War Child Holland (WCH) is an international non-governmental organization that works exclusively to improve the well-being and resilience of children and youth affected by violence and armed conflict. WCH and its partners support children affected by the conflict in Syria through an integrated mix of child protection, education and psychosocial support interventions, while working closely with their caregivers, families and wider communities for maximum and durable impact.

As the Area Manager, you will oversee the overall management of the War Child NES programme and provide guidance and technical support to WCH staff and partners during the interventions in the Area. They will be responsible for ensuring fair, accountable, and transparent management of the War Child office and the projects implemented by partners, while also ensuring compliance with standard operating procedures for safety, security, and general operations.

Your position in the Organization

Reporting to the Head of Programme Operations, you are responsible for overseeing all programmes and operations in Northeast Syria. You supervise the Operations Coordinator, Project Officers and are responsible for a team of 5-8 field staff in Northeast Syria.

Your Responsibilities

Program Management

• Ensure that all of War Child's partner-led programming in NES is implemented in a timely and high-quality manner, on budget and in accordance with applicable policies, rules, and regulations.
• Identify, communicate and help address gaps in programming and areas for improvement.
• Provide support for emergency response programming for War Child, as and when requested, and take a leading role when necessary.
• Contribute to the preparation and design of new project proposals.
• Ensure that programming meets high design, monitoring, and evaluation standards by applying all M&E systems and procedures at War child in collaboration with the Programme Quality department.
• Ensure adherence to project management cycle, including project launch, review and close-out meetings.

Operations / support services

• Ensure that operational functions (such as finance, logistics, HR) are functioning effectively to enable timely and high-quality programming, in compliance with applicable rules and regulations.
• Ensure that local procurement is conducted in a fair, transparent manner.
• Ensure responsible hub-level master budget monitoring and timely financial reporting.
• Manage Human Resources responsibly and make relevant support and services available to local staff.
• Provide coaching, supervision, and performance management of direct reports.

Integrity & compliance

• Ensure compliance with WCH and donor rules and regulations, ensuring internal control systems are in place to prevent or timely identify instances of (attempted) fraud and corruption.
• Ensure compliance with local laws and regulations as well as appliable international regulations such as sanctions and anti-terrorism legislation.
• Ensure War Child and its partners act fully in accordance with humanitarian principles.
• Actively promote full adherence with War Child’s Code of Conduct, Child Safeguarding and Prevention of Sexual Exploitation & Abuse policies.
• Timely report any (suspected) integrity breaches.
• Lead or contribute to any investigations into (suspected) integrity breaches.

Safety and Security

• Help ensure the safety and security of all hub-level staff members; ensure adherence to the hub-level safety and security management plan.
• Implement and adapt, as necessary, the local safety and security plan and ensure compliance with relevant policies and procedures.
• Proactively mitigate risks to staff, programs, partners, and organizational assets.
• Report safety and security incidents to the country management team in a timely manner and provide leadership and/or support in incident management as necessary.
• As required, join crisis management team in case of critical incidents.

External relations & partnerships

• Represent War Child effectively to external stakeholders in NES by establishing and maintaining an open and productive dialogue with authorities, INGOs, local NGOs, and others.
• Attend and actively participate in inter-agency discussions, workshops, working groups, and other forums relevant to War Child's operations in NES.
• Serve as the primary high-level focal point for Syrian partner organizations in the region.
• Maintain positive relations with existing Syrian partner organisations, including through regular visits.
• Identify potential new partners and support capacity assessments and due diligence processes.
• Assist Project Officers in identifying capacity gaps and creating a capacity building plan for partners.

Knowledge and Experience

• University degree in social sciences, business or technical sciences
• A minimum of five years of relevant working experience is required
• Previous management experience in low-resource, conflict-affected contexts is essential
• Valuable management experience of project funded by well-established institutional donors, including but not limited to EU, SDC, FCDO, BHA and UN agencies
• Experience in liaising with governmental/local authorities, INGOs and LNGOs
• Strong track-record in successfully managing other staff of various backgrounds and levels of capacity
• Experience in complex humanitarian contexts such as the Syria response.

Skills and Competencies

• Fluency in English required, Arabic is a plus
• Demonstrated effective verbal and written communication, negotiation skills, multi-tasking and organizational skills
• Knowledge of and experience in budget monitoring and management
• Knowledge of and experience in ensuring compliance with donor rules and regulations
• Understanding of the reality on the ground and hands on approach to solve issues related to the programme
• Strong computer skills, Microsoft Office and in particular Excel
• Cultural sensitivity
• Excellent attention to detail
• Flexibility
• Proactive approach
• Commitment to the vision and goals of War Child Holland, including adherence to the Child Safety Policy, is essential.

Location

The position will be based in Raqqa/Hassakeh. This position is an unaccompanied position (non-family posting). The location the role is based at, offers limited access to services and recreation.

Travelling to country offices of War Child Syria Response, its affiliates and elsewhere is required to fulfil the obligations of this role.

We Offer

• An expat package, including:
  • Shared accommodation
  • Hardship allowance
  • R&R
  • insurance coverage
• Be a part of a multinational, multilocational team, committed to support children affected by violent conflict, who are hands on to make change happen!
• A dynamic and challenging work environment, with opportunities to grow and enhance your skills.

Contract

This is an international (Expat) contract for a duration of 12 months and with the intention to prolong depending on performance and fund availability.