More Information
- Experience 0-2
Desired start date: 04/14/2025
Mission duration: 07/15/2025
Location: Bangui
SOLIDARITES INTERNATIONAL (SI) is an international humanitarian aid association that, for over 40 years, has been providing assistance to populations affected by armed conflicts and natural disasters by meeting their vital needs: drinking, eating, and shelter. Particularly committed to combating diseases linked to unsafe water, the world’s leading cause of death, SI implements through its interventions expertise in the field of access to drinking water, sanitation and the promotion of hygiene, but also in the essential field of food security and livelihoods. Present in 26 countries, SI’s teams – 3,200 people in total, made up of expatriates, national employees, permanent staff at headquarters, a few volunteers, etc. – intervene with professionalism and commitment while respecting cultures.
The mission
SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL teams in CAR are rehabilitating water and sanitation infrastructure, while training water management committees to ensure their sustainability. Awareness campaigns on hygiene and the use of water points are helping to cope with the high pressure exerted by the massive influx of populations. SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL is providing drinking water to families, but also to farmers, by repairing some defective boreholes and ensuring the transport and storage of this water to their land, contributing to improving food security.
Community service projects facilitate agricultural, pastoral and commercial activities, thereby increasing food availability and reviving the market. Our teams provide toolkits and seeds to farmers and livestock keepers, and provide training.
Thanks to a rapid emergency response mechanism and the creation of an emergency stock, SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL is ready to intervene from the first hours of a man-made or natural disaster in order to ensure access to drinking water and a healthy environment for populations made vulnerable by a shock, a natural disaster or an epidemic.
The forecast budget for the SI RCA mission is approximately 9 million euros in 2023. Several fundings cover the year 2023 but the financial visibility for 2023 must be confirmed through several ongoing project proposals. The objective is to stabilize the mission around a volume of activity and funding equivalent to or slightly higher than 2022.
Activities are spread across 3 operational bases (Kaga Bandoro, Markounda and Bouar) covering the central/northern zone of the country as well as part of the West. The coordination office is located in the capital, Bangui. The opening of a sub-base in Kabo is underway. There are currently around 180 staff on the mission.
Training:
Higher Diploma in Humanitarian Project Management, Political Science, International Relations, or equivalent
Experience and technical skills:
EXPERIENCE IN THE HUMANITARIAN SECTOR: 0-2 years
EXPERIENCE IN EQUIVALENT POSITION: 3-4 years
Technical skills
1. Mastery of project cycle management
2. Experience in writing reports/project proposals with various donors and/or experience in managing projects funded by institutional donors (field experience required)
3. Good knowledge of the functioning of donor platforms, rules and procedures of various institutional donors
Cross-disciplinary skills
1. Strong planning, anticipation, organization and coordination skills to tackle a significant daily volume of work
2. Excellent writing skills (in French and English), analysis and synthesis skills
3. Strong sense of diplomacy and experience working in an intercultural environment. Team spirit
LANGUAGES :
1. Excellent command of French
2. Excellent command of English
SECURITY :
The CAR is now among the countries in the world where the most incidents against humanitarian workers are reported. However, the impact of these incidents must be put into perspective, as most are criminal acts without physical harm. The main risk for NGOs today remains robbery on the roads, criminal acts and incidents linked to the presence of many weapon carriers in the country. The security context affects both the working conditions of staff, as well as the implementation of activities (sometimes suspended following security incidents).
Access remains complex and volatile in certain areas and the mapping of actors must be constantly updated. SI intervention areas in the Central African Republic are divided between levels 2 and 4 depending on the local context, which implies adapted and differentiated procedures depending on the activities.
Like all other NGOs/international organizations, SI has been impacted by several incidents in recent months. The mission has worked hard to improve its security framework, in particular by allocating dedicated human resources, in coordination (Access & Security Manager) as well as on base (Liaison Officers), or by reviewing all of its procedures (in particular financial management, movement monitoring, communication, etc.) in order to minimize exposure to robbery and other risks identified for the organization, its staff and its assets. The reflection on security and access management must be dynamic and continuous, as well as the review of security processes and rules.
General objective:
Integrated into the coordination team based in Bangui and under the hierarchical responsibility of the Country Director, the Grants Manager works closely with the program and support departments, as well as with the field teams.
More specifically, he/she:
ž
- Contributes to the strategic development of the mission;
- Monitors and identifies funding opportunities in line with SI’s national and global strategy;
ž Coordinates the various departments upstream and during the drafting of project proposals, reports and contract modification requests to be submitted to donors or consortium partners; - Anticipates all programmatic and contractual deadlines;
- ž Monitors compliance with donor procedures and builds team capacity on donor accountability tools and procedures;
- žProactively monitors lessors’ contractual obligations from contract signing to closing and archiving, and ensures that contractual obligations are known and understood by all departments;
- Develops internal and external communication media;
- Identifies local partners relevant to the national IS strategy and coordinates support from support functions to national NGO partners;
- Supervises the compliance of the mission’s grant archives;
- Coordinates lessor audit activities in the field in close collaboration with the various departments of the mission and headquarters.
Main Challenges:
- ž Ensure fundraising with the country director;
- ž Boost external communication;
- ž Maintain dialogue between different departments.
Priorities for the first 2/3 months:
- Support the development and writing of project proposals;
- Consolidate and review project reports;
- Coordinate the smooth running of audits and spot checks.
A salaried position: Depending on experience, from EUR 2310 gross per month (2100 basic salary + 10% annual leave allowance paid monthly) and a monthly Per Diem of USD 730.
SI also covers accommodation costs and travel expenses between the expatriate’s home country and the duty station.
Breaks: During the mission, a system of alternating between work and leave is set up at a rate of 7 working days every three months (with USD 850 allocated by Solidarités International). In addition to these break periods, there is one additional day of rest per month worked.
Social and medical coverage: Expatriates benefit from insurance that reimburses all health costs (including medical and surgical costs, dental and ophthalmological care, repatriation) and a welfare system that includes war risks. The costs of essential vaccinations and anti-malarial treatment are reimbursed.
LIVING CONDITIONS:
Bangui is a medium-sized city, very green, and with a relatively low population density. The city is bordered to the south by the Oubangui River, on the banks of which there are bars, terraces and sports facilities: swimming pool, tennis and squash courts, a weight room, etc. Other sports venues (gym, stadium, swimming pool) and relaxation areas (restaurants, bars, nightclubs) are accessible in the city. It is possible to find many foreign products in the large supermarkets in Bangui, but at a high price. There are many restaurants (French, Lebanese, Chinese, Indian and of course African cuisine) which are allowed to be visited during the day and in the evening. Some restaurants also deliver to homes. The large number of NGOs based in Bangui makes social life easier.
Generally speaking, it is a fairly calm city, although one must keep in mind the general fragility of the Central African political context and the possibility of a deterioration in the security situation even in Bangui. It is not uncommon for security measures to have to be adapted to the local context and control operations are frequent by internal security forces.
SI has a guest office in Bangui. Internet access is good: the guest office has a Vsat. The city’s electricity is regularly cut off, but SI has a generator that provides constant power. Internationals have access to the French Embassy’s medical-social center and other medical centers in Bangui, and relatively advanced medical tests can be carried out at the Pasteur Institute in Bangui. These two institutions are able to effectively treat the majority of health problems. However, the Central African Republic is a country heavily affected by malaria and waterborne diseases and it is up to everyone to take the necessary precautions.