Gülümseme ve Zeytin Yardimlaşma ve Dayanişma Derneği (GvZ) is a non-profit, non-governmental civil society organization that has been supporting the most marginalized and desperate Syrians affected by conflict in Turkey and Syria. Since the beginning, GvZ believes that its role is to create avenues to empower those affected by the conflict by developing their skills and reviving their sense of humanity and dignity. Through its community centers, GvZ provides women, youth, and marginalized groups with a range of various humanitarian services such as relief aid, protection, education programs, and networking with other humanitarian actors on how to advocate for issues deemed essential to highlight. To that end, GvZ strives to continue sharpening the skills of Syrians to partake in the peacebuilding process in Syria and actively advocate for a democracy reflecting a diverse yet socially coherent society.
Women LEADERS - Consortium Brief:
Women LEADERS is a program designed by a consortium of three context-and-impact oriented organizations that are working in the framework of this consortium to support and strengthen women led civil society organisations and women led initiatives working on critical human and women’s rights and protection issues and to promote and protect access to equitable services in Northwest Syria. The consortium’s joint program (WOMEN LEADERS - Women Lead, Engage and Advocate for Democracy and Rights in Syria) will target 6 Women-led Civil Society Organisations (WLCSOs) and 6 Women-led initiatives (WLIs) active in the field of women’s rights and empowerment in North-West Syria; and will be based on three main pillars: Capacity Strengthening, the provision of subgrants as well as advocacy. This intervention will be mainly funded by the European Union through one of its contractual agencies. This action will seek to engage stakeholders and power structures at sub-national, national, regional, and international levels.
Job Purpose
In order to actualize this designed intervention(s) in a comprehensive and resource-efficient manner, the consortium is looking for a competent Program Director - PD - that will lead the consortium efforts dedicated to achieve the set out goals and objectives. The PD will represent the primary focal point towards the consortium funding agency(ies) and will lead and direct the implementation of the projected activities. The post holder will lead the Project Management Unit - PMU - that includes two other members, the Finance and Compliance Manager and the MEAL Coordinator. The PD will also work closely with the project focal persons from the three organizations and report to the Steering Board which will include at least two representatives from each of the three partner organizations. The PD is expected to provide technical and programmatic guidance to the PMU members as well as the programmatic teams in compliance with the policies and procedures adopted by the three organizations and the donor’s requirements. This role will also include the responsibility for following up on and consolidating the different progress, programmatic and advocacy reports in an inclusive and timely manner. The PD will be also responsible for booking and leading on the Steering Committee meetings as well as facilitating the decision-making processes.
Based in Gaziantep - Turkey, the PD is expected to lead the consortium performance through a full-time working pattern in the framework of a 12-months initial contract that will be tentatively starting Feb 2022 (with an expected renewal of additional 12 months).
Job Title: Women LEADERS - Program Director
Division/Department: Civil Society Enablement Unit
Reports to: Women LEADERS Steering Board
Duration of Initial Contract: Full-time/ 12 Months with possibility for extension for additional 12 months
Work Location: Gaziantep, Turkey (with possible visits within the region)
Duties, Responsibilities and Tasks:
Program Leadership and Management (%70)
A. Programs
· Provide the overall program leadership and management in compliance with the program objectives and logical framework and maintain the healthy execution of the relevant plans.
· Develop and adjust the relevant project documents, including the global implementation and control plans, risk analysis and mitigation plans, programmatic and evaluation reports as well as program presentations.
· Review and consolidate the consortium and donor programmatic progress reports and lead on drafting the donor report according to the set requirements and timeframes as well as maintain comprehensive project documentation of the produced reports and their relevant annexes and means of verification.
· Ensure that the implementation of the project meets the donor’s requirements
· Develop and maintain the synchronicity of the programmatic and operational trackers and record-keeping tools, including, but not limited to, the beneficiary WLCSOs/WLIs dashboard, reporting tracker, complaints tracker and steering board minutes of meeting tracker.
· Provide the necessary supervision to the mapping and needs assessment activities.
· Lead the workshops and relevant processes of adapting the training materials to increase their expected impact on the beneficiary WLCSOs, WLIs and their target communities.
· Support the provision of the training in organizational management and other thematic topics, to the targeted WLCSOs and WLIs.
· When needed, provide the necessary support to the beneficiary WLCSOs and WLIs during the proposal development and grants utilization phases.
· Lead and provide the necessary support while updating the organizational capacity assessment tool(s) and reviewing them considering gender and safeguarding aspects.
· Provide the necessary support in developing organizational capacity development plans for the beneficiary WLCSOs and WLIs.
· When needed, provide the necessary support to the coaching efforts dedicated to the targeted WLCSOs and WLIs and ensure that they rhyme with the overall and specific objectives of this joint intervention.
· Measure the program performance and develop/update the relevant measurement tools in collaboration with the PMU members and implementation focal persons.
· Lead on the program evaluation processes engaging the relevant representatives from the three partner organizations as well as provide the necessary support to the relevant external program evaluation processes.
· Support appropriate opportunities to promote the programme’s sustainability and ensure capitalisation of learning and good practices from the programme.
· Facilitate the brainstorming and development of possible solutions to the obstacles that might impact the progress of the program implementation.
· Ensure that the relevant project staff and team members (project coordinators, PMU members, etc) have the needed information, tools, and skills to effectively achieve their relevant program/project objectives.
B. Advocacy
· Support the Advocacy Coordinator in overseeing the advocacy capacity building activities, relevant discussion groups and reflection groups conducted among the beneficiary WLCSOs and WLIs as well as the communities they are willing to support.
· Facilitate the coordination among the three partner organizations to implement the cross-cutting advocacy activities and provide the necessary support as well as promote information and learnings exchange.
· Provide the needed assistance and coordination to the three partner organizations to facilitate the development of their joint advocacy strategy(ies) and drafting the relevant policy briefs and recommendations. Through their program role, the Program Director will be expected to contribute to the analysis of policy and practice in terms of partnerships between NGOs and WLCSOs/WLIs, as well as on learning from the experience of providing micro-grants and other forms of support to WLCSOs/WLIs
· Contribute to the facilitation of meetings, briefings, and dialogue processes with the relevant stakeholders at regional and international levels.
C. Coordination and Facilitation
· Support the steering committee chair in planning and conducting the steering committee meetings and suggest and invite the relevant invited members as well as support providing the suggested agenda points for the steering committee meetings.
· Facilitate intra-consortium coordination and create the necessary tools and draft the relevant plans to foster the healthy flow of information among the partner organizations (and possibly the beneficiary WLCSOs and WLIs)
· Lead on the joint networking activities among the partner organizations and suggest and invite the relevant participants.
· Promote participation in governance and decision making among the consortium member organizations as well as among the steering committee members.
· Promote participation and provide the necessary support and monitoring to maintain and mainstream safeguarding, gender equality, inclusion and diversity among the steering committee members, the beneficiary WLCSOs/WLIs and the targeted communities and engaged stakeholders.
· Coordinate closely with the security advisor/focal point to monitor the security situation in the implementation areas and ensure that security and risk management are robust and up to date, in coordination with the Country Director(s) and relevant networks and stakeholders.
Representation and Compliances (%20)
· Represent the consortium in front of the funding part(ies) and maintain the active communication between the consortium and its funding party(ies).
· Attend relevant meetings (eg cluster meetings, etc.) and coordinate with other relevant stakeholders as well as ensure that the Advocacy Coordinator and other relevant staff and local partners are supported to effectively engage with relevant external coordination, policy and decision-making processes (i.e. clusters) informed by insights from this program and the work of the partners involved.
· Ensure that the relevant feedback and complaints mechanisms are agreed upon among the consortium, its members, its funding party(ies) and/or contractual agencies and are accessible to the targeted WLCSOs and WLIs.
· Act as and represent the consortium focal person with regard to the relevant reporting requirements and donor compliances.
PMU and Team Management (%10)
· Lead the Program Management Unit - PMU’s team members to achieve the set-out objectives and goals.
· Actively design and lead participation-oriented workshops through which the PMU can provide relevant plans and strategies that can benefit the overall implementation process and enhance the quality of support provided.
· Oversee and guide the communication and flow of information between the PMU team members and the consortium member organizations.
· Lead on following up with the PMU team members and the consortium member organizations in terms of contractual compliances and obligations as well as mainstream the relevant feedback and complaints mechanisms among these parties.
Qualifications and Experience:
· Proven fluency in Arabic and English and ability to conduct day to day work in Arabic and in English
· Good analytical skills, skills in review of documents and report writing in English
· Interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to effectively influence and liaise with key stakeholders
· Experience in the Middle East humanitarian and development sector or a similar context.
· Experience of successfully designing and facilitating emergency response and development interventions.
· Experience of managing EU funded actions
· Experience in managing partnerships with local Syrian organizations and initiatives. experience in working with women led organizations is preferable.
· Proven ability in financial monitoring and due diligence processes.
· Demonstrated experience of working with humanitarian standards (e.g. Humanitarian Charter, SPHERE, Red Cross and Red Crescent Code of Conduct, HAP) and a commitment to best practice;
· Ability to work autonomously, take the initiative and proven ability to work creatively, innovatively, and effectively to make decisions with limited direct supervision.
· Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude.
· Digital proficiency in employing preliminary data analysis, MO, Google Suit, and formal internet-based communication.
*Only candidates that are Turkish ID holders and legally able to work in Turkey will be considered
All employees are expected to carry out their duties in accordance with GvZ Code of conduct, PSEA and safeguarding policies.
GvZ expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us
How to apply:
Interested candidates who meet the above-mentioned qualification are invited to submit their resume and cover letter in English describing how your skills and experience match the requirements of this post, to: recruitment@gvz-tur.org with (GVZ- PD-21) in the subject of their email.
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted
