Area Manager

Duty station: San Salvador, El Salvador.

1. Background/Context

In the past five years, the populations of Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala (often referred to as the countries of North of Central America, NCA) have been affected by devastating violence, extreme weather (torrential rains and flooding followed by months-long drought) and other natural disasters. The number of displaced people has been growing exponentially and every year hundreds of thousands become internally displaced or flee their country trying to make their way to the US or Mexico and often get stuck in between or are sent back to their country, where they face additional challenges. In El Salvador, NRC has been responding to mounting internal and external displacement since 2015, focusing on the protection crisis, but also integrating education, shelter, WASH, livelihoods and food security interventions.  

The purpose of the Area Manager position is to ensure high quality and cost-effective programme/ project implementation within the designated geographical area. The following is a brief description of the role.

1. Generic Responsibilities

The following is a brief description of the role:

• Line management of senior project staff and support functions in the area. 
• Member of the Country Management Group (CMG).
• Compliance with and adherence to NRC policies, guidance and procedures.
• Provide area specific input on CC strategies, Country Strategy and Plan of Action.
• In collaboration with the Programme Development Managers and the Grants Manager, organize grants opening and closure meetings at area level.
• Implementation of projects (including master support budget and coordinating input for donor proposals and reports) in the area, in compliance with contractual commitments (i.e. quality, synergies, timeliness, use of resources) and aligned to regional and global strategies.
• Assess needs, develop emergency response and implement response plans, including cash-based interventions and market based programmes.
• Ensure optimal use of resources within the allocated project budgets and CC strategies. 

1. Specific Responsibilities

• Closely collaborate with the Country Director and the rest of the CMG to ensure NCA&M has the most efficient structure to account for changes in volume and adapt to contextual developments.
• Support the transition to right-size support structures in line with NRC CO-OP by reorganizing both support and programme teams reporting lines in El Salvador. 
• Focus on the operational consolidation of El Salvador.
• Provide effective leadership to the Area team: organise regular Area Management Team meetings to ensure flow of information between the area and the country office; participate in programme meetings; ensure performance management of direct reports. 
• Contribute to the active and strategic role of NRC in humanitarian coordination mechanisms at area level. 
• Support the development of concept notes, project proposals, and budget development.
• Provide regular input to advocacy initiatives
• Accountable for safe programming at area level in line with NRC Protection Policy and guidelines. 

1. Generic Professional Competencies

• Minimum 3 years of experience from working as a Senior Project Manager in a humanitarian/recovery context.
• Previous experience from working in complex and volatile contexts.
• Documented results related to the position’s responsibilities.
• Experience in implementing and managing cash-based interventions and market based programmes.
• Knowledge about own leadership skills/profile. 
• Fluency in Spanish and English, both written and verbal.
• Knowledge of the humanitarian and protection context in El Salvador
• Knowledge of donor landscape, priorities and conditions.

Find more details about the role HERE.

1. What We Offer

• Type of contract: Fixed term contract, 24 months renewable upon funding
• Salary/benefits: According to NRC salary scale, terms and conditions
• Duty station: San Salvador, El Salvador

Find out more about the benefits of working for NRC HERE.

Important information about the application process:

• Internal candidates only: please click on the suitcase icon labelled “I am an employee” to be redirected to NRC’s internal careers site.
• When creating your profile, include your full name as given on your passport. Complete all the system-required fields for experience, employment history and education.
• Submit your application and CV in English, taking care to attach your latest CV.
• Applications that do not meet the minimum standards in terms of experience or qualifications will generally not be considered. Unsolicited applications not related to this specific job advertisement will not be considered.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. We receive many applicants for each vacant position.

Why NRC?

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is an independent humanitarian organization helping people forced to flee. Our 15,000 staff work in crises across 40 countries, providing life-saving and long-term assistance to millions of people every year.

Watch this short video to see NRC in action.

• Learn more about NRC HERE.

Internal candidates are encouraged to apply, and we are also open to external applicants who can show a commitment to NRC and being part of a challenging, but important mission to make a difference.

NRC might review applications before the advertised deadline, therefore interested candidates are encouraged to apply early.