Head of Mission at Première Urgence Internationale

Starting date : 1st November 2021

Duration of Mission : 12 months

Localisation : Sanaa, Yemen

Première Urgence Internationale (PUI) is a non-governmental, non-profit, non-political and non-religious international aid organization. Our teams are committed to supporting civilian victims of marginalization and exclusion, or those hit by natural disasters, wars and economic collapse by answering their fundamental needs. Our aim is to provide emergency relief to uprooted people in order to help them recover their dignity and regain self-sufficiency. The association leads on average 200 projects a year in the following sectors of intervention: Food Security, Health, Nutrition, Construction and Rehabilitation of infrastructures, Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Economic Recovery. PUI is providing assistance to around 6 million people in 22 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and France.

Find out about our history and values

Context

The armed conflict has spread rapidly throughout much of Yemen since mid-March 2015, with devastating consequences for civilians. Close to six years of violence has led one of the world’s poorest countries into chaos. The disruption of the commercial and humanitarian imports as well as of the market system, the displacement of populations, the loss of livelihoods and incomes, the damage on the private and public infrastructure and the general destabilization of the public system have contributed to the widespread of food insecurity, malnutrition and to a serious lack of access to health.

PUI’s history in the country and intervention strategy

PUI has been working in Yemen since 2007, by providing an integrated approach mainly focused on health and nutrition, coupled with food security and WASH activities, in order to combine an emergency response with a longer term community based approach.

At the time of writing, PUI operates in Al Mansuryah, As Sukhnah, Al Qanawis and Al Mighlaf Districts in Hodeidah Governorate and in Al Jabin District in Raymah Governorate in the North; moreover, in 2019 a base has been established in the South, in Al Mokha District, located in Taizz Governorate.

HEALTH

In terms of health, PUI provides Primary Health Care services in different Health Facilities (HFs), both in Hodeidah, Raymah and Taizz Governorates, among which: Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI) and vaccination, reproductive health (Antenatal Care, Postnatal Care, Family Planning, HF and Home Delivery), medical curative consultations for all patients; MHPSS; health education/promotion at community level by Community Health Volunteers (CHVs).

NUTRITION

In terms of nutrition, PUI ensures the following: screening by CHVs at community level and by nurses at HF level in order to manage both cases of Moderate Acute Malnourished (MAM) of Children Under 5 (CU5) and Pregnant and Lactating Women (PLW) as well as Severe Acute Malnourished (SAM) CU5; distribution of Food Baskets (FB) to HHs with at least one SAM case enrolled in Outpatient Therapeutic Program (OTP); Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) promotion by midwives at HF level and by CHVs at community level.

Cases of SAM CU5 with complications are referred to Stabilization Centers (SC) either supported by PUI or by any other organization/institution. The children can therefore benefit from in-patient treatment, including the provision of 3 meals a day for their caretakers as well as the food basket distribution.

FOOD SECURITY

In terms of food security, PUI has been involved in activities consisting in seeds, seedlings and tools distributions to beneficiaries in order for them to cultivate their own vegetable garden; this activity was accompanied by the delivery of sensitization sessions and training to improve the nutritional knowledge of the target population as well as their skills in home gardening in order to contribute to the fight against malnutrition.

WASH

In terms of WASH, PUI implements: hygiene promotion activities, through the delivery of hygiene kits to all SAM cases as well as awareness campaigns; water supply and sanitation, by supporting the health structures through the rehabilitation and improvement of water supply systems.

PUI also ensures coordination with other key stakeholders, through effective participation to clusters and sub-clusters (health, nutrition; MHPSS; food security and livelihoods; WASH) and by working closely with relevant government departments and local authorities.

Click here for more information about our response to the crisis

Responsibilities

The Head of Mission is responsible for the smooth functioning and the development of the mission

Safety & Security: S/he is responsible for the safety & security of the mission.
Programmes: S/he coordinates the teams and ensures that the programmes implemented on the mission are properly carried out. S/he also monitors needs and suggests new operations and development tracks for the mission.
Human Resources: S/he ensures that the mission is adequately staffed and supervises the teams (defining objectives, follow-up).
Logistical, administrative and financial monitoring: S/he ensures that logistical and administrative practices in place respect PUI procedures and formats and are in compliance with donors’ rules and regulations.
Medical and technical monitoring: S/he ensures that medical and technical practices respect PUI’s procedures and formats and are in compliance with PUI’s operational framework and policy.
Representation: S/he represents the association in its relations with partners, donors,the media and different authorities.
Relations with Headquarters: S/he ensures that information is properly circulated between Headquarters and the field and ensures that due dates are respected.

Specific objectives and related tasks

1- ENSURING THE SAFETY & SECURITY OF GOODS AND PEOPLE

S/he ensures the PUI’s safety & security management procedures and formats are in place throughout the mission.
S/he ensures that safety & security plans for each base and the mission are up-to-date, known to and understood by everyone (expatriates and nationals).
S/he ensures that material and personnel resources are sufficient to ensure the optimal safety of the teams, the material and the beneficiaries.
S/he ensures that in case of a security incident, the information concerning the incident is communicated, without delay, to the Desk Officer and in accordance with the existing format.
S/he ensures that safety & security information is properly collected, analysed and that alerts or important information is effectively communicated (to the Headquarters and the field).

2- ENSURING PROGRAMMES ARE PROPERLY CARRIED OUT AND SUGGESTING NEW OPERATIONS

S/he ensures that programmes are properly carried out (targets, monitoring of indicators, respect of activity schedules, budgetary follow-up and contractual reports, etc).
S/he alerts the Desk Officer and the Program Coordinator in cases where there is a delay associated with a programme and suggests changes which could be made (in terms of activities, operation area, budget, schedule by which the programme is carried out, etc).
S/he establishes a formal coordination system on the field (inter-departmental meetings, reports, etc.) and ensures that this coordination system is implemented on each base.
S/he suggests new operations and has them authorized by the Desk Officer before submitting them to donors. The documents associated with these new operations should be complete, should respect PUI’s internal procedure, should follow the Donor’s template and shall be sent to the Headquarters for validation. S/he makes sure that the aforementioned documents subscribe to PUI’s mandate and to its operation policy and are in accordance with the strategy of the mission.
When new operations are outlined, S/he ensures that operational means are well defined in order to allow for the programme and its subsequent monitoring to be well carried out.
S/he initiates, organizes and ensures that the mission strategy is prepared, in coordination with expatriate and local teams as well as with the Headquarters.
S/he ensures that departmental action plans are effectively carried out and monitored and are on track to achieve the results defined within the framework of the mission programming.

3- SUPERVISING LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL PERSONNEL TEAMS ON THE MISSION

S/he supervises all local and international teams on the mission.
S/he defines the mission organization chart and submits it for validation to the Desk Officier.
S/he may be involved in the recruitment process of the members of his/her team. S/he is informed of every decision to end an employment contract.
S/he defines the objectives of each expatriate at the beginning of the mission and checks them regularly during, and at the end of the mission.
S/he ensures that each member of staff (local and international) is evaluated at least once during the mission by his/her direct superior.
S/he briefs, or has someone else brief, each new member of staff, when they take on the job, on the context, the programmes and the strategies of the mission, as well as safety regulations, logistical and administrative procedures, financial management and human resources and the use of communication means.
S/he participates in the training of expatriate or local staff (organizational, methodological and potentially technical support, organization of trainings, etc) and recommends internal or external training actions.
S/he prepares, or has someone else prepare, the job descriptions of expatriates who need to be replaced or hired and communicates them in good time to the Headquarters (ideally at the time when a new project proposal is sent to the Headquarters or 3 months before the replacement of an expatriate).
S/he is particularly sensitive to managing the team’s stress. S/he monitors and authorizes holidays and also mediates potential conflicts, seeking appropriate support in case of an incident.
S/he ensures PUI’s Internal Regulations are respected.
S/he protects PUI’s image in the country and thus makes sure the entirety of the staff behaves in a way which is in compliance with the values maintained by the organization and is respectful of the local culture.

4- ENSURING THE LOGISTICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE MONITORING OF THE MISSION

S/he gives his/her consent for local aid purchases and submits some purchase requests to the Desk Officer for approval (in accordance with internal and donors rules).
S/he ensures that the PUI’s logistical procedures (or those of the donor if they are stricter) are in place and monitored, especially for supplies, stock, management of the car park, etc.
S/he ensures that a procurement plan (which respects the PUI’s and the donor’s format and rules) is prepared for each project and that it is updated as purchases are made.
S/he supervises infrastructure and the entirety of the equipment on the mission (vehicles, IT equipment, office equipment, radio-communication and telecommunication equipment) and ensures they are properly utilized.
S/he ensures that the PUI’s administrative procedures (finance, HR, etc.) are in place and monitored.
S/he is responsible for general cost optimization and ensures the financial supply of the mission (transfer requests, mission fees and payment of suppliers).
S/he ensures that the mission’s accounting is sent to the Headquarters within the agreed timeframe.
S/he ensures that the administration produces budget follow-ups for each project, that these follow-ups are made available and analyzed with the logistics department, program managers and technical managers.
S/he informs the Headquarters of donors’ transfers which are received on the field.
S/he ensures that PUI respects national law (right to work, taxes, etc).
S/he ensures that PUI is registered in the country of operation.

5- ENSURING THE TECHNICAL AND MEDICAL MONITORING OF THE MISSION

S/he ensures the respect of medical and technical practices, in conformity with the mandate and operation policy of the association by guaranteeing a permanent connection between the different medical coordinator/officers and technical coordinator/officers with their counterparts at the Headquarters.
S/he ensures that the strategy of the mission and the programmes respects the medical and technical regulation of the association.

6- ENSURING THE REPRESENTATION OF PUI

S/he represents the association locally amongst donors, NGOs, International Organizations and local authorities and reports representation action to the Desk Officer in his/her periodical report, or ad-hoc when necessary.
S/he participates in important coordination meetings and is an active attendee of these meetings.
S/he is responsible for external communication in general and for contacts with the media.
S/he may be called to travel within the region to meet PUI’s partners.

7- ENSURING THE SUPERVISION AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE MISSION

S/he keeps his/herself informed of changes in the humanitarian and political context of the country and the region.
S/he participates in the development of the mission by securing close contact with bilateral and multilateral donors, of whom S/he knows the policy (operation strategy, financing policy and modalities, in compliance with the Associative Project of the PUI).
S/he communicates the Mission Strategy (in external version) to the donors so that they know PUI’s activities and positioning.
S/he is responsible for the development of the mission. Thus, S/he ensures humanitarian supervision and launches new assessments in accordance with needs.
S/he may be called for ad-hoc support in the region.

8- ENSURING RELATIONS WITH THE HEADQUARTERS

S/he is the main link between the Headquarters and the mission.
S/he sends internal and external reports to the Headquarters, respecting internal validation timeframes (sitrep, accident report) and external contractual due dates (project reports).
S/he has security plans validated by the Desk Officier and consults him/her for any decision concerning security.
S/he regularly takes stock of each expatriate team member and defines his/her needs in terms of positions to fill (timing, profile, personality, etc.) with the HR manager.
S/he ensures information from the Headquarters is circulated on the field and vice versa (monthly and ad-hoc sitrep).
S/he participates annually to the Missions’ Week at the Headquarters, where s/he makes improvements and development suggestions for PUI.
S/he ensures the link between the mission’s medical coordinator and the medical department at the Headquarters.

Profile

Training:

Project management
Education in Agriculture/Watsan /Public Health/Other
Financial Management
Human Resource Management
Logistics and Security

Experience:

4 years of humanitarian experience in project co-ordination.
Previous experience as Head of Mission in an NGO or OSI.
Experience in security management
Successful experience in expatriate team management and multi-sector programmes.

Knowledge and skills:

Excellent writing skills
Team management
Project management
Detailed knowledge of the donors (BHA, ECHO, UN agencies…)

Personal Characteristics:

Leadership skills and the ability to make decisions
Trustworthiness and a sense of responsibility
Charisma and the ability to awake enthusiasm for the work the project involves
Ability to use authority, when necessary
Analysis and synthesis abilities (discenrment, pragmatism)
Ability to adapt
Organisational skills, ability to be thorough and respect due dates
Strong listening and negotiation skills
Good people and communication skills
Ability to remain calm and level-headed
General ability to resist stress and particularly in unstable circumstances
Patience & sense of humor

Languages: French and English mandatory

Conditions

Employed with a Fixed-Term Contract
Monthly gross income: from 2 915 to 3 245 Euros depending on the experience in International Solidarity + 50 Euros per semester seniority with PUI
Cost covered: Round-trip transportation to and from home / mission, visas, vaccines…
Insurance including medical coverage and complementary healthcare, 24/24 assistance and repatriation
Housingin collective accommodation
Daily living Expenses (« Per diem »)
Break Policy: 5 working days every 2 months + break allowance
Paid Leaves Policy: 5 weeks of paid leaves per year + return ticket every 6 months