Iraq: HEAD OF MISSION - IRAQ

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

1.Terms of reference

Job title: Head of Mission

Duty Station: Erbil with frequent missions to Kurdish and Iraqi Governorates, as necessary

Starting date: ASAP

Duration of contract: 6 months

Reporting to: Regional Director

Supervision of: Expatriate staff including 5 coordinators and 6 Project Managers; 2 national staff including security officer and liaison officer

Dependents: no

2.General context of the project

INTERSOS had been working in Iraq from 2003 till 2010 with programs aimed at responding to urgent material safety needs and enhancing access to basic social services for vulnerable individuals and communities in Central and Southern Iraq, Baghdad and Kurdistan. Over the years, INTERSOS operations developed encompassing activities in health care, legal protection and assistance, warehousing and distribution of essential goods, mine/UXO clearance, shelter, water and sanitation, psychosocial support and education targeting internally displaced people and voluntary returnees, as well as host communities, with special focus on most vulnerable groups (children, women, elderly and persons with special needs).

Following the conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic and the deterioration of the humanitarian situation which is negatively affecting also the neighbouring countries, in November 2013 INTERSOS has resumed the operations in the area to contribute towards ensuring emergency relief and social protection assistance for the Syrian refugees fleeing their home in search of safety. Furthermore, since the surge in violence between armed groups and government forces with fighting spreading into Central and Northern Iraq, in July 2014 and further control of those areas by ISIS, INTERSOS extended its operations in the Kurdistan Region, providing services aimed at assisting both Syrian refugees and Iraqi IDPs in camp and non-camp settings, with interventions mainly concentrated on Community Services, Protection, Food Security and Education.

Since October 2016, INTERSOS has enlarged its geographical areas and intervention sectors in order to respond to the current Mosul humanitarian operation, in particular in Ninewa and Salah al-Din Governorates with health, NFIs and shelter, protection and Education in Emergencies activities.

Currently INTERSOS is implementing a total of 13 projects; 6 projects responding to the refugees and IDPs’ protracted crisis in KRI (2 in the protection sector and 3 in education/ child protection) and 8 in Iraq in response to the Mosul military operation (3 in the health sector, 3 in protection and 2 in Education in Emergencies).

Projects are funded by multiple donors, including UNHCR, UNICEF, OCHA-HPF, WHO, UNFPA, Italian Cooperation- AICS

Besides its main office in Erbil, INTERSOS has established 3 projects’ offices in Kirkuk (KRI), Tikrit and Hamam al Alil, the last ones for supporting the management of projects responding to humanitarian needs of IDPs fleeing East and West Mosul.

3.General purpose of the position

The Head of Mission represents the Organization in Iraq and is responsible for the planning, management and implementation of the country program on the basis of defined strategies and indications.

4.Tasks and responsibilities

To establish and manage effective relationships with local Institutions, donors, NGOs, International Agencies and other stakeholders, promoting the good name and image of INTERSOS in all instances;

• To ensure the respect for the values, Code of Ethics and Organization Management and Control Model of INTERSOS within the mission;

• To define country priorities on the basis of accurate needs assessment, comprising the humanitarian response to refugees and IDPs' protracted crisis in KRI as well as the emergency and post emergency interventions for the Mosul humanitarian response, the analysis of the different contexts within the country, the follow up of the development of future military operation and related humanitarian preparedness

• To monitor donor’s priorities and intervention strategies in the country as well as to map and approach new donors

• To assess, promote and submit new projects, following the procedures defined and promoting a spirit of participation among beneficiaries at all management stages, ensuring the transparency of the intervention

• To sign contracts and, where necessary, delegate other international operators. For single, specific and duly motivated circumstances, he/she may sign a proxy to conferred supervision and control powers to operators

• To establish, guarantee and periodically monitor INTERSOS government’s recognition and accreditation procedures and any other formalities required by the hosting country, ensuring their timely renewal, both in the Kurdistan region and in Iraq

• To strength links with local authorities both in the Kurdistan region and in Iraq, ensuring their knowledge about INTERSOS as International humanitarian organization and its mission in the country

• To ensure residency permits and visa requirements in both the Kurdistan region and Iraq for expatriate staff

• To facilitate residency permits and other legal documentation in the Kurdistan region for non-Kurdish national staff

• To ensure contractual agreements of national staff according to KRI and Iraqi labor law

• To ensure personnel compliance with procedures foreseen by INTERSOS’ Organization Management and Control Model

• To ensure the constant and timely sharing of information with the Program Support Unit (PSU) through monthly reports, while updating the data entered into software data processing systems provided by the Organization for project management and monitoring (Project Appraisal Tool – PAT )

Manage and coordinate country operations.

Specifically:

• To define mission’s programming and planning of activities and closely monitor their implementation

• To support the strengthening of the mission’s structure in order to ensure full support to the growing country program

• To provide the Foreign Finance Director, within the terms, with a forecast of expenditure to be borne by the Financial Statements of INTERSOS and implement decisions adopted by the Council

• To enhance national staff responsibility, ensuring regular capacity building and ad hoc training sessions, for the purposes of progressive assumption of responsibilities and promotion

• To forecast the monthly expenditure according to the program of activities

• To be responsible for procurement processes of goods, works and services ensuring transparency and relevant conformity to INTERSOS and donors' procedures

• To be responsible for forwarding to the Headquarters all tender notices and results for verification and publication on INTERSOS' website

• To be responsible for identification and selection of local suppliers to be included in a “list of reliable suppliers” for use in specific procurement procedures

• To supervise, monitor and assess all the phases of implementation of the project, by conducting periodic visits to the projects sites, in particular in case of problems that may be harmful to the Organization or slow down the implementation progress, in which case he/she should notify the Regional Director and the Secretary General

• To define mission’s economic and financial planning, ensuring economic self-sufficiency and expenditure adherence to budget constraints

• To carry out monthly monitoring and assessments of the mission’s economic and financial status

• To be responsible for managing the funds and current bank accounts of the mission, including the opening of projects' dedicated bank accounts in new intervention areas

• To supervise and approve interim and final financial reports and ensure their timely and duly submission to donors in compliance with contractual agreements and procedures foreseen

• To compile and submit to the Regional Director monthly written reports on country operations, including context analysis and conflict development regarding the Mosul and other military operations

• To provide the Headquarters with photographic and filmed documentation on activities carried out and be responsible of all communication activities, ensuring the protection of beneficiaries

• To be responsible for the storage and filing of all documentation relating the mission and the projects upon their closure; this documentation, whether in soft or hard copy, must reach the Headquarters in a timely manner and in compliance with procedures foreseen

• To be responsible for the management and maintenance of both, INTERSOS and third- party goods by performing regular checks and putting in place needed measures to ensure their fully functionality

• To be responsible for the management and maintenance of INTERSOS facilities, including offices, Guest Houses and Warehouses, ensuring their adequate conditions

• To be responsible for the strict observance and adherence to INTERSOS and donors’ procedures

Manage human resources in the country and in particular, ensuring direct supervision and appraisal of operator performance are conducted

Specifically:

• To propose to the Regional Director the recruitment of expatriate personnel; the Head of Mission launches the recruitment process by identifying the need for a recruitment/replacement at field level and by expressing the need through the staff request form. The main referent at HQ level for the HoM shall be the Regional Director

• To ensure that both expatriate and national staff have accurate and updated ToRs

• To determine and supervise the elaboration of local personnel contracts, the recruitment of high- level qualified professionals in a transparent process and their adequate performance according to missions' needs

• To provide local personnel with the same opportunities as expatriate personnel, by encouraging their growth and greater assumption of responsibilities within projects and the Organization

• To manage personnel training, ensuring also the effective diffusion and personnel knowledge of INTERSOS Model, Charter of Values and Code of Ethics

• To brief expatriate personnel on overall mission activities, specific project activities and security conditions in the country

• To collect all documents pertaining to local labor legislation, to be made available in the mission for consultation

• To determine the communication/information flows and oversee interpersonal relationship dynamics, promoting cohesion and motivation, managing possible conflicts among staff

• To elaborate complaining mechanisms for ensuring

• To be responsible of the security of both expatriate and national staff by ensuring adequate monitoring of insecure and volatile contexts and the compliance of security protocols in coordination with the security officer

• To provide basic information on the HR policy/manual to the international staff (e.g. R&R, holidays)

• To guarantee the even and transparent implementation of the HR policy/manual. Particular attention should be given to the application and follow-up of the R&R and holidays procedures

• To inform in due time the Regional Director in case of HR issues (e.g. staff burnt-out, code of ethics breach, etc.)

• To be responsible for notification to the nearest Italian Embassy and where relevant, to International Organizations, in relation to the presence of Italian and international personnel in the mission. Analogous communications must be transmitted to the Embassy of reference of the operators of different nationalities

• To set with the international staff under his/her supervision the professional objectives for the following months (maximum six)

• To monitor the objectives and provide feedback/guidance to the staff

• To elaborate expatriates’ midterm/final evaluation and discuss with the staff (the evaluation has to be signed by both the evaluator and the person evaluated), ensure the submission of hand over and final mission reports as well as the return of INTERSOS equipment and badge as well as country residency documents obtained through INTERSOS

• To submit to the Regional Director the international personnel performance appraisals for upon conclusion of the contracts; also pointing out noteworthy and professionalized local personnel

• To provide the Headquarters with photographic and filmed documentation on all activities carried out and full detail of the contents, in compliance with procedures adopted

5.Required profile/experience

· University Degree in Social Sciences, Political Sciences, International Relations, Humanitarian and International Cooperation or related field

· Minimum of 5 years as HoM with humanitarian aid experience in complex contexts

· High level of all aspects of managerial experience, including managing multi-million dollar budgets

· Experience in complex decision making and leading a multi-disciplinary, multi-national team under difficult circumstances and conflict context

· High level of expertise in representation and negotiation with governments and donors

· Previous experience in Iraq is an asset

· Strong understanding of the humanitarian emergency operating context, including Sphere, the humanitarian system, donors, security, civil military liaison and program management

· Ability to prepare concept papers and project proposals in accordance with the standards required by INTERSOS and Donors

· Computer and finance skills

· Experience with the management of a diverse workforce

· Strong representation and negotiation skills

· Donor compliance and reporting

· Experience in successfully managing institutional partnerships with national and international NGOs

· Experience in establishing and maintaining collaborative relationships with donors and government counterparts

· Good communication skills in English

· Working knowledge of Arabic will be an asset

· Demonstrated leadership and interpersonal skills

· Ability and interest to coach staff

· Demonstrated cross cultural communication skills

· Demonstrated use of positive coping strategies in stressful environments

Qualified applicants are requested to submit their CV, motivation letter and 2 references to recruitment@intersos.org with subject line: "SR-29-147 Head of Mission - Iraq”.

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