Career Opportunities

Terms of Reference (TOR)

Position: Country Director (CD)

Location: Manilla, Philippines

Reports to: Regional Director (RD), Africa/Asia

Duration: 12 months renewable

Travel: 30% of travel

At Relief International, we are committed to building a representative, inclusive and authentic workplace. We strongly encourage applications from candidates from minoritized backgrounds those who bring lived experience of the contexts in which we work.

We are proud to be a global recruiter, hiring people from around the world. We offer competitive salaries and benefit packages for all staff that are applied fairly and transparently. This means we are unable to advertise the salary as it is dependent on the local job market of the staff member, we will inform shortlisted candidates of the salary range as part of the selection process.

About Relief International

RI is active in 15 countries around the world, including some of the most fragile: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Turkey, and Yemen. Often, RI is the only organization providing assistance to highly vulnerable communities.

· Globally RI employs about 5,000 staff and auxiliary workers

· 97% of staff are local nationals and about 90 international (expat) staff

· 2022 programs budget is about $130M

About Philippines Country Program

Relief International has been active in the Philippines since 1990, delivering a wide spectrum of humanitarian assistance and development programs spanning the provision of health services, promotion of biodiversity and conservation, improving water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services, responding to natural disasters through food and non-food item distributions, disaster risk reduction and preparedness and peacebuilding. To carry out its mandate, RI in the Philippines partners with communities affected by conflict, climate change, and disaster in order to save lives, build greater resilience, protect vulnerable groups, and promote long-term health and well-being. Our partnerships to build greater resilience amongst communities span across crisis, response, protection, and resilience. Currently, we work in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao regions with offices in Luzon (Makati HQ) and Mindanao.

Position Summary

Your role as the Country Director will be to ensure strong leadership of all members of the RI-Philippines Senior Management Team that builds team spirit, cohesion, motivation, commitment, quality performance and fulfilment of all agency functions. You will be directly responsible for the overall strategic planning, program design and implementation, program support operations (security, HR, procurement, logistics), country-level external relations and coordination, finance and budget compliance, administration, monitoring and evaluation, staff supervision, and required reporting on grants. You will also ensure that programs meet stated objectives, are in line with RI’s mission and strategy, meet the needs of beneficiaries, and are implemented to the highest standards, on time, and within budget. You will lead in obtaining funding, and identifying and pursuing new program opportunities, and to continually assess, identify and address gaps and weaknesses so as to improve overall country program performance, efficiency, and effectiveness.

Position Responsibilities and Duties

Program Planning, Development, and Resource Acquisition

Lead the development of medium and long-term country strategic plans maintaining program focus in areas congruent with RI's program objectives and core sectors
Pro-actively ensure effective ongoing direct communications and networking with donors that produces actionable and timely business intelligence
Actively identify and pro-actively pursue new opportunities for program growth and start-up, in coordination with relevant country, regional and GSO Program Development, and Program.
· In close collaboration with regional and GSO management, participate in negotiation of contracts and agreements with donors, ensuring both programmatic and financial relevance
In coordination with the Global Emergency Director, and as needed, lead all aspects of emergency and disaster response, including internal and external inter-agency coordination at the country level, networking with donors and authorities, conducting emergency assessments, leading the design and drafting of proposals, and re-allocation of country staff and assets as appropriate

Program Management

· Supervise and ensure quality project implementation through interactive management of project/program managers, including ensuring appropriate allocation of resources and that controls are maintained at all levels.

· Fully responsible for actively monitoring of projects to ensure they are on track with deliverables and quantitative targets, on time, and on budget without overspending or underspending and that they fully meet goals as committed in project documents.

· Take the lead, with program management team, in sufficiently early identification and diagnosis of off-track projects and actively determining feasible strategies to correct such problems.

· Ensure that team members effectively and efficiently contribute to the necessary work to ensure quality implementation of their programs. Provide feedback to staff to ensure optimal performance.

· Ensure project communication, and all requested internal and external reporting is completed with the highest quality, responsive to information requirements, and submitted on time.

Personnel Management and Development

· Assess staffing requirements for programs and country office and supervise recruitment in coordination with country HR manager, and as needed, in consultation with the RD.

· Ensure complete orientation process for all incoming staff covering RI goals and objectives, country and program background, vision and future plans, policies and procedures and security.

· Act as a Point of Contact for Safeguarding (Child Protection, Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Harassment, and Code of Conduct policies), and train staff and beneficiaries on reporting misconduct mechanisms.

· Ensure that all HR personnel practices, contracts, taxes, compensation, registrations, residence permits, and departures are in accordance with local laws and RI policies.

· Ensure staff are working effectively as a team to meet Country Strategic objectives, and individual performance and satisfaction are maximized through efficient support structures and procedures within the legal framework of the country and within RI policies and guidelines

Safety and Security

Overall responsibility for the safety and security of all RI country staff, volunteers and visitors, and RI assets in country.
Ensure that all country staff are adequately familiar with, and trained in RI Security Policy and in particular the country-level security plan and procedures.
In coordination with the global and regional security staff, ensure the development and/or bi- annual update of a RI country security plan.
Ensure all relevant SOPs’ are in place and updated/revised as per programmatic requirements
Represent RI in coordination of all security matters with other NGOs, the United Nations, other stakeholders, and local authorities
Lead close coordination with, and reporting to, RI GSO and Security Director in times of crises
Lead appropriate actions in security high risk situations, including but not limited to the activation of emergency evacuation plans.

External Representation

Maintain an appropriate image of RI to all external entities and protect RI's interests and assets
Maintain best possible relations with relevant government authorities and ensure RI registration, permits, and clearances are all up to date and enable effective program implementation
Represent RI by active participation in meetings of the humanitarian and development community.
Facilitate visits by donors, RSO and GSO staff, Board members and others, as requested
Serve as a link, along with relevant country staff, between RI and project counterparts and partners.

Financial Management

· Supervise the Country Finance Manager and ensure, through close collaboration and follow-up, that all elements of the CFM’s Terms of Reference are fully met.

· Actively and personally verify that the national office and sub-offices maintain complete, up to date and accurate financial records for all transactions, and that full and appropriate supporting documentation, signatures, stamps, are available, using proper forms and templates.

· Ensure full coverage and equitable allocation of shared national office operating costs and staff to the various projects and donors as per an agreed formula.

· Ensure the timely preparation and accuracy of project financial reports that are of highest quality and submitted on time to RI Regional Office, RI Global Support and donors.

· Ensure overall audit compliance, financial transparency through supervision and direction of financial and administrative staff.

· Consult the Regional Finance Manager and Regional Director for additional support in country- level financial analysis and planning.

Compliance

· Oversee program operations and reporting, ensuring compliance with RI policies and procedures, donor regulations and local laws.

· Ensure that programs have appropriate legal representation and GSO is informed of all legal cases

· Oversee all internal and external audits.

· Report regularly to RD, providing timely updates of all situations and project developments

· Create and maintain an environment that prevents sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) of beneficiaries, by clearly defining the standards of behavior that are expected of RI staff, as described in the organizations Code of Conduct; Ensure that mechanisms supporting these standards and principles are promoted, disseminated, and integrated into personnel requirements.

· Ensure the existence and proper understanding of a complaint reporting system to address suspected abuses, and irregularities regarding staff, property or practices and participate in any investigations as directed by Global Support Office.

· Ensure all donor/supporter contractual terms and conditions are fulfilled in line with RI’s project funding management guidance and procedures.

Minimum Qualifications & Requirements:

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

· Master’s degree in a relevant field or Bachelor’s degree with commensurate work experience;

· Substantial years of professional experience in lead management implementing emergency response programs in a conflict setting with senior management experience

· Solid background and knowledge of Rules and Regulations of USAID, ECHO, EC, DFID

· Demonstrated record in collaborating with local governments, rural communities, other NGOs U.N. Agencies and other international emergency response and development actors;

· Excellent interpersonal, communication, public speaking, and strategic planning skills required;

· Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, tasks efficiently;

· Excellent time management skills and resourcefulness with strong attention to detail;

· Proven leadership skills and experience of managing multidisciplinary teams;

· Practical experience of applying development issues at a project or community level coupled with impact assessment and evaluation of poverty reduction and social change.

· Evidence of understanding the challenges of donor and grant/contract management and the implications for program management

· Proficient English language writing and verbal skills

· Ability and willingness to travel as needed

· Specific knowledge and experience with RI implementation and the ability to demonstrate results consistent with RI organizational values and goals is added advantage

· Previous working experience in the Philippines or Asia region.

Research shows that women and those from marginalized ethnic groups are less likely to apply to jobs, unless they meet every single requirement. If you’re excited about this role, but your experience doesn’t align with every criteria described, we encourage you to apply anyway you could be exactly what we need!

How to apply:

To view the full JD, click here. To apply for this post, click on the “Apply” button in the job advert page.

· You will be asked to upload a CV and Cover Letter.

· The cover letter should be two pages, and explain why you are interested in this post with Relief International and how your skills and experience make you a good fit.

Closing date: The closing date will be November 29, 2023. As this is an emergency response role, we will be reviewing applicants on a rolling basis, and we may withdraw the position from the jobs board before the closing date.

As a humanitarian organization, Relief International is committed to the safeguarding of all those we come into contact with through our work. We are committed to the core humanitarian principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse. Relief International expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment and uphold the values and behaviors outlined in the Code of Conduct.

Recruitment to all roles in Relief International include a criminal records self-declaration, references, and other pre-employment checks, which may include police and qualifications checks. This role is classified as requiring advanced pre-employment checks.

Country Director, Philippines

Description

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