Organizational Context

In 2021, IFRC scaled up its humanitarian operation and increased the number of national and international staff to support ARCS with a rigorous, systemic, and structured coordination, collaboration, and cooperation towards more efficient and effective implementation of the complex humanitarian operation. Three years on, IFRC is shifting most of its focus in Afghanistan to humanitarian-development nexus programming and National Society Development (NSD), which includes elements of programmatic capacity strengthening and more fundamental organizational development. IFRC is also drawing down in-country technical international staff in view of changed needs. However, significant operational support will continue especially on compliance, risk management, safeguarding; quality and accountability; communications, humanitarian diplomacy, strategic partnerships, and resource mobilization; corporate services; security management, and; supply chain management.

In the revamped approach, the National Society Preparedness and Development Delegate oversees the delivery of rigorous, systemic, and structured guidance and support to the ARCS in enhancing its response and overall organizational capacity with the view of delivering on its humanitarian mandate including providing timely, effective, quality humanitarian services populations in need. Further, s/he steers IFRC efforts towards developing the Host National Society’s financial sustainability as a key enabler of strengthening its institutional resilience.

Job Purpose

Reporting to the Programme and Operations Manager, and under technical supervision of the Regional Head, Membership Services, the National Society Preparedness and Development Delegate leads a dynamic team which ensures the smooth delivery of National Society Response Capacity (NSRC) and National Society Development (NSD) support to the ARCS in a coordinated manner. On NSRC, the role holder is responsible for identifying strengths, gaps, potential blockers and opportunities to enable enhancement of the NSRC systems drawing from analysis of operational assessments and operational reviews, viewed alongside the context, mandate and humanitarian services to be delivered. Regarding NSD, the role leads IFRC support technical assistance to NSD work wherever required and facilitating engagement of further expertise (including expert support from IFRC network), coordinating NSD support provided by various actors and enabling quality assurance to the NSD support provided, working actively with operations and programmes teams to bring synergy between ongoing operations, programmes, NSD, and facilitating learning. The National Society Preparedness and Development Delegate also works closely with the Regional National Society Preparedness Coordinator.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

National Society Response Capacity (NSRC) and National Society Development (NSD)

• Provide strategic coordination and advise the Country Leadership Team in matters pertaining to NSRC and NSD.
• Oversee the work of direct reports, prepare country-specific NSRC and NSD strategies and plans aligned with IFRC regional and global approaches, and ensure integration of NSRC and NSD across all programmes and operations.
• Lead analysis of the NSRC strengths, gaps, and blockers to identity opportunities and areas for immediate improvement as well as to inform targeted planning and resource allocation for capacity strengthening initiatives.
• Based on the analysis and identified NSRC strengthening priorities, engage with internal and external stakeholders to co-design and develop a plan outlining tangible response capacity strengthening actions, inputs and recommendations utilizing approaches in existing mechanisms such as Preparedness for Effective Response (PER).
• Accompany, guide, and support the Host National Society in implementing capacity strengthening actions identified at analysis stage and outlined in its response capacity strengthening plan, including by coordinating allocation of resources and technical support by Movement and external partners.
• Accompany, guide, and support the Host National Society in utilizing evidence-based tools, such as the PER mechanism, for measuring, monitoring and tracking progress towards attaining set benchmarks, and facilitate the process of capturing critical lessons learned to inform further improvements as part of the disaster risk management continuum.
• Provide oversight and support to ARCS in implementing its NSD initiatives – including but not limited to Branch Development, Digital Transformation, Finance Development, HR development, Leadership Development, Logistics Development, Quality and Accountability, sustainability of flagship services, and Volunteering and Youth Development – as defined by various working groups of the National Society and endorsed by the leadership.

Support for the National Society legal base process:

• Facilitate support and follow-up on ARCS’s legal base revision process, ensuring the process and revised legal base meets the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (Movement) standards.

Support the National Society in implementing its Strategic and Operational Plan:

• Provide technical assistance and support to ARCS in setting approaches to create shared understanding of its Strategic Plan and Operation Plan across all levels (among different departments as well as across its regional offices and branches).
• Provide technical assistance and support to ARCS in developing, contextualizing, and rolling out necessary training and induction to disseminate its Strategic Plan and Operation Plan.
• Provide technical assistance and support to ARCS in defining or streamlining roles and functions to implement its Strategic Plan and Operation Plan as well as approaches to follow-up with their implementation and revision accordingly.
• Ensure the inclusion, alignment, implementation and monitoring of NSD components in all programmes and operations in accordance with the ARCS Strategic Plan and Operation Plan as well as IFRC strategy to integrate NSD across prog

Job Duties and Responsibilities (continued)

Movement-wide coordination on NSRC and NSD and facilitating learning:

• Coordinate and integrate NSRC and NSD support provided by various Movement and non-Movement actors in close collaboration with the ICRC Cooperation Coordinator, ensuring that such support is aligned with the ARCS priorities, existing Membership and Movement and coordination mechanism (wherever applicable), and contributing to ongoing transformation process of the National Society in a manner which avoids fragmentation of support.
• Ensure coherence and quality in NSRC and NSD support provided by various Movement and non-Movement actors and creating awareness and promoting use of the Membership-wide approach, strategies and tools, and information sharing.
• Coordinate the capturing of learning from NSRC and NSD support provided by various Movement and non-Movement actors to continuously contribute to enhancing a harmonized approach to NSRC and NSD.
• Ensure that ARCS is in the centre of all coordination and conversations concerning NSRC and NSD.
• Support the ARCS and the IFRC network in ensuring that ongoing operations, programmes, and services bring synergy with current NSRC and NSD priority areas as well as strengthen longer-term NSD work.

Support to Programme and Operations Management

• Be acting Programme and Operations Management, as needed, when the incumbent is out of the country.
• Complement the Country Leadership Team in dissemination and compliance with the IFRC Code of Conduct, Fraud and Corruption Prevention and Control Policy, and Safeguarding Policy among internal and external stakeholders.

Representation

• Represent the Country Delegation in forums related to strengthening local response capacities as well as in the engagement on this area with relevant internal and external stakeholders.

Effective Matrix Management

• Engage with National Society Response Capacity and National Society Development to ensure that country-level practices align with regional and global approaches.

As part of the ‘One IFRC Team’, be available for time-bound interim support to other IFRC Country Delegations, Country Cluster Delegations, Regional Offices or Geneva head office when agreed with line and technical managers.

Education

Required :

• University degree or equivalent qualifying experience in a relevant field.
• Background in non-profit management, organizational development or preparedness.
• IMPACT training or equivalent knowledge

Experience

Required :

• At least 5 years of relevant professional experience, including in National Society Preparedness or National Society Development in the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
• Experience in local capacity building, volunteer management and/or community development in cross-cultural and diversity-sensitive environments.
• Experience in management at senior level or in consulting and facilitating organizational transformation in a National Society.
• Experience in systems thinking and facilitating or coordinating cross-departmental/sectoral collaboration in change process.
• Experience in supporting National Society leadership to identify, manage and mitigate organizational risk, and setting and implementing change strategy/process.
  
• Extensive experience of writing plans, proposals, and narrative reports .
• Field experience in high-risk and/or fragile context(s) .

Preferred :

• Experience in practical application of IFRC mechanisms such as Branch Organizational Capacity Assessment (BOCA), Organization Capacity Assessment and Certification (OCAC), and Preparedness for Effective Response (PER).
• Field experience in Afghanistan.

Knowledge, Skills and Languages

Required :

• Ability to work in a stressful and demanding environment while keeping a consistent, courteous, and positive attitude towards others.
• Demonstrated personal integrity and accountability, including proven ability to protect National Society and individual confidentiality.
• Proven ability and track record working with and inter-relating to the leadership of the National Society.
• Sound knowledge in Red Cross Red Crescent National Society Preparedness and National Society Development related key documents and available tools, including understanding on uniqueness of volunteer/membership-based organizations.
• Familiarity in Movement and Membership coordination mechanisms and tools
  Proven analytical skills and the ability to think strategically and looking complex organization through systems thinking.
• Sound knowledge in change management and experience in more than two areas linked to Red Cross Red Crescent NSD related matters (such as, but not limited to, legal base development, strategic planning, branch development and leadership development).
• Able to present financial information clearly, orally and in writing.
• Able to work with due sensitivity in a multi-cultural environment and dispersed teams.
  
• Fluent spoken and written English.

Preferred:

• Self-supporting in computers and internet-based tools.
• Knowledge in approaches and tools that help organizations and individuals to design, test, learn, and replicate different ways of working appropriate to the context.
• Skills in coaching and mentoring senior leadership.
• A good understanding of the region, and preferably Afghanistan, context.
• Good command of another IFRC official language (Arabic, French or Spanish)

Competencies, Values and Comments

Values: Respect for diversity; Integrity; Professionalism; Accountability
Core competencies: Communication; Collaboration and teamwork; Judgement and decision making; National society and customer relations; Creativity and innovation; Building trust
Functional competencies: Strategic orientation; Building alliances; Leadership; Empowering others
Managerial competencies: Managing staff performance; Managing staff development.