Access Working Group Co-Lead Mali

Context 

Mali is facing a complex humanitarian crisis, generated by the presence of multiple non-state armed groups (NSAGs), occupying most of the central and northern regions of the country. The climate-related triggers have exacerbated the humanitarian situation causing increased fragility and an unprecedented humanitarian crisis in the country.

The evolution of the security context and the increase in access constraints experienced by Mali demonstrate the importance of strengthening the capacities of the Access Working Group with a view to enhancing its contribution to support the humanitarian community in Mali. The recruitment of an Access Working Group Co-Lead is essential to enable this coordination body to contribute effectively to improving the humanitarian response, by supporting the collective efforts of the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT), the Inter- clusters and partners to establish and maintain humanitarian access for the benefit of populations made vulnerable by the crisis. The AWG Co-Lead will work alongside OCHA to provide both operational and technical support to the coordination structure.

The Norwegian Refugee Council has been working in Mali since 2013. The organization has a coordination office in Bamako, and area offices in both the center and northern regions of Mali. To meet the needs of populations affected by conflict and displacement, NRC implements programs in Education, Shelter, WASH, Rapid Response Mechanisms (RRM), ICLA (information, counselling and legal assistance), Food Security and Livelihoods and Protection from Violence.

What you will do:

The Access Working Group Co-Lead is responsible for co-chairing Mali’s Access Working Group alongside OCHA, contributing to inform and brief humanitarian organizations and the NGO forum on humanitarian access issues and barriers, and collecting information from humanitarian actors to inform the AWG. While the position is hosted by NRC, it is expected that the AWG Co-Lead will spend significant amounts of time in the offices of working group members in a spirit of improved collaboration and aiming at collective outcomes.

The Access Working Group Co-Lead is expected to drive collective action to overcome humanitarian access barriers impeding the delivery of principled and quality assistance to populations in hard-to-reach areas, and in response to new emergencies. In addition, s/he will capitalize on existing initiatives, research results and available tools by making them accessible to member organizations of the working group.

• Provide leadership and strategic direction to the AWG, working closely alongside OCHA as co-chair.
• Lead the implementation of the AWG work plan, including mobilizing coalitions of member organisations to implement specific activities or to respond to arising needs.
• Brief members of humanitarian organizations or NGOs coordination groups about access issues and constraints.
• Act as a key interlocutor and formulate recommendations on access for the AWG with the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) and other coordination fora, notably the FONGIM, the protection cluster, the logistic cluster, etc.
• Promote membership of, and active participation in, the AWG-Mali among humanitarian organizations in the country, notably NNGOs.
• Support the preparation and facilitation of monthly and ad-hoc AWG-Mali meeting, including preparation of the agenda, chairing and follow-up
• Build capacity of humanitarian actors in the country, notably NNGOs’, on humanitarian access, including humanitarian negotiations and humanitarian principles.
• Foster collaboration amongst humanitarian actors to help ensure a coherent, coordinated, and principled approach to humanitarian access.
• Collect relevant data (qualitative and quantitative) on access and access constraints and draft analyses and briefing papers in order to inform advocacy at the country (AWG, Advocacy Working Group, HCT among others) and regional level (Access Task Force, regional IASC among others).
• Support the roll out of the NRC access monitoring tool, internally but also with NGO partners
• Network actively with members of the AWG, both working level representatives and country director/head of mission level officials to help ensure the working group is attune to members’ needs and in turn, that it has willing and active member organisations.

What you will bring:

Generic professional competencies: 

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in humanitarian work in conflict/post-conflict environments/volatile contexts
• Master’s Degree in related field (or Bachelor’s with equivalent work experience)
• Demonstrated experience in humanitarian programming
• Demonstrated experience in the domain of humanitarian access
• Demonstrated experience in and/or knowledge of the central Sahel region
• Strong understanding of humanitarian principles and how to operationalize them within a humanitarian response, including humanitarian access dilemmas
• Fluency French, both written and verbal
• Demonstrated excellent writing and analytical skills
• Experience leading or contributing to coordination forums would be a strong asset
• Experience with NGOs and the UN system would be an asset
• Fluency in English would be an asset

Behavioral Competencies

• Strong interpersonal skills, including capability to network with stakeholders within and outside the humanitarian environment
• Empowering and building trust
• Dynamism and capacity to quickly react to work-related challenges and proactively propose solutions
• Flexibility and creativity to adapt to a complex and evolving working environment.
• Positive attitude towards working with several stakeholders in a coordination environment, collaborative leadership
• Managing resources to optimize results
• Communicating with impact and respect
• Strategic thinking and analytical skills
• Ability and willingness to work and live under pressure in insecure environments

Please find the full job description here.

Female candidates are strongly encouraged to join our work culture that empowers every employee to share ideas and take responsibility. At NRC we think outside the box. We encourage ideas and give responsibility to all employees at all levels, to help solve the complex issues that we face. You will have many opportunities to be heard and take the initiative.

DEADLINE TO APPLY: 28/10/2024 (included)

What we offer:

1. Contract of 12 months
2. Grade 8 in NRC scale
3. Location: Bamako
4. An opportunity to match your career to a compelling cause
5. A chance to meet and work with people who are the best in their fields

Find out more about the benefits of working for NRC

Important information about the application process

• Internal candidates only: please click on the suitcase icon labelled “I am an employee” to be redirected to NRC’s internal careers site.
• 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 or in French, 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.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. We receive many applicants for each vacant position.
• If you have any questions about this role, please email [email protected] 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.

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

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