Area Programs Director for North-East Syria At People in Need

Starting date: As soon as possible (December 2021 or January 2022) or upon agreement

Contract duration: 18 months

Country Program: Syrian Response

Base: Derik, North-East Syria

About the mission:

PIN has been working in Northern Syria since 2012, providing emergency relief and early recovery support to conflict-affected communities and IDPs. PIN’s contribution to the overall Syria humanitarian response is amongst the largest, with an annual turnover of over $55 million. The major donors are: ECHO, BHA and SDC. In NE Syria the annual turnover is $20 million with offices and over 300 staff including approximately 100 program staff. The position is based in Derek but with the constant changes in context may move to Kobane or Erbil.

General position summary:

Under the supervision of the Area Director, the Area Programs Director will supervise and provide leadership for expanding, multi-sector program team. The Area Programs Director is responsible for ensuring high quality implementation of a wide range of programing across emergency to early recovery contexts:

Food Security program (food vouchers, multipurpose cash assistance, cash for work);

Livelihoods program (technical and vocational education, trainings, product and labour market recovery);

Child Protection program (Child Friendly Spaces in informal camps and Non-Formal Education);

WASH program (rehabilitation of water infrastructure, hygiene promotion);

Shelter program (rehabilitation of private shelters and health facilities, distribution of shelter & NFI materials)

Protection mainstreaming and outreach activities.

The Area Programs Director (Deputy Area Director) reports to the Area Director. He/she has delegated management responsibility for Head of Shelter and WASH projects, Head of Food Security and Emergency Projects, Head of Livelihoods Projects and Head of Education and Protection Projects and a local program support officer.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

• Line Manage and support 4 Head of Projects and local Programme Support Officer.
• Supervise and coordinate all implemented programs at field level;
• Ensure all programs are designed and managed in line with PIN quality standards and guidelines on project management and MEAL and adhere to PIN policies and strategy;
• Ensure tasks assigned to the PD in the Country Strategic Plan are implemented according to the plan.
• Support the Area Director in implementing organisational changes leading to greater localisation
• Promote and support the development on new programming in new areas in North East Syria;
• Ensure protection, accountability and gender are mainstreamed through all programmes.
• Facilitate the coordination within the organisation at programs and support levels, ensure close cooperation with the Syria/Iraq Mission Head of Programmes, NWS and Iraq Programme Directors and Grants Team;
• Share responsibilities with AD for representation with key partners, coordination fora, local authorities etc.
• Promote synergies and ensure the overall coherence and relevance of multi-sectoral response;
• Ensure that all programs properly retain program learning for future programming and that all key lessons and information are documented;
• Ensure with the program managers that the capacity of national staff and team resilience, to changing context and subsequent changes in management arrangements, is built;

Suitable candidates for this position should possess:

• At least 4 years of management experience of emergency projects in difficult and challenging environments including protracted conflicts.
• Experience with managing multisector projects as program manager in at least two of the following sectors: Food security and Livelihoods, WASH, Shelter, Child protection and Education;
• Proven experience with management and supervision of large teams and budgets in challenging and insecure environments, and interest in building the capacity of teams;
• Excellent communication skills, including fluent spoken and written English;
• Strong grasp of all stages of program cycle management and quality standards in humanitarian programming, including safeguarding and accountability mechanisms;
• Strong organizational, critical analysis and problem solving skills;
• Previous experience with managing large teams and budgets;
• Previous working experience from Middle East, particularly the Syrian crisis is advantage;

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions

• This position is an unaccompanied position. The position is based in Derik. The PIN office in Deriek has a small contingent of international staff providing links to national staff in the other offices in NE Syria. The town is perceived as less conservative, offering opportunities for a social life outside work hours. Location of the position may change as the security situation in NE Syria is fluid.
• Individual rooms are provided in the GH in Derek.
• General security situation in Derek is generally good and there is potential for a relatively good social life with a number of restaurants and a growing expat community. It is close to the Iraq border. Outside Derik, Hasakeh Governorate is considered one of the more stable areas in Syria. Mobile phones and cellular service are widely available. Internet is available in all PIN’s offices and guesthouses. There are a number of health services available with medevac mechanism for INGO’s members. There is reasonable access to most consumer goods.
• There are also other local offices in the region. PIN plans to relocate most of the team to Kobane if security allows it in the next few months. Kobane is a larger city with more facilities and is closer to where PIN conducts most of its work.
• Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and PIN’s policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

People in Need offers:

• Salary as per PIN salary scale (per diems of 1 200 EUR already included): 3.300 – 3.500 EUR, depending on the seniority grade
• Opportunities for learning, trainings and capacity development;
• 25 days of paid leave annually;
• Reimbursement of travel expenses with travel to the country of residence once per every 6 months of completed work, plus R&R benefits according to PIN’s policy which allows expatriates to leave the duty station on a regular basis
• Reimbursement of costs of visas and vaccinations; assistance with visa application procedure;
• Free medical helpdesk and psychological consultation available on line;
• Travel health insurance;
• Housing in PIN guesthouse covered by PIN;