Deputy Country Coordinator for Syria, based in Amman, Jordan

We are currently looking for a Deputy Country Coordinator to oversee programming for the IMPACT Syria mission.

Position:                      Deputy Country Coordinator (Programs)

Contract duration:        12 months

Location:                      Amman, Jordan

Starting Date:               August 2024

Country profile

After more than a decade of conflict, conditions in Syria remain volatile and marked by violence and socioeconomic deterioration. The scale, complexity, and severity of humanitarian needs in Syria extends the necessity for up to date, timely, and accurate information. Evidence-based planning and programming remains paramount to ensure that the response adequately meets the needs of the most vulnerable people and is tailored to different realities across communities and over time. REACH has been conducting assessments on the humanitarian situation in Syria since 2013 and has since grown significantly as an actor in the response.

The programming portfolio for REACH Syria currently consists of four research units (Humanitarian Situation Monitoring, Cash and Markets, Camps and Displacement, and Resilience and Early Recovery), in addition to cross-mission technical teams (data, GIS/ remote sensing, and database/ IT).

FUNCTIONS

IMPACT is looking for a Deputy Country Coordinator (DCC) to oversee the program management of REACH Syria. The role will involve oversight of research cycles (RCs), external representation, strategy development, human resource management, and project and grants development. This DCC will be key member of the three-member Mission Coordination Cell (MCC), as well as the Senior Management Team (SMT) which includes Research Managers, Operations Managers, and department leads. The position will be based in Amman, Jordan with regular travel across the region (including Northeast Syria; Erbil, Iraq; and Gaziantep, Türkiye).

The ideal candidate for this position will have experience of the humanitarian coordination architecture as well as experience working within thematic areas of REACH Syria’s portfolio. The DCC roles requires an ability to differentiate between the objectives, priorities, and roles of a diverse range of stakeholders within the Whole of Syria architecture. As the context in Syria shifts, the DCC will be charged with ensuring that activities are contextually relevant and are meeting the information gaps within the response, whilst the DCC themselves must be well-rooted into the various coordination fora (formal and informal) that guide decision-making by Syria response actors.

The DCC directly supervises: Research Managers (4), Data Specialist, GIS Specialist, Database Manager, and Crisis Analysis Senior Officer. The DCC also provides administrative line management to the Regional (MENA) Remote Sensing Specialist. Additionally, the DCC is be expected to work closely with various cross-cutting roles, to ensure quality research and impactful dissemination, including Project Development and Communications Officers. The DCC is also expected to maintain close communication with the larger REACH Syria operations staff (Field Operations and Operations Support). Although the DCC will not be directly responsible for implementing operations, they will be expected to provide regular inputs and guidance and to support the CR in ensuring that field operations and operations support staff are able to deliver on program-identified operational priorities.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The responsibilities of the DCC are wide-ranging and diverse, and require someone who is flexible, adaptable, and able to think on their feet. These responsibilities include:

Oversight of Research Cycles and team management

1.      Provide line-management to Research Managers (4), Database Specialist, GIS Specialist, Database Manager, and Crisis Analysis Senior Officer. This includes effective delegation of day-to-day tasks and ensuring all team members are fully aware of their job description, duties and responsibilities;

2.      Ensure that RMs are provided with the training and support required to independently manage their unit’s RCs and technical responsibilities without intervention from the DCC. Conduct regular check-ins to plan and identify any challenges or bottlenecks and empower RMs to take personal responsibility for RCs. As part of this, proactively identify areas where they lack the capacity to work independently, and provide mentorship and guidance to resolve these issues.

3.      In coordination with the CR, ensure that REACH Syria products – particularly thematic and RNA-related briefs – are cleared by the Acted CD prior to publication and dissemination;

4.      Identify opportunities for REACH Syria to support the overall IMPACT organization, including through surges, participation in Communities of Practices, etc.

External representation, advocacy, and partnership development

1.      Maintain strong relationships with Acted Coordination – specifically the Acted DCD-Programs – through regular meetings and ad-hoc check-ins;

2.      Via close coordination with the CR, ensure that REACH Syria maintains its strong position as a key information actor, through proactive and regular relationship building and engagement with key external actors, including donors, UN agencies, NGOs, and other IM actors. This will include travel to any of the Syria response countries (Northeast Syria, Iraq, and Türkiye) at least once per quarter;

3.      Represent IMPACT externally and present findings at relevant platforms/meetings;

4.      In coordination with the CR and Communications Officer, ensure strong dissemination strategies, and mutually agree on (bilateral) advocacy messages and outputs;

5.      Support RMs to situate their work, and the work of their teams, within wider conversations/trends in the response and globally, and encourage a critical approach to ongoing RCs to ensure work is always contextually relevant and impactful.

strategy development and implementation

1.      Closely follow the social, economic, and political situation in Syria, and track and identify changes in coordination architecture;

2.      As part of the MCC and SMT, support the development and implementation of strategy through regular meetings with external actors, context monitoring, and conversations with focal points;

3.      Build strong networks with external partners, including with new categories of actors, such as national NGOs;

4.      Support the CR in implementing other identified priorities;

career development and staff welfare

1.      Encourage RMs and specialists to think carefully about their team structures, including current and upcoming capacity or skills gaps, and work to implement solutions to minimize gaps in the team; this includes leading on the programs-related nationalization strategy for REACH Syria;

2.      Ensure that RMs and specialists have an appropriate focus on their staffs’ career development, including via reviewing and providing feedback on appraisals and inputting into staff career development plans;

3.      Together with SMT, work to maintain the REACH Syria team spirit, and support RMs and specialists to develop healthy teams where staff welfare is a top priority;

Grants development, management, and oversight

1.      In coordination with the MCC and Senior Project Development Officer, oversee the development of proposals, including identifying funding opportunities, drafting proposals, and conducting discussions with donors/partners;

2.      Maintain REACH Syria’s strong relationships with existing donors through meetings to brief on project progress, key developments in the Syria context, and findings from assessments;

3.      Support the Senior PD Officer in tracking donor requirements and deadlines, via delegation and follow-up of tasks to RMs, reviewing inputs, and drafting reports as needed;

4.      In coordination with the CR and Senior PD Officer, identify new donors to pitch activities to, in line with REACH Syria’s strategic priorities;

Financial oversight 

1.      In coordination with the MCC, take direct responsibility for reviewing data collection and other program lines forecasting submitted by program staff;

2.      In coordination with the MCC, review international and national staff Allocation Tables (ATs);

3.      Review RM inputs into proposal budgets;

4.      Support the MCC to review and improve existing finance processes.

Accountability to Communities and Beneficiaries

The DCC is responsible for ensuring that all interactions with Syrian communities are conducted in a respectful and consultative manner. Attention must be paid to ensuring that communities are adequately consulted and informed about program objectives, activities, beneficiary selection criteria, and methodologies. This is the responsibility of every staff member.

Data confidentiality and Data Protection

The DCC will maintain the strictest confidentiality on all data collected and related processes. They will actively take measures to prevent the unauthorised sharing of any information belonging to IMPACT and its partners, or collected during their assignment with IMPACT.

Officer in CHARGE

In the absence of the CR, the DCC will be Officer in Charge (OiC) for the REACH Syria mission. As OiC, the DCC will liaise with the IMPACT Regional Coordinator, Acted CD, Acted HR Manager, and Acted Country Security Manager, among others. As OiC, the DCC also acts as the head of the REACH Syria SMT.

REQUIREMEnTS

• Academic Excellent academic qualifications, including a Master’s degree in a relevant discipline (International Relations, Political Science, Social Research, Economics, Development Studies, etc.);

• Work experience 4 - 5 years of relevant work experience, including at least 2 years in a program management role;

• Management experience Excellent team management, coordination, organisational and planning skills required, including ability to manage large workloads, oversee multiple teams and effectively meet deadlines, through an excellent ability to multi-task and prioritise;

• Aid system Familiarity with the humanitarian and development systems, and the research community;

• Communication/reporting skills Excellent communication and drafting skills for effective reporting, including proven experience contributing to high level presentations/briefings;

• Research skills Excellent research and analytical skills;

• External engagement Experience with external engagement (donors, partners and other key stakeholders) required;

• Work environment Solution-oriented, flexible, and open-minded, including ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment required;

• Geographical experience Knowledge of the Syrian context an asset;

• Language skills Fluency in English required, competency in Arabic an asset;

• Security environment Ability to operate in a complex and challenging security environment (during travel to field locations)  

Compensation and benefits

• For this position, salary between 3’600 CHF and 3’840 CHF monthly (before income tax), as well as a monthly living allowance of 500 USD

  • NB - IMPACT salaries are strictly determined by our salary grid depending on the grade of the position and the level of education of staff. A location-dependent security and/or isolation adjustment is then applied as a recognition that some staff are required to work in difficult places where living and working conditions are much more difficult than elsewhere.

• Accommodation in a guesthouse and food allowance OR contribution to a housing allowance of up to 75% of country-specific benchmark.

• Enrolment in Swiss private pension fund (Swisslife – approx. 9.975% of staff gross salary), health insurance, life insurance and repatriation assistance

• On a case-by-case basis, accompanied status and relevant benefits can apply (health insurance and flight tickets for dependents, education allowance for children)

• Flight tickets every 6 months & visa fees covered (in-country travel costs and professional expenses are fully covered)

• Contribution to the luggage transportation: between 20 and 100 kgs, depending on the length of the contract (+ luggage and personal property insurance)

• Annual leave of 36 days per year. Public holidays of the country of assignment. Family/compassionate leave when applicable.

• Predeparture induction: 3 days at IMPACT Initiatives’s HQ in Geneva + one week pre-departure training in ACTED HQ in Paris, including a 4-days in situ security training;

• Enrolment in IMPACT Initiatives Research Foundational Learning Programme within the first 3 months from the start of contract.

• IMPACT prioritizes the psychological safety of its staff and the health insurance provided covers, among others, up to 1000 € per year of psychosocial counselling fees