Deputy Country Director – Support At Acción contra el Hambre España

You’ll contribute to ending world hunger by …

Under the supervision of the Country Director, the Head of Support Functions (HoSS) has strategic and operational responsibility for Finance, Human Resources, Compliance, Logistics and Procurement, Administration. He/she oversees, develops, and provides strategic direction to his/her support areas.

(S)he assists the Country Director in managing and coordinating the implementation of the Mission projects and serve as acting CD/HoB as required.

Key activities in your role will include

Objective 1: To support the Bases in the optimal implementation of projects

• Provide oversight and support for bases and capital in all stages of PCM, linking this with ACF and donor requirements.
• Anticipate potential issues and delays in project implementation, acting in advance to mitigate and prevent problems from arising.
• Define with mission SMT key indicators in order to better detect under execution and improve mitigation measures
• Ensure the databases are updated for reporting and capitalization purpose
• Review proposals, MoUs, contracts, donor reports, etc. with special attention to maintaining high quality of external reporting and compliance with donor rules.
• Ensure compliance with ACF procedures and optimize these if and when necessary
• Work together with Mission coordinators to provide constructive feedback on base activity planning, through the review of weekly base reports and activity plans.
• Define corrective operative plans that would improve the implementation of the activities
• Elaborate operative scenario for the mission according to the evolving context and define action plan to meet the scenario
• Develop a country risk management plan that identifies key financial and operational risks and implement a mitigation strategy.
• Ensure Project Ads implementation is properly utilized by relevant personnel.
• Oversee the master budget, KPI indicators and financial viability of the country operation.

Objective 2: To manage the mission logistics, procurement, finance, administration, compliance, and human resources departments, keeping in mind the final objective of improving the operations and projects efficiency

• Responsible for the strategic development, management, and implementation of support operations.
• Ensures that support functions are strengthened, and appropriate systems are in place to adequately support programs implementation in all aspects
• Provide monitoring, counselling, support and empowerment to each coordinator/ respective departments/unit when necessary
• Liaise with other INGOs, legal advisor, and other relevant stakeholders for effective coordination and implementation of logistics, HR, finance and administration.
• Ensure the setting up and follow up of the mission’s HR policy and coordinate its implementation in the capital and in all bases in accordance with the Lebanese legislation, HR policy and ACF staff development
• In close collaboration with CD and DCD Programs, ensures that an efficient and permanent connection/understanding/communication/coordination between programs and resources is optimum
• Ensure that support functions are characterized by quality, consistency and compliance in lines with ACF strategic priorities, donor guidelines and Law requirements.
• Provide selective capacity building of staff as needed and Contribute to the career development for program staff
• Ensure the definition and implementation of robust archiving procedures in all departments (supports, operations, technical)
• Support the Country Director in liaising with donors and authorities, particularly about compliance, registration and auditing issues.
• Oversight, audits and monitors and implements corrective actions related to ACF operational standards in the support area.
• Ensure that legal and administrative systems are fair and meet internal, donor and local government requirements.

Objective 3: To manage the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning Department

• Ensure that all staff are competent in the use of NoHungerForum (the intranet) and promote its use in the mission
• Improve with the support of the MEAL unit the diffusion of ACF Lebanon lessons learnt and good practices within the mission, the regional Office and HQ
• Ensure the development of the MEAL unit and its optimal integration in the mission, in particular Design methodology for multi-sector assessments, monitoring and evaluation of ACF Sectors of intervention, providing sector guidance and capitalizing the lessons learnt; Support the design of project monitoring tools streamlining resources ;Support the roll out of ACF accountability framework and enlarged feedback mechanisms;
• Ensure application of best practices and formalise lessons learned feedback systems.

Objective 4 : Support the Grant Writing and Donor Relation process

• In coordination with the Country Director represent ACF in the various coordination bodies.
• Ensure the lead on the process of proposal and report writing according to the established standard procedures and follow up the implementation through the compilation of project progress reports. Develop knowledge of donors’ procedures and interests.
• Participate in maintaining continuity in donor and other external relations.
• Ensure that all staff receive training and are competent in use of GESPRA appropriate to their respective functions; conduct regular controls to verify competence.

Objective 5 : Security

• Respect the security rules specified in the mission and base security plan, see to it that the team under his/her responsibility complies with the security plan and perform the security management tasks that can be assigned in its protocols.
• Communicate to the security managers of the working location any security related information or noncompliance with the security plan

Objective 6: Support humanitarian activities of Action Against Hunger

• Support the emergency interventions of the organization as per the employee’s abilities.
• Support any activity that helps reaching our humanitarian goals, as per the employee’s abilities.

Objective 7 : Support humanitarian activities of Action Against Hunger

• Lead the implementation of PSEA at Mission Level
• Promote safe and equitable environments, through knowledge and application of the protocol against harassment and gender policy.
• Promote gender equality within the humanitarian and/or development work

Do you meet the profile required criteria?

• Masters in Humanitarian or Development Studies or other related field or substantial Humanitarian and Development experience.

• Demonstrated staff capacity building and management skills

• 5 years’ experience in similar positions or head of a large field office or Country Director

• Strong experience in drafting of proposals for humanitarian and development programmes

• Excellent knowledge of donor (EU, ECHO, UN,AECID, etc.) rules and regulations.

• Good management and representation capacity.

• Experience in risk management

• Experience in logistics, admin, HR, MEAL

• Strong computer skills: facility with MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and email/internet software

• ACF tools : GESPRA, NHF, SAGA (a plus)

Action against Hunger is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work such as but not limited to sexual harassment, sexual exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and/or financial misconduct; We expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through endorsing our code of conduct and other related policies and only those who share our values and code of conduct will be recruited to work for us.