Head Of Country Office, Armenia

Organizational Context

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest humanitarian organization, with a network of 191-member National Societies (NSs). The overall aim of IFRC is “to inspire, encourage, facilitate, and promote at all times all forms of humanitarian activities by NSs with a view to preventing and alleviating human suffering and thereby contributing to the maintenance and promotion of human dignity and peace in the world.” IFRC works to meet the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable people before, during and after disasters, health emergencies and other crises.

IFRC is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (Movement), together with its member NSs and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The work of the IFRC is guided by the following fundamental principles: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality.

IFRC is led by its Secretary General, and has its Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The Headquarters are organized into three main Divisions: (i) National Society Development and Operations Coordination; (ii) Global Relations, Humanitarian Diplomacy and Digitalization; and (iii) Management Policy, Strategy and Corporate Services.

IFRC has five regional offices in Africa, Asia Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, Europe, and the Americas. IFRC also has country cluster delegation and country delegations throughout the world. Together, the Geneva Headquarters and the field structure (regional, cluster and country) comprise the IFRC Secretariat.

IFRC has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment and other forms of harassment, abuse of authority, discrimination, and lack of integrity (including but not limited to financial misconduct). IFRC also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles.

The IFRC Country Cluster Delegation in South Caucasus provides support to three national societies: Armenia Red Cross, Azerbaijan Red Crescent and Georgia Red Cross through long-term programming and emergency response, as well as National Society Development and capacity building efforts. Current programme priorities include longer-term programmes on the national society development, disaster preparedness and response, health, migration, education in emergencies and other programs respectfully.

IFRC Country office in Armenia acts as a part of IFRC Country Cluster Delegation in South Caucasus.

In 2020, Armenia faced two large-scale emergencies: the COVID-19 pandemic and the escalation of conflict in September 2020. In 2021, Armenia faced the second and third waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, which took their toll on the country's health and social care system and the national economy.

In parallel to responding to the complex consequences of the COVID-19 global emergency since early 2020, the Armenian Red Cross Society (ARCS) has been regularly providing humanitarian assistance to the people affected by the escalations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The most recent September 2020 and September 2022 escalations caused mass population movement of up to 100,000 people in total who had to relocate from the conflict-affected areas across different regions of Armenia, either temporarily or for a longer-term displacement, the vast majority of whom were older people, women, and children.

Since September 2023, Armenia has experienced a massive influx of people following the 19 September escalation of hostilities. From 29 September to 5 October, the government of Armenia confirmed the arrival of 101,848 individuals in the country, 90% arriving in the first week of the emergency.

Job Purpose

The Government of Armenia requested ARCS' assistance in registering arrivals. ARCS played a major role in the immediate response by deploying 1,500 staff members and volunteers to the GoA designated reception points. Within the first week of the displacement commencement, ARCS reached more than 3,500 people with essential in-kind distributions while designing a larger-scale Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) operational strategy that later evolved into an Emergency Appeal, targeting 90,000 displaced people with the response to imminent humanitarian needs in the areas of 1) Shelter, 2) Food security), 3) Health and Care, with a focus on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS), including a main focus on Psychological First Aid (PFA). The strategy envisions a transition (months 3-6) from immediate response to early recovery with a focus on 4) Livelihoods, 5) Education (including Child Protection and Safeguarding), and 6) Health and Care, all of which will contribute to improved resilience and coping mechanisms of the affected population at the individual, household, and community levels.

IFRC has launched an Emergency Appeal amounting to 20 million CHF (Secretariat funding requirement: 15 million) to support the Armenian Red Cross to meet the immediate and long-term needs of the affected people. The Armenian Red Cross, with the support of IFRC, is scaling up to continue responding to the growing humanitarian needs, including immediate support such as essential items, first aid, and psychosocial support.

The Head of Country Office (HoCO) is based in Yerevan and provides strategic leadership to the IFRC team in country. This includes supporting the Armenia Red Cross Society (ARCS) with National Society Strengthening, addressing recent population movement, providing an enabling environment to the IFRC Network in Armenia, leading humanitarian diplomacy efforts in country and ensuring the safety of the Red Cross staff in country.

The HoCO

• Provides strategic leadership support to ensure implementation of the IFRC Agenda for Renewal in Armenia.
• Ensures the delivery and constant evolution of activities in Armenia around National Society Development, strategic and operational coordination and representing the collective work of the Federation through Humanitarian Diplomacy and Advocacy.
• Represents IFRC with stakeholders and partners in Armenia, including government agencies and institutions, diplomatic missions and international organizations and actors and supports the ARCS in reinforcing its auxiliary role in the country.
• Ensures effective membership coordination to increase the readiness of ARCS capacity to quickly respond to disasters and crises and support for greater community and institutional resilience and promotes Movement cooperation whenever relevant.
• Provides leadership support to ARCS by convening a country coordination platform for the membership operating in Armenia and for those NSs supporting through multilateral means, the development of a single country support plan for Armenia, aligned with the ARCS development plan.
• Acts as a focal point to support the ARCS, managing programmes and coordinating interdisciplinary projects. The HoCO has oversight of all initiatives and is accountable for the delivery of activities by the programme staff in Armenia, under overall supervision of the HoCCD.
• Manages a multidisciplinary team of national and international staff and works closely with the ARCS and other Federation members.
• Mobilizes resources and raises funds including coordination, cooperation, and collaboration with partners to strengthen (and scale up) the capacity of NSs. The HoCO is responsible for all non-project-specific duties, including reporting, quality, risk and benefit realization management.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

Programme and Project Management and Coordination

• Is responsible and accountable for strategic planning, implementing, monitoring, reporting, and evaluating programmes and projects, including oversight of budgets and budget management.
• Monitors projects on consistency and compliance, especially with policies, procedures, standards, methodologies, instruments, theories, and practices.
• Maintains close dialogue and engagement with the ARCS’ leadership and management to oversee quality assurance for programmes and operations.
• Is responsible for approving expenses related to the project and budget for which is responsible for, including the approval of advances to ARCS as well as their reports on expenditures.
• Monitors projects on effectiveness, especially for meeting (and adapting to) the needs of people, expectations and capacities of national societies and partners.
• Identifies, analyses, accepts, or mitigates uncertainty in decisions and act (or not) given the benefit realization and risk tolerance.
• Supports the HoCCD with membership coordination, to include PNSs and ICRC programming interests in Armenia.

Non-project-specific duties, especially synergies, capacity building and learning responsibilities.

• In coordination with the HoCCD, leads a collaborative and cooperative approach across all the aspects of the support, assistance and advice provided, including using resources of the membership and external partners, to minimizing project and team silos and maximizing synergies and efficiencies.
• Supports, assists and advises NSs’ leadership and management in the entire programming cycle. For assessing the needs and capacities, plans, monitors, evaluates and puts in place stronger reporting capacities to increase quality in the reporting and learnings.
• Leads, instils, and implants integration, synergy and learning across projects and project teams minimizing project and team silos and maximizing synergies and efficiencies.
• Plans, executes, and oversees all activities and tasks needed to maintain the desired level of excellence and the highest standards of work, service, and evidence.
• Makes more efficient, effective, and consistent standard operating procedures, protocols, and practices, including those related to requirements (such as but not limited to reports) of the membership and external partners.

Mobilization of resources and raising of funds including coordination, cooperation and collaboration with partners

• Identifies and promotes initiatives to increase the financial sustainability of the NS through the delivery of quality services that generate income for the ARCS.
• Mobilizes resources to expand and scale-up activities, projects and programmes in close collaboration, coordination, and cooperation with relevant colleagues and always ensure that projects will include elements to increase NS’s financial sustainability.
• Maintains coordination, cooperation and collaboration with country, country cluster support, regional and global technical teams to ensure consistency with approaches, policies, methodologies, instruments, theories and practices and greater efficiencies.
• Maintains open, accessible, and transparent communication with the ARCS, the IFRC membership, ICRC, external partners, and, with teams in country, country cluster support and regional offices, and headquarters.

Management of IFRC Secretariat resources in the country

Finance and Risk Management

• Ensures sound financial management of the IFRC Secretariat's programming in the country, that effective budget planning is in place, and that programmes operate within approved budgets.

Job Duties and Responsibilities (continued)

Reporting

• Ensures the quality and timeliness of the reporting of the IFRC Secretariat's programming.
• Maintains regular management reporting to the HoCCD.
• Ensures the highest standards of accountability through preventive measures and firmed actions on issues raising concerns of no compliance on integrity, reputation, and transparency along with the IFRC policies and procedures.
• Ensures sound risk management culture within the Office and in the support of the ARCS digital transformation to advance on a common agenda to address greater accountability and institutional operational efficiencies.
• As the senior member of IFRC in Armenia, provides leadership, guidance, and support to all IFRC staff in the country.
• Ensures all IFRC staff in Armenia have clear roles and responsibilities and that performance feedback mechanisms are in place.
• In close collaboration with the HoCCD and the Regional Security Manager, ensures that security policies and procedures are established and adhered to.
• Constantly monitor the security and risk environment and recommend changes to IFRC’s policies and procedures as required.
• Ensures all IFRC (and other RCRC) personnel, assets, and operations under IFRC responsibility are adequately protected under comprehensive and effective 24/7 security management, and that identified security risks are mitigated as much as possible, including regular training, coordination, and advice with security-sensitive situations.
• Undertakes a security risk assessment of Federation operations according to the needs to ensure compliance with the Federation's Minimum-Security Requirements (MSR) and develop/update appropriate security plans and procedures in accordance with MSR. This includes Office, Residential and Site security coordination.
• Monitors and analyses security, political and socio-economic situation, identify security-related trends and issues that affect the Federation and RC/RC Movement and establish and maintain coordination with external stakeholders and ensures country-specific security briefings and debriefings as appropriate

Education

Experience

Knowledge, Skills and Languages

Required

Competencies, Values and Comments