Back Country Representative in Syria for the Swedish Red Cross

Title: Country Representative Syria**
Place of assignment:** Damascus, Syria**
Type of posting:** International Delegate, non-family posting
Desired starting date: June 1st, 2022**
Contract period:** 12 months, with the possibility of extension

Background

Swedish Red Cross (SRC) works in partnership with the Syria Arab Red Crescent (SARC) and the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) Syria branch. Since September 2019, a Country Representative is posted in the country. The programme portfolio currently focuses on sustained access to primary health care, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) services and livelihoods support to vulnerable communities across Syria, including internally displaced people, host communities and Palestinian refugees. SRC aims at systematically mainstreaming the cross-cutting issues of Community Engagement and Accountability (CEA) and Protection, Gender and Inclusion (PGI) into the programme. The SRC supports its partners in several processes and working groups and collaborates with various Red Cross and Red Crescent movement partners present in Syria.

Your role in the organisation

As the Country Representative in Syria for the Swedish Red Cross, you are part of the Middle East North Africa and Europe unit reporting to the Regional Head of Unit, which is based in Stockholm. Your role is to manage the SRC programme in Syria and the partnerships with SARC and PRCS.

Key duties and responsibilities

• Manage the country programme following the operational cycle (planning and design, systematic monitoring and field visits, evaluation and reporting).
• Manage and monitor the country budget, including financial and audit reporting.
• Represent SRC in Syria, in the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement (SARC, PRCS, ICRC, IFRC and other Partner National Societies) and towards other strategic institutions and partners in the country.
• Manage the SRC in-country office including security management.
• Seek opportunities for collaboration and partnership for resource mobilization and programme development.
• Close collaboration with relevant technical and thematic advisors and support staff at the SRC headquarter, in accordance with SRC’s procedures and systems.

Your profile

The position demands that you have a strong organisational awareness, the ability to work seamlessly with several stakeholders, while taking responsibility for ensuring that SRC works towards our intended objectives in Syria. You need to be analytical and able to develop and assess project proposals and reports. You need to be systematic and structured, with the ability to handle high workloads. You meet deadlines and can work with an elevated level of independence.

As a successful candidate you have solid interpersonal, networking, and diplomatic skills. You have demonstrated experiences of holding similar responsibilities outlined above.

As an SRC employee, you share the Red Cross Red Crescent humanitarian values including diversity and actively work against all forms of discrimination. You understand, respect and comply with the SRC Code of Conduct and security rules and regulations.

Syria is a high-risk environment. At all times, the Country Representative respects and follows relevant communication as well as security rules.

Required Qualifications and Experience

• Relevant academic degree in international relations, development studies, business management or related field
• At least 5 years relevant working experience in multinational environments managing humanitarian or development programmes
• At least 5 years field experience, preferably in the MENA region, and in complex and volatile contexts
• Experience in programme design and proposal writing, planning, budgeting, monitoring and evaluation including financial management & budget monitoring
• Experience in Organisational Development, Community Engagement and Accountability
• Relevant security training for work in high-risk environment (HEAT or equivalent)
• Proficient knowledge of written and spoken English

Desired Qualifications

• Experience of working within the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement
• Experience of managing teams
• Experience of working with cross-cutting perspectives, such as gender, conflict sensitivity and environment/climate change
• Understanding of the current political, social and humanitarian situation of the region

Other Requirements

• Excellent command of English - spoken and written. Good command of Swedish is an asset, and some Arabic is preferred
• In line with the principle of neutrality, SRC does not assign personnel to a country of which they are nationals
• Candidates must be in good health and are required to pass a medical check-up prior to departure to the duty station
• Candidates must hold a manual driving license and have experience in driving manual transmission vehicles