South Sudan: Head of Mission – South Sudan

INTERSOS is an independent non-profit humanitarian organization committed to assist the victims of natural disasters and armed conflicts. Its activities are based on the principles of solidarity, justice, human dignity, equality of rights and opportunities, and respect for diversity and coexistence, paying special attention to the most vulnerable and unprotected people.

1. Terms of reference

Job title: Head of Mission (HoM)

Location: The post holder will be based in Juba with missions to areas of intervention, as necessary

Reporting to: Regional Director

Starting date: asap

Duration of contract: 1 year

Dependents: No

2. General context of the mission

INTERSOS is present in South Sudan since 2006, starting its operations in the country from Bor, Jonglei State. INTERSOS central office for South Sudan is based in Juba and had several field bases in Jonglei State (Bor, Ayod, Nyirol, Uror, Akobo and Pibor), 1 in Western Equatoria (Yambio), 1 in Upper Nile State (Malakal), 1 in Unity State (Bentiu). After 2013 conflict, as field bases, INTERSOS started to operate within UNMISS PoCs in Juba, Bor, Bentiu and Malakal. In September 2014, however, INTERSOS has moved out from UNMISS base in Bor and has its own compound in town shared with other two INGOs.

In the framework of the present crisis INTERSOS has immediately intervened in Juba, UN House and Tongping, in NFI and Protection sectors. The operation has been extended also to the PoCs of Bor, Malakal and Bentiu with activities in the field of Protection, both GBV and CP, Education, NFIs/Shelter and WASH.

The main areas of intervention are:

• Protection: in particular prevention and response to GBV and Child Protection in Jonglei State and Upper Nile State. These activities are addressed to children, women, youth and men and involve case management, including psychosocial support, for Child Protection and GBV; referral and family tracking for unaccompanied minors. INTERSOS is also the Jonglei GBV sub-cluster Focal Point and since 2012 is leading the GBV response in the State and is active member of the Psycho Social Support Task Force;

• Education: INTERSOS is one of the main partners of UNICEF within the country in promoting education as a part of emergency response. Since 2010 INTERSOS is leading the EiE Cluster in Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile States and is the focal point agency in Jonglei for Education in Emergency interventions. The program covers the main areas affected by the conflict: Central Equatoria, Jonglei, Unity, Upper Nile and Western Equatoria States. The program includes both structural and non-structural interventions: construction/rehabilitation of learning spaces, kit distribution, training of teachers and PTA on children rights, psychological support and risk mitigation;

• Shelter/NFIs: these activities involve assessment and identification of new IDPs, mainly in the most hard-to-reach areas within Jonglei, Unity and Upper Nile States, emergency kit distribution and kit use monitoring, and construction/rehabilitation of emergency shelter. Moreover since 2012 INTERSOS is the Jonglei State NFIs & ES Cluster Focal Point;

• WASH: construction/rehabilitation of water facilities (wells, pipe schemes), rehabilitation of latrines, sanitation and hygiene promotion in Western Equatoria State.

Starting from January 2015 INTERSOS has further expanded its operations in Jonglei State covering some of the payam in the counties of Ayod, Nyirol, Uror and Akobo, where the highest concentration of IDPs has been recorded, through the partnerships with CHF, Italian Cooperation, ECHO and UNHCR. The interventions cover child protection, GBV, WASH and NFIs/ES.

3. Tasks and responsibilities

The general purpose of the post is to represent INTERSOS in South Sudan, and act in accordance with specific directions from and supervision of the Regional Director.

The HoM manages and coordinates the operations and human resources in the country and is responsible to:

· Establish and maintain collaborative relations with Local Authorities and Institutions, Donors, International Agencies, NGOs and other stakeholders.

· Follow up, guarantee and monitor government recognition procedures for the organization in compliance with the host country formalities.

· Define country priorities based on context and needs analyses; monitor donor intervention strategies in the country; design, promote and elaborate new interventions.

· Supervise, monitor and evaluate the implementation of the country operations - and all related administrative, financial, human resources, logistics and security aspects - ensuring timely and quality assistance delivery, as well as cost efficiency and accountability, in compliance with INTERSOS and donors guidelines, regulations and procedures.

· Continuously assess, analyze and evaluate the impact of the country operations, also through periodic visits to the areas of intervention.

· Define the mission financial plan, ensuring self-sufficiency and consistency of expenses, and assume responsibility for the mission funds management, including bank accounts.

· Coordinate, guide and supervise the mission staff, and evaluate their performance.

· Proactively participate in relevant coordination meetings.

· Manage the safety and security of the operation in the country.

4. Required profile/experience

· Advanced university degree. A first level university degree with a relevant combination of academic qualifications and experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

· At least 5 years of professional work experience as Head of Mission or other management/ coordination positions in humanitarian/development contexts.

· Previous experience in East Africa and/or in South Sudan is an asset

· Proven experience in management of UN, USAID and ECHO funds.

· Proven experience in management of large staff teams.

· Proficient knowledge of English is required.

Technical competencies:

· Ability to set high standards for quality of work

· Ability to analyze and integrate information from a wide range of sources

· Ability to administrate funds, logistics and human resources

· Excellent communication skills, both oral and written

· Mastery of IT tools (MS Office package, internet, e-mail, etc.)

Behavioral competencies:

· Strong organizational and problem-solving skills with analytic approach

· Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrated ability to establish effective working relations with staff, beneficiaries and other stakeholders

· Ability to take initiative and work autonomously

· Ability to achieve results effectively, considering the need for speed, scale and quality

· Ability to integrate and work well within multiethnic and multicultural teams

· Ability to develop and maintain collaborative relationships

Qualified applicants are requested to submit their curriculum vitae, motivation letter and 2 referencesto:recruitment@intersos.org, specifying in the subject ‘HoM South Sudan”**

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