Organisation Background

Founded in 2011, the International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO) is an international non-governmental organisation that supports humanitarian aid workers by establishing safety coordination platforms in insecure contexts. INSO provides registered NGOs with a range of free services, including real-time incident tracking, analytical reports, safety-related data and mapping, crisis management support, staff orientations and training.

INSO provides daily support to more than 1,200 NGOs operating in 20 of the world’s most insecure countries.

INSO is registered in the Netherlands with its headquarters based in The Hague, the international city of peace and justice.

INSO Afghanistan

INSO was born in Afghanistan, starting as the NGO project, ‘Afghanistan NGO Safety Office’ in 2002. The program evolved over time and INSO became an independent NGO in 2011, offering increasingly diverse services in accordance with NGO needs. Currently, INSO supports 264 NGOs in Afghanistan.

The country office is located in Kabul with field offices in Kandahar, Herat, Mazar-e Sharif and Jalalabad covering the entire country.

Job Summary

As the Country Director, you lead, manage and direct program implementation. You possess solid program and human resources management skills and are a natural and confident communicator, consensus-builder, and networker. Country Directors combine keen intellect and analytical skills with pragmatism, patience and a good sense of humour. You will enjoy the challenge of translating strategic concepts into workable practices in difficult environments. You need to have a NGO senior management and programs background, strong management experience and excellent writing & analysis skills.

Major Responsibilities

Program Leadership and Management

• Provide engaged, effective leadership across the program– program delivery, finance, operations, HR – and in compliance with INSO internal policies and protocols.
• Develop and deliver annual program planning, aligning program development strategy with realistic assumptions of future funding.
• Manage INSO Afghanistan’s donor relations and produce high-quality, compelling proposals and progress reports that underscore our impact.
• Line-manage the leads of programs, finance, and operations support teams.
• Promote and exemplify a culture of openness and collaboration.

Service Delivery

• Develop and maintain a nuanced personal understanding of the Afghanistan context and the prevailing challenges to humanitarian safety and access.
• Supervise all service delivery, ensuring that program targets are met, quality is maintained and that services remain relevant and responsive to the evolving context and needs of NGO partners.
• Deliver strategic analysis to senior humanitarian leadership, including through monthly directors’ briefings, quarterly analytical reports and as needed on request.
• Lead crisis management support to NGO partners during critical incidents.

Requirements

• Fluency in written and spoken English
• Previous experience as an NGO country director or senior program manager
• Solid understanding of principles and practices in broad humanitarian action
• Master’s Degree-level of education or equivalent work experience
• Minimum 3 years in conflict affected contexts
• Minimum 3 years in an NGO senior management role
• Proven analytical skills
• Experience with grant management, donor proposals and reporting.
• Excellent networking, diplomatic and representative communication skills.

Preferred Characteristics

• Recent experience in Afghanistan or a similar context
• Previous INSO experience (as a team member, member of INSO’s country advisory board or beneficiary)
• Experience producing and editing analytical products
• Knowledge of Persian, Dari and/or Pashto
• Direct experience and involvement in a crisis management role
• Existing local information networks and contacts
• Experience and interest in data management, analytics, and research

Key Personal Competencies

• A people manager
• Calm in stressful situations
• A good listener
• An effective communicator
• Team player
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Excellent analytical skills

INSO’s Safeguarding Policy

INSO is fully committed to safe recruitment, selection and vetting of all potential new staff, trustees and volunteers and we will ensure rigorous compliance with our Code of Conduct and Safeguarding policy throughout the recruitment process.

Terms & Conditions

Twelve-month contract, €6,500 per month salary, 4 days annual leave per month and 7 days of R&R every two months with €1,250 R&R allowance each cycle, global medical coverage (excluding USA), and AD&D insurance.

How to Apply:

Please send the following to jobs@hq.ngosafety.org and reference ‘CD Afghanistan’ in the subject line of the email:

• an updated résumé/CV.
• Cover letter
• one relevant and substantive writing sample, which demonstrates your analytical and reporting abilities (10 pages max).

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Please do not send any additional information (diplomas, other writing samples, etc.).