Field Coordinator (Project Coordinator (MSF-OCBA)

[Admin]

Closing date: 30 May 2009
Location: Somalia - Nairobi

GENERAL CONTEXT

Médecins Sans Frontières is an international, independent medical humanitarian action-driven organisation, providing aid to populations in need, to victims of natural or man-made disasters and to the people affected by armed conflicts, without discrimination and regardless of their race, religion, belief or political affiliation (MSF Charter).

The coordination team is based in Nairobi due to the insecurity in Mogadishu, Somalia. However trips to field are done whenever the situation allows. It’s composed of Head of Mission, Medical Coordinator, Logistics Coordinator and Admin and Financial Coordinator; all of these positions have Kenyan-Somali assistants who travel often to Somalia. The Field Coordinator will be part of the coordination team and will be the direct responsible of the daily management of the projects of MSF-OCBA in Somalia, in coordination with the rest of the team.

The projects consist of a total of 2 offices (one in Mogadishu and one in Jowhar), 1 Pediatric Hospital, and 3 OPDs/EPINUT in Mogadishu and 1 Maternity, and 4 OPDs/EPINUT in Jowhar. The Somali senior staff per project is: one Security Officer, one Project Log, one Project Admin, and 3 Medical Supervisors. The total staff per project is around 100 persons. In 2008 a total of over 300.000 OPD consultations were carried out, with 5300 admissions at the IPD, 33.700 antenatal consultations, 1.500 deliveries, and 195 surgeries (including 45 caesareans).

OBJECTIVE AND RESPONSIBILITY OF THE POSITION

The Field Coordinator will be the direct responsible for both Mogadishu and Jowhar projects:
- Day-to-day management of the project
- HR management
- Responsible to ensure a good local networking (authorities, elders, suppliers, businessmen,…)
- Coordinates project decisions with the rest of the Mission Coordination Team, including security, medical, logistic, finance and admin decisions.

He will make sure that at every moment the image of MSF is kept as an independent, neutral, professional and medically driven humanitarian organization.

Project Coordination
- Responsible for MSFE activities in both project areas (Mogadishu and Jowhar towns, Banadir and Middle Shabelle region).
- Coordinate the communication between the field and the MCT. Field will communicate normally with him unless a technical issue requires direct contact of field supervisor with the concerned MCT member.
- He will coordinate all field decisions with the concerned MCT members (f.i. warnings will be coordinated with FAC and HoM, but he will be responsible for the decision and the process of implementing it).
- Manage all relevant coordination documents concerning the project (such as MoUs, MSF presentation, MSF intentions and chronogram, etc.)
- Planning, implementation, follow-up, evaluation and reorientation of all project activities, according to the project’s plan, including eventual response to emergencies,
- Constantly assess the population’s needs from medical and humanitarian point of view, and proposes changes in the objectives, planning or implementation strategy of the activities,
- Responsible for organization of the daily activities,
- Responsible to ensure the 4 main criteria to keep the remote control management: 1) Security, 2) Impact, 3) Accountability, 4) Medical quality.
- Attends mission coordination meetings and represents the projects, staff and their collective perception of the needs and priorities of the population in Mogadishu.

Context analysis
- Constantly gathers, assess and analyses information related to clan / political / conflict security situation in the project areas, together with the field key national staff.
- To develop a network of contacts with, and collect information from, all the key actors: local official governmental representatives, civil society and traditional leaders (Elders, Ugas), international NGOs, businessmen, etc.
- To contribute to MSF understanding of context and arising needs trough context analysis, discussion with all actors of the context and regular reporting to HoM.

Security
- Responsible for the security of national staff in the field, and expats during field visits.
- Responsible to implement, enforce and update security and evacuation plans for both projects.
- Briefs and updates expatriates and visitors on security in the field.
- To collect and centralize all information related to security.
- To ensure contact and exchange of security information with the authorities (Governor, DC,MoI) others NGOs.
- Organizes in collaboration of the Security Officers the team movements.
- Proposes new security measures, in coordination with the Security officer, the LogCo and the HoM.
- Participates in the update of Security Guidelines.

External representation
- Negotiates and updates the local MoUs with the communities, and all subsequent agreements,
- Represents MSFOCBA in front of the local official and traditional authorities, administration, UN, and other agencies operational in the area,
- To ensure the presentation of MSF activities and positioning to the local authorities.
- Struggles to preserve the image of MSF as an independent, neutral, professional and medically driven humanitarian organization.

Human resources management
- Responsible for HRM planning, coaching and evaluation of the projects senior staff,
- Implements staff guidelines in the field.
- Briefs expatriates on field visits regarding security, project issues, house rules, etc.
- Responsible for the long-term planning of HR (holidays, replacements, etc.)
- Guarding the well being of national staff,

Reporting
- Responsible of the weekly reports of both projects, and to coordinate the response of the MCT to the field.
- Responsible of the project monthly sitrep, in coordination with the MedCo, LogCo, and FAC for the field related issues.
- Responsible of sending the security logbook to the HoM on the 1st of every month.
- Responsible of coordinating the quaterly project reports, in coordination with the MedCo, LogCo and FAC for the field related issues.
- Responsible to report updates when needed to the MCT (security, context, etc.)
- He is the main responsible for communications between the project and Nairobi. Other MCT will keep still their contacts (f.i. MedCo with the Medical supervisors), but they will report to the FieldCo when relevant issues arises from the communications.

Emergencies
- He coordinates the assessments and the interventions in emergencies with the field team.

Financial Management
- He will coordinate with the FAC for the follow up of the budgets for both projects.
- He will ensure the control procedures to keep accountability are implemented, and will propose new ones, together with the FAC (good bookkeeping, money management, money transferts, etc.).

Qualifications/training required:
- Strong understanding of difficulties related to humanitarian programmes in developing countries/conflict zones and the importance of community acceptance.
- Trained in security management
- Capacity to be Acting HoM

Previous MSF experience required:
- Experience in Somalia, preferably in Mogadishu and Jowhar before. Otherwise experience in Muslim conflict countries is also a big plus
- Minimum of 24 months for MSF or other similar NGO in an insecure context (preferably Islamic).

REQUIRED SKILLS, ATTRIBUTES AND EXPERIENCE
- Excellent in networking/creating relationships/trust
- Excellent in HR management
- Understand remote management
- Excellent negotiator
- Leadership
- Firm understanding of security management.
- Good pedagogic and communication skills
- Flexibility, a person with whom is possible to discuss…
- Proficient in English language (Somali is a plus)

Required qualities:
- Respect for different, especially Islamic, cultures (essential in Somalia).
- Deep knowledge of Islam religion is a strong plus.

Rewards:
- Very high job satisfaction with keen and exceptional national staff.
- Fascinating and absorbing context.
- Working in Somalia means to be submerged in the prototypical humanitarian intervention in contexts in conflict. You will be on a very high learning curve about humanitarian principles, security management and many others. Furthermore, this kind of contexts are becoming more and more frequent.

How to apply
Applicants should send their CV in English, preferably by e-mail to:
François Destenabes
francois.destenabes@barcelona.msf.org
Closing date: May 30th, 2009
Replies will only be sent to short-listed candidates.

Reference Code: RW_7S69G8-74
Source: ReliefWeb