| Posted on: 26.01.2023
Desired start date: 1st april 2023
Duration of the mission: 12 months
Location: CARACAS
ABOUT THE MISSION
SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL is a French humanitarian organization that provides aid and assistance to victims of war or natural disaster. For over 39 years, our organization has worked towards meeting the three basic needs – water, food and shelter – of vulnerable and crisis-affected populations, and has been more specifically committed to fight against waterborne diseases, leading cause of death in the world. SI’s interventions are carried out based on its expertise in the field of access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene promotion, but also in the essential ones of food security and livelihoods. SOLIDARITES INTERNATIONAL is currently present in about 20 countries where SI staff – a total of 2,000 people comprising expatriates, local staff, HQ employees and some volunteers – implements programs with professionalism and commitment whilst being mindful of respecting other cultures.
Being present and operational in Venezuela since the end of 2019, SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL initially started working in Caracas, but later launched WASH activities in the city of Barquisimeto, Lara State, then expanding to Falcon, Sucre and Portuguesa states. A FSL activity was initiated in Barquisimeto in 2021. Since then, the mission grew steadily on Falcon and Sucre State, opening a sub-base in Punto Fijo and strengthening its relationship with our main local partner. While projects remain centered on Wash and FSL, protection and health components are progressively added either directly or through consortium and/or partnerships.
General objective:
The Country Director is SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL’s official representative in a country. S/He is in charge of the smooth running of the mission. S/He proposes mission strategy, according to the geopolitical and humanitarian context, and ensures its implementation. S/He monitors projects, ensuring that they are progressing in accordance with the SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL charter and complying with internal and contractual procedures. S/He mobilizes the material and financial resources necessary for the programs to run effectively and supervises the administration of these resources. S/He coordinates the teams in place and ensures their security on the mission. S/He is the direct liaison for SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL HQ.
Main tasks:
- Coordination and strategic orientation
- Relevance and operational quality / operations monitoring
- Resource management
- Human Resource Management
- Security
- Relationships with financial donors / fund-raising
- Internal and external communication
- Representation
Specific stakes and challenges
Leading a small but growing mission, the future CD must be ready to work in an atypical context requiring a good understanding of the South American and Venezuelan culture as well as partnership mechanisms. Given the nature and origin of the humanitarian/development needs and brings its support through local partners. The mission and all INGOs in general face a general shortage of good data. There is a need to navigate context issues, develop modalities for operations, provide framing and support to bases, building team dynamic and reinforce procedures.
If confirmed during the first quarter of 2023, the CD will also supervise the remaining activities of our mission in Colombia until its closure.
Priorities for the 2/3 first months
- Enhance organization of the Coordination team including field teams
- Lead the « localization » process aiming at progressively replacing key expatriate position by local staff.
- Strengthen donor linkages, initiate new contacts for new strategic alliances in a competitive funding market.
- Reinforce coordination and complementarity strategy with health, protection and education partners. Local and international.
- Support the team to switch (progressively) from a humanitarian centered approach to a more developmental way of thinking projects, set-ups, processes and ways of working.
- Optional: If confirmed, take over the supervision of SI Colombia activities until the closure of the mission. This would probably require one field visit per month during a semester.
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