Deputy Head of Mission at the Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA)

The Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA) is an international medical organization, founded in 2009. ALIMA’s aim is to provide a high standard of healthcare in situations of emergency or medical disaster and to improve the practice of humanitarian medicine by developing innovative projects associated with medical research. The specific feature of the association is to base its operating methods mainly on partnership with national medical players. By pooling and capitalizing on their skills, ALIMA and its partners give as many people as possible access to a high standard of treatment.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Deputy Head of Mission

Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Line Manager: Head of Mission

Context
The humanitarian crisis in Nigeria’s northeast and the Lake Chad region is one of the most severe ongoing crises in the world, now entering in its ninth year and shows no sign of abating. In 2018, at least 7.7 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in the worst affected states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, while more than 1.6 million people remained internally displaced in these three states in November 2017. 86% of internally displaced persons (IDPs) do not believe that the current context allows for a safe and dignified return, and nearly 1 in 4 IDPs have expressed their intent to settle in their current place of displacement instead of returning (OCHA HRP 2018).

An estimated 440,000 children under the age of 5 are malnourished across the 3 most-affected States (HRP, February 2018), while 47% of them are in Borno State (207,521 SAM children, HPC Nutrition Figures, November 2017). Furthermore, The Nigerian Cadre Harmonisé (November 2017) states that in Borno State alone 1,575,414 individuals were facing critical food insecurity. The Maiduguri Metropolitan Center (MC) and Jere Local Government Authority (LGA) are still categorized as “in food crisis” by the IPC (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification).

In 2017, ALIMA continued to implement projects in Muna Garage in Jere LGA, where ALIMA performs general consultations for children under 5 and provides Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) to pregnant and lactating women (antenatal and postnatal consultations). ALIMA partners with UNFPA to manage victims of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). An Outpatient Therapeutic Feeding Program (OTP) is also available for children under 5 suffering from severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in the clinic, where women and caretakers are trained to screen their children for malnutrition using the MUAC tape.

In Maiduguri MC, where ALIMA is working in partnership with the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), the Inpatient Therapeutic Feeding Center (ITFC) manages children under 5 suffering from SAM with medical complications in a 30-bed capacity building.

In January 2018, ALIMA in partnership with Borno state government via ministry of rehabilitation, Ministry of Health and Hospital management board start the 3 years early recovery project funded by DEU and will be implemented in 4 LGA, Askira-Uba, Hawul, Ngala and Monguno focusing on strengthens of health staff capacity and rehabilitation of hospital and PHC.

ALIMA’s teams in Nigeria represents 392 National staff and 35 expatriates.

Scope of Deputy Head of Mission (DHOM) Responsibilities

• The Deputy Head of Mission (DHOM) works under the responsibility of the Head of mission (HOM).
• The HOM validates major orientations and decisions and delegates part of his responsibilities to the DHOM, as described below, according to objective criteria (known by all staff in the mission) taking into consideration sustainability in the treatment of the different dossiers.
• The Deputy Head of Mission will be able to replace the Head of Mission and in that case take the overall responsibility of this position.
• The HOM will keep the following responsibilities: general team coordination; operations support, analysis, planning and strategy for Monguno project, Muna project and ITFC Training project; representation & negotiation with authorities; coordination with Solidarités International; animation of coordination meeting.

Major Responsibilities of the Deputy HOM Function
Operations:

• The DHOM analyses the political and humanitarian situation on Borno State or national level in order to guide programs with as much relevance as possible. He keeps constant watch over operational pertinence. In the event of a project opening/shutting, he checks that the personnel, the authorities and the organizations concerned are informed within a reasonable timeframe. He is specifically responsible of the operations for the Rapid Emergency Response project and for the Early Recovery program.
• He proactively identifies new programming opportunities, needs for assessment or consultants / interns to prepare ground for future opportunities.
• He provides strategic direction and support to the Projects Coordinators in ensuring the effective delivery of program activities and the successful integration of activities with all other aspects of ALIMA programming.
• In partnership with the Medical Coordinators, he leads the program development process to ensure the creation of robust and appropriate programs that meet the values and objectives of ALIMA as an organization and donor requirements and expectations to ensure ongoing funding.
• He regularly participates in Coordination meetings.
• He leads, in liaison with the HOM, proposal preparation through furnishing of assessment data and coordination.

Supervision of support departments (Logistics, HR, Fin):

• In coordination with HOM and Coordinators, he is responsible for the technical briefing and debriefing as well as management of consultants and external specialists arriving to support the mission.
• He ensures that quality to ALIMA and donor compliance for program, reporting, and financial grant requirements are met.

Communication:

• The DHOM is in charge of external communication (the basis, the contents, the means) and represents ALIMA with the media, particularly when a public position is taken. For this, he maintains a local and regional network of media contacts. He consults the HOM without delay before taking any public position which exposes ALIMA’s activities to risk with regards to the authorities.

Security management:

• The DHOM is directly in charge of the management of the security in the mission. Nevertheless, the HOM is the ultimate responsible of the security in the mission.
• The DHOM evaluates the risks and threats linked to the implementation of ALIMA’s activities throughout the mission, formalizes and updates the security tools accordingly.
• He defines and updates the Mission’s security policy (in consultation with the teams) and submits it to the HOM for approval.

Coordination & Networking with other NGO, INGO and INGO forum:

• The DHOM maintains close relations with the other national NGOs and INGOs present in the region. For this, he attends regular meetings and checks that ALIMA is represented with coherence in the national and international community.
• He negotiates and renews the terms of collaboration (MOU) between ALIMA and the Government or any other institution involved, and keeps national partners informed about ALIMA’s activities on a regular basis.
• He watches over the follow up of ALIMA’s legal registration in the country.

Requirements/Experience

• Degree/diploma or Master's in Development Studies or Sociology or any other development related study;
• Four years’ experience of managing and coordinating field based operations preferably integrated emergency response programs in remote and fragile locations. working experience with International medical NGO, an asset
• Experience and ability to lead a multi-sectoral programme team of international and national staff working in a remote location.
• Familiarity and knowledge of finance, logistics and administration.
• Experience of monitoring and reporting of budgets across a programme and ensuring effective and accountable use of funds.
• Experience of working in challenging, insecure areas and willingness to travel to remote environments.
• Experience of conducting emergency assessments and rapid response mechanisms
• Essential, computer literacy (word, excel, internet).

Behavioral Skills:

• Good communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability in team building and working in a participatory/integrated manner.
• A team leader with significant experience in team building
• Ability to work on own initiative and adaptable to changing needs and situations
• Flexible, patient and adaptable to a changing environment.
• Ability to work under pressure with numerous deadlines, etc.

Language Skills:

• Fluency in English. Speaking French is an asset.

Conditions/Benefits

• Contract term: contract under French law, 12 months renewable.
• Salary: depending on experience
• Minimum net salary for non Europeans: 2 300 Euros per month, social contributions and taxes are the direct responsibility of the employee;
• Minimum gross salary for Europeans: 2 354 Euros per month, social contributions are deducted from the gross salary by ALIMA and paid to the relevant administrations, taxes are the direct responsibility of the employee ;
• ALIMA pays for:
  • Travel costs between the expatriate’s country of origin and the mission location
  • Accommodation costs
  • Medical cover from the first day of the contract to a month after the date of departure from the mission country for the employee
  • Evacuation of the employee

Application Closing Date
26th August, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their CV's and Cover Letter to: [email protected] with the reference "Deputy HOM - Nigeria" in the subject line.