Facilitator for two-day retreat of the Executive Leadership Team At St. Andrew’s Refugee Services

Saint Andrew’s Refugee Services, Cairo

Vacancy Announcement: Facilitator for two-day retreat of the Executive Leadership Team

Founded in 1979, StARS is a refugee service provider in central Cairo that works to enhance the quality of life for refugees and vulnerable migrants through five broad program areas: education, psychosocial, legal, community outreach and unaccompanied youth and children support services. We provide high-quality services meeting the unaddressed needs of refugees, and we provide a safe and inclusive space for displaced people to come together as a community. We work for refugees, with refugees, to make rights recognition a reality.

StARS’ Mission: Driven by a commitment to justice and fairness, StARS works as displaced people and for displaced people to respect human dignity and enhance quality of life.

StARS’ Vision: Displaced people lead in the creation and implementation of responses to different forms of migration to establish safe, just, welcoming, and inclusive communities globally.

We serve people from many places, including Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

To learn more please visit our website: www.stars-egypt.org or our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/standrewsrefugeeservices?fref=ts

Description of the Program.

Acting in response to service gaps and the unaddressed needs of refugees and forced migrants in Greater Cairo, StARS implements a range of programs to address the challenges facing communities while recognizing their agency, skills, dignity, and capacities. StARS provides services in five broad programmatic areas: (1) Education; (2) Legal aid; (3) Psychosocial services; (4) Specialized services for Unaccompanied Children and Youth and (5) Community Outreach.

In 2021, StARS served displaced people from more than 50 nations but predominantly originating from Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Ethiopia, Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, and Eritrea. Across our programs, StARS has been assisting 40,000 displaced people.

StARS is led by an Executive Leadership Team composed of 9 Co-directors and the Pastor of St Andrew’s Church. StARS aims to decolonize the models of traditional humanitarian assistance so that refugees become central actors in the decision-making process. 85% of StARS staff have experienced forced displacement, while more than 70% of managers and senior leaders also draw on this lived experience. More than 50% of StARS staff are women and more than 20% are youth (between 18 and 21 years old). Toward the realization of its vision, StARS seeks to partner with and support other refugee-led organizations working in Egypt (and beyond), and much of its work is also undertaken within communities.

All programs are supported by solid Case Management procedures, Financial Guidelines, and Monitoring and Evaluation tools and processes.

Background

Following the resignation of the Executive Director (of seven years), StARS Directors started reflecting on the leadership model in place, and the potential for implementing meaningful change. It was acknowledged that StARS requires a comprehensive and diversified scope of management which led to the adoption of a horizontal Co-Leadership model composed of 9 Directors and the Pastor of St Andrew’s United Church of Cairo.

The Co-Leadership model has now been in existence for eighteen months and is currently the subject of a comprehensive, organization-wide evaluation, which is being undertaken by a team of external evaluators. The field work for this evaluation will take place at the beginning of February and the report was delivered in March 2023.

The report contained several complex and lengthy recommendations and the Executive Leadership Team would like to hire a highly skilled facilitator to manage the conversation, keep people on track and negotiate the sensitivities of the report, and to bring the team to consensus about which recommendations to enact and how these can be implemented

Rationale, Scope, and Objectives

It is envisaged that the preparation and interviews, either singly or with the Executive Leadership Team as a group will need to take place before the two-day retreat. The facilitator will be present throughout the whole two days of the retreat. The facilitator will write a report following the retreat.

Objectives of the retreat are:

• To achieve consensus, or otherwise decide about what recommendations a) should be actioned immediately, b) should be actioned in the longer term and c) should not be actioned.
• To put together a communication plan for the understanding of the staff
• To put together an outline action plan for priority recommendations, and a timeline for re-examining lower-priority recommendations

Competencies and Expertise Required

Essential

• Significant experience working with teams in NGOs to achieve positive outcomes, through group work
• Experience of or qualification in conflict resolution, handling groups and their dynamics is essential.
• Experience of navigating difficult conversations and achieving consensus
• Ability to formulate realistic plans of action
• Ability to work in Greater Cairo at StARS premises
• Understanding of the principles and practicalities of co-leadership
• Fluent spoken and written English

Desirable

• A knowledge of the operating environment and the work of StARS
• Working with co-leadership models

Deliverables

• A detailed plan for the retreat at least one week before it takes place, with space for feedback from the Executive Leadership Team
• A report of the retreat including an outline for prioritization of recommendations, outline action plans and timeline for considering further recommendations
• Communication plan for staff

Working Hours: The TOR Facilitator is expected to be at work for 40 hours per week, between the hours of 9am and 5pm, from Sunday to Thursday. Longer hours, evening and weekend work are sometimes necessary. Work will be conducted both in StARS premises and also in refugee communities and centers.

Supervised by: Executive Leadership Team.

Compensation: TOR Facilitator: A package of $40,000 (USD) is available for this consultancy, inclusive of all costs incurred by the consultant. The consultant will be responsible for their own travel, housing etc.

Billing and Payments: The consultant will keep timesheets to record hours worked. The timesheet will be attached to each invoice. Invoices will be paid monthly or less frequently as preferred by the consultant.

Confidentiality: The consultant commits to maintaining confidentiality of StARS. The consultant will abide by StARS confidentiality procedures.

Closing date for applications: 27 April 2023

Anticipated Starting date: As soon as possible

End date of the contract: the report should be delivered within two weeks of the retreat, which it expected will take place over two weekends, on 3rd and 10th June 2023.

It is anticipated that the consultant will work for a maximum of 10 days