Head of Mission Ukraine for Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe (DKH)

Location: Kyiv, Ukraine

Duration of assignment: 24 months (with the possibility of extension)

Start Date: 01.04.2023

About Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe (DKH)

Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe renders humanitarian aid worldwide and currently works in 31 countries. DKH supports people who are affected by natural disasters, war and displacement and who are not able to cope on their own in the emergency situation they find themselves in. The work is guided by the Humanitarian Principles and the Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS). DKH focuses on locally-led responses by working through a global network of partner organizations. Fostering localized humanitarian action and an equal partnership approach lies at the very core of our work.

Purpose and tasks of deployment

As DKH is not directly implementing humanitarian projects in the Ukraine, it is committed to equitable and long-term partnerships, which strengthen local partner organizations’ administrative and technical capacities. The Head of Mission plays a key role in facilitating mutual learning and capacity exchange, identifying innovative and tailored models of cooperation and shifting power to partners and communities through transfer of decision-making opportunities. 

The purpose of the deployment is twofold:

a) to set up a DKH Ukraine country office and establish a functional operational presence of DKH in the Ukraine.

b) to further develop and strengthen the already existing DKH Ukraine Emergency Response Program in-country together with our partner organizations.

Whilst the initial focus of this position is concerned exclusively with the program in the Ukraine itself, the geographic scope of the position might be extended to the neighboring countries in the second half of the assignment. DKH is currently implementing humanitarian assistance in five neighboring countries, with a total volume of roughly 19 million Euro.

Work Context

All projects funded by Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe in the Ukraine are implemented by local partner organizations. Currently, DKH’s Ukraine program is roughly 14 million Euros in size, is exclusively funded from private donations and key programmatic areas are food security, NFI/hygiene assistance and protection, building on CVA as well as in-kind modality. In the future, the acquisition of backdonor-funding will be of crucial importance to ensure a long-term engagement in-country. Programming will ultimately expand to livelihoods and market-based interventions, early recovery and reconstruction as well as triple Nexus approaches. The base of the DKH Country Office Ukraine will be Kyiv.

Main Job Responsibilities

 Program Development and Strategic Planning

-         Support the development and implementation of DKH Ukraine country strategy in line with the DKH Global Strategy 2021+ and periodic review to ensure adequacy with changing context.

-         Ensure partners inputs in DKH Ukraine country strategy and program development for enhanced localization.

-         Ensure that DKH’s core values and standards are understood throughout the team, and strategies and policies are guiding the daily work.

Quality Assurance & Program Management

-         Strengthen relations with local partner organizations and ensure that individual Capacity Strengthening Plans are developed for each partner.

-         If required, identify potential local partner organizations on basis of comprehensive Partner Capacity Assessments.

-         Ensure the quality of projects with special emphasis on quality & standard assurance, compliance, gender equality and inclusivity as well as safeguarding and protection in close collaboration with thematic advisors and the Berlin-based DKH technical unit.

-         Ensure high quality monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning; quality and standards and compliance, guided by the DKH Global Strategy 2021+, the Core Humanitarian Standards and other backdonor strategies by DKH staff and partners.

Operational & Office Management

-         Setup of DKH country office in Kyiv as well as potential satellite offices throughout the country (if necessary).

-         Ensure that DKH-presence in-country meets all required administrative, logistical and personnel requirements.

-         Provide a Monthly and Annual Office Report to DKH Berlin.

Finance & Compliance Management  

-         Ensure compliance and accountability of fiscal as well as procurement controls with the requirements and regulations of the backdonor agencies, the Standard Procedures for Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe Offices Abroad (SPOA), the local laws and Internationally Recognized Accounting Principles.

-         Ensure that effective, transparent and responsive compliance mechanisms are in place.

Human Resource Management & Team Building 

-         Ensure preparation of Terms of Reference/job descriptions and adequate recruitment of personnel to ensure appropriateness of office structure at all time.

-         Coaches, mentors, encourages, and evaluates staff; manages talent; acts as an enabler and leader, so that each staff member is able to fulfill the tasks of his/her specific job description in order to meet desired quality and standards within approved time lines and budgets.

-         Maintain team dynamics that enable DKH to achieve its goals and objectives and create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.

Health, Safety & Security (HSS 

-         Ensure organizational commitment to health, safety, and security management within DKH Ukraine program.

-         Support the development and implementation of the DKH Ukraine HSS Plan and ensure that the documents and procedures relating to HSS are regularly updated.

-         Recruit and manage HSS staff in the Ukraine and jointly make decisions on travel of DKH-staff, movement restrictions, hibernation and other mitigation measures in line with DKH HSS Handbook and the HSS Plan.

Representation, Visibility & Advocacy  

-         Increase visibility of DKH in-country and ensure good reputation of the organization by adequately representing DKH to local partners, (I)NGOs, local officials, government authorities as well as backdonors and media.

-         Support a coherent and active humanitarian principle-focused communication and advocacy strategy including a joint definition of red lines.

Accountability to affected population 

-         DKH team members are expected to support all efforts for increased accountability towards the affected population (in line with CHS) while actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of projects.

-         Champion a culture of knowledge management and generate evidence, learning and good practice examples in regards to localization and equal partnership approaches within the Ukraine program

The requested qualification and experience is as follows:

Technical:

-         University degree in a related field.

-         5 to 7 years of senior-level leadership and management experience in large and complex humanitarian operations, previous work experience in conflict affected and insecure environments preferred.

-         Substantial knowledge of the international humanitarian system, institutions and backdonors, including compliance requirements and accountability frameworks.

-         Prior experience with backdonor funding from AA (German Federal Foreign Office), the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) & ECHO desirable.

-         Demonstrated experience in working with local partner organizations including implementation of a program strategy through partners.

-         Demonstrated experience in working effectively with networks and establishing new partnerships and consortia.

-         Demonstrated experience in representation and working effectively and respectfully with host country government and other stakeholders in complex environments.

Personal:

-         Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills including negotiation and coaching.

-         Strong participatory leadership with the ability of solving complex issues collegially, defining a clear way forward and utilizing best practices in management to ensure shared success.

-         Ability to work under high pressure, in a highly volatile context with strict security measures and motivated by constant program adaptation to an evolving context.

-         Excellent oral and written English skills a must, proficiency in Ukrainian (and / or Russian) desirable.

The remuneration follows internationally accepted standards.  Consultancy status.

Closing date:  February 5th, 2023 (only shortlisted candidates will be contacted)

How to apply

Kindly send your application and CV by email to the HR Officer at Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe in Berlin office: [email protected]. Further questions regarding the role kindly address to [email protected].

Diversity is important to us. We welcome applications from people regardless of their ethnic, national or social background, gender, disability, age or sexual identity.