Head of Mission

I. Name of position: Head of Mission

Expected length of employment: at least 12 months with possibility of extension (long-term cooperation preferred)**

Type of position: Full-time

Place of employment: Tbilisi, Georgia

Start date: as soon as possible

II. Organizational context

Caritas Czech Republic (CCR) is a non-profit organization that operates abroad in the context of humanitarian aid and development cooperation. It is a respected member of the Caritas Internationalis network. Its foreign activities focus on the health and social sectors and also on developing livelihood for the local population and education of children and adults.

In Georgia, we have been focusing on development activities since 2008, when the country programme started. Until 2014, we worked mainly through cooperation with local partner organizations. A year later, Caritas Czech Republic´s full-fledged mission was established in Georgia. In our development interventions in Georgia, we focus on social- and healthcare, social protection, rural development, and environmental protection.

III. Responsibilities

Head of Mission is responsible for the overall mission management and strategic development and for direct management of one of the ongoing projects.

Strategic development of CCR country program

• Identify potential operational directions (technical areas, geographical coverage, partnerships) in developing the mission’s country programme and help re-formulate the existing CCR country strategy;
• In close coordination with the HQ, take initiative in strengthening the mission’s technical capacities and its profile.
• Pro-actively seek opportunities for participating in events allowing to present CCR’s national and organisational portfolio and its expertise leading to new partnerships with demonstrated added value;
• Keep abreast of donors’ strategies, develop strategic partnerships with donors and present CCR country strategy and achievements;
• Monitor socio-economic, political and security situation in the country leading to the identification of existing and emerging needs;
• Provide strong leadership and management in developing new project proposals, in particular in collecting timely and relevant data, formulating high-quality logic frameworks and operational budgets in line with the country context, the CCR organisational mission and as per programmatic direction of the supervisor.

General management and coordination

• Provide overall management of the mission in line with the CCR internal regulations;
• Ensure quality controls are in place in all CCR country projects;
• Coordinate with the country and HQ teams to ensure the mission fulfills all in-country legal requirements;
• Participate in regular visits of field activities;
• Provide support to and oversight of local partnerships in line with technical and ethical regulations of CCR (including but not limited to regular meetings with partners and provision of feedback to HQ team);
• Provide regular and needs-based update on the progress of the mission to both the mission team and the CCR HQ.

Human resources management

• Provide administrative oversight of human resource management in the country team;
• Ensure all mission-level documents are updated, staff are aware of them and all relevant soft and hard copies of key documents are stored securely;
• Support professional development of the CCR country team;
• Ensure performance reviews are carried out by line-managers in the country team;
• Adopt and encourage a pro-active approach to addressing and resolving any HR-related issues in a transparent and positive approach;
• Plan and provide oversight of the recruitment of new mission level personnel, including permanent staff, volunteers and technical consultants.

Financial supervision

• Regularly review country mission cash flow and develop expenditure forecasts together with project-level staff and HQ Financial Coordinator;
• Ensure regular monthly follow-ups are duly prepared at the project level and analyzed at the mission level by the mission Financial Manager / Chief Accountant leading to prompt resolution of identified challenges and problems;
• Ensure procurement policies are followed at all times as per the CCR Procurement Manual.

External relations

• Participate in relevant coordination meetings and update all relevant stakeholder on the CCR mission and country program;
• Update the Embassy of the Czech Republic about current and planned activities;
• Coordinate with the supervisor and the Head Office team to develop and distribute updated and engaging communication material;
• Ensure visibility of CCR country program and mission.

IV. Requirements

Key

• Proven experience in managing a team;
• Experience of working in development and/or humanitarian setting in a leadership position;
• Track record of managing relations with a variety of donors;
• Experience in project proposal development;
• Excellent communication skills in English (oral and written);
• Strong leadership, analytical/critical thinking and problem-solving skills;
• Working knowledge of Russian language.

Advantage

• Technical background in health care and / or social services;
• Experience of working in the post-Soviet region;

V. What we offer

• Career development in a value-driven professional organization, suitable especially for dynamic professionals;
• Opportunity to apply and further develop creative and independent working approach;
• Gross monthly remuneration negotiable, with potential future increase in case of significant results;
• 25 days of paid leave / year, in addition to official public holidays;
• In case of expatriate staff:
• Per diem
• Housing allowance
• Travel health insurance
• 2 return flights per year to home country
• Access to training opportunities