Syria Crisis Program Assistant - British Red Cross

Organizational context (where the job is located in the Organization) The British Red Cross (BRC) helps people in crisis, whoever and wherever they are. We are part of a global voluntary network, responding to conflicts, natural disasters and individual emergencies. We enable vulnerable people in the UK and abroad to prepare for and withstand emergencies in their own communities. And when the crisis is over, we help them to recover and move on with their lives.  We are part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the world’s largest independent humanitarian network and are committed to, and bound by, its fundamental principles: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality.  International Division is responsible for international disaster response, support to resilience programmes and organisational development of our partner Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.  The work of the International Division also includes humanitarian policy and advocacy activities, and International Humanitarian Law.  British Red Cross' international work is carried out in coordination and partnership with the International Red Cross & Red Crescent Movement  The on-going crisis in Syria and its neighbouring countries is one of BRC’s largest operations with a multi-million pound budget committed since mid-2011. BRC is supporting activities under its Syria Crisis portfolio in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq using both bilateral and multilateral modalities. Job purpose The focus of this post is to provide a high level of administrative and programmatic support to the Syria Crisis Programme Manager to ensure the effective implementation and monitoring of BRC’s Syria Crisis Programme portfolio.   Job duties and responsibilities Information management and communication Ensure an efficient communication flow amongst BRC, IFRC and host national societies where relevant, arranging meetings, taking minutes, drafting replies to routine correspondence, dealing with enquiries Develop regular updates on the Syria Crisis programme portfolio to be disseminated across the team/ region, highlighting areas of concern where relevant Coordinate or prepare briefing notes, operational updates, presentations, etc. as requested by the Syria Crisis Programme Manager Ensure effective management of information for the programme team, keeping information on the BRC’s Programme Information Management System (PIMS) up-to-date. Translate/ proof-read documents in English and Arabic as required Feed into donor applications, proposals and reports as requested by the Syria Crisis Programme Manager/ Programme Officer  Financial management and administration Maintain a record of all pledges/ grant agreements with BRC’s implementing partners including a reporting schedule to ensure that reports are received from partners in a timely manner Liaise with IFRC/ other partners and the Syria Crisis PO/ IntFin in London to ensure timely sharing of finance information and review of this in UKO. Ensure timely and effective handling of financial matters, including processing IGAs, pledges/ GADs and GTFs in a timely manner in coordination with the Syria Crisis Programme Officer, ensuring appropriate levels of sign-off Feed into regular finance updates and quarterly reforecasting of the programme annual budget.  General administration Assist the Syria Crisis Programme Manager in the facilitation of meetings and presentations as required. Support with the organisation and facilitation of country visits and deployments as well as visits to the UKO. Provide administrative support in the organisation of conferences, courses, and workshops and attend as necessary. Support recruitment and administration support around management of staff, delegates, consultants and interns, including briefings, inductions and debriefings. Organise and attend team meetings, 1-1 catch-ups, etc. as required  Other Uphold the Fundamental Principles of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and work within the Society’s equal opportunities policy. Duties applicable to all staff 1. Actively work towards the achievement of the Federation Secretariat’s goals 2. Abide by and work in accordance with the Red Cross and Red Crescent principles 3. Perform any other work related duties and responsibilities that may be assigned by the line manager Position Requirements Education   Required Preferred Higher level academic qualification in social science, development studies or any other related field; (degree level or equivalent) X   Experience Required  Preferred Previous administrative experience X   Experience of general financial administration and budget preparation X   Experience of compiling and summarising materials for a variety of audiences, such as donor proposals and reports X   Experience of compiling programme documents; including proposals, logframes, donor proposals and reports X   Experience of working in international disaster response or international development   X Previous experience of working with the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement, INGOs or the UN X         Knowledge and Skills Required  Preferred Understanding of the relevant country/region context   X A good understanding of humanitarian issues   X Excellent written and verbal communication skills X   Presentation and report writing skills X   Intermediate competency with spreadsheets and financial administration X   Excellent IT skills, including all basic MS office packages X   Ability to use initiative in proactively seeking solutions to problems arising from day to day work X   Ability to organise workload and ensure administrative tasks are dealt with efficiently X   Ability to work well as part of a team X   Ability to analyse financial data and compile simple financial reports X   Capacity to work under pressure and to deadlines X   Willingness to work out of office hours when necessary X   Willingness and aptitude for humanitarian field work, and availability to travel at short notice, including overnight stays when required. (Syria and the region) X   Languages Required  Preferred Languages: English  and Arabic     Languages: French