Field Coordinator

1-GENERAL OBJECTIVE

The Field Coordinator is responsible for the overall functioning of the base and the proper implementation of programs developed on that base.

2-RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS

Role and Responsibilities                  

1. Safety: In collaboration with the Head of Mission and with the support of the base security manager, s/he is responsible for the safety and security of the Base.
2. Program: S/he is accountable for the efficient implementation of the projects. S/he ensures the coordination between the Support teams (Admin and Log) and the Deputy Field Coordinator in order to timely and qualitatively guarantee that the objectives and results of the projects are reached. S/He preventively identifies issues, gaps and delays that may impede the correct implementation of the projects and proposes mitigation plans to the HoM.
3. Human Resources: S/he supervises all the teams of the Base, composed of national and international staff.
4. Logistical, administrative and financial support: S/he oversees the logistical, administrative and financial components of the base for the purpose of program implementation and supports and ensures compliance with the relevant procedures, with substantive support from the Logistics Coordinator (LOGCO), the Administrative and Financial Coordinator and the HR Coordinator of the mission.
5. Representation: S/he represents PU-AMI with the stakeholders (such as donors, authorities, International/Local NGOs) and s/he guarantees full coordination with other INGOs on the ground.
6. Coordination: S/he ensures proper coordination between the Base and the Coordination Office (Technical Coordinators and Deputy Head of Mission), keeping the Head of Mission always informed of core developments.
7. Assessment/ Strategy: S/he understands the needs and humanitarian response and Donors’ strategies, participates in the strategy development and proposes new interventions according to needs identified in his/her field of operations.

Specific objectives and linked activities

1. ENSURE THE SAFETY OF PROPERTY AND PEOPLE AT THE SITE

• Ensure that the safety plan for the site is up-to-date, and that everyone knows and understands it (both expatriates and nationals);​
• Ensure data collection relative to the safety on his/her field of operations and ensures that the Security Manager produces regular analysis on the situation on the ground to be disseminated among the Base staff and his/her immediate supervisor (Head of Mission);
• Keep the Head of Mission informed of the security situation on a regular basis and inform the Head of Mission immediately in case of serious security incident. Verifies that the material and Human Resources of the Base are adequate to ensure the optimal safety of teams, materials and beneficiaries;
• In the event of a security incident, (regardless of whether it took place or was avoided), ensure that the information is transmitted to the Head of Mission without delay and reported upon in accordance with PU-AMI’s guidelines;
• Ensure, with the support of the Security Manager, that communication with Local Authorities is taking place on a regular basis;
• Ensure that the Donors regularly are informed regularly of eventual restriction of movement in /access to certain areas that would impact the programs implementation.
  
  2. ENSURE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PROGRAMS AND PROPOSE NEW INTERVENTIONS

• Ensure the smooth running of ongoing programs on the site (meeting of objectives, respecting time-lines, budgetary monitoring, contractual reporting…) and report to the Head of Mission;
• Set up a formal coordination system with the Deputy Field Coordinator and follow up as needed;
• Validate all reporting at Base level before submission to Coordination Office and HQ for final approval;
• Propose new interventions and discuss them with his/her immediate supervisor;
• Be responsible for developing proposals, resulting from the needs identified by the Base team after validating the relevance. When defining new operational activities, coordinate the work of the relevant technical departments and of the administrative and logistical support teams, in order to prepare complete project proposals, and in line with the donors’ formats as well as PU-AMI’s internal rules;
• Participate in the Strategy development exercise of the mission;
• Lead the overall base planning process (Project Monitoring Tool, Detailed Monthly Plans & Reports), supports managers in their planning, ensure monthly plans are accurate and effective, and disseminate these plans to Coordination in a timely manner.
  
   

         3. SUPERVISE TEAMS OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL STAFF AT THE SITE

• Supervise all national and international teams on the Base;
• Manage directly the: Security Manager, Finance & HR Manager, Logistics Manager, as well as the Deputy Field Coordinator (who manages the Shelter and WASH and the FSL department) and the MEAL Manager;
• Guide all the Managers under his/her direct responsibility in achieving project objectives, guarantee the quality of the work done and respect reporting and implementation timelines. Advise and guide the Deputy Field Coordinator who is following directly the Programs;
• Be the final responsible person for the overall management of all the Human Resources in the Base;
• Participate in the hiring process of Managers he/she directly managed, and indirectly in the overall hiring process, as well as in any decision related to the termination of employment contracts of all local personnel on the Base;
• Ensure compliance with the Internal Human Resources Rules and Policies of PU-AMI on the site;
• Be responsible to ensure the proper administrative management of local staff, in particular, payroll operations, monitoring absences, constructing, updating and archiving administrative files of personnel, through the direct management of the Admin/HR Department;
• Make sure that all local employees are subject to a written evaluation every 6 months, following up with the Admin/HR Department and all managers;
• Make sure of the integration of any new employee in the Base, and ensure, in particular, that the context of program implementation, safety rules, logistical, administrative, HR and financial procedures, as well as procedures for the use of communication and transportation are explained and understood, through a direct follow-up with Admin/HR, Log and Security Departments. Directly explain to all new employee the Guidelines linked to abuse of Beneficiaries, corruption and respect of the humanitarian principles of the organization;
• Identify the training needs of the staff in the Base in coordination with all Managers and coordinates with the HR Coordinator for final validation and organization of trainings. Draft job profiles for all local and expat staff under his/her direct supervision and validates all JDs at Base Level in coordination with Technical Coordinators and HR Coordinator. 
• Validate the organogram of the base;
• Make sure that interpersonal conflict within the Base are handled by the responsible Managers and he/she actively participates in explanation meetings when needed, being the final decision maker on the dispute. He/she makes sure that a professional working atmosphere is in place at base level and that a culture of respect and open communication is in place;
• Be the guardian of the image of PU-AMI in his/her area of operation, and in that capacity ensure that the entire staff under his/her authority display behavior consistent with the values up held by the organization, and with full respect for the local culture.
  
   

         4. ENSURE LOGISTICAL, ADMINISTRATIVE AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR THE SITE

• Ensure that the needs of the site are met (support, programming) through the direct management of the Logistics Department;
• Be the overall budget holder for the majority of lines of the projects under his/her responsibility. Through the direct follow up on the financial forecast and supporting the Managers, ensure that the forecast is properly updated and that all donors and internal procedures are respected and that commitments are in line with available budgets;
• Make sure that the Forecast Follow Up (FFU) process takes place regularly at Base level and that all Managers actively and regularly participate in it. Be responsible for the overall balance of expenses for each project and of making sure that the Forecast corresponds to the reality and is respected;
• Be responsible for sharing project budgetary proposals as per the needs identified in the field and in a cost-efficient manner following the HR and equipment needs analyzed with managers;
• Be responsible for identifying the concrete needs, together with managers, in order to shape realistic budget plans for Mid-year reviews and needed Budget amendments at base level;
• Be responsible for cost optimization and use budget tracking to achieve this; ensure adequate financial resources for the running of the Base;
• Concerning budgetary monitoring, participate in team-based analysis (along with technical, administrative and logistics management) and be responsible for detecting anomalies and proposing adjustments to his/her immediate supervisor and to the Admin & Finance Coordinator;
• Ensure that accounting entries are completed in compliance with internal rules. Together with the Admin & Finance Coordinator, track the cash flow for his/her site, and oversee disbursements;
• Ensure that the Base is equipped with the needed infrastructure necessary for execution of the work in optimal conditions of safety;
• Oversee the vehicle fleet and more globally ensures its proper functioning as well as the maintenance of all equipment belonging to the site;
• Ensure that the storage of all property and equipment is adequate through a close follow-up with the Log Department;
• Make sure that the Log Monthly follow up is conducted on a regular basis and that the inventory of supplies and equipment for the Base is updated;
• Together with the Admin & Finance Coordinator, ensure that a system of internal oversight is in place at the site. Ensure compliance with procedures for undertaking expenditure commitments, and participate in the process of endorsing purchase orders;
• Be the guardian of the bookkeeping, and in that capacity make sure that cash balances and bank accounts are absolutely and permanently backed up by appropriate accounting documents.
  
   

         5. ENSURE THE REPRESENTATION OF PU-AMI IN THE JURISDICTION COVERED BY HIS/HER SITE

• Represent the organization before local actors, whether they are official or not, and ensure that good relations are maintained with each of them, in compliance with PU-AMI’s principles of neutrality and independence;
• Attend main coordination meetings, and participate actively or delegate to managers the participation of working groups, with a close follow-up on steps and participation;
•  In the event of visits from Donors, participate in the organization and implementation of the visit;
• Guarantee the representation in front of local authorities and non-governmental actors when needed and ensure that PU-AMI’s work is understood and accepted in the areas of implementation.

         6. ENSURE REPORTING AND DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION

• Be responsible for validating and sometimes writing donor reports for programs implemented on his/her Base; report include contractual reporting and extra reporting requested by donors ( Weekly, monthly, quarterly and final reports). Make sure that inputs from Technical Coordinators are included in the reporting and after validation send to Coordination when needed second validation;
• Send the internal and external reports to the HOM and Technical Coordinators while meeting the internal deadlines for endorsement (Situation Report, incident report) and external contractual deadlines (project reports);
• Organize the two-way dissemination of information: from the Base to the Coordination Office, and from the coordination office to the Base;
• Attend internal coordination meetings and participate actively;
• Attend external coordination meeting in the area under her/his responsibility or make sure working groups are attended by the respective program managers and/or coordinators.

The tasks and responsibilities defined in this job description are non-exhaustive and can evolve depending on the project’s needs.

3-PRIORITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT

• Maintain and guarantee the rationalization of resources used for the implementation of the projects to ensure a constant cost-efficient analysis of the structure and making sure resources match the needs of the programs;
• Consolidate the current set up and support in capacity building of key staff and proposal development;
• Improve the quality of the humanitarian situation analysis using both resources inside the teams and outside sources;
• Guarantee the 2018 funding through a close collaboration and coordination with Donors to create the positive dialogue and understanding on our program and vision of needs to be covered.

QUALIFICATIONS

Mandatory requirements

• Language skills: English, French a plus, Arabic
   
• Education degree: Humanitarian base studies
   
• Work experience:
  -At least 3 years of experience in team management in NGOs
  -At least 3 years of experience in projects development/implementation (+1M€ yearly budget)
  -Consequent experience in implementing humanitarian responseExperience in building national staff capacity
  -Experience in working with a variety of donors
  -Experience in qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis methodologies is required
   
• Knowledge and skills:
  -Project Management and reporting skills
  -Team Management
  -Ability to represent the organization, as per the recommendations of the HoM and to ensure an efficient and proactive coordination with other actors.
  -Knowledge of procedures related to institutional donors (OCHA, UN agencies…)
  -Excellent writing skills
   
• Computer skills: Microsoft office pack, mapping (google earth, ARCGIS)
   
• Other:
  -Experience in Humanitarian access negotiation
  -Experience in humanitarian crisis in urban area, if possible in the Middle East
  -Experience in protracted complex humanitarian crises

Assets

• Interests
   
• Transversals skills
  -Ability to work independently while taking initiatives and possessing a strong sense of responsibility
  -Ability to stand pressure
  -Sense of diplomacy and negotiation skills
  -Analytical skills, particularly in understanding humanitarian and basic needs of populations in complex, urban context.
  -Capacity to adapt and showing organizational flexibility
  -Organization, rigor and ability to meet deadlines
  -Ability to work and manage affairs professionally and with maturity
  -Ability to represent the activities and the mandate of PU-AMI before local authorities, donors and other humanitarian actors.
  -Ability to integrate the local environment into operations, in its political, economic and historical dimensions
  -Ability to work with various partners, in a spirit of openness, and with adaptable communications strategies