Position: Deputy Country Director – Programs

Location: Turkey

Reports to: Country Director

Duration: 12 months

Relief International (RI) is a leading nonprofit organization working in 16 countries to relieve poverty, ensure well-being and advance dignity. We specialize in fragile settings, responding to natural disasters, humanitarian crises and chronic poverty.

Relief International combines humanitarian and development approaches to provide immediate services while laying the groundwork for long-term impact. Our signature approach — which we call the RI Way—emphasizes local participation, an integration of services, strategic partnerships and a focus on civic skills. In this way, we empower communities to find, design and implement the solutions that work best for them.

Relief International includes the four members of the RI Alliance in the USA, UK, France, and Belgium.  Under our alliance agreement, we operate under a single, shared management structure with one CEO and one Board of Directors.

About our Programs.

RI is active in 16 countries around the world, including some of the most fragile: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Turkey, and Yemen.  Often, RI is the only organization providing assistance to highly vulnerable communities. 

• RI employs 7,000+ staff and auxiliary workers
• 97% of staff are in-country nationals
• We only have some 90 ex-pat staff out of 7,000+
• RI spent $125 million in 2019 on our programs.

RI invests in four broad program sectors:  Economic Opportunity, Education, Health, and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH).  We design our programs to incorporate The RI Way:  local participation, integrated programming, the development of civic skills, and partnerships including with local NGOs, governments, and the private sector.

RI supports solutions that reinforce and improve upon existing in-country systems. Where such systems do not exist or are chronically underperforming, RI’s crisis response lays the foundation for long-term, sustainable change. 

Position Responsibilities and Duties:

Strategic Engagement

• Lead in depth analysis of humanitarian context, trends, gaps, challenges and opportunities
• Participate in country strategic planning and contribute to the sustainable management of program growth, with a focus on new program development that addresses the needs of the beneficiaries to support the strategic direction of the country strategy.
• Facilitate rapid response and assessments, with written reports, analysis and recommendations to initiate emergency response, development of new interventions and ensure programs adaptation  to the changing needs.
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• Provide overall leadership and direction focusing the program team on defining the mission strategy and achieving agreed targets and long-term strategic objectives.
• Identify and evaluate the risks and possible threats associated with program activities and take appropriate action to control the risks, communicating and collaborating regularly with the CD and rest of the Senior Management Team.

Program Management and Development

• Provide oversight, guidance and leadership to all aspects of program implementation in Turkey.
• Effectively manage the programs, MEAL, technical and grants departments
• Focus on program quality assurance by overseeing and guiding the Programs, MEAL and technical teams utilizing innovative approaches and technical support as appropriate and feasible
• Lead the development and revision of program guidelines, policies and procedures.
• Ensure that program activities comply with donor rules and regulations, Turkish legislation and professional standards.
• Oversee program-related staffing, security and financial needs per the program budgets, advising and course-correcting where needed through communication to the Country Director and other departments.
• Contribute to and lead program development efforts by identifying opportunities and working with Turkey CD, as well as RI’s regional and headquarters-based Program Development department, to draft proposals responding to those opportunities; Participate in the development of funding proposals and needs assessments for the program to ensure the continuous delivery of services.
• ..

HR Management and Capacity building

• Develop ToRs and follow up on program staff recruitment processes and orientation.
• Ensure program team staffing is balanced, effective and sufficient. Ensure adherence to and enforcement of Turkey HR policies
• Provide capacity building to national staff in a variety of areas (management, leadership, work plan development, project cycle management etc).
• Develop overall staff competency through leadership, mentoring and coaching to program and technical departments.
• Conduct regular staff performance appraisals and annual performance reviews.

Budget and Financial Management

• Ensure program implementation and budget use is in compliance with grant requirements per donor (ECHO, BPRM etc) with the support of the Finance Manager.
• Provide support to the program team in developing spend down plans, reviewing BVAs, developing program donor modifications and no cost/ cost extensions.
• Ensure program expenditure is on track and grants are not over/under spent. Communicate regularly with CD on mitigation plans.
• Support the program team to identify partners through partnership framework and ensuring partners comply with applicable policies and procedures, review partner expenses and supporting documents and oversee capacity building plans.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting

• Oversee the preparation and submission of quality technical and program reports and timely submission as per the grant agreement;
• Report progress of program implementation to the donor periodically as per contract’s agreement and on an ad-hoc basis.
• In collaboration with the MEAL Department, ensure continue update and strengthening of the program evaluation framework to assess strengths of the program, as well as areas for improvement, and to identify and implement action plans regarding areas for improvement.
• Ensure that activities are on track and all MEAL tools are in place and provide feedback to program team.
• Ensure overall implementation is in accordance with agreed work plans, donor agreements and framework.

Coordination and Partnership

• As required, represent RI program to funders and potential donors.
• Conduct stakeholder mapping to identify local NGO/partners for potential coordination.
• Ensure highest level of communication and coordination with key local partners.
• Maintain effective communication with donors and other stakeholders.
• Participate in NGO sector coordination groups (or delegate to appropriate technical leads) and identify areas for coordination and collaboration; Networking and bilateral meeting are key to success in this context.
• Maintain effective communication with CD and other department heads, and with RSO regarding program implementation as required.
• Frequent travel to field sites.

Deputize the Country Director when required

• Take over the CD role when necessary, including external representation, risk management, overall mission management, regional/HQ relations and any other tasks normally undertaken by the CD
• Perform other duties assigned by the CD

Qualifications & requirements:

• This position demands a dynamic individual with a demonstrated ability to achieve results in a demanding and fast paced environment. Creativity, flexibility, strong work ethic and a sense of humor are highly valued. Exceptional individuals are encouraged to apply;
• Master’s degree in a relevant Humanitarian/Development field or Bachelor’s degree with commensurate work experience; technical experience in health, livelihoods, and/or education strongly preferred;
• Minimum of 5-7 years professional program implementation experience in conflict settings; including Program development and proposal writing experience;
• Solid background and knowledge of USAID, ECHO and UN Rules and Regulations;
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, public speaking, and strategic planning skills required;
• The RI Turkey Country Office fosters an environment of respect for all coworkers regardless of level of seniority. Capacity building of national staff is a core competency of every expat position, and expat staff will be evaluated on their ability to strengthen the skills and growth of more junior staff and institutional partners such as Syrian and Turkish NGO counterparts;
• Fluency in English (spoken and written) required; Arabic and/or Turkish language skills are highly advantageous;
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, tasks efficiently;
• Excellent time management skills and resourcefulness with strong attention to detail.

RI Values:

We uphold the Humanitarian Principles: humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and operational independence. We affirmatively engage the most vulnerable communities. We value:

• Inclusiveness
• Transparency and Accountability
• Agility and Innovation
• Collaboration
• Sustainability

How to apply.

• To apply for this post, click on the “Apply” button in the job advert page
• You will be asked to upload a CV and Cover Letter.  The cover letter should be no more than 2 pages long and explain why you are interested in this post with Relief International and how your skills and experience make you a good fit.

Closing date. Please apply immediately we will be reviewing applicants on a rolling basis, therefore may withdraw the position for the job board closing date.

Due to limited resources, only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Note to external agencies, we will not be accepting CVs from third parties.

Relief International is committed to protecting our staff and the communities we work with from abuse and harm including sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and sexual harassment.

All staff are expected to abide by our Code of Conduct.

Recruitment to all roles in Relief International include a criminal records self-declaration, references and other pre-employment checks, which may include police and qualifications checks.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Relief International is committed to diversity and gender equality, we strongly encourage applicants from the global south and female candidates to apply.