Turkey: LIAISON OFFICER - TURKISH NATIONALS ONLY

Position: Turkey Liaison Officer

Location: Gaziantep with regular travel inside Turkey to cities such as Ankara, Istanbul or other locations (Note: primary location may change based on mutual discussion but overall program needs)

Duration:12 months, contingent on funding

Reports to: Country Director (CD)

About RI:Relief International (RI) is a leading global change organization and home to teams of humanitarian activist-professionals committed to transforming adversity into renewal for the world’s most vulnerable populations. By partnering with beneficiaries and communities on the front-lines, RI innovatively bridges the gap between immediate relief and long-term community development.

Position Summary:The Turkey Liaison Officer will play a key role in the implementation of Turkey-based programs in Turkey and Syria, ensuring close collaboration with key external stakeholders and government officials, as well as contributing to the mobilization and management of Turkey programs when funded. RI is seeking an experienced professional that can contribute to dynamic and strong programming.

Position Responsibilities and Duties:

Situational Analysis:

· Provide daily review of Turkish news and social media and provide update to Country Director (CD) and Security Manager (SM). Update should include official and unofficial analysis of security risks, political trends and any other information which could be relevant to the safety or reputation of Turkey Country Program.*Representation:*

· As directed, coordinate and represent RI with identified stakeholders (government officials, Turkish, Syrian and International NGOs, UN agencies and other entities) to ensure all project activities are carried out with their agreement and, as far as possible, their participation

· Build professional networks with stakeholders, including Turkish NGOs and Syrian NGOs, Government counterparts and INGOs.

· Accompany CD or others to important external meetings to act as interpretor, executive assistant and advisor.

· Must be able to act with the highest level of professionalism, integrity and trust, due to the importance of official external communications.

Media focal point:

· Inform the national and local media, when needed, of RI activities and partners

· Prepare notes to share with the media in coordination with Communications Officer, based in DC currently.

· Organize eventual press conferences regarding RI activities if needed Program Development:

· Assist with scoping of potential new areas for engagement through analysis of secondary data, stakeholder analysis and field assessments

· Identify and assess new programmatic areas - both sectoral and geographic

· In conjunction with other staff, prepare and write timely and accurate donor concepts, proposals and reports. These documents should reflect progress against set objectives and/or newly defined needs supported by appropriate data presentation and contextual analysis

· Where appropriate, work closely with partner organizations in completing the above tasks

Program Support:

· Support implementation of programs in line with the approved project proposal and budget, anticipating and communicating issues/problems in advance to the Program Manager and preparing written amendments as required

· Help ensure quality of the program through compliance and adherence to RI, donor and national policies, procedures and guidelines, as well as internationally recognized standards (eg. the Sphere standards)

· Promote and encourage community participation in and ownership of activities at the community level

· Provide daily and close follow up with the RI partners to ensure the proper implementation of the projects in the field.

Qualifications & requirements:

· Minimum bachelor’s degree in a relevant subject, or other compelling, equivilant work experience.

· At least one year previous experience in a similar position in an INGO. Experience with external liasing and strong knowledge of key interlocutors in Turkey.

· Fluency in English and Turkish required; ability to also communicate in Arabic a plus

· Solid programming, administrative and management experience required

· Relevant experience of the programmatic aspects of community center management, protection, education, primary health care or WASH is preferred.

· Willingness to travel and work extensively – sometimes at short notice, in difficult places and under long hours – according to a results-based approach

· A readiness to uphold the highest standards of integrity, adherence to humanitarian principles and standards as well as a commitment to RI’s overall mission

· Proven ability to network and liaise with high-level officials with extreme professionalism

· Strong skills in analytical thinking, communication and writing.

RI Values:

· We uphold the Humanitarian Principles: humanity, neutrality, impartiality and operational independence.

· We affirmatively engage the most vulnerable communities.

· We value

o Inclusiveness

o Transparency and accountability

o Agility and innovation

o Collaboration

o Sustainability

In case you meet the requirements and that you are interested in the position, please send your CV in English to hrturkey@ri.org before the 9th October stating in the subject "LIASON OFFICER".

Please note that the position may be filled before the deadline of submission of applications