to the Program Coordinator and the Head of Mission possible program developments.

Reporting

• Supervising and supporting PMs ensuring quality reporting on achievements through short briefings, monthly and weekly planning presented against monthly performance reports containing clear quantitative and qualitative information related to the activities.
• Supervising and supporting PMs in delivering on a monthly base and in time, qualitative and comprehensive project reporting (project appraisal tool, PAT). Prior to the submission to the Program Coordinator, validate them by double-checking their consistency
• Upload PATs on the IMP.
• Supervising and supporting PMs in delivering quality project activities reporting, including the findings in terms of impact and changes at the level of individuals, households and communities. More specifically, preparing ad-hoc progress reporting as well as required project interim and final reports.
• Holding final responsibility for all support documents (means of verification) and general project documents.

Coordination and representation

• Conducting regular meetings with donor representatives and facilitating field visits through the donor itself and others of its funding structures.
• Establishing and maintaining excellent relationships with relevant stakeholders, local authorities, relevant donors and institutions.
• Helping to set programming strategies for INTERSOS SS in particular in the assigned State.
• Proactively participating and represent INTERSOS in relevant working groups at State level.
• Proactively engaging in bi-lateral meetings with other INGOs and NGOs active in relevant sectors and geographical areas in order to avoid duplication, ensure coordination and referral and work for complementary efforts.
• Ensuring systematic information flow and sharing of update with the Program Coordinator and relevant colleagues.

Program Development and Regional Strategy

• Identifying needs and gaps in the assigned State through regular exchange with field teams and PMs.
• Seeking for regular exchange with the Program Coordination and the Head of Mission on funding opportunities in order to develop the existing operations through enhanced performance and/or enlargement of operations (funding opportunities).
• Contributing to concept note and proposal writing
• Supporting the Program Coordination and the Head of Mission in the drafting and updating of INTERSOS SS strategy​

Security management

• Coordinating and manage security at State level for all projects and staff (as per INTERSOS SS Security Plans).
• Analyzing and update the security situation at State level, in close coordination with key concerned staff and suggest to the Head of Mission possible adjustments of security measures according to the identified situation in the area of operation.
• Ensuring proper implementation and adherence to the INTERSOS Security Plan by all INTERSOS staff.

Any other duty requested by the line manager.

Required profile and experience

Education

• Master Degree in Political Sciences, Social Sciences, International Relations, Human Rights and Humanitarian Law and any other relevant field

Professional Experience

• Minimum 3 years of experience in a similar role
• Previous experience in humanitarian program management is required
• Previous experiences in complex emergency context are an asset
• Previous working experience in South Sudan will be an asset

Professional Requirements

• Deep knowledge of the cluster system and humanitarian country system
• Demonstrable experience in establishing and maintaining collaborative relationships with donors and government counterparts
• Good interpersonal skills to work effective with different stakeholders including different communities in the target areas, humanitarian actors, service providers, local and national authorities;
• Programme Management skills, including new proposal writing;
• Good problem solving attitude
• Excellent organisational, team-building and participatory training skills and experience is required, as well as ability to work as part of a team
• Strong representation and negotiation skills
• Demonstrated leadership and interpersonal skills

Languages

• Fluency in written and spoken English, good reporting and communication skills are required

Personal Requirements

• Comfortable to work in an emergency environment and to be based 80% on the field.
• Team worker and flexible in job planning
• Ability to travel frequently to different areas in the assigned State(s) working in stressful situations and at times, in hardship field locations.

For further information and to apply, follow the link below:

https://intersos.knack.com/imp#intersosorg-vacancies/vacancy-details/5c556734b10c2c28be92a611/

In case you encounter difficulties applying through INTERSOS' platform, you can also apply by sending your CV, motivation letter and 2 references via email to recruitment@intersos.org , with subject line: "41-918 – Area Coordinator – South Sudan".

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for the first interview.