Regional Head of Mission – Asia At Bibliothèques Sans Frontières

BIBLIOTHEQUES SANS FRONTIERES/ LIBRARIES WITHOUT BORDERS

Libraries Without Borders (BSF) is a global NGO working to provide quality access to information and education to the most vulnerable populations. Since 2007, BSF has been bringing knowledge to those who are deprived of it. To achieve this, we work alongside field actors to create strategies for the dissemination of knowledge.

BSF has partnered with hundreds of local organizations worldwide to establish safe spaces where affected populations can actively engage in activities, promoting social cohesion, peace-building, and individual and collective healing in critical conditions such as displacement, conflict and post-conflict or after a natural disaster.

A 3 pillars approach:

· INNOVATIVE TOOLS: To reduce barriers in access to information & education

· TAILOR-MADE CONTENT: To respond to the identified needs of the targeted populations

· FACILITATION & TRAINING: To maximize the impact of the programs and tools.

The Ideas box, ultra-portable multimedia center and the Ideas Cube, a 100% autonomous server for collective and intensive use, have been developed by BSF to provide educational and cultural resources to vulnerable groups around the globe. Bibliothèques Sans Frontières offers a catalog of open access content with over 30,000 resources available in 24 languages.

PROGRAMME IN ASIA

Bangladesh is currently the only country of intervention in Asia. It has been on the front line of the Rohingya crisis for over 30 years. Since the events of the 25^th of August 2017, more than 700,000 Rohingyas have crossed the border between Myanmar and Bangladesh. Today, there are nearly 1 million refugees in the country. The sudden increase in the number of Rohingya arrivals has stretched the capacity of humanitarian organizations operating in Bangladesh. These newcomers are hosted in refugee camps but also in overcrowded makeshift camps, in schools, community centers, religious buildings.

Since 2018, BSF has been conducting interventions aiming at supporting access to education, culture and information and to strengthen protection of the district’s communities in partnership with INGOs and UN agencies.

9 Ideas Box have been deployed in partnership with IOM and with INGO partners to enhance the resilience of the Rohingya refugees and host communities around the following thematics:

· Access to information, education and culture

· Individual and collective expression

· Life skills and soft skills

· Social cohesion

· Learning skills and knowledge transfer mechanism

BSF has been implementing several projects and aiming at providing support to partners to reach a more efficient use of the Ideas Box and Ideas Cube, as well as a deeper rooting of the activities and thus a stronger autonomy of the community. In 2022 in Bangladesh, exploring potential synergies with new partners while strengthening the existing partnership will be a key priority to contribute to providing better access to information and education to additional beneficiaries.

In addition, BSF has the ambition to launch in 2022 new activities in the region in order to tackle regional issues and ensure the sustainability of the country office in Bangladesh and to that aim is recruiting a Head of Mission with a regional scope.

POSITION OBJECTIVE

To lead our current operations in Bangladesh and the future ones in the region, BSF is seeking a dynamic and result-oriented Head of Mission who will play an essential and strategic role within our team to support the development of the regional mission’s operational strategy, to ensure high-quality program implementation and to strengthen BSF’s program portfolio in Bangladesh and in nearby countries. BSF is currently implementing several projects with funding from IOM and the French Centre de Crise among other donors.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the management of the BSF International Operations Manager in HQ, the Regional Head of mission ensures the leadership and strategic orientation of BSF’s operations in Asia. The Head of mission is BSF’s representative in the region and as such oversees all programs, teams and mobilization of resources to achieve expected outcomes, in line with BSF’s strategy and procedures.

He/she is responsible for the coordination with all stakeholders including UN, local actors (NGOs, Authorities) and INGOs. He/she is in charge of the external representation to the authorities, donors, and other stakeholders/partners. He/she is expected to develop an operational and fundraising strategy at the regional level and secure fundings and operational partnerships accordingly.

He/she makes sure that all programs are in line with the BSF regional and global strategy and in compliance with BSF procedures and partners’ requirements. He/She is responsible as well for the financial supervision of the whole mission.

The Head of Mission is also responsible for the management and capacity-building of BSF team in country. He/she is the line manager of 1 Program Coordinator and 1 Administrative/Financial Coordinator both national positions currently based in Bangladesh.

He/ She is responsible for the security and safety of all teams, beneficiaries, programs and assets in the region.

Main priorities:

1/ In liaison with HQ, identify potential operational partners and funding opportunities, and then lead the development of project proposals and negotiations at field level in the region.

2/ Oversee the implementation of quality programs and the mobilization of the adequate resources (HR, finance and logistics)

3/ Follow-up on BSF’s registration in Bangladesh and in other countries of intervention when relevant and support any action required for that purpose.

QUALIFICATION & SKILLS

Education and Experience

• Master’s degree in a relevant field (International Relations, NGO management, etc…) or a degree from Bioforce Institute is preferred
• A previous successful experience (at least 3 years) in a similar senior management position (Head of Mission, Desk manager…) within an International NGO.
• Experience managing a team (expatriate and national)
• Knowledge of main institutional donors and of the humanitarian architecture
• Good command of the project cycle and finance reporting
• Experience in security/safety management
• Mastery of Microsoft Office suite
• Fluent in English, French would be a strong asset.

Skills:

· Ability to represent BSF towards different stakeholders with outstanding communication skills, including excellent diplomacy skills with the ability to influence and negotiate.

· Flexibility, adaptation and problem-solving skills, with the ability to handle a wide range of themes from macro to micro and to manage priorities.

· Thorough, organized, and reliable, with the ability to work autonomously

· Strong interest for BSF’s mandate and vision

· Ability to withstand pressure

· Interest for digital education and new technologies is appreciated

· Great sense of humor and good team member!

Conditions of hiring

· Status: Renewable, 12-months fixed contract (CDD d’usage)

· Start date: December 2021**

· Location: First 2-3 months of the mission in Cox Bazar (Bangladesh) and relocation in a country of the region to be agreed upon (Thailand, Malaysia…) for the remaining 9-10 months of the mission. Many travels to be expected to Bangladesh and other countries of the region according to the development of the operational portfolio.

· Salary and benefits: salary based on experience and BSF salary grid, Per Diem, insurance, housing, unaccompanied post for the first 3 months in Bangladesh. Possibility to be accompanied afterwards.