Handicap International is an independent and impartial international aid organisation working in situations of poverty and exclusion, conflict and disaster. Working alongside persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, our action and testimony are focused on responding to their essential needs, improving their living conditions and promoting respect for their dignity and their fundamental rights.
Handicap International is a not-for-profit organisation with no religious or political affiliation. It operates as a federation made up of a network of associations that provide it with human and financial resources, manage its projects and implement its actions and social mission.
For more details on the association: http://www.handicap-international.fr/en/s/index.html
JOB CONTEXT
The Ebola epidemic was confirmed in Guinea on March 2014. This is the first deadly outbreak in West Africa. This virus appeared in the forest area very close to the border with Sierra Leone and Liberia and, starting from March 2014, quickly spread to neighbouring districts in the two countries. The international response has been slow and the epidemic is still out of control today.
According to estimates, 9,000 people have been affected by the epidemic since March and 5,000 lost their lives. It is impossible to know how many people will eventually be affected by the epidemic, and the number of 20,000 victims extrapolated by WHO is for resource mobilization purposes; research on treatments and vaccines is ongoing but there is no indication of concrete outcomes in the short term. Various factors contribute to the complexity of the situation: health, geography, culture, politics, economy and logistics.
The Handicap International (HI) "Mano River" programme that covers Liberia and Sierra Leone was implementing the following projects until the outbreak of the epidemic in these two countries early in the summer of 2014: Inclusive Education projects Mother and Child Health Project and Civil society support project. These projects have been stopped and their human resources assigned to the Ebola response.
The HI Ebola response focused on raising the awareness of persons with disabilities (approximately 15% of the general population) either through direct awareness or through the education of stakeholders (authorities, NGOs) to bring them to include disability issues in their campaigns.
The Mano River team currently consists of 43 staffs, namely 3 expatriates based in Freetown, and 40 national staffs (34 in Sierra Leone and 6 in Liberia). Not all the national staffs employed are trained in emergency response. The programme is run by a Programme Director, assisted by a Support Service Coordinator, an Inclusion and Rights Coordinator, a part-time Health / Rehabilitation Coordinator and a Emergency Coordinator.
Given this HR set up and the magnitude of the epidemic which has significant health and humanitarian consequences, and in order to strengthen the emergency response of the programme, it has been decided to recruit a Project Manager.
JOB DESCRIPTION
As Basic Needs Project Manager, you will be directly under the line management of the Emergency Coordinator. You will have a direct functional link with the Technical Advisor (TA) based in HI Headquarters.
You will be responsible of the management of HI emergency project in Sierra Leone.
As such, your responsibilities will be:
· Ensure that the project is implemented according to agreed work plans in order to achieve project deliverables
· Plan, monitor and identify potential obstacles to programmatic success in a timely fashion, and implement corrective actions as needed
· Train and manage the team and the collaborators who may be involved in the project
· Ensure the respect of the administrative and logistics procedures within the project
· Manage the project budget and follow-up the expenses as well as providing monthly budget forecast
· Provide regular reporting as per requested by the Emergency coordinator and the TA
· Ensure validation by the TA of technical related tools elaborated by your team before use / diffusion
· Ensure a smooth coordination with the other HI project
· Ensure external coordination and partnership operational management.
CANDIDATE PROFILE
You have:
· A Master in Humanitarian Assistance / Bioforce
· At least 2 years of emergency project
· Knowledge on epidemiology.
You are:
· Able to lead a project
· Able to carry out and impart the position and values of the organization
· Known for your excellent interpersonal skills including the ability to listen, sensitivity to others views and perspectives
· Experimented in living and adapting successfully to multicultural environment
· Known to be field work oriented, flexible, objective, diplomatic and pragmatic.
REQUIRED LANGUAGE SKILLS: For this position, it is required to have an excellent written and spoken level in English.
JOB ENVIRONMENT
You will be based in Freetown office.
· Living conditions / accommodation: There is a possibility of difficult living conditions. To reduce Ebola contamination risks, movements are restricted and gatherings are prohibited. The daily prevention measures (frequent hand washing and temperature checks...) can be quite restrictive.
· Health: There exist some health risks: meningitis, malaria, Ebola, etc. For emergency cases, expatriates can, be hospitalized in Europe.
Because of the context and security concerns, the position is unaccompanied.
EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS
Salary: 2100 - 2500€ gross salary/month + 457 Euros net/month expatriation allowance + 50% of the medical cover taken in charge by HI + repatriation insurance + indemnity for partner and children
Or
Volunteer: 750 or 850 Euros monthly indemnity + living allowance paid on the field + accommodation + 100% of the medical cover taken in charge by HI + repatriation insurance + indemnity for partner and children
HOW TO APPLY:
Please send resume and covering letter with the reference DIR-AUT-SLE-1381
Or by our website: www.handicap-international.fr
Please do not telephone
