Humanitarian Response Manager

CARE is an international NGO with local staff and community partners in more than 90 countries. We create local solutions to poverty and inequality, and we seek dignity for everyone every day and during times of crisis. These solutions have a broad range, from clean water to access to education; from microfinance to ensuring that everyone has nutritious food; from agriculture and climate change to disaster response. CARE puts women and girls at the center of everything we do because they have proven to be the best hope for creating lasting change in the world. Our staff live where they work, which makes us effective at understanding the challenges they face. We’ve been doing this for over 70 years, since World War II. It started with the world’s first CARE Package® of food for the post-war hungry in Europe. Our work today is as important as ever, we believe that poverty and inequality are historic injustices that we can end within a generation, for good. If you share our core beliefs: poverty is an injustice; poverty is solvable; and together, we have the power to end it, join us.

I. JOB SUMMARY :

The Humanitarian Response Manager/ FO (ERM/FO) will provide management oversight to the Humanitarian Project Team Leaders and coordinate with the FO Program Operations Manager in the day-to-day management of all FO humanitarian projects within the respective geographical area of responsibility to ensure the efficient and timely implementation of quality project interventions. The key responsibility is to provide overall leadership and coordination of the implementation of activities and ensure operational efficiency and effectiveness and program quality.

II. Responsibilities

Job Responsibility #1: Staff Management (20%)

• Support the Humanitarian Team Leaders and project officers in the FO to effectively undertake their roles and responsibilities
• Complete all CARE performance management activities including: performance planning, monitoring, and semiannual and annual performance appraisals
• Collaborate with the senior program operations manager and Human Resources (HR) to take appropriate personnel actions to address problems
• In coordination with HO, identify staff capacity requirements and follow up plans to ensure appropriate support is provided
• Properly implement conflict resolution mechanisms and ensure that grievance and whistle-blowing mechanisms are functional and fairly administered as per CARE policy

Job Responsibility #2: Program Quality Assurance (20%)

• Ensure thatprojects employ appropriate programmatic approaches based on project EPMTs, M&E frameworks and CARE’s programing principles and relevantguidelines
• Identify technical assitance requirements and work with the humanitarian program managers to ensure projetcs receive the techncial support the require
• Support project team leaders to utilize appropriate management tools in order to achieve intended impact
• Collaborate with the LDM Advisor to ensure timely and effective monitoring and evaluation of project activities and the availability of accurate and reliable project information
• Promote synergy with CARE Ethiopia long-term development interventions being implemented in the same FO
• Collaborate with the commodity manager and other commodity team members to ensure commodity management practices are in compliance with donor and CARE guidelines

Job Responsibility #3: Program Implementation, Compliance and Technical Support (15%)

• Guide and support Project Team Leaders to ensure the implementation of planned project activities per the proposal and in accordance with donor and CARE rules and regulations through monthly r eviews of both financial and activity reports against work plans
• Establish/strengthen systems to monitor the implementation of project activities as outlined in the detailed implementaiton plans (DIP) and CO Annual Operating Plans (AOP) e.g. conducting monthly field trips, and undertake periodic reviews to follow up on the status of implementation
• Support project team leaders in the timely identification of implementation challenges and their resolutions with appropriate strategies
• Collaborate with the Field Office Operations departments (procurement, human resources, finance, and administration) to facilitate efficient and quality support to projects as well as the timely resolution of challenges and identify when additional or specific support is required from HO
• Collaborate with technical and operational teams to ensure that organizational core values, policies, procedures and program approaches are understood and adhered to by staff in implementing project activities
• Coordinate with the commodity manager to facilitate the timely and appropriate distribution of commodities per donor regulations e.g. ensuring the development and use of commodity distribution plans
• In consultation with the FO Program Operations Manager, support the project team leaders in fully involving the key stakeholders, especially community members and government partners in the entire project cycle
• Maintain ongoing communication with cooperating agencies and implementing partners on project progress, fund utilization and challenges
• Support the implementation of audit recommendations related to humanitarian projects
• Ensure compliance with all CARE policies and procedures (including all CI members and CARE Ethiopia) and donor rules and regulations
• Collaborate with the Humanitarian Unit Finance Manager and other finance staff based in the FO to ensure compliance by all cooperating agencies to sub-grant agreements with CARE Ethiopia

Job Responsibility #4: Financial Management (15%)

• In collaboration with the finance staff, facilitate appropriate budget management and utilization in compliance with donor and CARE rules and regulations
• Strengthen/establish systems to support project team leaders and implementing partners/cooperating agencies in managing and utilizing budgets per the proposal and in accordance with donor and CARE rules and regulations
• Support project team leaders to appropriately revise budgets as required
• Monitor burn rates and ensure project team leaders and implementing partners employ timely and appropriate corrective action to address low/high burn rates
• Collaborate with FO-based finance staff as well as the Addis-based Finance Manager for timely financial reports, budget preparation and planning
• Assist in the preparation of new project/program budgets

Job Responsibility No. 5: Reflective Practice and Learning (10%)

• In collaboration with the humanitarian LDM Manger, facilitate reflective practice and learning at all levels to improve program performance
• Support the project team leaders and implementing partners in identifying, documenting, replicating and disseminating best practices and/or lessons learnt to improve project performance
• Promote peer review processes with other CARE Ethiopia development projects
• Collaborate with the LDM Manager and HPMs to assess current challenges in humanitarian projects and ensure that lessons learned are documented and fed into forward design and planning processes
• Ensure that reports are prepared and submitted to concerned parties, donors, counterparts and CARE members on time and meet quality standards

Job Responsibility #6 : Reporting and Documentation (10%)

• Coordinate with Project Team Leaders for preparation of project reports and documents per donor and/or CARE reporting schedules and formats
• Facilitate the timely and quality submission of field reports to Head Office

Job Responsibility #7 Networking and Representation (5%)

• Attend zonal level sectoral coordination meetings led by OCHA and government

Job Responsibility #7: Other (5%)

• Perform other duties as assigned

III. Qualifications

Required:

• BA Degree in Disaster Management or International Development or related field of study
• 6 years relevant experinece with the 1st degree and 5 years relevent plus post graduate degree in in Disaster Management or International Development or related field of study
• At least Five (5) years of experience in emergency programming, disaster management, rural livehood programs, food security interventions, WASH, and/or nutrition, and program management
• Proficiency in verbal and written English, proposal development, strategic and operational planning, budget planning and management, monitoring and evaluation, report writing
• Proficiency in standard office software package
• Demonstrated leadership ability to inspire and empower others
• Good interpersonal communication skill and ability to effectively liaise with government, community leaders and other stakeholders
• Firm belief in teamwork, gender equality, and conceptual understanding of participatory approach and sustainable development
• Proven ability to meet deadlines
• Knowledgeable in participatory planning

Desired:

• Previous experience managing staff and working with teams to achieve objectives
• Significant exposure to projects involving networking and multiple partnerships, particularly related to emergency response, food security issues, WASH, nutrition, commodity management
• Working knowledge of programming in chronically vulnerable environments
• Knowledge of local languages
• Skills in organizing and facilitating training events
• Expertise in one or more of the following program areas: nutrition/health, water/santitation, food security, commodity management