About the role: This is a 24 month (renewable), replacement role with accompanied terms based in Niamey with a salary of Grade 7 €61,613-€68,459.

You will report to the Regional Director and will line manage all staff in country. We would like you to start in June 2024.

Your purpose: To provide strategic leadership for the approximately 10 million Euro per annum country programme for Concern Worldwide in Niger. Within this dynamic working environment, expanding team and increased portfolio of programmes and donors (ECHO, Irish Aid, FCDO, Private donors), you will have overall responsibility for the strategic development and management of the Concern country programme in Niger. You will ensure that the programme meets objectives as set out in our 2022-2026 Country Strategic Plan, annual plans and programme proposals. You will also ensure that the country programme is in line with Concern policies, procedures and the Core Humanitarian Standard. You will lead the Senior Management Team and represent the organisation with government, donors, partners and other international organisations.

Concern has been operating in Niger since 2003, and currently works in the sectors of food security, education, health (including nutrition and WASH), and livelihoods and resilience, with an expanding portfolio of projects in Tahoua, Diffa and Tillaberi regions. Concern is the lead organisation of the CMAM/Health Surge Approach in Niger and at Regional level in the Sahel and is involved in operational research on the treatment of malnutrition. Concern’s programming in Education in Emergencies has been recognised for its quality and innovation, and continues to expand with different donors, also in the framework of the RRM response. Concern is also one of the main actor in terms of food security particularly in the region of Tahoua. Concern Niger has long-term funding to implement an Integrated Resilience Programme to address the problem of the link between climate change, conflict and extreme poverty/vulnerability in Niger, 5-year funding for “Food Systems for Food Security” programming and is entering the second year of a regional programme funded by the the Sahel Regional Fund. Across all programmes, Concern engages closely with key Ministries at the national level, as well as with their respective departments at the regional, departmental and communal level, for greater impact in transforming the lives of the extreme poor. Concern is also member of the Humanitarian Country Team as well as of other coordination NGOs coordination bodies (OIREN, GTH). It is also the Lead of the Alliance 2015 in Niger.

You will be responsible for:

Leadership & Strategic Direction:

• Leading the Senior/Country Management Team and ensuring a participative process for the monitoring of annual progress of the Country Strategic Plan;

• Leading by example and supporting the Concern team to achieve organisational and country programme outcomes;

• Ensuring staff capacity, organisational structures and programme approaches are fit for purpose and able to effectively deliver strategic organisational goals;

• Engaging with major organisational advocacy issues, providing support and leadership for key strategic campaigns.

Risk Management & Accountability:

• Ensuring optimal use of financial resources, managed in a transparent and accountable manner, consistent with Concern’s and donor policies, systems and procedures, delivering quality results and demonstrating value for money;

• Responding robustly to any suspicions or reports of fraud and adhering to Concern’s policy and procedures on investigations;

• Leading and managing the implementation of safeguarding policies and procedures; and response to breaches of the Concern Code of Conduct and Associated Policies, in collaboration with the Safeguarding Office and Investigations Unit;

• Ensuring Concern complies with all relevant national legal and administrative requirements

• Identifying all risks, including updating the Country Risk Register, and implementing mitigating measures in conjunction with the Senior/Country Management Team;

• Ensuring a functioning Complaints Response Mechanism within all programmes and Concern locations

Security Management

• Ensuring the security of all staff in the country programme, including leading any required Crisis Management Team;

• Ensuring all staff are aware of and strictly adhere to the Security Management Plan and SOPs;
• Establishing and maintaining an effective safety and security management system to meet agreed standards, and updating SMP and SOPs as required.

Programme Development & Implementation:

• Ensuring adequate financial resources for continual programming in country;

• Supporting the Programme Director to ensure programmes are designed, implemented, monitored and evaluated in line with Concern Worldwide policies, incorporating a results-based management approach;

• Enabling an organisational culture that supports effective learning, sharing and continual improvement of programme quality.

Support Systems & People Management:

• Supporting and guiding the Systems and Finance functions to ensure effective and efficient administrative, logistical and financial support is provided to staff of Concern Worldwide;

• Supporting the Country Financial Controller and Programme Director in budget preparation, revision and monitoring;

• Ensure that budget revisions and organisational financial reporting are submitted on time, accurate and thoroughly justified;
• Ensuring that budget holders actively manage their cost centres, monitor expenditure and prepare accurate budgets and that the SMT/CMT does a monthly review of expenditure/burn rates on programmes;

• Ensuring that Concern’s IT systems provide efficient and effective communication and data management for the organisation, linking with Concern Worldwide systems.

• Supporting and guiding the HR Manager to ensure there are competent and empowered human resources, in a fair, diverse and efficient workplace;

• Ensuring equality, diversity and inclusion in our teams and programmes;
• Ensuring the National HR Manual and HR policies are in line with organisational and national legal requirements and all staff are aware of and comply with these;

• Undertaking initiatives to ensure a good working environment and team spirit so Concern is perceived as an employer of choice for national and international staff;

• Ensuring job requisitions are prepared on a timely basis for international positions and overseeing all aspects of HR for international staff;

• Ensuring staff Performance and Development Review’s (PDRs) are undertaken for all staff with appropriate training, development and career opportunities identified.

Representation & Networking:

• Creating a strong and visible profile for the organisation, as a leading actor in the fight against poverty and the implementation of resilience programming;

• Communicating information regarding Concern and its programme at national level to Government, Donors, UN and INGOs, alliances and networks across a range of fora;

• Engaging appropriately with the media to ensure that Concern’s values, vision, and programmes are highlighted;

• Representing Concern Worldwide in strategic national and international meetings;

• Represent Concern in the framework of the HCT and OIREN as well as Lead the Alliance 2015 in country.

• Ensuring relationships and formal agreements with the government are maintained and updated.

Accountability

• Promote and ensure compliance with the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) commitments and quality criteria;

• Ensure that all staff are familiar with the principles underpinning accountability, safeguarding and Concern’s Complaints Response Mechanism (CRM) and ensure that information about Concern’s commitments on accountability and safeguarding are disseminated among programme participants and communities;

• Ensure that the CRM is functional, effectively implemented and accessible in all programmes’ locations, enabling safe reporting of both programmatic and sensitive complaints, including safeguarding concerns;

• Ensure that complaints are welcomed, managed and responded to in a timely, fair and appropriate manner; ensure that sensitive complaints, including safeguarding concerns, are handled with utmost confidentiality and that the safety of the complainants and those affected is prioritised at all stages.

Other

• As a commitment to our humanitarian mandate, the Country Director will be responsible for the implementation of any new emergency response;
• The programme is in a dynamic context that requires continuous adaptation of the strategic plan, new area and sector assessments and the possibility of expansion to other geographic areas.

Your skills and experience will include:

• Relevant post graduate qualification
• Three to five years’ experience in a senior position with an international NGO
• Management of diverse and multi-sectoral humanitarian and development programmes, including experience in emergency response
• Previous work in a similar context; experience in the Sahel region an asset
• Management of a diverse team of senior staff
• Management of systems and finance functions, including knowledge of donor compliance
• Knowledge and experience of incorporating key approaches across programmes
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and a confidence to engage and represent Concern at public fora, and with government, media and donors.
• Excellent leadership, management and teambuilding skills
• Excellent conflict resolution, mediation and negotiation skills
• Delegation, time management and prioritization skills
• Computer literate and good knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint etc.)
• Excellent English and French
• Empathy with Concern’s mission, vision and goals, and our target group, the extreme poor
• Working with major international donors and securing external donor funding.

We would also like you to be:

• Flexible and reliable
• Culturally sensitive and empathic to others
• Able to work under pressure and to strict deadlines;
• Able and willing to promote a positive and harmonious work environment