Operations and Partnerships Manager – OPT

BACKGROUND on IMPACT and REACH

REACH was born in 2010 as a joint initiative of two International NGOs (IMPACT Initiatives and ACTED) and the United Nations Operational Satellite Applications Programme (UNOSAT). REACH’s purpose is to promote and facilitate the development of information products that enhance the humanitarian community’s decision making and planning capacity for emergency, reconstruction and development contexts. REACH facilitates information management for aid actors through three complementary services: (a) need and situation assessments facilitated by REACH teams; (b) situation analysis using satellite imagery; (c) provision of related database and (web)-mapping facilities and expertise.

IMPACT Initiatives is a humanitarian NGO, based in Geneva, Switzerland. The organisation manages several initiatives, including the REACH Initiative. The IMPACT team comprises specialists in data collection, management and analysis and GIS. IMPACT was launched at the initiative of ACTED, an international NGO whose headquarter is based in Paris and is present in thirty countries. The two organizations have a strong complementarity formalized in a global partnership, enabling IMPACT to benefit from ACTED’s operational support on its fields of intervention.

We are currently looking for an Operations and Partnerships Manager to support our team in in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt):

Department:REACH

Position: Operations and Partnerships Manager

Contract duration:12 months

Location: Amman, Jordan / Jerusalem, oPt (to be determined)

Starting Date: ASAP

Country Profile

Following the attacks on 7 October 2023, and Israel’s subsequent aerial and ground operations in the Gaza Strip, the humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt) has deteriorated markedly. The 2.2 million residents of the Gaza Strip are facing severe humanitarian challenges, with urgent needs that must be addressed to avert further loss of life. Additionally, the hostilities in Gaza have heightened tensions in the West Bank, impacting freedom of movement, livelihoods, and the broader humanitarian context. Against this backdrop, IMPACT Initiatives is planning a range of research activities to support an evidence and needs-based humanitarian response. In previous years, IMPACT Initiatives has facilitated inter-agency MultiSector Needs Assessments (MSNA) as well as sector-specific research in the oPt.

POSITION PROFILE

Under the management of the Country Coordinator, the Operations and Partnerships Manager oversees field team operations and partnerships inside oPt. The Operations and Partnerships Manager creates and maintains an operational setup that allows the programmes team to achieve program excellence and ensure the highest level of impact and accountability, while also complying to IMPACT’s guidelines and standards.

As part of the REACH Senior Management Team, she/he contributes to the development and implementation of mission strategy, in addition to promoting organizational vision, and cores values across the mission.

In his/her mission, the Operations and Partnerships Manager will be hosted by ACTED and will fall under the responsibility and management of ACTED’s Country Director for Administrative, Security, Logistics, HR and Finance issues.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Depending on the operational set-up of the mission, the Operations and Partnerships Manager is responsible for the following:

Field Team Management

1. Responsible for management of field operations and supervision of staff across bases.
2. In coordination with ACTED Security, ensure the implementation of safety and security protocol across all field teams within bases.
3. Responsible for overseeing HR/administrative processes, maintaining adequate staffing across bases, supervising Field Managers, and related procedures as they relate to staff within field teams.

Operational Setup

1. Ensure that REACH has a logical and functional operational setup that allows the implementation of data collection for programme activities on oPt.
2. Develop and maintain systems to evaluate and adjust the operational setup, as needed to address shifts in context/realities on the ground.
3. Incorporate feedback from programmes teams as well as external stakeholders into the field team structure.
4. In coordination with the Country Coordinator, assist in developing the operational component of grant proposals, concept notes, and budgets.

Partnership Management

1. In coordination with the Country Coordinator and Acted counterparts, develop and maintain an effective partnership set-up that allows for the implementation data collection for programme activities on oPt.
2. Manage partnerships on different levels by reviewing capacity needs, identifying new partnerships, overseeing the provision of training in line with IMPACT standards, representing REACH and ensuring collaborative working relationships, overseeing implementation and contractual deliverables, etc.
3. Keep track of partnership-related technical, operational, finance, HR or grants issues and where necessary facilitate support.

Knowledge Sharing and Learning Processes

1. Maintain and update systems/ processes to ensure a regular review of REACH’s operational presence in oPt.
2. Develop knowledge sharing processes/ practices to facilitate the integration of the field team into the programmes team, and vice versa.

Context Analysis & Strategy Development

1. Maintain an up-to-date understanding of the context in oPt, including the socio-economic situation, the impact of the crisis, and the humanitarian system.
2. Understand how the geo-political situation relates to/could potentially impact the humanitarian situation, operations, and field staff in oPt.
3. Regularly share context updates with the REACH oPt Country Coordinator, SMT, and programmes team & support the development of a context-sensitive REACH country strategy.

REQUIREMENTS

• Academic: Excellent academic qualifications, including a Master’s degree in a relevant discipline (International Relations, Project Management, Social or Political Sciences, Economics, Development Studies, or similar) or equivalent related years of work experience in similar field..
• Years of work experience At least 3 years of relevant working experience, including at least 2 years of management experience.
• Experience in research and humanitarian settings highly desirable.
• Management experience Previous experience in a management role in an INGO at field level and proven track record in successful management and development of national teams in humanitarian contexts
• Security environment. Ability to operate in a complex and challenging security environment. Ability to prioritize self-care and wellbeing.
• Understanding of different data collection methodologies and proven ability to maintain data quality required.
• Organizational and coordination skills Strong coordination, presentation, and organisational skills.
• Multi-tasking skills Ability to multitask with tight deadlines.
• Level of independence Proven ability to work independently.
• Experience in geographical region Past experience working in oPt or Middle East is desirable.
• Cross-cultural security environment Ability to operate in a cross-cultural, as well as complex and challenging security environment.
• Software skills Proven knowledge of the Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Language skills Fluency in English and Arabic required.

Conditions

• For this position, salary between 3’000 CHF and 3’240 CHF gross monthly, etc. as well as a monthly living allowance of 300 USD
  • NB – IMPACT salaries are strictly determined by our salary grid depending on the grade of the position and the level of education of staff. A location-dependent security and/or isolation adjustment is then applied as a recognition that some staff are required to work in difficult places where living and working conditions are much more difficult than elsewhere.
• Accommodation and food provided in the guesthouse.
• Enrolment in Swiss private pension fund (Swisslife – approx. 9.975% of staff gross salary), health insurance, life insurance and repatriation assistance.
• Flight tickets every 6 months & visa fees covered (in-country travel costs and professional expenses are fully covered).
• Contribution to the luggage transportation: between 20 and 100 kgs, depending on the length of the contract (+ luggage and personal property insurance)
• Annual leave of 36 days per year. Public holidays of the country of assignment. Family/compassionate leave when applicable.
• Predeparture induction – 3 days at IMPACT Initiatives’s HQ in Geneva + one week pre-departure training in ACTED HQ in Paris, including a 4-days in situ security training;
• IMPACT prioritizes the psychological safety of its staff and the health insurance provided covers, among others, up to 1000 € per year of psychosocial counselling fees.