Chief of Party – Syria Community Consortium

Syria – Damascus

Who are we?

The Danish Refugee Council assists refugees and internally displaced persons across the globe: we provide emergency aid, fight for their rights, and strengthen their opportunity for a brighter future. We work in conflict-affected areas, along the displacement routes, and in the countries where refugees settle. In cooperation with local communities, we strive for responsible and sustainable solutions. We work toward successful integration and – whenever possible – for the fulfillment of the wish to return home.

The Danish Refugee Council was founded in Denmark in 1956, and has since grown to become an international humanitarian organization with more than 7,000 staff and 8,000 volunteers. Our vision is a dignified life for all displaced.

All of our efforts are based on our value compass: humanity, respect, independence and neutrality, participation, and honesty and transparency.

DRC Syria

DRC has been actively operating in Syria since 2008 mainly supporting refugees. In June 2012, DRC was authorized by the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) to expand its humanitarian efforts and provide assistance to IDPs and the vulnerable resident population countrywide. Since then, DRC activities have been focused on NFI distributions, Shelter, WASH, Protection, Education, Livelihoods and Mine Risk Education in six Governorates (Damascus, Rural Damascus, Dara’a, Aleppo, Hama, and Homs). While Protection/community service activities are provided to beneficiaries throughout our six Community Centers.

Background

The Syria Community Consortium (SCC) was launched in January 2024 with the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), serving as Consortium Lead in partnership with the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), Oxfam, and International Medical Corps UK (IMC UK). The SCC was established, with initial seed funding from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) in December 2023 and later supplemented by Swiss Development

About the job

The Chief of Party will have an appropriate balance of leadership, managerial, technical, and interpersonal skills and experience. She/He shall have a deep understanding of the overall goals and objectives of the programme and will be able to articulate the strategic vision. S/he is responsible for close coordination and collaboration with the consortium partners in order to provide overall leadership, management, and general technical direction to the entire programme, ensuring an integrated vision among technical components and partners and a focus on achieving high quality programming and results. S/he will ensure progress toward targets and timely implementation; identify issues and risks related to programme implementation. In response to monitoring and evaluation information, s/he will work with the partners and the donor to adjusting programme interventions as and when appropriate in order to enhance results. S/he will also prepare annual work plans, progress reports, and technical deliverables related to achievement of programme results. S/he shall have strong experience on programme development, proposal writing & reporting.

Cooperation (SDC), to leverage complementary experience, access gains and advantages, and technical expertise to build and implement a solutions-oriented Resilience Programme Framework (RPF) 2024- 2028, that can be adapted and scaled-up to ultimately enhance the socio-economic wellbeing, resilience, and self-reliance of crisis-affected communities in Syria.

Duties and Responsibilities

Overall Responsibility

The Chief of Party will have an appropriate balance of leadership, managerial, technical, and interpersonal skills and experience. She/He shall have a deep understanding of the overall goals and objectives of the programme and will be able to articulate the strategic vision. S/he is responsible for close coordination and collaboration with the consortium partners in order to provide overall leadership, management, and general technical direction to the entire programme, ensuring an integrated vision among technical components and partners and a focus on achieving high quality programming and results. S/he will ensure progress toward targets and timely implementation; identify issues and risks related to programme implementation. In response to monitoring and evaluation information, s/he will work with the partners and the donor to adjusting programme interventions as and when appropriate in order to enhance results. S/he will also prepare annual work plans, progress reports, and technical deliverables related to achievement of programme results. S/he shall have strong experience on programme development, proposal writing & reporting.

Programme management:

• Lead on overall programme strategy development through consultations with technical leads and consortium leadership to support strategic growth.
• Develop and implement the strategic and operational plan;
• Provide oversight and support to consortium partners on implementation, coordinating with them closely to ensure the timely and quality delivery of activities and outputs as per the proposal and log frame;
• Monitor and update work plan and keep partners accountable to programme commitments;
• Ensure through coordination with partners’ relevant programme and support services staff to ensure that budgets are designed in accordance with needs. Ensure that expenditure are planned and properly managed.
• Facilitate and improve sharing and learning between partners;
• Coordinate and support the endline and midline Evaluation for the programme;
• Oversee the development of staffing plans and the recruitment process of consortium staff and consultants.
• Responsible for the development of complimentary concepts notes and/or full proposals, from conception to submission in coordination and consultation with consortium partners and develop competitive, responsive proposals that are in line with the consortium strategy and ensure that all internal and external reports are provided in a timely fashion in collaboration with consortium relevant staff.
• Ensure proper coordination and project representation to the donor and other local and international stakeholders
• Ensure that key information on the project is available to senior members of the consortium and decisions are taken to support the effectiveness of the consortium;
• Maintain excellent relationships with all consortium partners and working groups;
• Share operational and technical lessons learnt with wider humanitarian sector within Syria and internationally to enable the sharing of best practices;
• Bring new partners to the programme as relevant and as possible with the aim of expanding the programme footprint.

Coordination and Representation:

• Serve as a Secretariat for the Steering Committee meetings and ensure that clear agendas are set and meeting minutes produced and circulated in line with the Steering Committee TOR;
• Coordinate and attend the technical Working Groups and Area Coordination Groups ensuring they are presented with key decisions and information on which to make their decision;
• Represent the Consortium in coordination mechanisms with partners and donors;

Compliance and Risk management:

• Ensure donor compliance and harmonized approaches between consortium members;
• Ensure the timely delivery of agreed outputs of the Consortium and ensuring quality programme; implementation in line with the agreed strategy;
• Periodically review overall project budget and alert concerned partner of any identified risk of over or under spending;
• Ensure all Consortium procedures (M&E, SoPs, policies etc.) are followed by consortium partners;
• Provide timely reporting to the Steering Committee on any risks, challenges or delays and in coordination with the Steering Committee, ensure major risks and obstacles to delivery are tackled and actions taken with agreement of consortium partners;
• Through Steering Committee, ensure major risks and obstacles to delivery are escalated and actions taken with agreement of consortium partners.

Technical support and overview:

• Oversee high quality delivery of Consortium objectives;
• Regularly review project work plan to ensure the Consortium meets its strategic objectives;
• Provide strategic leadership on external communications in line with Steering Committee guidance and support in the development of communication materials, including project and programme brochures, case studies as well as press releases.
• Conflict Sensitivity and Do No Harm: Ensure that the consortium’s activities are conflict-sensitive and adhere to the principles of “Do No Harm” to minimize any negative impacts on conflict dynamics and local communities. Integrate conflict sensitivity and Do No Harm approaches into program design, implementation, and monitoring.
• Gender and Inclusion: Promote gender equality and social inclusion within the consortium’s programming. Ensure that activities and interventions address the specific needs and priorities of women, men, girls, and boys, and promote their meaningful participation and empowerment.
• Innovation and Learning: Foster a culture of innovation and learning within the consortium, encouraging adaptive management approaches and the incorporation of emerging best practices. Support the documentation and dissemination of communication materials lessons learned, success stories, and innovative approaches within the consortium and beyond.
• Supervise the implementation of the MEAL strategy and support the development of appropriate meal tools and systems and ensure that programme management tools and systems are relevant. Develop internal mechanisms for institutional learning and memory of the consortium. Improve the quality of services provided through supervision of key consortium management unit staff, analysis and dissemination of meal data and lessons learnt.
• Ensure that the consortium advocacy strategy is followed and promote the use of Consortium-generated knowledge and learning;
• Conduct internal planning and progress review meetings and ensure regular progress monitoring is taking place at different levels in coordination with other members;
• Oversee knowledge sharing between partners, and ensure that monitoring and evaluation results are understood and used to improve programme implementation;

Experience and technical competencies: (include years of experience)

• Minimum 10 years professional work experience in senior management roles in international humanitarian or development work
• Demonstrated project, programme, and human resource management and coordination experience
• Experience in donor funded projects;
• Extensive experience in communication and networking;
• Excellent relationship management skills with ability to influence and get buy-in from people not under direct supervision and to work with individuals in diverse geographical and cultural settings. Experience in private sector engagement.

Preferred experience:

• Demonstrated experience in managing and leading large Consortia or complex partnerships;
• Strong MEAL experience, including in complex programmes with high-profile evaluations;
• Proven experience in successfully applying for institutional donor funding and knowledge of donor rules, regulations, and procedures;
• Strong understanding of the Syrian context, including the socio-political dynamics, conflict-related challenges, and specific resilience and recovery needs of the affected population.
• Familiarity with the local cultural and social norms, as well as the humanitarian and development landscape in Syria.
• Knowledge of the humanitarian coordination mechanisms in Syria and experience in engaging with relevant clusters, working groups, and coordination forums.
• Familiarity with resilience-based programming approaches, methodologies, and tools, such as the Resilience Frameworks

Education:

A post-graduate degree in international relations, law, business administration; management, human rights, social sciences or related field;

Languages:

• English (fluent)
• Arabic (Fluent) – Advantageous

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’ five core competencies:

• Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process.
• Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback.
• Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation.
• Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly.
• Demonstrating integrity: You act in line with our vision and values.

We offer

Contract length: One year

Level: E

Location: Damascus – Syria

Expected Start date: November-2024