Call for applications : Regional Coordinator

Position: Regional Coordinator (opening position) - full time
Country of affectation: Turkey
Location: Istanbul, with regular travel to Gaziantep in Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon.
Program duration: 36 months
Contract duration: 18 months minimum, and for a maximum duration until the end of the project.
Subject to funding approval

Context of the position

CFI is a French media cooperation agency mainly funded by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development, and is responsible for coordinating and implementing public aid policy for promoting and enhancing the media in developing countries. CFI works alongside players operating in the media industry (TV, radio, written press, social media), whether state-owned or private owned as well civil society organizations. CFI is currently involved in around thirty projects that fall within four major programmes: media and pluralism, media and enterprise, media and development, and media and human resources.
Three years ago, CFI started to get European Union (EU) grants to contribute to media capacity-building in the Arab world. With the worsening of the conflict in Syria, a complex political, security, and social crisis directly affecting Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Turkey is now lasting over time. In order to help Syria's neighbouring countries to cope with this enormous challenge, the EU decided to launch a Trust Fund that will finance a multisectoral program implemented by a German, Spanish, and French consortium. The French public agency Expertise France (EF) designated CFI as its implementing partner to improve a direct access to information for both Syrian refugees and vulnerable host communities in Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon. This component of the program aims to ease the information flow from the service providers directly to the Syrian beneficiaries in the 3 countries, particularly regarding protection and legal aid. This will imply to design, set-up, and run a services-oriented information collection system across the 3 countries, and disseminate information through different channels.
In the frame of this project, CFI is recruiting a Regional Coordinator, whose roles and responsibilities are detailed below.

Objectives of the position

• 1) To supervise the overall CFI regional project in Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon, i.e. ensure its implementation and monitoring in accordance with the project proposal and annexes, and with EF and CFI procedures;
• 2) To coordinate and manage the project's team as well as CFI regional coordination office in Turkey;
• 3) To represent CFI and coordinate with consortium members (EF, GIZ - Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit, and AECID - Spanish Agency for International Development Coorperation), national authorities, international organizations and regional stakeholders through regular missions if need be;
• 4) To ensure the project's reporting and communication;
• 5) To be responsible of CFI project team's security in Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan, and of CFI's premises and facilities in Turkey;
• 6) To contribute to the development of CFI activities in the region.

Line Management/Hierarchical links

- The Regional Coordinator works under the hierarchical authority of CFI HQ Mediterranean Region and Asia Director (based in Paris).
- On a day-to-day basis, regarding all aspects of the project's implementation, the Regional Coordinator works in close coordination with CFI HQ Syria projects' manager (based in Paris), who is the contact person in CFI HQ.
- The Regional Coordinator directly supervises 3 project managers respectively in Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon, who are dedicated to the project.

Functional links

-The Regional Coordinator works closely with the program's consortium members representatives (EF, GIZ, AECID staff) and with local stakeholders;
-The Regional Coordinator works closely with CFI HQ - via Syria projects' manager (Mediterranean region and Asia management, Administration/Finance/Accounting services).
CFI HQ:
- Takes part to the definition of the Project Coordinator's objectives and validate the main aspects of the project.
- Needs to validate any strategic commitment towards main project's partners, specifically consortium members' representatives.
The Regional Coordinator regularly comes to Paris for monitoring missions in link with CFI HQ team.

Tasks and responsibilities

1) To supervise the overall CFI regional project in Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon, i.e. ensure its implementation and monitoring in accordance with the project proposal and annexes, and with EF and CFI procedures:

• To ensure the project's objectives, results, activities, and targets are achieved. This mainly implies:
  - delivering a platform channeling vital service-based information for the Syrian refugees in the 3 targeted countries;
  - distributing vital service-based information for the Syrian refugees via various channels;
  - ensuring service-based information are narrated into clear and understandable messages to the Syrian refugees and continuously updated.
• To ensure human, financial, logistic resources are well managed and allocated to contribute to the project's success.
• To be proactive in suggestions of reorientation strategies if need be, should this being possible with EF-CFI contract.
• In coordination with CFI HQ, to set up the activities and ensure their implementation in accordance with the project proposal, the validated budget, the workplan, and CFI contractual commitments with EF;
• To elaborate and/or fine-tune project's implementation and monitoring tools (schedule, detailed action plan, logical framework, procurement plan, budget…) and update them in close coordination with CFI HQ, in accordance with the project development and progression;
• Keeping CFI HQ updated with a weekly short recap' dealing with activities implemented; ensure a good communication flow regarding the project's progress on the ground;
• Filling and sending a monthly report to CFI HQ at the beginning of each month, covering the period of the previous month;
• To regularly conduct field visits in the three countries to make sure the activities are being implemented properly;
• To capitalize on knowledge developed during the project (contribution to communication documents, annual reports, etc. if need be).

The project coordinator supervises the 3 project managers in doing the same.
The project coordinator is responsible of authorizing expenses in Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon according to the project's budget and expenses' approval grid.

2) To coordinate and manage the project's team as well as CFI regional coordination office in Turkey:

• Take part to recruitment of the 3 project managers in Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan.
• Supervise and manage team members under his/her responsibility (priorities' management, absences' follow-up, etc.)
• Setting up regular team meetings/telephone conferences to ensure a smooth communication and coordination among the team, and to follow-up activities' implementation on the ground; Syria projects' manager (based in Paris) will also be regularly directly in touch with the 3 project managers on the phone.
• To develop Individual Annual Action Plans (IAAP) for each of the team members; support and advise them in their implementation.
• To ensure the project staff complies with CFI and EF procedures.
• The Regional Coordinator is responsible of all aspects related to the regional coordination office: finance, local regulations, office organization charts, and logistics, in line with CFI procedures. He/she.guarantees the respect of the countries' legislation and administrative regulation.

3 )To represent CFI and coordinate with consortium members (EF, GIZ, and AECID), national authorities, international organizations and regional stakeholders through regular missions if need be:

• To represent CFI and ensure good relations with the project's partners, organizations, and authorities in Turkey, and ensure that representation and good relations are well maintained in Jordan and Lebanon through CFI project managers;
• To take part to all meetings organized by the authorities and project's consortium members, partners in Turkey and at the regional level;
• To ensure necessary agreements with Turkish, Lebanese, and Jordanian authorities for the activities' implementation are elaborated and formalized, and send them to CFI HQ for validation.
• Validate any strategic commitment towards main project's partners, specifically consortium members' representatives with CFI HQ in Paris.



4) To ensure the project's reporting and communication:

• To coordinate reporting related activities in Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon by liaising with the project managers and ensure the good quality of reports in line with the donor's standards, guidelines, and deadlines;
• To ensure there is a good communication and visibility of the project in the 3 countries;
• To ensure the donor's visibility.
• To write a final report at the end of the mission;



5) To be responsible of CFI project team's security in Turkey, Lebanon, and Jordan, and of CFI's premises security in Turkey:

• To analyze potential risks and threats on the team members' security and on CFI activities on the ground (information collection and analysis, networking with local actors);
• Inform team members and CFI HQ of potential issues related to security, and manage this on a daily basis;
• Brief team members regarding security and monitor accordingly their practices (ensure they comply with CFI procedures);
• In link with CFI HQ, contribute to update the security plan defining CFI general security procedures and those adapted to Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon.



6) To contribute to the development of CFI in the region:

• To take part to discussions related to CFI strategy in the region if needed in close cooperation with CFI HQ, which can lead to writing or input project documents/proposals.

Language proficiency

Arabic: full professional proficiency highly desired
English: full professional proficiency
Turkish: highly appreciated

Skills and experiences

This position requires experience in:
-information dissemination projects and community-based information methods
-refugees' and/or community-based information flow management on multisectoral issues

The Regional Coordinator has to be experienced in carrying out international humanitarian/development projects preferably EU-funded, or at least having worked in the humanitarian/development field on refugees and/or information access matters for minimum 8 years.

The position also requires:
-Experience/knowledge of the arab countries
-Strong analytical and practical problem-solving skills
-Very good inter-personal and writing skills
-Experience in team management and cross-cultural management leadership
-Excellent skills in coordination with the relevant actors (communication and representation).
-Experience in budget monitoring and accounting (basic), logistics is desirable
-Proficient in computers (Windows, spreadsheets, Word, Excel) and interest for online platforms/applications
-Sense of integrity, responsibility, and adaptability
-Valid international driving license preferred.

Education

Relevant educational background in communication, journalism, media-related project/media platform management, international relations, international law, political sciences.

Starting date

June 13th, 2016

Status

CFI Expatriate contract

To apply

Interested candidates should submit their CV, with a covering letter (max. 2 pages) to art@cfi.fr
Deadline for applications: Friday, May 20th 2016