05/02/2024
Vacancy Announcement:
Identification of Position
Title: Country Director
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
Reports to: Regional Director
Start Date: 1
st April 2024
Contract Duration: 3 Years
KEY: Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS); Country Office (CO); Country Director (CD).
Organizational Context
The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) is a ministry of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits),
incorporated as an international non-governmental organisation with a mission to
accompany, serve, and advocate for the rights of refugees and forcibly displaced people.
The organisation was founded in November 1980 and now has a presence in over 58
countries. JRS undertakes services at national and regional levels with the support and
guidance of an international office (IO) in Rome. JRS service is humane and spiritual,
working in situations of greatest need, seeking the long-term well-being of refugees and
displaced people while not neglecting their immediate or urgent needs.
The main services provided are in the field of education, emergency assistance,
psychosocial support, pastoral care, advocacy and livelihood activities. Currently, more
than 724,000 individuals are direct beneficiaries of JRS projects.
CHILD SAFEGUARDING AND PSEAH COMMITMENTS
JRS has zero tolerance towards all forms of sexual exploitation and abuse and takes
seriously all concerns and complaints about sexual exploitation and abuse against children
and vulnerable people by JRS personnel. JRS is committed to safeguarding children and
vulnerable adults and has policies which outline the expected behaviour, code of conduct
and responsibility of all persons acting on behalf of JRS (Staff, consultants, volunteers,
interns, pastoral team and other representatives). JRS personnel are expected to abide by
these policies and guidelines.
Operational Context/Role
The Country Director (CD)’s primary responsibility is to provide management of operations,
staff and project initiatives that align with the JRS’ goals and objectives in South Africa. The
CD will coordinate and support the initiation and implementation of all aspects of
programming within the country with the guidance and strategic oversight of the
Regional Office(RO). He/she will be responsible for planning, implementing, monitoring
and evaluating the JRS projects within South Africa, under the direction of the Regional
Director, supported by Regional Office staff. The CD will also be responsible for fundraising
for the projects, and management of grants. Lastly, the CD will work in close collaboration
with the Regional Office in defining all aspects of the project cycle as well as develop
positive and effective relationships with key partners and stakeholders in the interest of
promoting JRS’s objectives.
Key Responsibilities
1. Coordination of JRS projects in South Africa
• In consultation with the Regional Director and relevant stakeholders, analyze
regularly the unmet needs of refugees and asylum seekers, and other populations
of concern, and to suggest new initiatives;
• Through a consultative process within the country and field visits, assist in the
development of strategies, methodologies, contingency plans that respond to
current, new and emerging challenges for the country office;
• Lead and manage the process of developing the country operations plan, aligned
with the global strategic framework and priorities, and regional strategic priorities
as well as with any annual programming/planning instructions from the Directors;
• Attend meetings of relevant Cluster Working Groups with government
departments and other stakeholders at national and provincial levels; and network
and collaborate with organizations and government institutions working with our
people of concern.
• Coordinate JRS activities in Johannesburg, Pretoria and other areas accordingly.
2. Project related activities
• Responsible for the overall planning, monitoring, reporting and evaluation of JRS
projects within the country;
• Ensure timely and effective planning and implementation of annual needs
assessments for each project site, according to JRS standards and guidelines;
• Set methodologies, timeframes and resources for project evaluations;
• Develop project proposals and reports according to JRS standards and donor
requirements in collaboration with the Regional Office.
• Conduct regular project visits to monitor and evaluate the project activities to
ensure timely and quality implementation as well as suggesting improvements of
planning, programming and implementation of current processes according to the
JRS vision and mission, standards and guidelines, and donor specific requirements,
and provide feedback to the RO and to donors.
• Conduct regular field visits to train and update Project Coordinators and other key
field staff in project writing, management, compliance, monitoring and evaluation
according to JRS’ standards and guidelines.
• Ensure project learning is generated and documented, and shared within the JRS
network.
• Liaise with country, regional, and international technical support officers as needed
to ensure relevancy and quality and effectiveness of project activities.
• Ensure strict accountability and good quality of reports.
3. Support and Communication
• Represents JRS in the country and in any relevant meetings;
• Communicating regularly with the Regional Director and IO Desk Officers in the
Programmes and Innovation Department informing them on all major issues and
developments in programming within the country.
• Support the country office team in South Africa to ensure its well-being and
effective and efficient implementation of all operations and project activities
according to local laws of South Africa and the guiding policies and procedures of
JRS.
4. Relations with partner and donor agencies
• Maintain close working relations and attend meetings with JRS’s partner agencies,
as well as with other international humanitarian/development organisations
including UNHCR, government departments, funding agencies and Church bodies;
• Support the organizational fundraising actions by maintaining regular contact,
including meetings with donor representatives and by submitting project funding
proposals and managing donor reporting;
• In close collaboration with the Regional Director, negotiates funding or partnership
agreements with current and new funding partners;
• Attend Cluster Working Group, collaborate with Church organizations and other
organizations working in the same thematic areas, and attend other relevant
coordination meetings;
• Build strong rapport with the major partners/donors as well as with government
institutions and structures;
• Explore and help create possibilities for new partnerships/donors;
• Develop relevant communication tools to keep team members, partners and
donors regularly informed of country office projects and operations;
• Represent the organisation in meetings, giving talks and presentations.
5. Work with the Country Team
• Leads and coordinates the JRS-South Africa country office team;
• Works closely with other members of the team to fulfil its function of shared
leadership through the coordination of all project efforts in the country;
• Attend regular team meetings, planning meetings and workshops;
• Promotes and creates trust and mutual support and care among the CO team
members.
6. Budgeting and Financial Management
• Oversee the drafting of the annual budget for the CO; and budgets for specific
projects;
• Regularly monitor project income and expenditure in conjunction with the Country
Finance Officer and the Regional Finance Officer;
• With support from RO, ensure that projects have enough funding for their
implementation; and that project budgets expenditures adhere to approved
budgets, especially including the ratio of project activities costs versus
administration costs.
• Submit the annual budget for the projects in conjunction with the project Finance
Officer.
• Ensure that audits are adequately prepared for and are done in time;
• Ensure the submission of financial reports in time and of good quality.
7. Care for personnel
• Ensures adequate supervision, professional development, training, coaching and
mentoring of all country staff.
• In collaboration with the Country Human Resources Officer, ensure that JRS Human
Resources policies and procedures are implemented at country level and where
necessary, adapted to local statutory requirements – respecting the local laws of
South Africa.
• Discerns and advises Regional Director on overall staffing needs in the project
proposal process and in the operations of the CO.
Qualifications and Experience:
• Advanced University degree, preferably in Project Management, Business
Administration, or equivalent;
• At least four (4) years of project management experience working with NGOs,
which include project proposal and reports writing, project evaluation and
monitoring;
• Professional experience in a similar capacity with international, non-profit
organizations;
• Knowledge of and experience with strategic framework, log frames, etc.
• Good knowledge and understanding of the socio-economic, political
and legal context of South Africa. (Being a South African, living in South
Africa in the recent past five years will be an added advantage).
Languages
• Excellent proficiency in written and verbal English;
• a professional working knowledge of French and some main local South African
languages spoken in the country is desirable.
Required Skills and competencies.
• Some experience of working with or knowledge of migration and the situation of
refugees and asylum seekers in Africa.
• Excellent project management skills with experience in managing and supervising
projects;
• Excellent knowledge of the project cycle and logical framework approach;
Demonstrated knowledge and experience with Results-based Management
Framework
• Possess good knowledge of planning and strategizing financial and budgeting
issues;
• Experience with basic financial management skills including developing and
monitoring budgets and financial reporting;
• Ability to prioritize work, meet deadlines and produce quality results on time with
attention to detail;
• Proficient in using computers with related knowledge of software programs and
Internet.
• Self-direction, creativity, and follow up skills to ensure work is accurate and
deadlines are met;
• Ability to prioritize and manage several tasks in a fast-paced environment;
• Ability to work in a multicultural environment and promote effective teamwork;
• Strong ability to work under pressure;
• Strong management, analytical and interpersonal skills;
• Good organizational skills and high attention to detail;
• Ability to work with and maintain good relationships with multiple stakeholders;
• Demonstrated experience in working in developing countries is highly desirable;
• Willingness to work and travel to refugee settings in challenging environment
• Ability to perform in cross-functional team approach and job responsibilities;
• Good understanding of the organization's overall business and its objectives;
• Excellent interpersonal and presentation skills
Required Core values.
• High integrity, honesty and confidentiality; ability to deal tactfully and discreetly with
people, situations and information.
• Good understanding of and compatibility with the values of JRS.
• Commitment to JRS’s mission, vision and values; the ability to convey with
enthusiasm JRS’s role in accompanying and serving forcibly displaced people and
to advocate for their right to protection and a life in dignity.
• Acceptance of diversity and inclusion as a core value.
• Accountability and responsibility as core values.
Travel
The position requires regular travel to JRS locations.
Conditions
Contract is for 3 years renewable (depending on funding and performance) with an initial
probation of 3 months.
JRS remuneration policy is in keeping with JRS ethos to offer effective and professional
service and at the same time express solidarity with the people served. The salary scale is
calculated with the use of a Post Adjustment Multiplier and takes into account years of
relevant experience and degree of responsibility of the role.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Do apply for the position using the following link: Apply
Please note that application ought to be submitted before 15th February 2024
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
The position is only open to candidates who possess South African citizenship or other legal
authorization to work in South Africa.
Note: JRS has a Child Safeguarding (CS) Policy, PSEAH and Gender policies in place and
expects all staff to read, sign and adhere to them.
JRS is committed to the fair and inclusive treatment of our colleagues and potential new
colleagues, regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, nationality,
responsibilities for dependants, age, physical/mental disability, or background. As part of
our candidate application and recruitment process, we collect, process and store personal
information about you. We are committed to doing the right thing when it comes to how
we collect, use and protect your personal data; and we explain how we handle your
personal data in full within our Privacy Policy
