Operations Manager – MENA

The purpose of the Regional Operations Manager is to strengthen operational management through mobile support to operational escalation and gap-filling in Norwegian Red Cross priority countries.

Strategic responsibilities

1. Ensure that Norwegian Red Cross regional teams can calibrate operations based on changing contextual developments.
2. Provide stability to priority country operations over time.
3. Contribute to strengthening the movement’s Emergency preparedness and response operations in the region.

Operational responsibilities

• Provides operational and management support to priority countries and regions, as relevant and upon the request of the Regional Office.
• Enables escalations of operational activities in response to contextual developments in priority countries through scoping missions and operational contributions to program development in priority countries.
• Provides in country operational and technical support to movement responses during emergencies in the region.
• Carries out regular field monitoring, provides recommendations and assistance on project improvements and follows up on their implementation.
• Keeps abreast of developments in the global technical environment and contributes proactively with other technical personnel to the Norwegian Red Cross global efforts to establish and implement operational standards in relevant areas.
• Provides trainings and coaches Host National Society project staff on the operationalization of climate crisis preparedness and response systems and other operational standards and when challenges arise during the implementation.
• Advice the regional and country offices on the prioritization of human, financial and technical resources in the relevant technical field.
• Support capacity building initiatives for NorCross country staff on emergency preparedness and response.
• Enables regional and country office colleagues to understand and make use of available technical tools and methodologies. Promotes harmonization across regions and countries by monitoring use of standards and tools.
• Provide support to annual country reports.

Collaboration

• Works closely with country managers and other regional mobile team members in other regions.
• Support collaboration with other RCM technical personnel to enhance overall humanitarian impact in priority countries.
• Consults with Technical Unit and coordinates with Global DM Unit on how to jointly support relevant programs in the region.

Mission specific responsibilities

• Facilitate cross-functional collaboration within the mobile and support team in MENA, focusing on emergency preparedness and deployability across the MENA region, while ensuring the integration of innovative approaches to address operational challenges and enhance the humanitarian impact. Specific focus in the responsibilities will be directed to current Middle East Crisis in Lebanon and Syria, with frequent visits to Syria and rest of the region.

Qualifications

Formal Competence

• Higher University Degree, with a specialization applicable in Health, WASH or Cash-based programs an asset.

Personal qualifications, skills and knowledge

Skills and knowledge

• Significant humanitarian operational experience, both in disaster preparedness for response and in conflict affected context.
• In-depth understanding of relevant operational standards and disaster preparedness for response systems.
• Successful and proven experience from building capacities of colleagues and partner organizations.
• English work proficiency is required, regional languages a significant asset.
• Advanced understanding of the use of innovative tools and approaches in relevant technical discipline, is an asset.

** Extensive travel and frequent relocation within region.

Personal Qualifications

• Ready to be deployed on a short notice.
• Very good ability to take initiative and accept responsibility
• Very good ability to cooperate and share competency
• Very good ability to communicate effectively.
• Very good ability to develop others
• Ability to build relations and networks