Head of Mission Senegal – CDDU At PLAY International

PLAY International is looking for its future Head of Mission in Senegal. He is scheduled to take office in August 2024.

Duty station: Dakar, Senegal.

PLAY International

PLAY International is a French NGO founded in 1999 on a conviction: sport is a source of solutions to meet our societal challenges. The main mission of PLAY International is to design and implement education and inclusion projects for children and young people in vulnerable situations, using sports games as an educational tool. The NGO works in particular on issues such as access to and retention in school, gender equality, community reconciliation, health prevention – eating well – moving well – sleeping well – using screens well , the change in outlook on disability… Since its creation, PLAY International has implemented educational and humanitarian projects in France and internationally in more than 25 countries for the benefit of nearly 1 million children. Today, the association relies on 6 missions in Burundi, Rwanda, France, Kosovo, Comoros and Senegal. PLAY International is a member of the SOS Group.

SOS Group

The SOS Group is an associative group, leader in social entrepreneurship in Europe. Without shareholder, non-profit, the SOS Group operates in France and in more than 40 countries around the world.

Responsibilities and missions

The Head of Mission (CDM) is directly responsible for strategic planning, finances, human resources, program design and implementation, program support operations, administration, safety and security, monitoring and evaluation, expansion/development and NGO representation required for the smooth running of PLAY operations in the country and across the African continent, in particularly in West Africa. The CDM plays a leading role through a high level of strategic leadership and effective advocacy. He/she has ultimate responsibility for all aspects of national projects and ensures that the organizational structure is adapted to the operational context. The mission consists of 6 international employees and 7 national employees, based in Ziguinchor and Dakar. The CDM works under the responsibility of the Director of Operations of the NGO, based in Paris, at the headquarters. The missions of the CDM are as follows:

1.Strategy and mission development

• Analyze the context and development needs in Senegal and propose new programs and partnerships, consistent with the national and global strategy.
• Ensure the external representation and strategic positioning of PLAY with local and international stakeholders (institutional actors, donors, NGOs and CSOs, etc.);
• Identify potential relevant local and/or international partners and ensure that each partnership contributes to the achievement of PLAY’s global, regional and national strategy.
• Define partnership elements with educational and sporting institutions and monitor the signatures of conventional documents;
• Identify calls for proposals, seek funding opportunities, and manage the mission’s responses to these opportunities.

2.Operations

• Ensure that administrative, accounting and financial procedures are respected and comply with the PLAY procedures manual and donor requirements.
• Supervise the implementation of projects and their activities, in accordance with commitments to donors and lessors.
• Ensure the inclusion of PLAY technicality in the implementation of activities, by facilitating technical coordination between the mission’s Educational Coordinator and the headquarters Technical Referent;
• Support the capitalization and integration of monitoring and evaluation measures into country strategies, frameworks, policies and plans.

3.Human Resources Management

• Supervise the mission team, their assessment and capacity building.
• Facilitate internal coordination and communication within country team offices and with other PLAY offices internationally and at headquarters.
• Participate in global community life.

4. Safety and security

• Constantly monitor risks and document information relating to local security (social and political context, external actors, economy, etc.), and communicate it to headquarters.

Required Skills

• Excellent skills in communication, diplomacy and negotiation with institutions and donors
• Excellent writing skills
• Good financial management and administrative skills
• Strong organizational and planning skills
• Interest in developing new projects, identifying new opportunities and contributing to the development of PLAY’s mission in the region
• Leadership, taste for working in a multicultural team
• Interest in development themes, including child protection and education, and sport as an educational tool.
• Stress and priority management
• Adaptability, flexibility
• Fluency in French is Fluency in English is an asset.

Training

• Master II in International Relations, Project Management, Political Science, or equivalent.

Experiences

• At least 5 years of experience in the International Cooperation, Humanitarian and/or Development sector.
• Previous experience as head of mission or in a position of equivalent responsibility in an NGO/cooperation
• Proven experience in fundraising, drafting projects in response to donor opportunities in accordance with their requirements. Knowledge of public and international donors such as the AFD or the EU is an asset.
• Experience in financial management is an asset
• Experience in partnership management is an asset
• Proven experience in managing national and international teams
• Knowledge of Senegal is an asset

Terms

• Contract + duration: 12-month CDDU (renewable)
• Salary: according to the PLAY salary scale
• Benefits: per diem, return flight, health insurance and repatriation.
• Location: Dakar, Senegal
• Start date: August 2024