Head of Mission Burkina Faso At INTERSOS

Job Title Head of Mission Burkina Faso

Code SR-56-9451

Deadline 08/23/2024

Country Burkina Faso

Duty Station Ouagadougou, with travel within the country to operational bases

Type of duty station Non-family duty station

Starting date 01/09/2024

Contract duration 12 months renewable

Reporting to Regional Director

Functional Supervisor

Supervision of 10 international staff

General context of the project

INTERSOS is a non-profit, non-governmental humanitarian organization whose objective is to assist victims of natural disasters and armed conflicts. INTERSOS bases its action on the values ​​of solidarity, justice, human dignity, equal rights and opportunities for all peoples, respect for diversity, coexistence, attention to the most vulnerable social groups.

Burkina Faso is facing an increased crisis due to the rise in violence, which, since the beginning of 2019, has led to a sharp deterioration in the humanitarian situation in the country. The contamination of the conflict has spread to all border regions from West to East starting from the Boucle de Mouhoun, the North, the Sahel, the East, the Center East and in addition the continental region of the Center North. The presence of the various endogenous and exogenous armed groups and the consequent insecurity has caused forced displacement of populations, within the same region as well as to other, safer regions of the country. The number of IDPs increased from 87,000 in January to 500,000 in October 2019. This situation also worsens the living conditions of the host population who first assist and welcome the IDPs. This trend is likely to continue and further increase the number of IDPs and the territories of the Country concerned by the displacement. This number of IDPs is added to 30,641 Malian refugees, most of whom have been hosted in the Sahel region since the start of the Mali crisis in 2012. 7,717 new asylum seekers (6,331 in the North and 1,386 in Boucle de Mouhon) were registered from February to June 2019. The humanitarian community estimates that 473,000 people will need assistance in shelters and AME.

The crisis caused by the conflict adds to the chronic food and nutrition crisis that began in 2012. According to the revised HRP, 1,475,689 people are directly affected by the crisis, of whom 1,251,427, or 85%, need multi-sectoral humanitarian assistance.

INTERSOS arrived in Burkina for a first mission in August 2019. INTERSOS was selected by

UNHCR as a partner to carry out protection monitoring in the North, Boucle de Mouhoun and East regions.

General purpose of the position

The Head of Mission legally and officially represents the Organization in Burkina (powers conferred by proxy by the Secretary-General upon appointment to the post) and he/she acts under the supervision of the Regional Director and in accordance with his/her specific directives.

The CdM is responsible for planning, managing and implementing the country programme based on defined strategies and guidelines.

The CdM manages and coordinates operations, human and financial resources, logistical means and security in the country of assignment.

Main responsibilities and tasks

Communication and representation:

• Represent INTERSOS at the national level;
• Establish and maintain relationships with local institutions, donors, NGOs, international agencies and other stakeholders;
• Establish, guarantee and control government recognition procedures for the organization and formalities of the host country;
• Be the point of contact for the press and media.

Planning and implementation of project(s):

• In coordination with the Regional Directorate, define country priorities based on the context and needs analyses. Monitor donor intervention strategies and priorities in the country and evaluate, promote and develop new projects;
• Plan mission activities and verify their implementation; supervise, monitor and evaluate the implementation of projects also through periodic visits to the areas of operation;
• Approve project reports and interim and final financial reports and assume responsibility for presentation to donors;
• Ensure compliance with INTERSOS procedures (eg procurement of goods, works and services).

Information and reports:

• Transmit information received from headquarters to field teams;
• Responsible for the continuity and quality of field-headquarters reports;
• Prepare monthly reports on country operations for the Regional Directorate.

Finance:

• With the support of the Country Administrator, verify monthly mission expenses and ensure their compliance with financial planning;
• Assume responsibility for the management of mission funds (including bank accounts);
• Define the economic and financial planning of the mission, guarantee self-sufficiency and consistency of expenditure.

Human ressources:

• Be ultimately responsible for the management of expatriate and national human resources:

For expatriate staff:

• reception, organization of briefings and debriefings;
• Identification of human resources needs, development of job profiles, validation of the mission organization chart;
• individual monitoring: support, advice and evaluation of the team (interim and end-of-mission assessment);
• Ensures regular evaluation by line managers.

For local staff:

• In coordination with headquarters, definition of the national personnel management policy ensures the implementation of the mission’s internal regulations.

Security:

• Responsible for developing/updating mission security plans (capital and bases);
• Monitoring and documentation of security issues in the country;
• Interaction on security issues in the country with headquarters (Security Referent) and with the stakeholders concerned;
• Monitors team movements and ensures compliance with safety rules;
• Final responsibility for all decisions regarding security.

Education

General higher education: Economics, Administrative and financial management, Political sciences,

University degree in humanitarian matters.

Alternatively solid field experience.

Professional experience

– At least 5 years of experience as Head of Mission or other coordination and management position in emergency humanitarian contexts.

Professional requirements

• Ability to set a high standard of quality of work
• Ability to analyze and integrate information from a wide range of sources
• Ability to manage funds, logistics and human resources
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Superior ability to write project proposals and reports
• Proficiency in IT tools (MS Office package, Internet, email, etc.)

Languages

Fluent French (spoken, read, written) essential.

Good knowledge of English and/or Italian (desirable).

Personal requirements

• Sense of organization, management and planning.
• Ability to work to a tight deadline, with little supervision and under pressure
• Strong communication skills, both written and oral, and ability to maintain relationships with experience in team management.
• Ability to take initiative and work independently
• Compliance with INTERSOS Policies (Charter of Values, PSEA and Child Protection charters) and humanitarian principles