MANAGING DIRECTOR (Local recruitment-Syrian National)

Country: Turkey

Organization: Syria Civil Defense

Closing date: 20 Mar 2020

ABOUT Syria Civil Defence

The Syria Civil Defence (also known as The White Helmets) is a community-based first responder and community worker organization established as a response to the Syrian conflict. The organization has been working in non-regime-held areas inside Syria, currently joining nearly 3,000 volunteers operating through 87 community-based teams and 33 women’s points. Their work has received unparalleled levels of international recognition and support for a local organization in war, becoming a symbol of humanity and inspiration not only in Syria but internationally.

Syria Civil defence receive both governments and private funding with an annual budget of around 25 Million USD. Our Headquarter is in Syria and we operate support offices in Turkey and overseas.

We are committed to the principals of independence, humanity and impartiality. We work in accordance with the international humanitarian laws and we measure our performance by how good our teams’ civilian protection service is, as judged by the civilians we serve.

We pledge to do whatever we can, wherever we can, for as long as we can to protect the Syrian civilians and to achieve a lasting justice in Syria and for all Syrians.

SCD is an equal opportunities employer and applications are actively encouraged from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, or pregnancy and maternity.

Further information about us can be found at www.syriacivildefence.org and www.whitehelmets.org

SCOPE OF WORK

SCD have functional departments in the HQ and the support offices based in Syria and Turkey, they are staffed by +100 employees responsible of managing support to the field teams which are grouped under four local directorates. The Managing director will be responsible for managing the departments of SCD Head offices to provide the maximum possible support to the field directorates within the available resources and to ensure full compliance of all SCD operations with the policies approved by SCD General Assembly and BoD and with the requirements and regulations of the donors.

The position can be based in Istanbul or in Gaziantep in Turkey.

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Job Title: Managing Director

Duty Station: Istanbul or Gaziantep

Contracting Type: Annual employment contract.

Line Manager: Chairman of the Board of Directors

Line management responsibility: Heads of departments

Full/Part-Time: Full time

Probation Period: 3 months

Tasks and Activities

Under the supervision of the Board of Director -represented by SCD Chairman- the Managing Director will perform the following duties:

General Management responsibilities:

· Managing the departments of the Head Offices and providing guidance in accordance with the strategic directions provided by the board.

· Focal point for coordination with the donors regarding all technical matters.

· Ensures cost efficiency and coherence between the different departments.

· Ensures that comprehensive and timely financial, operational and projects progress reports are produced in accordance with schedules and requirements agreed by the donors and SCD Board.

· Ensures that there are appropriate systems in place for the effective utilization and management of finance, personnel, supplies, transport, capital assets etc.

· Supported by the Board of Directors, leads the organizational development of SCD towards being fully independent and sustainable institution.

Programs:

· The Managing Director is responsible for ensuring that all program activities are planned, resourced, implemented, monitored and evaluated in a timely manner, to ensure that they are appropriate, necessary, cost-effective, targeted, sustainable and in keeping with SCD’s mission and philosophy.

· The Managing Director will work closely with the Head of Programs on all aspects related to programs.

· The Managing Director must ensure that SCD programs meet the highest national and international standards, and comply with codes of conduct and agreements to which SCD is a signatory.

· The Managing Director will review all project proposals and obtain approval from the Board of Directors before their submission to donors.

Fundraising/donors:

· The Managing Director is the principal point of contact with the donors in regards to their grants management.

· The responsibility for securing adequate funds to support SCD is shared between the Managing Director and the Board of Directors.

· The Managing Director is responsible for developing SCD’s working relationship with all the major donors and maintaining its reputation with them.

Financial Accountability:

· The Managing Director has ultimate accountability for all financial matters in the field and must review and approve the monthly financial accounts.

· The Managing Director will work closely with the Chief Finance Officer on all major aspects related to finance.

· The Managing Director must ensure adherence to the financial guidelines as per the SCD Financial Manual.

· The Managing Director should ensure that budget monitoring tools are produced by the finance department on a monthly basis and reviewed by the Program team.

· The Managing Director has responsibility to inform the Board of Directors of budgetary overspends or underspends as they affect programs and plan appropriate interventions.

Personnel:

· The Managing Director will work closely with the Human Capital Management department on all aspects related to personnel.

· The Managing Director must ensure that the policies and guidelines as laid down in the SCD Personnel Manual are adhered to by all staff.

· The Managing Director should act at all times to promote the organization’s vision and with respect to the organization’s values and principals of independence, humanity and impartiality in delivering services and working for justice for all Syrians.

· The Managing Director must promote a productive work environment respectful of the Code of Conduct with zero tolerance for verbal and physical abuse or discrimination against other persons on the grounds of race, religion, colour, sex or creed.

· The Managing Director has to contribute to a positive working environment by being accessible and available to team members and to represent their professional and personal concerns to the Board of Directors if necessary.

Resource Management/Logistics:

· The Managing Director will work closely with the Supply Chain Manager on all major aspects related to logistics and procurement.

· The Managing Director must ensure that the policies and guidelines as laid down in the SCD Logistics Manual are adhered to by all.

· The Managing Director must ensure that the reporting requirements outlined in the SCD Logistics Manual are fulfilled in a timely fashion.

Outputs

Delivery of the donors’ support to local beneficiaries on time and within budget.
Maintenance of highly positive relationships both internally between the Head Office Departments and the local Civil Defence Directorates and externally between the organization and the Syrian and international partners.
Development of the organizational structure and work processes to ensures balance, efficiency and sustainability of the institution and its services.
Lead the organization to be eligible and capable to receive direct funding from the prime donors within one year.

Qualifications, education, experience and competencies.

Applications are invited from persons who have Syrian nationality with the following qualifications or similar and relevant experience:

· 10 years of professional experience, of which a minimum of 5 years is in senior managerial positions and minimum 3 years in a non-for-profit sector.

· Master’s degree in business, Management, Development, Finance or relevant field.

· Knowledge of donor regulations and grants rules including USAID, EU, DFID regulations and contextual awareness of the donors' in-country strategies.

· Fluency in English and Arabic. Strong writing skills in both languages are required. French and Turkish are desirable.

· Strong knowledge in projects and organizational budgeting and financial reporting for NGOs with experience in working on accounting software.

· Strong knowledge of logistics and procurement standard and alternative procedures.

· Demonstrated attention to detail, following procedures, meeting deadlines and working and problem-solving independently and cooperatively.

· Competent computing skills and experience in a range of software packages, advanced level in excel.

Success factors

· The successful Managing Director will combine effective leadership of complex teams and the ability to lead by example and influence. Also S/he will be expected to have a proven ability to build internal staff capacity and competency and to provide program support services.

· S/he is expected to prove high skills in institutional development and change management, s/he should be able to identify, suggest and professionally communicate proposals to the Board of Directors and the donors regarding the needed structural and policy changes.

· Proactivity, flexibility and creativity in planning, problem-solving and adaptation to the Syrian context, ability to understand the larger picture while remaining focused on the details, take initiative and be accountable for results, maintain successful relations with the donors, knowledge of security standards, precautionary measures, communication protocols and passion for professional learning and development are vital skill that we expect the Managing Director to have.