NGO Platform Director, Ukraine At Save the Children

The Humanitarian NGO Platform in Ukraine was established in February 2023 and is dedicated to serving and facilitating the work of its 100 international and Ukrainian NGO members to efficiently and effectively address the humanitarian needs of conflict affected people. This is achieved by amplifying the collective voice of NGO members and representing their interests to key decision-makers as well as through coordination, information sharing and external stakeholder engagement. The Secretariat currently consist of the Director, Deputy Director, Advocacy and Policy Advisor, Membership and Administration Officer, Translator and is supported by the Steering Committee comprising of 5 NGOs. Save the Children is the host of the NGO Platform.

Role and responsibilities:

The role of the NGO Platform Director is to lead the NGO Platform and manage the Secretariat, to deliver impact in accordance with the General Assembly decisions, the Statutes, to mobilise appropriate resources for the NGO Platform’s work and ensure robust NGO representation in the various coordination mechanisms. The Director also represents the NGO Platform and its members in coordination groups and is responsible for building and maintaining good relationships with external stakeholders among other donors, UN, the Humanitarian Coordinator, civil society networks and authorities. The NGO Platform Director fosters the application of Humanitarian Principles and the preservation of humanitarian space.

Generic responsibilities

1. Ensure effective coordination and communication among NGOs, working groups, donors, UN and other stakeholders. Coordination is one of the key elements of the position.
2. Represent the NGO Platform externally.
3. Lead the development, implementation and periodic review of the NGO Platform’s first strategy and annual workplan.
4. Directly manage the NGO Platform Secretariat staff to deliver against responsibilities.
5. Mobilise and manage financial resources for the NGO Platform’s operations and prepare proposals, budgets and reports, in coordination with Save the Children;
6. Promote active member engagement and ensure that the NGO Platform meets members’ needs.
7. Report to the Steering Committee and represent the Secretariat in Steering Committee meetings
8. Manage risk, understand and deliver risk mitigation measures where needed and appropriate.
9. Ensure compliance and adherence to Save the Children and donors policies, guidance and procedures.

Specific responsibilities

• Organize and facilitate bi-weekly Country Directors meetings and the yearly General Assembly meeting.
• Sustain a consistent NGO engagement with the response leadership. In that regard the NGO Platform Director should be part of and foster NGOs engagement in: the strategic coordination bodies (Humanitarian Country Team-HCT, Inter Cluster Coordination Group-ICCG, Ukraine Humanitarian Fund-UHF etc).
• In his/her capacity the NGO Platform Director supports the streamlining of the strategic interagency effort towards Protection, AAP and PSEA through an active liaison role with the related working groups (Protection Sector WG, AAP WG, PSEA Task Force).
• Lead effective engagement with key national and international external coordination mechanisms and networks (Alliance of Ukrainian CSOs, ISAR Ednannia, ICVA, InterAction etc)
• Work closely with the Steering Committee and support the Chair to prepare SC meetings, share feedback and implement decisions.
• Be a focal point/entry pointfor the UN, donors, Global NGO networks and consortium and possibly for the authorities to reach out to the humanitarian NGO community.
• Work with NGO Platform members, Steering Committee, and Advocacy & Policy Advisor to develop and formulate common advocacy positions, messaging and strategies; produce high-quality, well-researched policy and position papers.

Critical interfaces

Interfaces means processes and projects that are interlinked with other departments/units or persons. Relevant interfaces for this position are:

• NGO Platform Steering Committee
• NGO Platform host agency staff (CD, finance, security, supply chain, HR, IT, fleet)
• NGO CDs and other senior personnel.
• UN: Humanitarian Coordinator, OCHA, UN Agencies, Funds and/or programs’ representatives
• National authorities
• Local NGOs and networks
• Donors and diplomats

Scale and scope of position

Staff:

Deputy Director, Advocacy and Policy Advisor, Membership and Administration Officer, Translator

Stakeholders:

Key external stakeholders the post has relationships with (e.g. UN agencies, INGOs, local NGOs, civil society, governmental bodies)

Competencies

Competencies are important in order for the employee and the organisation to deliver desired results. They are relevant for all staff and are divided into the following two categories:

1. Professional competencies

These are skills, knowledge and experience that are important for effective performance.

Generic professional competencies for this position:

• Minimum 5 years experience in a senior management position in a humanitarian/ recovery context
• Experience from working in complex and volatile contexts
• Experience as a head of mission/country director and/or coordinator of NGO forum
• In-depth knowledge of the humanitarian architecture and its systems.
• Demonstrated representational and diplomatic experience with donors and diplomatic missions
• Effective team, operational and budget management skills
• Knowledge and experience of coordination and advocacy efforts
• Fluency in English, both written and verbal

Context/Specific skills, knowledge and experience:

• Knowledge of the context in Ukraine and the region is an advantage
• Knowledge of one or more languages relevant to the region is an advantage
• Experience leading and developing tools and resources to support NGO Networks – national, joint and/or international
• Proven ability to work autonomously under pressure and be flexible, including ability to cope with deadline, multiple tasks, and competing and changing demands

2. Behavioral competencies

These are personal qualities that influence how successful people are in their job. The following are essential for this position:

• Strategic thinking
• Managing performance and development
• Empowering and building trust
• Managing resources to optimize results
• Influencing

Equal Opportunities:

The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI Equal Opportunities and Diversity policies and procedures.

Child Safeguarding:

We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

Safeguarding our Staff:

The post holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with the SCI anti-harassment policy.

Health and Safety:

The role holder is required to carry out the duties in accordance with SCI Health and Safety policies and procedures.