Afghanistan: Head of Mission - Afghanistan

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: Kabul

Reporting to: Head of Emergency Unit

Supervision of: 2 Expat Staff & 20 national staff

Starting date: asap

Duration of contract: 3 months with possible extension

Dependents: No

2. General context of the mission

INTERSOS has been present in Afghanistan since October 2001, with its main office in Kabul and sub-offices in Jalalabad, Maimana, Kandahar and Lashkar Gah. Currently, INTERSOS is present with operation capacity in Herat and maintains its office in the capital city (Kabul) for representative purposes. At the same time INTERSOS is now re-establishing its presence in the Southern Region where health and nutrition assessment are currently ongoing targeting both returnees coming from Pakinstan and conflict affected IDPs. The ongoing intervention in Herat funded by Italian Agency for Development Cooperation aims at reducing the high malnutrition level in Herat Province through an integrated and multisectoral intervention covering nutrition, wash and food security sectors. In the last 15 years, INTERSOS has been working on various aspects of the Afghan emergency, mainly focusing on repatriation and returns, protection, water and sanitation, reconstruction, humanitarian demining, mine risk education, and institutional building.

For INTERSOS Afghanistan remains a key humanitarian emergency for its geopolitical importance and because of the internal dynamics related to manmade and natural disasters. Humanitarian gaps and needs are high in the provinces where we are currently operating and even more in others. In order to respond to the ongoing emergency in the country and given the shortage of players currently engaged, INTERSOS considers it important to participate with his experience to bring aid and assistance to those affected by the crisis.

The main strategic objective that the new Head of Mission should pursue is to boost and revitalize INTERSOS presence in the capital city while assessing the humanitarian situation in the southern provinces (Kandahar and Helmand provinces) in order to actively participate to the most relevant coordination meetings and plan short term emergency operations mainly targeting returnees and conflict affected IDPs.

3. Tasks and responsibilities

· Actively participate to the main humanitarian coordination meeting and fora

· Ensure a steady and active representation of INTERSOS at clusters level (Health/Nutrition and NFIs)

· Maintain daily relationship with the Donors and involve the Head of Emergency Unit whereas strategic opportunity can arise

· Maintain ongoing surveillance of the developing humanitarian situation and propose activities accordingly.

· Keep constant relation with international donors at Kabul level

· Identify opportunities for new emergency intervention and develop project proposals and concept papers

· Coordinate and supervise international and national staff in the central and southern regions and recruit new staff following the star up of new interventions

· Organize and participate to assessment in new area of intervention with the support of INTERSOS technical staff

· Re-organize and enlarge INTERSOS office in Kabul

4. Required profile/experience

· Master degree in Social Science, Community Development, Social Work and/or equivalent practical field experience, preferably with a humanitarian organisation;

· Minimum five years professional experience in return and/or emergency programs, technical focus on nutrition in emergency, population movements and reintegration is an asset;

· previous experience in humanitarian project management is required; previous experience in emergency context are an asset

Technical competencies:

· Knowledge of the cluster system and humanitarian country system

· Programme Management skills, including new proposal writing

· Good problem solving attitude

· Good interpersonal skills to work effective with different stakeholders including different communities in the target areas, humanitarian actors, service providers, local and national authorities

· Excellent organisational, team-building and participatory training skills and experience is required, as well as ability to work as part of a team

· Previous working experience in Afghanistan will be an asset

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

Behavioral competencies:

Comfortable to work in a High Risk Environment. Team worker and flexible in job planning

Ability to travel frequently to different areas in Afghanistan working in stressful situations and at times, in hardship field locations.

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

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