Job Title:                              Country Director

Reports to:                         Regional Director

Department:                      International Programmes Department

Terms:                                  Two-Year Fixed Term, Accompanied terms

Location:                             Nairobi, Kenya

Salary:                                  GB8: €63,461 – 70,513

Requirements:                  At least 40% travel to programme sites

About Concern:                Established in 1968, Concern is a non-profit, non-governmental humanitarian organisation, dedicated to the reduction of suffering and the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest countries.

Concern’s vision, our mission and our work are all defined by one goal – ending extreme poverty, whatever it takes. Concern strives for a world free from poverty, fear and oppression.

Our culture is values driven and we believe that our people are central to all that we do and are key to delivering on our goal of Reaching the Furthest Behind First. We are committed to ensuring a workplace where everybody feels valued and are enabled to succeed in their work and contribute to delivering on our mission.

Role Purpose:                    You will have overall responsibility for the strategic development and management of the Concern Kenya country programme. You will ensure the programme meets objectives as set out in the strategic plan, annual plans and programme proposals. You will also ensure the country programme is in line with Concern Worldwide policies, procedures and meets Core Humanitarian standards.  You will lead the Country Management Team (CMT) and represent the organisation with government, donors and other international organisations.

Responsibilities:

Leadership

• Develop and implement a coherent country programme that contributes to achieving Concern’s global strategy and objectives, in particular addressing the emergency needs of disaster-affected populations.
• Provide leadership in the overall effective planning and direction of Concern’s programme and operations at country level.
• Build a strong and committed team of national staff adhering to Concern policies and procedures and applying key principles of transparency, accountability, good stewardship and participation.
• Create and maintain shared vision, amongst all Concern staff, of Concern’s programme aims and objectives and their role in achieving these. 
• Lead and support the strengthening of coordination and collaboration within teams and across all teams, maintain and ensure constructive communication, and contribute to a positive working environment.

Representation and networking

• Represent Concern in and establish/maintain coordination and networking relationships with the government, local authorities, donors and other national and international humanitarian actors including Alliance 2015 members in the country. 
• Ensure compliance with Concern’s statutory obligations in relation to registration compliance, including submission of mandatory reports to the authorities.
• Ensure that relationship and formal agreements with the government are established, maintained and updated as appropriate. 
• Represent Concern at various coordination forums.
• Promote the humanitarian principles of Concern in external settings, ensuring that the organisation’s neutrality, impartiality and independence is well communicated and consistently presented, and that we are perceived as an independent humanitarian organisation addressing the needs of the most vulnerable.

Programme Development and Management

• Lead the strategic development and implementation of programmes in line with Concern’s organisational strategic plan and following the Concern Project Cycle Management policy, including proposal writing and sourcing funding.
• Ensure effective coordination of technical inputs (e.g. Head Office advisors) in designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating programmes. 
• Take the lead in ensuring the targets of the country-level funding strategy are met, establish productive working relationships with donors, and be responsible for undertaking country-level negotiations related to securing funding, programming contracts, and reports.
• Develop partnerships with local NGOs and CBOs through the application of Concern assessment tools
• Manage the country programme effectively including allocation of resources and ensuring that appropriate monitoring and controls are established and maintained at all levels by working with programme and systems managers, staff and where relevant partners. 
• Provide adequate leadership and support to area coordinators and programme leaders in setting up high quality standards and implementation of programmes.
• Ensure that all programmes are implemented and completed according to programme documents including agreed plans and budget, and in compliance with donors and internal policies. 
• Maintain effective communication and liaise with Concern Head Office in Dublin, and ensure that high-standard internal and donor reports are produced and submitted in a timely manner and in line with relevant targets and objectives.

People Management

• Line manage senior management staff (Country Management Team – CMT) and be responsible for the overall management and development of national and international staff.
• Manage and support the country programme team, ensuring that there is a clearly defined structure and job descriptions for all staff.
• Ensure that regular staff Performance and Development Review (PDR) system is established and maintained and that PDRs are adequately undertaken at all levels. 
• Develop, review, and effectively implement all Human Resources related procedures in accordance with Concern policies and procedures and in line with the national labour laws.
• Establish and maintain regular, participative and documented forums and meetings for all key staff to discuss policy, strategic, operational and management issues, coordinate planning and implementation of activities, and ensure information sharing.

Security Management

• Take overall responsibility for the security and safety of Concern personnel and resources.
• Be responsible for participatory development and implementation of the Country Security Management Plan and Standard Operating Procedures.
• Liaise with necessary external bodies to keep abreast of current affairs in order to maintain an awareness of economic, political, humanitarian and security developments.
• Ensure a functioning Security Focal Group (SFG) and keep up to date with security incidents at central and field locations.
• Work with the SFG to ensure the development and maintenance of effective security systems for Concern employees, programmes and property including the regular revision and implementation of the Security Management Plan.
• Report any security threats and incidents to the Regional Director.

Budget and Financial Management

• Responsible for overall financial management including participatory budget preparation, revision and monitoring and timely submission of Budgets and reports to HQ. 
• Ensure that the Concern organisational financial guidelines and procedures are adhered to.  
• Develop and implement work and expenditure plans and ensure that the country programmes are implemented within agreed and approved budget through undertaking regular budget monitoring of expenditure against budget. 
• Ensure that internal and donor financial reports are submitted in a timely manner and to a high quality standard.

Policies and procedures

• Ensure that support systems are in place and functioning in accordance with best practices in order to ensure transparency and accountability to programme participants, donors, government, and other relevant stakeholders.
• Promote and ensure compliance with the requirements of Concern’s Code of Conduct and its associated policies and implementation of the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS), along with Concern’s community-based feedback, complaints and response mechanism (FCRM) to ensure maximum protection of and accountability to programme beneficiaries.
• To ensure efficient and effective use of resources for the delivery of the country programme and to ensure regular internal and external reviews and audits are carried out. 

Accountability   

• Promote and ensure compliance with the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) commitments and quality criteria
• Ensure that all staff are familiar with the principles underpinning accountability, safeguarding and Concern's Complaints and Response Mechanism (CRM) and ensure that information about Concern's commitments on accountability and safeguarding are disseminated among programme participants and communities
• Ensure that the CRM is functional, effectively implemented and accessible in all programmes' locations, enabling safe reporting of both programmatic and sensitive complaints, including safeguarding concerns 
• Ensure that complaints are welcomed, managed and responded to in a timely, fair and appropriate manner; ensure that sensitive complaints, including safeguarding concerns, are handled with utmost confidentiality and that the safety of the complainants and those affected is prioritised at all stages.

Other

• The programme is in a dynamic context that requires continuous contextual analysis and adaptation of the strategic planning frameworks.

• All managers are responsible for upholding and promoting Concern’s values, demonstrating leadership on workplace equality, diversity and inclusion, and role modelling a positive safeguarding ethos.
• All managers are required to actively participate in any emergency response as and when required.

Role Holder Requirements:

Essential:

This position demands a dynamic individual with a demonstrated ability to achieve results in a demanding and fast-paced environment.

• Advanced degree, preferably in social science, development management, business management, or a related discipline.
• At least 5 years’ overseas experience in management and coordination of humanitarian interventions and emergency response with at least 3 years’ experience in a senior management position.

• Strong leadership skills and ability to manage change effectively.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills in English
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills with an ability/confidence to engage and represent Concern at public forums, media and donors.

• Strong coordination and conflict resolution skills.
• Cross cultural awareness and sensitivity.

• Ability to work under pressure and to strict deadlines.

• Good coaching, motivational, facilitation and capacity-building skills.

• Dynamic and willing to take initiative, complete assigned tasks, and work independently.
• Delegation, time management and prioritisation skills, and the ability to cope with a broad range of demands.
• Willingness to travel regularly to the project sites.
• Experience of managing major donor grants such as ECHO, EU-INTPA, UN Agencies and Irish Aid

• Previous experience of leading a country programme focusing on one or more of the following areas: market systems development and market-based approaches; climate change adaptation; nature-based solutions (NbS); and health and nutrition systems strengthening.

Desirable:

• Previous work experience in Kenya or the Horn of Africa region
• Affinity with organisational values, mission and vision, commitment to humanitarian principles
• Familiarity with UN coordination mechanisms

Safeguarding competencies:

We also value the following special skills and aptitudes:

• Respectful of security procedures and rules.
• Empathy with Concern’s Vision, Mission, Goals and Objectives.
• Knowledge of Core Humanitarian Standards, Sphere and Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS).
• Respectful of local laws and customs
• Conducts itself in a professional manner
• Zero tolerance for sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, human trafficking, child abuse and exploitation. Any violations of these principles and policies will be treated as serious misconduct.

Competencies:

To apply:  CVs should be submitted through our website at https://jobs.concern.net by the closing date.

Due to the urgency of this position, applications will be shortlisted on a regular basis and we may offer posts before the closing date. 

If you have any concerns about our recruitment process and need particular assistance - for example if you have a visual impairment or are neurodivergent - please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate you. 

We encourage all eligible candidates, irrespective of gender, ethnicity or origin, disability, political beliefs, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or socio-economic status to apply to become a part of the organisation. Concern is against all forms of discrimination and unequal power relations and is committed to promoting equality. 

If this role sounds right for you, please apply with your CV and cover letter. We will respond to every applicant. Please be aware we may offer positions before the closing date.

If you have any concerns about our recruitment process and need particular assistance - for example, if you have a disability such as a hearing impairment - please let us know and we will do our best to respond to your needs.

Important information:

Concern has an organisational Code of Conduct with three Associated Policies: The Programme Participant Protection Policy, the Child Safeguarding Policy, and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Policy accessible here. These have been developed to ensure the maximum protection of programme participants from exploitation, and to clarify the responsibilities of Concern staff, consultants, visitors to the programme and partner organisations, and the standards of behaviour expected of them. In this context, staff have a responsibility to the organisation to strive for, and maintain, the highest standards in their work, in accordance with Concern’s core values and mission. Any candidate offered a job with Concern Worldwide will be expected to sign the Concern Staff Code of Conduct and Associated Policies as an appendix to their contract of employment. By signing the Concern Code of Conduct, candidates acknowledge that they have understood the content of both the Concern Code of Conduct and the Associated Policies and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these policies. Additionally, Concern is committed to the safeguarding and protection of adults and children in our work. We will do everything possible to ensure that only those who are suitable to work or volunteer with adults and children are recruited by us for such roles. Consequently, working or volunteering with Concern may be subject to a range of vetting checks, including criminal background checking. 

Your Personal Data:

During this job application, you will provide Concern with your personal data. Concern takes its responsibilities towards this personal data very seriously and is committed to complying with all relevant data protection legislation.

For additional information, please consult our website or contact the Human Resources Division in our Head Office.

You have certain rights under data protection legislation. For more information on how to exercise those rights please visit www.concern.net/about/privacy