Context

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is a non-governmental, humanitarian organization with over 60 years of experience in helping to create a safer and more dignified life for refugees and internally displaced people. NRC advocates for the rights of displaced populations and offers assistance within the sectors of shelter, education, protection, emergency rapid response mechanism, food security, information, counseling and legal assistance (ICLA), and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).
NRC has operated in Mali since 2013. From our four field offices in Gao, Menaka, Timbuktu and Mopti, NRC strives to meet the basic needs of people affected by violence and displacement.
We provide education, shelter, food security, respond to protection needs and give people legal assistance pertinent to civil documentation, land, housing and property rights. We also have a dedicated emergency response mechanism that provides a quick response to multisector needs of people affected by displacement. The Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) has been used as a tool in the humanitarian context of Mali since 2016, with multiple actors that coordinate efforts to use standardized approaches in identifying needs and providing an appropriate response to save lives.

What you will do

The Emergency Response Specialist will coordinate and lead the different emergency response initiatives in country. This role is responsible to lead the programme development of the NRC emergency response in Mali and is to ensure quality implementation, in close coordination with core competency Specialists in their respective areas of expertise. The role is also responsible to mobilize and allocate needed resources to mitigate the emergency.

The Emergency Response Specialist is responsible for external coordination, technical development of the RRM (Rapid Response Mechanism) and will enhance expertise and current partnerships, as NRC is leading technical and coordination aspects of the RRM in Mali.

The Emergency Response Specialist will reinforce the capacity of RRM stakeholders through efforts to harmonize RRM strategies and through facilitating synergies and exchange of expertise among RRM stakeholders The incumbent will reinforce the technical capacity of the NRC Emergency Response Team, local organisations and public institutions engaged into emergency response.

1. Lead the coordination and communication efforts among the different RRM actors in Mali, technical committees, programmatic and finance/support teams across partners, donors, and other stakeholders. Coordinate with RRM members to ensure high quality implementation of activities, RRM strategy, and accountability.
2. Represent the RRM to external stakeholders – donors, government, coordination bodies, and local and international NGOs.
3. Engage with advocacy actors and share relevant information from the participants and humanitarian information system. Ensure that emergency programs address both programmatic and relevant policy issues.
4. Support learning across organisations (and possibly the wider international community) to improve the effectiveness of the Rapid Response Mechanism as a whole, and an emergency response that tallies and meets the needs of the programme participants in Mali.
5. Leverage on existing internal resources to adapt access strategies, good practices and share lessons learned with key actors.
6. Work closely with RRM members (and Steering Committee) to solve challenges that may arise during implementation.
7. In close collaboration with the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Unit, ensure the development of quality control mechanisms and monitoring/evaluation standards for the emergency response.
8. Ensure that the existing SOPs supporting the implementation of the emergency response are relevant to identified needs and review approach and documentation if necessary and in line with the NRC procedures.
9. Act Focal Point to the NRC CO (country office) (with the support of the Head of Program) for strategic initiatives related to emergency at CO, RO (regional office) and HO (head office) level.
10. Provide technical staff supervision that is intentional on building a highly effective caliber of project managers, whose performance on project management and leadership is pulpable and tangible.
11. Inspire NRC RRM teams to deliver on partnership commitments, that fuel the organisation’s drive towards having mutually enriching and healthy partnerships with our local and national NGO partners.
12. Implement Safe and Inclusive Programming (SIP) standards and contribute to the implementation of SIP Country Action Plan.

What you will bring:

• Post-graduate with minimum 5 years of experience in a humanitarian (complex and volatile) context
• Emergency response expertise
• Experience in coordinating various stakeholders (INGOs, Donors, Clusters, UN agencies)
• Strong communication, inter-personal, facilitation and diplomatic skills, including professional credibility to provide coordination and sometimes guidance to member organisationsStrong managerial and interpersonal skills
• Documented results related to the position’s responsibilities
• Knowledge about own leadership skills/profile
• Fluency in English and French, both written and verbal

Context/specific skills, knowledge and experience:

• Knowledge of the Malian context (especially Central and North Mali)
• Experience with external coordination including specific responsibilities
• Experience with external representation
• Advocacy / access experience

Behavioral Competencies

• Strategic thinking
• Influencing
• Initiate action and change
• Working with people
• Communicating with impact and respect
• Empowering and building trust
• Managing resources to optimize results

Please find the full job description here.

Female candidates are strongly encouraged to join our work culture that empowers every employee to share ideas and take responsibility. At NRC we think outside the box. We encourage ideas and give responsibility to all employees at all levels, to help solve the complex issues that we face. You will have many opportunities to be heard and take the initiative.

DEADLINE TO APPLY: 4/11/2024

What we offer:

1. Contract of 12 months
2. Grade 9 in NRC scale
3. Location: Bamako
4. An opportunity to match your career to a compelling cause
5. A chance to meet and work with people who are the best in their fields

Find out more about the benefits of working for NRC

Important information about the application process

• Internal candidates only: please click on the suitcase icon labelled “I am an employee” to be redirected to NRC’s internal careers site.
• When creating your profile, include your full name as given on your passport. Complete all the system-required fields for experience, employment history and education.
• Submit your application and CV in English or in French, taking care to attach your latest CV.
• Applications that do not meet the minimum standards in terms of experience or qualifications will generally not be considered. Unsolicited applications not related to this specific job advertisement will not be considered.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. We receive many applicants for each vacant position.
• If you have any questions about this role, please email [email protected] with the job title as the subject line.

Why NRC?

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is an independent humanitarian organisation helping people forced to flee. Our 15,000 staff work in crises across 40 countries, providing life-saving and long-term assistance to millions of people every year.

Watch this short video to see NRC in action.

We are looking for people who are passionate about helping refugees and people forced to flee. Are you one of those people? If you are, NRC offers you the opportunity to:

• do demanding and professional work, often in challenging contexts
• join a work culture that empowers every employee to share ideas and take responsibility
• be part of a welcoming and supportive community committed to human dignity

Learn more about NRC