Emergency Team Leader

Purpose / Role

The Team Leader leads and manages the emergency team and is the interface between the Emergency Team and the Country Director.

The Team Leader is responsible for the quality and effectiveness of CARE’s emergency response within his/her designated area of responsibility. He/she is the leader of the Emergency Response Team, responsible and accountable for developing, coordinating and managing all emergency activities. The Team Leader has overall responsibility for the security and well being of emergency staff.

 Responsibilities

Assessment, Program Design and Planning

• In association with the Country Director, ensure emergency assessments are executed and from them an integrated emergency response, implementation and exit strategies are developed.
• Ensure that CARE International Members (through the Country Director) are provided with regular sitreps and are aware of humanitarian developments and CARE’s response to them.
• Coordinate the development of all project implementation plans and budgets within the framework of the agreed emergency response programme and strategy.
• Assist and advise the Country Director with securing donor funding for emergency projects.
• Oversee project design and proposal preparations for institutional and public funding.

Emergency Project Management and Implementation

• Maintain ongoing surveillance of the developing humanitarian emergency situation and adjust activities accordingly.
• Ensure adequate monitoring, reporting and acquittal of emergency response activities in accordance with CARE International’s humanitarian accountability framework, relevant SPHERE standards, and essential environmental mitigation measures.
• Ensure that different sectoral activities are implemented in a coordinated and integrated manner.
• Ensure all emergency personnel understand and carry out their duties in accordance with humanitarian principles, core values, the Code of Conduct and SPHERE.

General Management and Leadership

• Ensure all emergency staff are fully briefed on all aspects of security, social and cultural norms and local conditions and behaviour.
• Establish and maintain constructive working relationships with other NGO’s, UN agencies, host government, bilateral and multilateral donors, and other principle stakeholders including the military where present and if necessary.
• Recommend changes to the emergency team composition and functioning with Country Office and partners to maximise emergency programme quality and effectiveness.
• Create the conditions to ensure effective teamwork and morale. Ensure staff well being is addressed.
• Conduct performance appraisals of emergency staff if and as required, ensure regular feedback and mentoring on individual performance.
• Ensure the Country Director,  Line Management, and CARE Members are kept informed about assessment progress, emergency response implementation and strategies, project plans, progress reports, and other significant developments.
• All staff members understand and abide by the CARE Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) / Child Protection (CP) Policy.  All staff must sign the relevant Code of Conduct. Staff are required to report any suspicions of exploitation and abuse of children and vulnerable people via established internal mechanisms. All staff must adhere to CARE’s zero tolerance policy for sexual exploitation and abuse of children.
• Responsible for creating a culture of reporting any suspicions of sexual exploitation and abuse. The staff member is responsible for preventing and responding to sexual exploitation and abuse, including the review of PSEA/CP reporting mechanisms in accordance with Care’s Code of Conduct and internal/ external policies.
• The staff member must monitor the development and implementation of PSEA/Child Protection reporting mechanisms in the CO emergency plans, reinforcing CARE’s zero tolerance approach to PSEA and Child exploitation and abuse.

Human Resources

• Ensure that human resources implications for Beirut response are fully assessed, identified, described and communicated.
• Monitor ongoing human resources issues of Beirut response and make recommendations  accordingly.
• Ensure deployed staff members receive thorough briefings and information.
• In liaison with the DCD-PS/HR staff make sure staff have suitable rest, relaxation and that well being is addressed

Public Relations/ Media

• Support the Country Director to ensure positive coverage and the timely provision of situation reports and fundraising material to National Member Headquarters and the CARE International Secretariat.
• Ensure all information, publicity and fundraising material recognises and respects the dignity of disaster victims.

Safety and Security

• Liaise with the Security Manager (whether in-country or not) to ensure compliance with CARE International Security Guidelines and their effective application in the local context.

Key Internal Contacts

Country Director, Emergency Response Director

Key External Contacts

Other NGO’s, UN agencies, host government, bilateral and multilateral donors, and other principle stakeholders including the military where present

Reporting Lines

The Team Leader reports to the Country Director (Bujar Hoxha).

Selection Criteria

            Core Competencies

• People Skills: Ability to work independently and as a team player who demonstrates leadership and is able to support and train local and international staff and also able to work with disaster affected communities in a sensitive and participatory manner.
• Communication Skills: Well developed written and oral communication skills. Able to communicate clearly and sensitively with internal and external stakeholders as a representative of CARE. This includes effective negotiation and representation skills.
• Integrity: Works with trustworthiness and integrity and has a clear commitment to CARE's core values and humanitarian principles.
• Resilience/Adaptability and flexibility: Ability to operate effectively under extreme circumstances including stress, high security risks and harsh living conditions. Works and lives with a flexible, adaptable and resilient manner.
• Awareness and sensitivity of self and others: Demonstrates awareness and sensitivity to gender and diversity. Have experience and the ability to live and work in diverse cultural contexts in a culturally appropriate manner. Has a capacity to make accurate self-assessment particularly in high stress and high security contexts.
• Work style: Is well planned and organized even within a fluid working environment and has a capacity for initiative and decision making with competent analytical and problem solving skills.
• Knowledge and skills: knowledge of CARE policies and procedures, Sphere and the Red Cross/ NGO Code of Conduct. Requires general finance, administration, information management and telecommunication skills and proficiency in information technology/ computer skills.
• 3 – 5 years humanitarian aid experience.
• Multiple language skills desirable.

Required Technical Competencies

• Minimum of 5 years humanitarian aid experience in complex and natural disasters.
• High level of all aspects of managerial experience, including managing multi-million dollar budgets.
• Experience in complex decision making and leading a multi-disciplinary, multi-national team under difficult circumstances.
• The highest level of expertise in representation and negotiation with governments and donors.
• Strong understanding of the humanitarian emergency operating context, including Sphere, the humanitarian system, donors, security, civil military liaison and program management.
• Relevant language skills for the country of deployment.