Country: Myanmar
Closing date: 28 Feb 2018
ABOUT THE MISSION
Posted on: 29/11/17
Desired start date: ASAP
Duration of the mission: 12 months minimum, Ideally 18 to 24 months with possible extension Location:Yangon (with regular field visits)
SI has been in Myanmar since 2008. For the first three years SI worked in the Delta in response to the devastating Cyclone Nargis. In 2011, SI expanded to three new regions (Dry Zone, Rakhine, and Chin State) focusing on Livelihoods, Food Security, Shelter, and WASH sectors. In January 2012 SI expanded to Kachin State to respond to an emergency situation created by the displacement of Kachin population affected by the arm conflicts. End of 2012 SI also responded to an emergency situation by covering basic wash needs of the population displaced by inter-communal tensions in Rakhine State.
Currently, there are roughly 270 national staff and 18 expatriates working on post development, emergency and recovery programmes. There is a country office in Yangon, which opened in 2008, and oversees the following bases:
- Regional base in Sittwe (Rakhine) with three areas of intervention in Pauktaw, Rathedaung and Sittwe Townships;
- A base in Bhamo (Kachin) with a sub-base in Lwegel.
Each office is operational with a field coordinator and between 36 to 215 national colleagues. The biggest base is currently the one of Sittwe. A base is likely to re-open in Dry Zone, Chin, and Delta area. Each base is directly supported by the Coordination in Yangon, with the Admin Coordinator having a direct functional link with the two bases for issues under his/her responsibility.
ABOUT THE JOB
The Head of Mission is the Solidarités International official representative in country.
S/He is in charge of the smooth running of the mission.
S/He proposes mission strategy, according to the geopolitical and humanitarian context, and ensures its implementation once it has been validated.
S/He monitors projects, ensuring that they are progressing in accordance with the Solidarités International charter and complying with internal and contractual procedures.
S/He mobilizes the material and financial resources necessary for the programs to run effectively and supervises the administration of these resources.
S/He coordinates the teams in place and ensures their security on the mission.
S/He is the direct liaison for Solidarités International HQ.
Line manager: HQ Desk Manager
Line report(s) on base: the whole mission, direct management of coordination team and Field Coordinators
Functional manager: HR Expatriate Manager (HQ) for HR issues
THE MAIN CHALLENGES OF THE POSITION ARE:
One of the specificity of this mission is the diversity of the contexts of intervention which requires the CD to be quite dedicated to context monitoring (in close link with the field).
The HR volume of the mission requires a clear implication from CD on international and national HR subjects (while the presence of a HR Coordinator).
Constant meetings with humanitarian actors, HCT, donors, high diplomats and politicians are time consuming and require a clear position from SI while many times mandate and principles are challenged.
YOUR PROFILE
Experience:
- Minimum 5 years of humanitarian experience preferred with a minimum of 2 years in a similar role.
- Experienced in the representation of a humanitarian INGO and its humanitarian principles.
- Experienced with country-wide humanitarian short, mid-term and long-term operations management, including finance, HR, communications, logistics, proposal development, security, procurement.
- Experienced with humanitarian context analysis and variety of challenging humanitarian operations (including negotiating humanitarian access, advocacy, external communication,…).
- Experienced in political and security analysis at both local and global levels.
- Experience in dealing with bilateral and multilateral institutional donors.
- Comfortable and experienced in working with key humanitarian actors (humanitarian independent INGOs, LNGOs, populations self-resilience organizations, UN, HCT, …)
- Experienced in HR and organizational management of large scale missions
- Experienced in working within stressful organisational and contextual constraints
- Experience in Crisis communication is an asset
Transferable skills and knowledge:
- Humanitarian analysis and the defence of humanitarian principles
- Management of large scale and varied HR resources in a proven efficient and respectful manner, including coaching skills
- Regular, clear, fluid, transparent and efficient communication
- Networking (with local populations, local staff, Aid organisations, all types of stakeholders, donors, … )
- Sharing interest in strategic, tactical and technical components of humanitarian programmes
- Sharing interest in humanitarian questions and the positioning of other actors
- In terms of conflict prevention and solving, and in building team spirit
Languages: Fluent in English {the mission is an English speaking /writing mission}. French and Burmese are added assets.
SI WILL OFFER YOU
A salaried post: according to experience from 2300 euros gross per month, plus 10% annual leave allowance paid monthly and a monthly Per Diem of 700 USD. Possibility of a “Family Package” , but no school fees for children.
Social and medical cover: Expatriates benefit from an insurance package which reimburses all healthcare expenses (including medical and surgical expenses, dental care and ophthalmological expenses, repatriation) and a welfare system including war risks. Essential vaccination and antimalarial treatment costs are refunded.
Vacation: During the assignment, a system of alternation between work and time off is implemented at the rate of one break every three months. For a one-year assignment, the expatriate will have a 7-day break during the 3rd and the 9th month (with 500 euros allocated by Solidarités). He or she will also be entitled to go back to his or her home country for a 14-day period after six months spent on the mission (Solidarités will cover travel costs)
For further information about Solidarités International, please consult our website: http://www.solidarites.org/en/
Living conditions :
Security is considered very well in Yangon and in most parts of Myanmar. No restrictions for circulation or curfew are in place in Yangon but travel authorizations (TA) must be obtained for travelling to other sites, and to SI main field bases. The main tourist sites in Myanmar don’t require travel authorisations.
Money changer and ATMs are available in Yangon, but change of USD is restricted to brand new & clean notes, and withdraw of cash have ceiling amount (up to 300 EUR in local currency per day).
Myanmar, and especially Yangon, has experienced a high inflation since 2012. Renting prices have skyrocketed and now a 2 bedroom-apartment will cost a minimum of $750 per month (and one has to pay one year in front).
Expats have access 24/7 to phones. They are equipped with a work phone and a Myanmar SIM card. Driving in Yangon is reasonably safe, but requires adapting to right driver place into a right hand driving context.
The climate is hot and wet tropical.
Code of conduct: Although the Burmese are very pleasant, respectful and tolerant of foreigners, they are also very reserved and not used to foreign culture. It is therefore requested to wear decent clothes and behave respectfully in regard to local culture.
CONTACT
Sebastiano SIRINGO, Recruitment & Follow Up Officer
How to apply:
APPLICATION PROCESS
Does this description fit you? Please send us your CV and Cover letter in English. CV only applications will not be considered.
NB: The vacancy may close before the deadline. Thank you for your comprehension