Coordinator, Operations and Programmes

Organizational Context

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (“the Federation”) is the world’s largest volunteer-based humanitarian network with 191 members National Societies. As part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, our work is guided by seven fundamental principles: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality. The Secretariat of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ (IFRC) strives to ensure focus, clarity, and efficiency and accountability in all results. The Secretariat, headquartered in Geneva, has five decentralized regional offices: one of which is the Americas, guided by the Secretariat strategies for implementation and areas of focus that builds on the vision of strategy 2030. The IFRC Regional Office for the Americas is organized in two main blocks: 1) a group of service-based departments and geographical configurations of (i) Country Cluster Delegation (ii) Country Office(s), as well as the Deputy Regional Director, under the direct management of the Regional Director; and 2) six building blocks composed by (i) Partnerships and Resource Development, (ii) Policy, Strategy and Knowledge; (iii) Communication, (iv) Disaster and Crisis: Preparedness, Response, and Recovery, (v) Health and Care (that include WASH), (vi) Logistics, each of them led by the Deputy Regional Director. The position is primarily located in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay or Uruguay. The position reports directly to the Head of the Delegation CCD Souther Cone countries.

This position is part of the CCD for the Southern Cone countries team, member of Americas Regional Office (ARO) team and has mandate for policy, operational and programmatic support to the members through Country and Cluster delegations, and directly when required. The CCD provides coordination in disaster management, high level representation of the IFRC, advocacy and communications, National Society capacity building, and resource mobilization, Regional Operational Plan of the CCD resourcing, partnership development. These are some of the essential elements to ensure an effective membership coordination and management of strategic partnerships and resources that support the work and increase the influence of IFRC and National Societies in the region.

Job Purpose

The Programs and Operations, Coordinator ensures the implementation of technical program quality. He/she is responsible to oversee the implementation of the Development Operational Plans for the Southern Cone ensuring assessments and updates as needed in the fluid context. He/she is accountable, under the direction and guidance of the Country Office Head for supporting and assisting the National Society in utilizing Movement resources in the most effective and efficient way and that the humanitarian intervention is coherent within a common framework.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic Relationships

• Lead the development of technical partnerships with the NS, technical government agency and technical inter-agency cluster working groups, Movement partners and the international and local private sector.
• Develop new opportunities for resource development with multilateral and bilateral donors and the private sector including overseeing proposal writing.

Technical Movement Coordination

• Ensure that the Movement Coordination team globally contribute to a good coordination between Secretariat, Participating National Societies, ICRC and National Society, a good representation of RC/RC membership, a relevant technical assistance and documentation and learning.
• Lead the Technical Movement Coordination team, which will guide and lead the movement wide implementation of the Federation Wide Strategic Framework with a strong focus on technical excellence, incorporating best practices and highest technical standards.
• Ensure that the Movement Coordination team produce some key deliverables for the membership and the Secretariat (guidelines, case studies, evaluations, etc.)

Programs and Operations

• Ensure the sound and effective implementation of strategic inter-agency projects and/or initiatives: with governments, international agencies, non-governmental organisations, and civil society.
• Outline the support, tools, and networks that will assist National Society and Secretariat units to engage in Humanitarian Diplomacy more effectively at the national level.
• Foster a greater willingness to engage in collective advocacy amongst National Society and Secretariat programs.
• Manage the implementation of key components of the Movement Cooperation framework related to technical excellence in programming; these include programme technical committees, and the performance and accountability working group; provides strategic input and support.
• Ensure effective management (inclusive finance and implementation oversight - Budget Holder) ongoing at IFRC technical teams regarding response operations and implementation of projects and programs in Southern Cone. Programmatic and functional areas of importance include health, water-sanitation and hygiene promotion, protection gender and inclusion, migration, livelihoods, disaster risk management.
• Ensure effective management in planning, monitoring, evaluation and reporting of programs and operations.
• Maintaining strong relationships and cooperation with NSs and ARO, providing leadership to National Society’s timely response to disasters in the CCD countries.
• Provide IFRC personnel and National Societies with guidance in developing emergency plans of actions, submitting DREF requests and launching Emergency Appeals in line with the Emergency Response Framework SOPs for disaster and crisis response and recovery, and priorities.
• Support CCD and National Societies in managing emergency operations (floods, earthquakes, Hurricanes, population movements, epidemics and other disasters). Ensure disaster response operations outcomes/deliverables are achieved in a timely fashion, within budgets and maintaining the minimum ratios of relief, early recovery and longer term development goals.

Job Duties and Responsibilities (continued)

• Monitor ongoing, imminent and potential future disasters & crisis and provide regular feedback on trend analysis to the Head of Cluster and Operations Manager of ARO office;
• Support CCD and National Societies in the managing of DREF and Emergency Appeals; Define timeframes, deliverables/outcomes and costs. Ensure that the plan and budget are carried out in a timely and professional manner in accordance with Secretariat requirements, formats and standards. This must be done in coordination with relevant NSs, CCD and ARO technical units.
• Ensure disaster and crisis response operations are appropriate and aligned with International Federation guidelines and policies (SPHERE, Code of Conduct, Principles and Rules for Humanitarian Assistance, Seville agreement, etc.) and quality standards as defined by Regional DM review process.
• Pre-deploy to crisis sites in coordination with the affected NSs of the CCD when levels of threat are high, accompanied by the adequate IFRC specialized delegates if needed. Undertake the temporary role of operations manager for any new DREF and Emergency Appeal operations to ensure lead and business continuity until a full-time Surge / Operations Manager is hired /assigned.
• Coordinate in the field Federation activities on disaster response with Red Cross partners, UN and other agencies to ensure adequate preparedness and appropriate, efficient and timely emergency response and early recovery.
• Support CCD preparedness efforts to develop and implement NS contingency plans according to the most disaster-prone scenarios.
• Ensure that all relevant Red Cross actors (SMT, HDCC in ARO, PNS, NS, donors) are well informed about ongoing emergency operations in the CCD.
• Ensure support to Surge and Operation managers at the country level and in close collaboration with the HDCC ARO on programmatic aspects of the transition from relief to recovery to resilience building.

Education

• Relevant university degree or equivalent qualification (required).
• Relevant advanced university degree (Master's or higher) or equivalent qualification (required).

Experience

• 7+ years of experience in international coordination and cooperation in disaster response, recovery, and development settings (required).
• 5+ years of experience in program development and program management, particularly with references to experience with regional and multi country programs (required).
• 3 + years of experience of managing programs and projects in complex settings (required).
• Previous experience in disaster management (required).
• 3+ years of Experience in strategic planning and evaluation (preferred).
• Experience of working in the Latin American region, especially in the countries of interest of the CCD Southern Cone Countries (preferred).
• Familiarity with Movement and International Federation policies and guidelines - the Seville Agreement and Supplementary Measures and the Code for Good Partnership (preferred).

Knowledge, Skills and Languages

Knowledge and Skills

• Excellent organizational skills (required).
• A high degree of competence in leadership, planning and coordination of projects (required).
• Furthermore, networking, negotiation and communication (both written and verbal) and interpersonal skills in general are essential in coordinating the overall operation (required).
• Good analytical skills and solution focused person (required).
• Excellent stress management skills (required).
• Highly organized and results oriented (required).
• Excellent collaborative and teamwork skills (required).
• Proven ability to motivate and manage a team (required).

Languages

• Fluent spoken and written English (required)
• Fluent spoken and written Spanish (required)
• Fluent spoken and written French (preferred)

Competencies, Values and Comments

VALUES: Respect for diversity; Integrity; Professionalism; Accountability.

CORE COMPETENCIES: Communication; Collaboration and Teamwork; Judgement and Decision Making; National Society and Customer Relations; Creativity and Innovation, Building Trust.

MANAGERIAL COMPETENCIES: Managing Staff Performance; Managing Staff Development.

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES: Strategic Orientation, Building Alliances; Leadership; Empowering others.