Country Coordinator At Lighthouse Relief

Location: Athens, Greece

Start date: ASAP

Reports to: Board of Directors

Leads & Supervises: Three direct reports (two Programme Coordinators and Country Officer)

Context

Lighthouse Relief (LHR) is a non-religious, non-political, non-profit humanitarian organization with the mission of providing immediate crisis response, as well as long term relief, for the most vulnerable groups in a dignified, respectful and empowering manner.

LHR was founded on the Greek island of Lesvos in September 2015, mobilising to provide an emergency response to arriving refugees. Thereafter, LHR expanded to support vulnerable groups such as children and youth on the mainland of Greece.

Today, Lighthouse Relief is focused on providing psychosocial support to vulnerable groups in Greece, and on providing support to refugees and asylum seekers experiencing homelessness in Athens through our Streetwork Project. Our mission is to provide dignified immediate and long-term relief to those experiencing displacement. We use a sustainable, participatory approach, that is driven by those we serve.

Position Summary

LHR is looking for an experienced Country Coordinator who is able to lead and oversee the organisation’s operations in Greece and deliver LHR’s Strategic Plan for 2021-2023. The Country Coordinator is a key spokesperson for LHR in Greece and has responsibility for developing programmatic partnerships, and plays a primary role in identifying grant funders. The role works alongside the Head of Communications, and in conjunction with the Board of Directors (BoD), to deliver the organisation’s objectives.

The Country Coordinator also provides HR, financial and administrative oversight, and strategic, programmatic-development support for all LHR operations, reporting directly to the BoD.

The Country Coordinator is responsible for all operational and administrative aspects of the organisation, including recruitment, staff development, risk management, and ensuring that programmes are fully equipped to achieve their objectives.

The Country Coordinator will facilitate professional and systematic internal communication and cooperation between the different LHR programmes, to ensure maximum impact of the organisation’s work.

Key responsibilities

• Lead and manage all LHR operations in Greece;
• Coordinate flexible and responsive strategies, ensuring operations are carried out appropriately in a rapidly changing context;
• Provide the administrative and HR oversight necessary to deliver high quality programming;
• Mobilise a trusting, transparent and positive organisational ethos whilst ensuring all staff strictly adhere to and are protected by LHR’s protocols and standards
• Ensure programme quality through overseeing the consistent use of: monitoring, evaluation and assessment of programmes, resources and processes;
• Streamline organisational systems and processes such as recruitment and registration, as well as overseeing the professional and psychological well-being of field staff;
• Responsibility for overseeing Accounting and Finance administration and reporting, including production of the annual budget, provision of management information to the BoD, registration and taxation (supported by the Country Officer).
• Facilitate professional and systematic internal communications and cooperation between the different LHR programmes, to ensure maximum impact of the organisation’s work;
• Identify opportunities for development as well as appropriate expansion and growth of programmes and/ or projects;
• Analyse and prepare operation-management contingency plans and exit strategies;
• Take a leading role in risk management and mitigation, mediate incidents, ensure compliance and quality improvement of all programmes
• Ensure transparency and accountability to, LHR staff and stakeholders;
• Identify opportunities for institutional funding and partnerships, and collaborate with the Head of Communications in exploring opportunities for fundraising activities with institutional donors and private donors, as well as completing grant applications;
• Oversee all aspects of the staff recruitment processes, facilitating interviews, communication with candidates;
• Support Programme Coordinators to identify partnerships and collaborations, building strong networks with other actors, key donors, and relevant authorities.

Staff Capacity Building and Support:

• Lead Programme Coordinators on training and capacity building of all programme management techniques, design and implementation, coordination, administration, finance and monitoring and evaluation, according to Core Humanitarian Standards;
• Ensure the full implementation of LHR’s Code of Conduct;
• Ensure that a human resource strategy and implementation plan is developed, monitored and reviewed as an integral part of the strategic planning process;
• Promote and monitor staff care and well-being. Support healthy work-life balance practices and respond to staff care needs. Encourage and lead team-building activities.

Security:

• Ensure dissemination of and adherence to security plans, standard operating procedures and advisories;
• Liaise with counterparts on relevant issues and participate in safety and security analysis and management;
• Maintain operational risk tracker, conduct regular risk reviews and ensure risk is managed, mitigated and mainstreamed into decision-making and daily activities;
• Ensure all programmes update and maintain safety procedures and implement protocol on a daily basis with the wider team;
• Ensure safety standards are applied and adhered to by all teams regarding LHR’s assets, donations and stakeholder assets.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Excellent people management skills;
• Experience of the humanitarian sector in Greece;
• Significant work experience, including as a Head of Mission, Country Director or a senior management role with an International NGO;
• Excellent programme management, effective budgetary control, leadership, project management, and communication skills;
• Adhere to, and hold substantial experience in, implementing Core Humanitarian Standards and Sphere core standards within operations management;
• Experience in leading field operations with humanitarian organisations including operation-management start-up and exit procedures;
• Proven track record of securing substantial partner relations;
• Ability to produce clear, informative and engaging written materials;
• Ability to work under pressure with rapidly changing conditions, work on own initiative and to be proactive;
• Excellent organisational skills and understanding of quantitative and qualitative data collection;
• Fluency in spoken and written English is essential;
• Good working knowledge of operation-management and programme management tools, resources and software;
• Valid work permit in EU;
• Manual driving licence.

Desired

• Interest and knowledge of displaced populations;
• Degree in relevant field;
• Good standard of spoken and written Greek is an asset;

Terms

• Greek national contract;
• Annual Salary of €21.000;
• Relevant travel expenses are reimbursed