Country: Turkey
Closing date: 20 Aug 2015
Dear Applicants,
We would like to inform you that we became aware of some technical problems with our applications@dkh-istanbul.org email address, and noted that some of the applications sent to us on 15, 16 and 17 August 2015 have not been received.
For this reason we would like to kindly request all interested candidates to resend their applications (only those sent on the above mentioned dates) until the set deadline.
Thank you and we apologize for this inconvenience.
Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe- Regional Office for West and Central Asia
Istanbul, Turkey
1. Background
Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe (DKH), with headquarters in Germany, is a humanitarian agency providing funds for emergency aid worldwide. DKH has a Regional Office for West and Central Asia which is located in Istanbul (DKH RO). The DKH RO is operated in Turkey through a strategic partnership with the Turkish aid agency Support to Life (STL).
The DKH RO provides program support to DKH Project Offices and local partners in the region. It is DKH’s approach to implement Emergency Relief, Rehabilitation and Disaster Risk Reduction projects mainly through local Partner Organizations. The focus countries of the DKH RO include Afghanistan, Pakistan, Gaza, Nepal, Iraq and Turkey. In relation to the ongoing Syria and Iraq crisis, DKH currently also runs a large relief program in Lebanon, Jordan, and potentially Syria. The DKH RO is also on stand-by for emergency intervention in case of acute emergencies (mainly natural disasters) in South and Southeast Asia.
The DKH RO team provides technical and other backstopping to all partner organizations within its area of responsibility. It also continuously aims at increasing and further strengthening relations with local partners on the ground and building their capacities. For this purpose, in addition to the ongoing relief and DRR projects, DKH RO has launched a partner-tailored regional Capacity Building program in 2014, targeting all strategic partners in West and Central Asia.
DKH is now looking for a Program Officer for the Regional Office for West and Central Asia, who will be responsible for overseeing DKH funded projects in Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon.
2. Job Description
Location: Istanbul with frequent travels to focus countries of the region
Projects: All projects funded by DKH
Assignment Period: 1 September 2015 – 30 June 2016, with possible extension
Working under the supervision of and in close collaboration with the DKH RO Program Coordinator, the Program Officer is responsible to fulfil the following tasks:
Program Management Support
· Supporting, advising on project planning and implementation by local partners.
· Monitoring and evaluation of projects through field visits and remotely, for a successful and smooth implementation;
· Ensure all projects are implemented according to strategy, work plans, and budget;
· Overseeing reporting schedules and supervising the development of narrative and financial reports; Ensuring that reports are prepared in accordance with the requirements and regulations of third party donors and DKH.
· Following the administrative and other preparatory work for the planning and implementation of project components including procurement procedures, financial and work planning of partners.
· During monitoring visits to projects implemented by local partners, supporting the partner in managing records, files, folders, and other project documentations, as necessary.
· Based on periodic reports from local partners, drafting quarterly or monthly progress reports to be submitted to DKH HQ, indicating project status and planned versus actual comparisons including target figures and photo documentation.
· Identifying gaps in the management of projects and supporting or advising local partners in undertaking action for their improvement.
· Assist local partners in developing project proposals to be submitted to DKH HQ or third party donor agencies.
Strategy Planning and Coordination
· Supporting the development of country strategies and annual action plans for focus countries and the region of West and Central Asia.
· Representing DKH in relevant networks, donor and partner meetings, towards media and other stakeholders whenever needed;
· Promoting collaboration of all stakeholders of DKH in the field, from staff of DKH and local partners to target communities and other aid agencies and institutions active in the same area of operation.
· Attending coordination meetings in sectors that are relevant to DKH sectors of operation, when possible.
· Establishing and maintaining good contact with the ACT Alliance members and Forum in each focus country, if available.
· Monitoring the political, economic, social and humanitarian context in the focus countries and changes in the security situation in assigned focus countries and beyond;
· Continuously analysing the context and steer the institutional and programmatic development of the DKH RO yearly action plans.
Capacity Building
In close cooperation with the DKH RO Capacity Building Program Officer:
· Assessing organizational capacity of local partners and identifying their capacity building need in accordance with the partners
· Designing and managing capacity building programs, where needed.
· Preparing and updating training modules for PCM and delivering or supporting the delivery of trainings if needed.
· Providing sector specific input and guidance within prevention, preparedness and response.
Emergency preparedness
· Supporting the development of DKH’s emergency preparedness plan for the region
· Where needed, carrying out one or more of the following tasks in the aftermath of a disaster in Asia:
· needs assessments
· designing emergency relief and recovery operations and writing project proposals
· setting up and staffing of field offices in a disaster zone
· identifying local partners and involving them in the relief and recovery operation
· establishing and reviewing institutional structures in field offices
· conducting impact evaluation studies of relief and recovery programs
Other tasks, as necessary
3. Qualification, Expertise and Skills
· At least 3 years of experience in managing and/or coordinating projects in the field of humanitarian assistance;
· University degree (or comparable work experience) in a relevant field;
· Sound knowledge of and skills in project cycle management, needs assessment, project planning, proposal writing, and monitoring & evaluation;
· Experience in emergency relief, with special emphasis on the following sectors: Food Security, Nutrition, Psychosocial Support, Protection, Cash Based Assistance; (other relevant experience can be considered)
· Experience in working through local partner organizations based on equal partnership principle and in providing them technical and other backstopping support;
· Knowledge of and experience in rules and regulations as well as implementation of backdonor funded projects, specifically AA, BMZ and ECHO;
· Good understanding of key principles of international NGOs including accountability, impartiality, neutrality, independence
· Languages: Fluent in written and spoken English. Arabic and/or Turkish is a strong asset;
· Excellent training, coaching and mentoring skills with the ability to multitask.
· Experience working in different cultural work environments & ability to perform tasks with sensitivity to the local culture, to interact effectively and professionally with persons from diverse cultural, socio-economic, educational, racial, ethnic and professional backgrounds;
· Excellent problem solving and analytical skills:
· Excellent listening and communication skills: ability to organize and present information, views and concepts in a concise, understandable and interesting way for a variety of audiences, both written and oral;
· Highly organized, detail oriented, and able to work under pressure with minimal supervision,
· Proactive, able to come up with initiatives or undertake actions with minimal supervision
· Energetic, independent yet excellent team player.
· Outstanding personal attitude: especially sense of responsibility, concern for quality, result orientation;
· Outstanding personal values: integrity, commitment, respect for diversity, excellent interpersonal skills, and nonetheless sense of humour.
How to apply:
DKH is an equal opportunities employer. Interested persons should send their application consisting of the following (all in English language):
· Scanned and signed cover letteroutlining qualifications, experience relevant to the advertised position and motivation (not more than 2 pages);
· Updated detailed C.V. (Pdf format) including three professional references.
Applications should be submitted by end 20 August 2015 to the following address:applications@dkh-istanbul.org
Please put in subject line: ApplicationDKH RO - PO TJL
Interviews are planned to take place during the week of 24 August 2015.
Please kindly note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.






