Job Title:                          Middle East Director of External Relations

Reports to:                       Middle East Regional Director

Terms:                               12-month International Unaccompanied Contract

Salary:                               International Grade 7 (€61,613 - €68,459)

Location:                          Amman, Jordan with frequent travel within the Middle East

About Concern:              

Established in 1968, Concern is a non-profit, non-governmental international humanitarian organisation, dedicated to the reduction of suffering and the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty primarily in fragile 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.

Concern has well established programmes in the Middle East region, working in a range of contexts across Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Gaza and Yemen. Concern is a member of Alliance2015, a strategic network of seven European NGOs engaged in humanitarian and development action with representation in Brussels.

Role Purpose:                 

This is a new position within Concern and the purpose of this role is to strategically position Concern as an organisation externally with donors and national, regional and global platforms with a view to enhancing visibility, voice and influence in the region and positioning for funding.  

The Director will work with Concern’s country teams in the Middle East including Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen. It is envisaged that this role will strengthen visibility of Concern programmes globally with Middle East-based donors. The Director will work with Alliance2015 partners where appropriate and will provide specific support to advocacy work in each country and engage in national, regional and international advocacy platforms on behalf of Concern. 

This position will support country teams including the implementation of country, regional and organisational advocacy initiatives. This position will provide specific support to the Middle East Regional Director and relevant Desk Officers and will liaise with Concern’s institutional and private Funding Teams as well as Technical Advisors.

The Director will seek to maximize Concern’s impact and influence on global humanitarian policies and practices and influence donor policies and priorities.

Responsibilities:

Leadership and Strategic Direction:

• Working with relevant internal and external stakeholders ensure that this new role defines a clear strategic direction for how Concern positions itself with new funders within the Middle East.
• Work with relevant teams in Concern (at country and support office level) to develop external strategies, identify funding opportunities and support initiatives to elevate Concern’s brand-profile in the Middle East.
• Provide capacity support to country teams and partners to develop external engagement plans.
• Support country programmes and the organization to implement external engagement plans, providing bespoke support to country teams and partners.
• Monitor and provide insights on key trends relevant to Concern’s work in the Middle East and globally to the Regional Director, country teams, the International Programmes Directorate (IPD), the International Advocacy Team (IAT) and Concern’s Senior Management Team as required.
• Develop briefing notes, position papers (including policy asks) and other advocacy and external engagement products as requested for both internal and external use on humanitarian issues and institutional funding patterns that affect Concern’s programmes in the Middle East, ensuring strong evidence-base in messaging.

Representation and Networking:

• Cultivate strategic relationships with Concern’s partners including Alliance2015 partners, relevant NGO consortia, UN networks and institutional and private donors and foundations in the region with a view to increasing access to funding e.g. King Salman Foundation and other Gulf based donors.
• Increase Concern’s visibility and influence in global and regional fora as well as advocacy coalitions and networks.
• Actively contribute to Concern Worldwide and our team of experts being recognized as humanitarian thought leaders and go-to resources in priority programme areas by securing speaking roles, disseminating communications pieces and developing content as required.
• Assist in the development and hosting of events which highlight Concern Worldwide programming and advocacy positioning, ensuring key decision makers and other stakeholders are present.
• Other duties as required.
• All staff are responsible for upholding and promoting Concern’s values, including safeguarding values.

Role Holder Requirements:

• Competent in English and Arabic.
• Relevant qualification and experience in international relations, anthropology/social/political sciences, law, humanitarian programmes, or other relevant fields;
• A minimum of 6 years’ professional experience in a senior position relevant to the humanitarian sector: policy, advocacy, programme implementation, research and/or political representation with an international organization;
• Strong knowledge of the region, and experience in working with humanitarian actors, preferably in the Middle East;
• Excellent networking skills and collaboration traits with proven experience in building and managing effective relationships and partnerships;
• A proven self-starter with the capacity to think strategically, work independently, demonstrate sound judgement and effectively manage multiple responsibilities and meet tight deadlines;
• Willingness to travel to field locations, including insecure humanitarian contexts.

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

Please note that Concern Worldwide does not provide Visa sponsorship.

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 e.g. a hearing impairment - please let us know and we will do our best to respond o 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.