DEPUTY DIRECTOR – CROSS BORDER PROGRAM

CARE is an international NGO with local staff and community partners in more than 90 countries. We create local solutions to poverty and inequality and we seek dignity for everyone every day and during times of crisis. These solutions have a broad range, from clean water to access to education; from microfinance to ensuring that everyone has nutritious food; from agriculture and climate change to disaster response. CARE puts women and girls at the center of everything we do because they have proven to be the best hope for creating lasting change in the world. Our staff live where they work, which makes us effective at understanding the challenges they face. We’ve been doing this for over 70 years, since World War II. It started with the world’s first CARE Package® of food for the post-war hungry in Europe. Our work today is as important as ever, we believe that poverty and inequality are historic injustices that we can end within a generation, for good. If you share our core beliefs: poverty is an injustice; poverty is solvable; and together, we have the power to end it, join us, and fight with CARE.

The Deputy Director Cross Border Program is a critical role in CARE Turkey. The successful candidate will be joining an ambitious and growing Cross-Border Program that aims to deliver excellent programming in one of the most complex contexts currently facing humanitarian organizations globally.

CARE is working in Northwest Syria to support vulnerable women, men, girls and boys affected by the ongoing conflict. CARE works mainly through partners to achieve this goal but is also in the process of establishing direct programming. CARE’s Cross-Border Program reaches the most vulnerable families within the following sectors: Food Security, WASH, Shelter, Emergency Response, Protection, Sexual and Reproductive health as well as Livelihoods and Economic Recovery. CARE’s Cross Border Program reached more than 900,000 people in NW Syria throughout 2020 and is projected to have a portfolio beyond $50M for the coming year with a broad base of donors.

The overall purpose of this role is to ensure that CARE Turkey’s cross border program into North West Syria is well managed, coordinated and delivered on time/budget. Reporting to the Assistant Country Director – Humanitarian, who leads the Cross-Border Program, the Deputy Director Cross Border Program (DDP) will manage the Program Coordination Unit and also function as the deputy-head of the cross border program.

The Program Coordination Unit ensures that CARE’s growing portfolio is executed to the highest standard by delivering cross-cutting Project Cycle Management support to Program Managers and CARE’s Area Office, supports with Humanitarian Access analysis and advice and also hosts CARE’s two Cluster/Working Group co-leads. The responsibilities of the DDP therefore cuts across all aspects of the cross-border program and the DDP’s role is critical to tie together the program delivery through partners, CARE’s direct operation with internal and external stakeholders. Additionally, the DDP will be ensuring timely coordination and communication with CARE’s Member and donors.

The ability to lead and set direction for staff and departments that does not report to the role will be critical to achieve success. The ideal applicant is therefore a dynamic individual with excellent communication and coordination skills. Strong command of the humanitarian program cycle is a must and experience leading programs in protracted conflict settings, preferably Syria or wider Middle East is key.

The major functions of the role are:

1. Program Coordination and Management: Coordinating the delivery of a multi-sector, multi-area, multi-modality and multi-donor program requires excellent internal coordination and management to ensure the portfolio is not just implemented on time and according to budget but that CARE’s program achieves as much for the targeted population as possible.

2. Humanitarian Access and external coordination: Managing Humanitarian Access and CARE’s Cluster-/Working Group Co-Leads, the DDP will ensure that CARE’s programmatic priorities, excellent understanding of the context and our external leadership through the Co-Leads are all strategically aligned and informing each other.

3. Internal Coordination: Delivering on CARE’s ambitions to be a leading humanitarian responder in NW Syria requires that all departments across the Country Office is well-engaged in the Cross-Border Program and the DDP leads on this by ensuring that all supporting departments are fully engaged throughout the Project Cycle.

4. Donor and Member Communication: Ensuring that CARE Turkey communicates timely and strategically with donors and CARE members either by supporting the ACD or taking the responsibility directly.

5. Deputising for the Assistant Country Director – Humanitarian: The DDP will take on the role of formally deputising for the ACD Humanitarian who leads the Cross-Border Program.

To achieve this, the successful candidate will have 6-7 direct reports and it is expected that the role will include establishing further structures and mechanisms that can improve the day-to-day operation of the program.

Qualifications / Experience / Technical Skills:

• Advanced degree in relevant subjects (e.g. MSc in Int. Dev./IR/Humanitarian action or similar) or equivalent combination of education and work experience.
• Excellent interpersonal-, communications- and coordination skills.
• Min. 7 years development/humanitarian management experience in complex environments, preferably in the Middle East.
• Advanced managerial experience, including complex portfolios and multi-million dollar budgets
• Experience in complex decision making and leading a multi-disciplinary, multi national team under difficult circumstances
• High level of expertise in representation and negotiation with governments and donors
• Strong understanding of the humanitarian emergency operating context, including Sphere, the humanitarian system, donors, security, civil-military liaison and program management
• Fluency in written and spoken English
• Experience of working on the Syria Response is highly desired