Area Manager- Libya East

Rights respected, People Protected

NRC Libya Office

Background:

Libya is now in its tenth year of instability and conflict following the fall of the previous regime in 2011. The number of internally displaced people (IDPs) is still at more than 200,000 who still cannot return home. For those Libyans that have returned home, many have returned to areas that lack basic infrastructure, services and livelihood opportunities, or where explosive devices have not been cleared. Other challenges include: lack of security, housing, property and civil documentation issues and lack of educational opportunities. There is an estimated 1.3 million people affected by the crisis and more than 800,000 people in need of humanitarian assistance. Since October 2020, a fragile ceasefire has largely held in place. The country had been geographically split since 2014, with the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) governing the west and the Libyan National Army (LNA) overseeing the east. In March 2021, the Government of National Unity (GNU) was formed, bringing together the two parties, and increasing hopes of political and social stability. In addition to conflict affected and displaced Libyans, there are more than 600,000 migrants in Libya and 42,000 registered refugees and asylum seekers. Years of conflict between various armed groups, political and economic insecurity and limited humanitarian access, exacerbated by the recent socioeconomic impacts of Covid-19, have resulted in a severe deepening of this neglected crisis.

The Norwegian Refugee Council – Libya:

NRC began operations in Libya in 2017 and has continued to scale up its operations in camp and urban settings supporting Libyan IDPs, returnees and host communities, as well as vulnerable migrants, refugees and asylum seekers. NRC is leading humanitarian actor in the Libya response and implements education, shelter/NFI, Information Counselling and Legal Assistance (ICLA) and multi-purpose cash assistance activities across the country through our offices in Tripoli, Misrata, Benghazi and Ajdabiya. We have also scaled up our advocacy capacity to speak up for and improve the protection environment for the most vulnerable communities in Libya and to support them in accessing durable solutions. NRC is the co-lead of the National Education and Shelter Working Sector Working Groups, and is an active member of the Libya INGO Forum.

Internal Description

NRC Libya is looking for an experienced, enthusiastic and highly motivated Area Manager profile with a strong background in Programme/Project Implementation.

All NRC employees are expected to work in accordance with the organisation’s core values: dedication, innovation, inclusivity and accountability. These attitudes and believes shall guide our actions and relationships.

Role and responsibilities

Reporting to the Country Director, the Area Manager has the overall responsibility for their designated area, and ensures that NRC´s programme and operations in the area develops in line with NRC’s mission, policies and country specific strategies. This position will also ensure high quality and cost-effective programme/project implementation within the designated geographical area in Libya.

The following is a brief description of the role.

Generic responsibilities

These responsibilities shall be the same for all positions with the same title. The responsibilities shall be short and essential. Details belong in the Work and Development plan.

• Line management for senior project staff and support functions in the area of operation
• Member of the Country Management Group (CMG)
• Compliance with and adherence to NRC policies, guidance and procedures
• Provide area specific input on CC strategies, Country Strategy and Plan of Action
• Organise grants opening and closure meetings at Area Level
• Implementation of projects (including area master support budget and coordinating input for donor proposals and reports) in the area, in compliance with contractual commitments (i.e. quality, synergies, timeliness, use of resources) and aligned to regional and global strategies
• Assess needs, develop emergency response and implement response plans, including cash-based interventions and market based programmes
• Ensure optimal use of resources within the allocated project budgets and CC strategies
• Represent NRC and networking on area level
• Ensure that capacity building is provided to all staff in the area
• Ensure overall security and safety of staff in the area
• Promote the rights of IDPs/returnees in line with the advocacy strategy

Specific responsibilities

• Overall responsibility of managing Libya East Area office including sub offices within the area.
• Lead the development and implementation of the area level strategy as part of the country strategy review process.
• Responsible for overall staff security in the Area, including supporting security risk assessments for possible new areas of intervention.
• Pursue and develop relationships with national stakeholders to open up new humanitarian access opportunities and to maintain existing ones.
• Contextualise, adapt and implement SOPs and procedures to ensure effective provision of assistance to hard-to-reach areas.
• With the support of the Area Team, take the lead on strengthening NRC’s position in the area to respond to changing humanitarian needs as well as support durable solutions for affected communities.
• Provide effective leadership to the Area team: and ensure close coordination and regular flow of information between the Area and the Country office; participation in programme and operational meetings; performance management of direct reports.
• Ensure a capacity building plan for staff in the Area Office is in place, including capacity building initiatives and trainings, use of work and development plans, ensuring a focus on local staff development and staff retention.
• Liaise regularly with local authorities, donors and humanitarian actors in the area of operations.
• Support the development of assessment, concept notes, project proposals, and budget development for scale-up and post emergency activities.
• In conjunction with Country Office, liaising with donors on new funding and operational areas of programming and provide regular input to advocacy initiatives
• Ensure NRC’s data collection systems are in place and information is properly stored and analyzed.
• Actively promote PSEA (Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse) standards & principles within NRC and amongst beneficiaries served by NRC.

Critical interfaces

By interfaces, NRC means processes and projects that are interlinked with other departments/units or persons. Relevant interfaces for this position are:

• Proposal development: HoP, CC Specialists and Support Staff
• Area operations: CC Specialists, HoS, other humanitarian actors
• Staff capacity building: CC Specialists, Support Managers
• Shared costs budget: Finance manager, HoP, HoS

Scale and scope of position

Staff:

Directly managing 2 Project Managers with oversight of a further 2 PMs CCs, Support Coordinator, HSS staff overall Area staff approx. 50 and growing

Stakeholders:

UN agencies, INGOs, local NGOs, civil society, governmental bodies

Budgets:

Area Master Budget, CC and Support Budgets

Information:

Agresso, Webcruiter, Intranet)

Legal or compliance:

Adherence to local laws, Donor R&R and NRC SOPs

Competencies

Competencies are important in order for the employee and the organisation to deliver desired results. They are relevant for all staff and are divided into the following three categories:

Professional competencies

These are skills, knowledge and experience that are important for effective performance.

Generic professional competencies for this position:

• Minimum 5 years of experience from working as a Senior Project Manager in a humanitarian/recovery context
• Previous experience from working in complex and volatile contexts
• Documented results related to the position’s responsibilities
• Experience in implementing and managing cash-based interventions and market based programmes
• Knowledge about own leadership skills/profile
• Fluency in English, both written and verbal

Context/skills, knowledge and experience:

· Knowledge of the context in Libya

• Experience with a newly formed CO
• Experience managing a growing team and implementing policies and procedures
• Experience of capacity building staff

Behavioural competencies (max 6)

These are personal qualities that influence how successful people are in their job. NRC’s Competency Framework states 12 behavioral competencies, the following are essential for this position:

• Handling insecure environments
• Strategic thinking
• Empowering and building trust
• Managing performance and development
• Managing resources to optimise results

Performance Management

The employee will be accountable for the responsibilities and the competencies, in accordance with the NRC Performance Management Manual. The following documents will be used for performance reviews:

• The Job Description
• The Work and Development Plan
• The Mid-term/End-of-trial Period Performance Review Template
• The End-term Performance Review Template
• The NRC Competency Framework

We Can Offer

• Contract period: 12 months extendable
• Salary/benefits: According to NRC’s salary scale and terms and conditions
• Duty station: Benghazi, Libya
• Travel:20%