Country Director – ActionAid Palestine

ActionAid is a global federation working for a world free from poverty and injustice.

We want to see a just, fair and sustainable world, in which everybody enjoys the right to a life of dignity, and freedom from poverty and oppression.

So we work to achieve social justice and gender equality, and to eradicate poverty.

Our strategy is to build international momentum for social, economic and environmental justice, driven by people living in poverty and exclusion.

In practice, this means working closely with people living in poverty and exclusion, civil society organisations, social movements and supporters. Together, we deliver grassroots programmes, provide emergency relief and campaign for things such as women’s economic rights, tax justice and climate justice.

Our work falls into four broad areas: women, politics and economics, land and climate, and emergencies. We have a particular focus on women’s rights; it’s a thread that runs through all our work.

About the role

ActionAid is looking for a Country Director to provide vision, leadership, management and effective high-level national representation for ActionAid International in Occupied Palestinian Territories (AAP), in line with the established policies, principles and operating practices of ActionAid International, as well as good management practice and the political, social, cultural and economic environment of the country.

Reporting to the Head of Country Engagement and Transformation, Asia, the CD is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the ActionAid Palestine (AAP) strategic plan for the period of 2023-2027, ensuring resources are in place to achieve budgeted performance targets and monitoring overall performance against these targets.

The CD role requires leadership, fundraising experience, organisational change management experience, competencies to manage large teams as well as deep knowledge on the Palestine context and development sector to enable the role holder to make significant improvements to policies and processes that lead to mid to long-term success of ActionAid in Palestine.

The CD will embrace the dual citizenship of an organisation that is strongly rooted in the country but also part of an international federation.

This role is on a national package, but we would also accept international candidates. We would encourage applications from national and international female candidates for this position.

Key Responsibilities

Organisational Representation

• Implement and further develop AAI’s vision, mission, philosophy and principles in Palestine in line with agreed AAI’s strategies and organisational priorities.
• Represent ActionAid International in a variety of forums and maintain external relationships within a diverse range of stakeholders in the sector including national government, key national and international NGOs, donors, academic, social movements, CBO’s, media and other relevant institutions in Palestine.
• Actively contribute to ActionAid International’s development as an international federation.
• Maintain regular communication with the line manager, AAI Global Secretariat and other Members of AAI federation.
• Ensure that ActionAid Palestine lives up to its dual citizenship role as part of an international federation.
• Provide inputs to AAI’s activities as and when required, including participation on task forces, training courses and conferences.

Strategy Development and Implementation

• Ensures the delivery of AA Palestine’s CSP 2023-2027 and oversees the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the CSP.
• Lead and direct the work of AA Palestine in accordance with sound management practices and ActionAid’s development policies and accountability systems.
• Ensure all programme activities are sensitive to and responsive to changes in the political, social, and economic environments.
• Develop and maintain appropriate contingency plans for all kinds of humanitarian responses. Such plans to be presented for approval of the Regional Director for inclusion in AAI’s humanitarian response mechanisms.

Institutional Governance

• Lead and facilitate the process of nationalisation in ActionAid Palestine within the time frame agreed with ActionAid International (AAI).

Fundraising

• Develop a funding strategy and operational plan to mobilise and diversify AA Palestine’s resource base to support the change we seek to achieve as specified in the CSP, advance ActionAid’s mission objectives as well as ensure financial sustainability of ActionAid’s operation.
• Establish and develop working relationships with key donors in Palestine and actively develop local funding sources appropriate to AA Palestine Country’s resource needs.
• Ensure a regular flow of information available to AAI funding departments and to donors and official funders as required by the various funding mechanisms.

Communications and Campaign

• Develop a communication strategy that will deepen the impact of communication work, identify key priorities, channels, audiences and messages to establish an appropriate public image for ActionAid Palestine in line with ActionAid International values and culture
• Develop and manage a sound relationship with all sections of the media and ensure that any published material accurately reflects the views of AA Palestine.
• Encourage the development of appropriate research with a view to improving the quality of field work and influencing change in policy to improve the conditions and positions of the people living in poverty in Palestine.
• Conduct campaigns to create connections between poor, excluded and vulnerable people to increase the public’s awareness of, and support for their cause and grow our supporter base in Palestine.

People Management

• Maintain effective and appropriate staff recruitment, induction, appraisal, and remuneration and development policies and practices at all levels to ensure the optimum utilisation and development of AA Palestine’s human resources.
• Appoint, develop and manage all senior staff. Ensure a high calibre of staff is recruited while promoting a gender balance in the organisation, and that optimum investments are made in their development.
• Develop a qualified and valued ActionAid team in Palestine, based on equality and diversity, and provide this team with an empowering and enabling environment conducive to quality programming by fostering innovation, ongoing learning and team work
• Actively promote staff exchange, secondment and development schemes, where these contribute to the meeting of ActionAid’s programme objectives and priorities

Operations & Finance

• Ensure mutual accountability between ActionAid and related stakeholders with the establishment of all organisational processes, systems and policy to ensure the effectiveness of AA Palestine.
• Ensure the financial integrity and accountability of AA Palestine in accordance with ActionAid Financial Management framework.
• Manage the financial resources allocated to or raised by the country in compliance with approved policies/ frameworks as well as national law and donors’ regulations;
• Prepare budget and financial plan to ensure that that the control of expenditure and the disbursement of resources in accordance with the established procedures ;
• Provide progress and financial reports as required by the government and as per ActionAid’s accountability procedures and as required by the donors.
• Maintain an efficient internal control framework to ensure that AA Palestine has a well-balanced, well documented and cost-effective programme.

Partnership management and development

• Manage and encourage the co-operative relationships established with various specialist institutions and partners in the country and ensure that these joint initiatives conform to programme objectives and strengthen the profile of AA Palestine.
• Lead the development and implementation of country-specific guidelines for the management of partnerships in line with the CSP and other relevant organizational policies.

Other

• Develop ActionAid Palestine ‘s capacity to document, disseminate and learn from development work in and ensure all reporting meet the highest standard.
• Act as focal person to identify and manage all risks/ crisis related to AAI operations in Palestine

Education and Essential Experience

University degree level qualification, preferably post-graduate qualifications in development study, political science and/or organisational management

• A minimum of 5 years’ experience in the top management position in development work and poverty alleviation programmes with proven initiative, flexibility and enthusiasm in managing complex activities in a changing environment. Experience working as country/executive director for similar organisation is an advantage.
• Demonstrated senior management expertise, including proven ability to develop the capacities of multi-disciplinary professional teams of similar staff size (30 and above).
• Proven experience in managing complex financial control and management systems with the budget size of 3 million GBP.
• Demonstrated expertise in strategic and long term planning and the ability to ensure that operational plans and activities meet targets and appropriately reflect longer term perspectives. .
• Proven track records in fundraising from diversified resources and contract management from bilateral and multilateral donors
• Proven experience of working and negotiating with Government officials and/or donors at all levels

Essential Knowledge and Skills

• Sound and up to date knowledge of development concepts, methodologies and techniques including demonstrated expertise in at least one specialist development field.
• Excellent negotiation and communication skills, including demonstrated ability to handle sensitive diplomatic and Government level negotiations on matters affecting ActionAid’s Palestine country programmes.
• Sound awareness of the political, social, economic and historic environment in which ActionAid’s poverty alleviation programmes are operating at both national and community levels.
• Proficiency in English and a familiarity with the context of the country as it affects development strategies.
• Strong leadership and management skills
• Strong analytical/Problem solving, and management of crisis, conflict and risk.

Other details

In addition to the essential requirements, candidates with proven fundraising experience, project management records; management background in humanitarian response and resilience work and organisational change management processes have additional advantages.

HOW TO APPLY

Location: Hebron.

Closing date: 27^th August 2023

To apply please click ‘apply for job’

As part of the application process kindly submit your CV and a cover letter, preferably in MS Word. All application documents (cover letter and CV) should be submitted in English.

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