BACKGROUND ON IMPACT AND REACH

REACH was born in 2010 as a joint initiative of two International NGOs (IMPACT Initiatives and ACTED) and the United Nations Operational Satellite Applications Programme (UNOSAT). REACH’s purpose is to promote and facilitate the development of information products that enhance the humanitarian community’s decision making and planning capacity for emergency, reconstruction and development contexts. REACH facilitates information management for aid actors through three complementary services: (a) need and situation assessments facilitated by REACH teams; (b) situation analysis using satellite imagery; (c) provision of related database and (web)-mapping facilities and expertise.

IMPACT Initiatives is a humanitarian NGO, based in Geneva, Switzerland. The organisation manages several initiatives, including the REACH Initiative. The IMPACT team comprises specialists in data collection, management and analysis and GIS. IMPACT was launched at the initiative of ACTED, an international NGO whose headquarter is based in Paris and is present in thirty countries. The two organizations have a strong complementarity formalized in a global partnership, enabling IMPACT to benefit from ACTED’s operational support on its fields of intervention.

COUNTRY PROFILE

Clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted in Khartoum on 15 April 2023 and spread quickly across the country. Civilians are fleeing areas affected by fighting in increasing numbers, including to Chad, Egypt and South Sudan. Prices of food, fuel and other basic goods are reportedly skyrocketing, making critical goods unaffordable for many people. Humanitarian organizations are racing to respond to the most pressing needs wherever and whenever feasible.

In this fast-evolving context, IMPACT Initiatives is scaling up its operations in order to inform the emergency response. The first programmatic priorities are to support assessment and analysis coordination, conduct rapid assessments in Sudan and in neighboring countries, as well as critical cash and market research.

Mission

We are currently looking for a Country Representative to oversee our team in Sudan.

Position Country Coordinator

Contract duration: 12 months

Location: Kampala, Uganda (initially)

Starting Date: ASAP

FUNCTIONS

Under the management of IMPACT’s Executive Director in Geneva, the Country Representative is responsible for representing IMPACT and managing and developing IMPACT’s programs in Sudan. Within their Unit, the Country Representative leads the IMPACT team to achieve program excellence and ensure the highest level of impact and accountability, while ensuring compliance to IMPACT’s guidelines and standards. The Country Representative contributes to the development and implementation of IMPACT’s country strategy and promotes organizational vision and core values across the mission.

The Country Representative will be hosted by ACTED and will fall under the direct responsibility and management of ACTED’s Country Director and their delegates for all Administrative, Security, Logistics, HR and Finance issues. They will therefore fully abide by ACTED’s Security, HR, Administration and Logistics rules and regulations, and, in coordination with ACTED, will ensure IMPACT staff in his/her unit abide by them.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The Country Representative responsibilities include the following:

STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT & IMPLEMENTATION

• Ensure IMPACT has an up-to-date understanding of the country’s socio-economic situation, the impact of the crisis, as well as the aid/humanitarian coordination mechanisms
• Develop and oversee the implementation of a Country Strategy for the mission, and take a lead role in identifying strategic opportunities for strengthening IMPACT’s work in the country, including identify funding opportunities to strengthen country programs
• Ensure each Unit within the mission develops and pursues a Unit Strategy that is aligned with the Country Strategy objectives

FUNDRAISING

• In close coordination with IMPACT HQ, approach donors to identify funding to support IMPACT’s programs in country;
• Oversee project proposal conceptualization, within the framework of the country, regional and global strategy, and budget design, in consultation with ACTED and IMPACT HQ, ensuring the application of IMPACT guidelines on proposal, budget and contract design;
• Negotiate proposal and/or contracts with donors, in close coordination with IMPACT HQ and in consultation with ACTED Country Director (when joint proposal/contract).

PROGRAMME PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION

• Ensure that all IMPACT programs contribute to supporting better aid planning and are aligned with IMPACT global and country strategies;
• Supervise all stages of program implementation, receiving regular updates from team members providing inputs when required, and conducting field visits to program sites for monitoring, quality control and program staff mentoring and coaching;
• Maintain regular link with ACTED (as relevant) to facilitate the provision of logistic, administrative and security support to facilitate program implementation, as well as ensuring that IMPACT teams comply to ACTED’s security and other relevant FLAT regulations during program implementation;

PROJECT CYCLE MANAGEMENT

• Grant and Project Management: ensure that contractual obligations are met in terms of deliverables as well as narrative and financial reporting requirements, provide ad-hoc support to project implementation through trouble shooting and eliminating blocking points and ensure adequate contribution to project and proposal follow up tools through the timely submission of monthly updated Reporting Follow Up (RFU) tool
• Finance Management: Control project budgets to avoid under/over spending, ensure accurate and timely financial tracking, forecasting and reporting and anticipate financial risks and gaps in funding;

TEAM MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP

• Provide leadership across the mission, as well as within the country Senior Management Team, transmitting IMPACT’s values and vision
• Staff Management: Ensure that all staff have clear and regularly updated TORs, workplans and Key performance Indicators against which their performance will be appraised, promote the growth and development of staff within the organisation and manage interpersonal conflicts (internal and external);
• Administration and HR management: Ensure transparent and timely recruitment of national staff and contribute to international staff recruitment upon HQ identification, proactively adapt the staffing structure to needs and funding and ensure regular performance appraisal and career management

INTERNAL COORDINATION AND COMMUNICATION

• Facilitate internal communication within the team and information sharing, ensure regular reporting to IMPACT HQ through the Monthly Coordination Report, as well as direct reporting to HQ grants management, finance, HR and program departments. Ensure that any risk to IMPACT programming, projects or staff is as soon as possible communicated to and understood by IMPACT director of country programmes and relevant HQ head of departments
• Ensure regular coordination with ACTED’s Country Director, Project Development, Finance and other FLAT departments at all stages of project development and implementation, including consultations for donor discussions, participation in project kick off and lessons learnt meetings, joint drafting of monthly internal updates and drafting of donor reports or amendment requests. Ensure that all IMPACT staff is aware and fully abide by ACTED’s regulations in terms of administration, logistics and security

EXTERNAL ENGAGEMENT

• Establish, maintain and improve active and regular working relationships with coordination platforms (clusters, sectors, working groups, NGO forum, HCT, etc), UN agencies, donors, NGOs, consortia, academia, and key decision-making forums;
• Identify potential opportunities and develop donor relationships, as relevant

REQUIREMENTS

• Academic Excellent academic qualifications, including a Master’s degree in a relevant discipline (International Relations, Political Sciences, Social Research, Economics, Development Studies, or similar)
• Management experience Previous experience in a senior management role in an INGO at field level. Proven track record in successful management of international and national teams in humanitarian contexts
• Familiarity aid system Familiarity with the aid system, and the research community;
• Communication/reporting skills Excellent communication and drafting skills for effective reporting, including proven experience in contributing to high level presentations/briefings.
• Years of work experience At least 5 years of relevant working experience or proven progression within IMPACT
• Experience in geographical region Past experience in the region/supporting is desirable;
• Research skills: Excellent research and analytical skills an asset. Experience in assessments. M&E, field research, evaluations an asset.
• Software skills: Proven knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite, to include Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Familiarity with R, SPSS and/or STATA or other statistical analysis software an asset
• Multi-tasking skills Ability to multitask with tight deadlines, on numerous research cycles in complex environment;
• Level of independence A self-starter with a proven ability to work independently;
• Cross-cultural work environment Ability to operate in a cross-cultural environment requiring flexibility;
• Language skills Fluency in English required, competency in Arabic is an asset.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• For this position, salary between 4’000 CHF and 4’300 CHF monthly (before income tax), etc 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 and food provided in a guesthouse. IMPACT is hosted by ACTED in this country
• 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