Country Director in Afghanistan

Position: Country Director in Afghanistan

Period: 12-24 months

Starting date: ASAP

Line Manager: Regional director

Location: Kabul, with occasional travel to operational areas based on security clearance

PIN in Afghanistan

PIN has been active in Afghanistan since late 2001. Throughout 20 years PIN expanded its programming into number of sector such as education, rural development, agriculture or environment. This has been however changed since August 2021, where PIN refocused its activities into emergency aid provision in the field of food security, livelihood and education.

Country Director (CD) is the main representative of PIN at provincial as well as country level and is responsible for strategic leadership of the country program. CD supervises the country programs, finances, human resources, logistics and security. The CD plays a fundamental role in representing the organization towards partners, networking and fundraising. Their responsibilities also consist of strategic planning, establishment and maintenance of managerial procedures, strengthening the program through lessons learned and capacity development. As the team leader, the CD also works with their staff to ensure that they are well supported, motivated, and empowered to perform at their best.

Main Responsibilities:

Senior Management and Strategic Planning

• Plan development of the country program in accordance with local needs and PIN priorities in the form of a country strategy
• Lead the senior management team and coordinate all its operations
• Supervise the performance of the following teams and departments - program, security, monitoring and evaluation team, communication as well as the System and Operation teams (finance, human resources-administration-compliance, logistics)
• Ensure medium-term and long-term strategic planning, establishment and maintenance of managerial procedures, recording and utilizing lessons learned and capacity building

Finance & Administration

• Supervise the finance and administration unit of the mission. Together with and Operations manager and Finance Officer/Manager prepares and supervises mission budget and overall economic situation

Project Management

• In cooperation with Head of Programs (HoP), support and supervise senior program staff, follow all phases of the Project cycle management (PCM), and actively participate in the design of new programs
• Actively contributes and supports the development of new proposals, in line with PIN country strategy and PIN Relief and Development Department strategy
• Ensure timely and high-quality reporting to donors and HQ
• Actively monitor program implementation in their areas and provide feedback to program staff

Representation and Fundraising

• Network among donors and key stakeholders to actively seek funding opportunities, help increase the quality of proposals, understand donor priorities and ensure coordination
• Represent PIN at meetings with government partners, regional and local authorities, donors, local agencies, coordination bodies and other relevant stakeholders, at all levels of project implementation as required
• Ensure fundraising from institutional donors and financial stability of the mission, including preparation of project proposals in cooperation with program staff

Human Resource Management

• Plan HR needs of the mission and take part in the process of selection of new staff (expatriate and senior national)
• Supervise capacity building and ensure sufficient human resources for the projects to meet its objectives
• Ensure coherent policy towards recruitment, remuneration and bonuses across the country program

Security

• Supervise that all security and safety rules (SOPs) are set-up and followed, keeping security policy up to date and enforcing its implementation in cooperation with national Security Officer and international Security Advisor. Ensure the safest possible working conditions to minimize health risks and secure PIN assets.
• In cooperation with PIN security department ensure that security measures are adequate to a given situation
• Maintain awareness of political and security developments in the country, continuously analyse potential implications of these developments for PIN operations and adjust country program strategy accordingly
• Lead of supervise incident management as needed

Main requirements:

• Solid leadership and staff management skills, with a record of managing large, diverse teams and contributing to the capacity building of national and international staff
• Proven experience in management, fundraising, project development, donor liaison
• Knowledge of institutional donor environment, proven experience with donor relations, proposal development and external communications
• Familiarity with conflicts settings, experience with working in insecure environments a significant advantage
• Excellent spoken and written English
• Proven experience in team management, security management and fundraising
• Experience with strategic program planning, project cycle management
• Reliable and self-reliant personality
• Dynamic and result-oriented profile
• Ability to organize and plan effectively
• Critical analysis and problem-solving skills
• Ability to work in difficult conditions and under pressure
• Responsible and systematic
• Cultural sensitivity, experience with development projects/international work experience is strongly welcome
• Excellent communication skills
• Strong ability and willingness to transfer knowledge
• University degree in relevant field

PIN offers:

• Flexible and challenging working environment with room for personal growth,
• Robust and thorough online induction training (2 weeks),
• HEAT training (unless the candidate participated in one recently),
• Starting salary as per PIN salary scale (subsistence allowance of 1 200 EUR is already included): between 4 300 – 4 500 EUR gross depending on previous experience,
• Reimbursement of flight ticket to the country of residence once every 6 months of work, 2 regional flights per year for R&R trips
• Reimbursement of costs of visas and vaccinations; assistance with visa application procedure,
• Medical helpdesk and psychological consultation available online,
• Travel insurance,
• 25 days of paid leave annually and 12 days of R&R leave,
• Accommodation in PIN guesthouse.

How to apply:

Are you interested in this position? Send us your CV and short cover letter in English (no longer than 4 pages altogether) via this application form. Please note only the shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

People in Need staff are expected to perform job duties and responsibilities in accordance with People in Need Code of Conduct and key policies (available at: https://www.peopleinneed.net/key-policies-4142gp).