Head of Emergency Response

Starting date: ASAP

Contract duration: 12 months (with the possibility of extension)

Country Programme: Moldova

Base: Chisinau

Line Manager: Country Director

People in Need (PIN) has been working in Moldova since 2003, providing development support to the local population in three focus areas: agriculture and economy, social protection and inclusion, and civil society empowerment and engagement. Since the conflict in Ukraine escalated in February and brought the consequent displacement into neighbouring countries, PIN started providing humanitarian assistance focusing on protection and cash transfers to host population. PIN has been implementing large scale multipurpose cash intervention reaching up to 40,000 people prior to the refugee influx and is now scaling up to extend the support to vulnerable families hosting refugees. Protection assistance focuses on psycho-social support for refugees and hosting population and support local civil society organisations who are working with refugees. PIN emergency programme portfolio in Moldova is currently funded by DG ECHO, WFP and PIN Public Appeal collection.

About the role:

The Head of Emergency Response (HER) will oversee effective delivery, quality and impact of the emergency programme in Moldova. S/he will provide technical and managerial oversight of the development and implementation of the Country Programme’s (CP) emergency response and recovery programming, ensuring effective systems and processes are in place that support high-quality programming. Together with the Country Director, the HER represents PIN towards donors and partners for programme and grants related communication, ensuring that PIN is recognized for its field experience. The HER is part of Core Management Team. The HER reports to PIN Country Director. S/he is direct line manager of the Programme Managers.

The Emergency Programme Coordinator is directly responsible:

1) Programme Coordination

• Supervise the entire emergency programme portfolio of PIN Moldova:
• Ensure successful implementation of assigned project(s) in line with project documentation while continuously evaluating quality, effectiveness and relevance of the project(s) to the reality on the ground.
• Manage the planning, strategy and implementation of all emergency response and recovery activities in line with PIN quality standards, donor requirements, and national
• and international standards and ensure programme components are implemented in an integrated manner with other ongoing CP programming.
• Provide support to overall implementation as required
• Oversee project development and ensure quality of project proposals. Serve as the lead and writer to ensure quality emergency proposals per agency and donor standards. Contribute to budgeting for project proposals

2) Ensuring quality of PIN programmes

• In cooperation with Programme Managers and MEAL team, ensures proper implementation of cross-cutting themes and humanitarian standards across the country programme, with strong emphasis on accountability, protection mainstreaming and Do No Harm.
• Promote learning and knowledge management by leading programme/project reviews and reflections with staff and partner representatives and documentation of good practices and lessons learned for assessments, to adjust response strategies and implementation plans, and to inform future programming

3) Coordination with Finance and Operations Department

• Ensure policies and procedures are in place and well distributed among programme staff, advocating for programmes in formulation and implementation of new policies in accordance with donor and PIN regulations
• Ensure good collaboration between programme teams and finance and other operations departments

4) Staff management and capacity development

• In cooperation with the Country Director, ensure the sound development of the programme team’s structure and staffing in view of the programme strategy and portfolio development.
• Continuously work on capacity development of senior programme management staff, identify emergency capacity building needs for staff and partner organizations and take the lead on planning emergency training and capacity building programmes and delivering trainings.
• Line manage Programme Managers, manage team dynamics and staff well-being. Provide coaching, contribute to the recruitment process of emergency staff, and complete performance management for direct subordinates.

5) Representation, Communications & Networking

• Support the Country Director to ensure that PIN is well represented and visible in the donor community, cluster coordination system, among key stakeholders and partners, and within all relevant coordination fora, delegating as appropriate to programme staff.
• Help establish, maintain, and improve active and regular working relationships with local authorities, donors, partner agencies including major institutional donors, local and international NGO, and other actors of the local civil society, to keep abreast of changing needs and opportunities on the ground, to develop synergies, and to identify opportunities for growth.

Suitable candidates for this position should possess:

• At least 5 years of experience in senior programme roles and humanitarian project management in complex environments/protracted crises.
• Experience of working across teams and structures to achieve excellent results.
• Excellent knowledge of humanitarian standards and cross-cutting issues.
• Experience in protection and cash programming is an advantage.
• Excellent communication skills, including fluent spoken and written English; Russian language is a strong advantage.
• A dynamic approach with a passion for good coordination, quality, capacity building, and innovation.
• Demonstrated ability to represent the organization at coordination meetings with donors, local government, UN, and other international NGOs.
• Experience with emergency proposals and programme development, familiarity with policies, procedures, and priorities of key institutional donors.
• Strong organizational, critical analysis and problem-solving skills.
• A strong grasp of all stages of programme cycle management and quality standards in humanitarian programming.

People in Need Offers:

• Salary as per PIN salary scale (per diems included): 3500 – 3800 EUR, depending on the seniority grade
• Accommodation allowance
• 25 days of paid leave annually
• Reimbursement of travel expenses with travel to the country of residence once per every 6 months of completed work according to PIN's policy
• Reimbursement of costs of visas and vaccinations; assistance with visa application procedure
• Free medical helpdesk and psychological consultation available online
• Travel health insurance and 24/7 medical helpdesk

How to apply:

Are you interested in this position? Send us your CV and short cover letter (no longer than 4 pages altogether) via this application form.

Please note only the shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Interviews will be conducted on rolling basis and the vacancy will be closed when filled.

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: www.peopleinneed.cz/policies).