Country Director Syria Response Office (Amman, Jordan)

What we are looking for:

Fourteen years into the crisis, a record 16.7 million Syrians need humanitarian aid. NRC is one of the few agencies working throughout Syria. Join us in Amman to lead the fantastic Syria Response Office team that provides emergency, transitional, early recovery, and resilience programmes to those affected by violence and displacement. The Country Director role requires strong leadership skills, fundraising experience, organizational change management expertise, the ability to manage large teams, and deep knowledge of the Syrian context.  

What you will do:

• Lead the CMG in an inclusive and participatory manner that allows the flow of ideas and adaptation to a changing context.
• Steer organizational development and structural changes to adapt to growth or reduction of portfolio, and contextual changes and actively engage with the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Regional Office on exploring innovative structural solutions, consistent with global organisational review guidance.
• Oversee and manage the timely recruitment of qualified staff for key positions – both existing and newly introduced.
• Oversee and ensure the implementation of sound and balanced risk management practices, with due consideration for the principle of Duty of Care.
• Liaise regularly with relevant external stakeholders, including authorities, donors, UN agencies and other humanitarian actors – among others through coordination mechanisms.
• Lead donors’ engagement and ensure that NRC’s work is recognized and valued by donors, leading to increased funding opportunities.
• Ensure the definition of a relevant programmatic strategy accounting for various contextual scenarios and considering NRC’s Whole-of-Syria approach
• Ensure programmes in the areas of operation are implemented in accordance with relevant (country/regional/global) strategies, donor rules and regulations and NRC policies and procedures, including but not limited to the Project Cycle Management framework, HR Handbook, Logistics Handbook, etc.
• Contribute to NRC’s MENA and Whole-of-Syria advocacy strategy and oversee advocacy products and external communications initiatives related to Syria.
• Continuously promote a positive and collaborative working environment characterized by high levels of trust and respect, with due consideration for staff care and wellbeing.
• With support from the Regional Director, ensure a good level of coordination and mutual understanding at a Whole-of-Syria level.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of regional strategic approaches in MENA Region.

Please download the detailed job description to learn more about the position. 

What you will bring:

• Minimum 7 years’ experience from working as a Senior Manager in humanitarian/recovery context
• Experience from working in complex and volatile contexts. Knowledge of the context in the Middle East, and the Syria conflict and context is highly desirable.
• Knowledge about own leadership skills/profile with documented results related to the position’s responsibilities.
• Fluency in English, both written and verbal. Knowledge of Arabic is a strong added value.

What we offer:

• Duty station: Amman Jordan
• Contract: 24 months (Renewal is subject to performance and funds availability)
• Travel: Up to 20%
• Salary/benefits: grade 12 on NRC’s salary scale, with accompanying terms and conditions
• NRC is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to diversity without distinction to age, gender, religion, ethnicity, nationality, and physical ability.
• We think outside the box, encourage ideas, and give responsibility to all employees at all levels. You will have many opportunities to be heard and take the initiative.

Find out more about the benefits of working for NRC

Important information about the application process

• Internal candidates only: To apply as an internal candidate, log in with your official email or click on Opportunity MarketPlace.
• When creating your profile, include your full name as given on your passport. Complete all the system-required fields for experience, employment history and education.
• Submit your application and CV in English, taking care to attach your latest CV.
• Applications that do not meet the minimum standards in terms of experience or qualifications will generally not be considered. Unsolicited applications not related to this specific job advertisement will not be considered.
• We receive many applications for each vacant position and so only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
• We invite applications from all qualified and interested candidates. Send in your application by latest August 8, 2024.
• If you have any questions about this role, please email mero.recruitment@nrc.no with the job title as the subject line.

Why NRC?

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is an independent humanitarian organisation helping people forced to flee. Our 15,000 staff work in crises across 40 countries, providing life-saving and long-term assistance to millions of people every year.

NRC currently has over 3,000 staff across the Middle East dedicated to assisting people affected by conflict in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Libya and Palestine. Its humanitarian interventions are based upon its programming expertise in the Core Competencies of Shelter, Education, WASH, Livelihoods and Food Security, and Information Counselling and Legal Assistance (ICLA) to vulnerable displaced people that were forced to flee.   

As the Syrian crisis has entered its 14^th year, a record-level 16.7 million people, over 71% of the population, is in need of humanitarian assistance, almost half of them children.

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has been a leading humanitarian actor in the response to the Syria crisis, in Syria and across the region, since 2012. Against a backdrop of conflict, socioeconomic and environmental deterioration, climate change and natural disasters, we provide emergency, transitional, early recovery and resilience programmes to people in need. We lead advocacy to promote unimpeded and sustained access to assistance for people across Syria and we call for increased humanitarian funding, resilience and early recovery support to alleviate the hardships of the Syrian people. 

Watch this short video to see NRC in action.

We are looking for people who are passionate about helping refugees and people forced to flee. Are you one of those people? If you are, NRC offers you the opportunity to:

• do demanding and professional work, often in challenging contexts.
• join a work culture that empowers every employee to share ideas and take responsibility.
• be part of a welcoming and supportive community committed to human dignity.

Learn more about NRC’s operations in Syria here.