Head of Office Gali and Sukhumi, Abkhazia

Background

DRC has worked in the South Caucasus since 1996 addressing the protracted displacement of approximately 900,000 IDPs in the region as a result of three main unsettled conflict: South Ossetia, Abkhazia and Nagorno Karabakh.

DRC is committed to address issues related to the displacement of approximately 263,000 IDPs in Georgia proper and Abkhazia. Most displacement occurred as a result of the conflicts of the early 1990s, while the 2008 war between Georgia and Russia created an additional wave of IDPs. Currently the caseload consists of a complex mix of old and new IDPs, returnees or migrants in Georgia proper and Abkhazia. Most recently, Syrians of Caucasian origins in Abkhazia were added to the group targeted by DRC interventions.

In the continued absence of any comprehensive resolution to these so-called “frozen conflicts”, the majority of IDPs in the region will continue to be prevented from returning to their places of origin. Similarly, host communities still have limited access social and economic development schemes reducing existing vulnerability patterns.

DRC currently operate in the South Caucasus from two field offices in Abkhazia - Sukhumi and Gali - and a field office West Georgia – Zugdidi. All three field offices are supported by the main office in Tbilisi. Currently DRC employ some 65 national staff members and 3 international staff. Additionally, the South Caucasus operation is assisted by a team in DRC’s Copenhagen Headquarters, which provides support in programme development, administrative and financial management and in implementation of global standards and principles throughout the organization.

In Abkhazia, the programmes focus on the following core sectors of intervention in line with DRC mandate to provide durable solutions to displaced populations of concern:

·         Rural and agricultural development (agricultural mechanization schemes)

 ·         Shelter and small-scale infrastructure (construction and rehabilitations works)

 ·         Livelihoods (self-reliance, small-business and SME development, work placement etc.)

 ·         Social rehabilitation (community development, education, youth empowerment, peace-building)

 ·         Access to rights and basic freedoms/protection (legal aid assistance)

 ·         Protection monitoring and capacity-building of local communities are cross-cutting dimensions of the overall South Caucasus portfolio

DRC currently receives supports from five donors in Abkhazia: Swiss Development and Cooperation (SDC), the European Commission (Europeaid), UNHCR, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NMFA), and Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA). DRC employs 45 permanent staff members in the offices in Abkhazia, and implements projects worth 1.5 mill euro annually, which is currently the most substantial part of the portfolio of DRC in South Caucasus. 

During the second half of 2016, DRC expects to launch a medium-scale multifaceted rural development project in Abkhazia with the financial support of the European Union under the ENPARD facility. The profile of the operations will be impacted and the nature of the assignment of the Head of Office will increasingly focus on rural and agricultural development.

General Responsibilities

The Head of Office (HoO) will until the end of 2016 work alongside the current Head of Office in Abkhazia (HoO) to ensure a proper hand-over of the portfolio; learn about  the area and portfolio history, funding, problems and resolutions, as well as project and programme goals, documentation, files pertinent to the project, admin setup, network etc.

The current HoO will be fully stepping down from this position by the end of 2016. During Q4 of 2016, the old HoO will take the lead on closing down certain projects, while new HoO is expected to take the full lead on the ENPARD project scheduled commence at this time. Furthermore, the new HoO will be responsible for starting up identified fundraising efforts to attract additional funding for 2017-2018.

Under the supervision of the Country Director, the HoO will manage of DRC’s operations in Abkhazia. More specifically, the HoO will:

·         Supervise all ongoing projects, and provide substantial inputs for the further expansion of the operations locally and regionally. This includes fundraising, partnership building, daily project management, staff management, admin and finance supervision, reporting, monitoring and evaluation tasks;

·         Provide supervision and guidance to the existing program units in the field of Shelter and Small-scale Infrastructure, Economic Recovery, Social Development and Protection to ensure continuity and consistency of the operations in adherence to DRC mandate and the needs of the target beneficiaries;

·         Provide supervision and guidance to the project staff ensuring that all DRC’ rules and regulations are followed;

·         Closely coordinate and collaborate with relevant international and national organizations and other relevant parties to create synergies and maximize impacts;

·         Regularly report to and co-ordinate with the DRC official partners, as well as exchange information and co-ordinate with other stakeholders as relevant;

·         Support the coordination and cooperation with de facto local authorities to ensure that the project is adjusted to and integrated into the local context;

·         Actively take part in the further development of the overall and specific planning efforts of DRC, develop concepts and proposals for any future interventions in Abkhazia following a needs-based approach with a special focus on rural development;

·         Ensure that the Abkhazia part of the portfolio is in line with DRC’s global standards, principles, and initiatives;

·         Contribute to general development of the South Caucasus regional portfolio as a member of the Senior Management Team in South Caucasus;

·         Ensure that that M&E, Gender and Protection is mainstreamed throughout all projects in Abkhazia, and that programme are in line DRC’s general strategy for South Caucasus;

 ·         A special attention should be put on the implementation of the EU-funded rural development project mentioned above;

·         Support DRC Country Director for South Caucasus, and DRC HQ Management on advocacy related to Abkhazia, and in any other matter as required.

 ·         As a SMT member, actively contribute to and participate in Senior Management Meetings for the South Caucasus operations. 

Qualifications

·         University degree in Political or Social Sciences, or in Business and Economics, or similar education required;

·         Minimum 7 years of project management experience preferably for INGO in development and / or humanitarian response operations in displacement related contexts;

·         Experience in the field of rural development and coordination of agricultural mechanization schemes is considered a strong advantage.

·         Ability to work cross-culturally in highly politicized context;

·         Excellent financial and administrative management skills with proven experience with a variety of donors and reporting requirements;

·         Strong inter-personal and negotiation skills;

·         Excellent analytical and writing skills with full understanding of the project management cycle;

·         Fluency in written and spoken English, knowledge of Russian language to be considered as an asset;

·         Capacity to work in remote and isolated areas;

·         Willingness to travel frequently to project sites and across the South Caucasus region;

·         High sense of responsibility and commitment to the values of DRC.

We encourage all qualified candidates to apply, irrespective of nationality, religion, race, gender, sexual orientation or age.

Conditions

Availability: By 1^st of September 2015 (no later than 15^th of September 2016)

Duty station: Gali, Abkhazia (non-family duty station) with extensive travels to Sukhumi and occasional travels to Tbilisi.

Contract: 1 year with possibility of extension. The position is subject to funding.

Salary and other conditions are in accordance with the Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for Expatriates (available at www.drc.dk under Vacancies). The position will be placed at salary level A10.

Application process

All applicants must send a cover letter and an updated CV. We only accept online applications at www.drc.dk under Vacancies >current vacancies. Click on the vacancy then on ‘Apply’ at the bottom of the window.

If you have questions or are facing problems with the online application process, please contact job@drc.dk

Further information

For more information, please contact Country Director for DRC South Caucasus, Svend Monrad Graunboel by email svend.monrad.graunboel@drc.dk

Please note that applications are not to be sent to the above contact. For general information about the Danish Refugee Council, please consult www.drc.dk.

Commitments

DRC has a Humanitarian Accountability Framework, outlining its global accountability commitments. All staff are required to contribute to the achievement of this framework (http://www.drc.dk/HAF.4265.0.html).