Erbil Head of Mission

Position in the Organization

Reports to (Hierarchical) : CEO
Reports to (Functional) : CEO
Department : Executive
Supervises (Function) : Erbil and NES staff
Location : Based in Erbil or remote with frequent travels to Erbil and NES

Overall goal

The overall goal of the Mehad Erbil Head of Mission position is to ensure the effective management and development of the Mehad Erbil Mission. This includes aligning the mission’s operations with Mehad’s strategy, ensuring compliance with local regulations, and addressing humanitarian health needs in North-East Syria (NES) through high-quality interventions according to available resources. The Head of Mission will lead the mission towards sustainable impact, foster strong partnerships, and ensure the safety of staff and beneficiaries across Iraq and NES.

Roles and responsibilities :

Security Management

• Oversee security management of Mehad operations in Iraq and North-East Syria
• Be accountable for day-to-day security related decision-making
• Coordinate with HQ on maintaining up to date situational analysis
• Lead on security assessments for new programming locations and coordinate with HQ in risks analysis and mitigation planning

Programme management and development

• Leading the mission-wide operational strategy; including country policy, annual plan, budget and policy frameworks. Leading the management team translating the strategic objectives into operational activities. Monitoring developments in Mehad’s general policies and strategies and adapting the annual plan of the mission accordingly.
• Define partnership strategy with local counterparts in Iraq and NES (CBOs, NGOs, local authorities, etc)
• Lead the development of new concept notes and proposals for existing donors and seek new funding opportunities under the supervision of the CEO
• Contribute to problem solving and give additional support for emerging issues in project implementation
• Ensure the project’s activities are implemented properly, provide regular updates and reports, set and follow-up on deadlines
• Manage the mission’s budgets

Human resources and management

• Plan for the future staffing needs and oversee the recruitment and orientation of the staff.
• Responsible for ensuring the correct organizational structure is in place and resourced
• Establish Human Resources guidelines for the mission, aligned with Mehad global policy as well as local labour law
• Leading the mission and its staff, providing a clear vision for the direction of the mission and bringing staff together across functional and geographical lines to achieve the mission’s objectives

Representation and compliance

• Represent Mehad in its relations with partners, donors, the media and different authorities

Qualifications, experience and skills :

Academic background

[Required] MA/ MSc / MBA Degree or Diploma in project management or development studies and other relevant humanities and/or social sciences

[Preferred] Academic background related to public-health and/or humanitarian/conflict management is an additional asset

Professional/Practical Experience

[Required] At least seven years of senior leadership experience in complex humanitarian context

[Required] Proven experience in managing higher level institutional relations, strategic humanitarian and operational planning

[Required] Demonstrated experience in program design (including proposal development), implementation and evaluation

[Required] Demonstrated capacity to raise financial resources from range of donors

Skills and attitudes

• Strong drive to meet deadlines, organizational skills, and the ability to work under pressure
• Strong team leadership and communication skills
• Strong intercultural competence and emotional intelligence
• Sound understanding and devotion to professionalism, especially in front of an external audience and representatives of high-level institutions, partners and donors
• Excellent written and oral communication in English
• Detail-oriented approach with strong analytical and problem-solving abilities

Languages

Ability to read, write and communicate professionally in English is mandatory, Arabic language is an asset.