Ukraine: Team Leader - Ukraine Response

Following the escalation of the war in Ukraine in March 2022, War Child began responding through a local partnership model focused on Education, Protection and Mental Health & Psychosocial Support. In 2024 this work will expand through established strategic partnerships focused on supporting local leadership and scaling of Evidence-Based Methodologies.

The Response Team Leader will lead a core team in the growth, development and consolidation of War Child’s programming and partnerships in Ukraine. This involves expanding and maintaining strategic relationships with external stakeholders, while executing the quality programming and fundraising strategy in line with War Child’s added value and priorities of strategic partners.

Your Challenge: 

• Further develop War Child’s response in Ukraine, building programmes, partnerships and portfolios that maximises War Child’s added value for conflict-affected children within the wider humanitarian landscape.
• Responsible for continued development and execution of War Child’s strategy in Ukraine, ensuring alignment with national priorities and evolving needs.
• Develop strategic partnerships with national and international institutions and civil society organisations, complementing War Child’s strengths and expertise to increase reach and impact.
• Effectively lead the Ukraine response team, ensuring clarity of mission and focus for the team and individuals.
• Represent War Child’s response in Ukraine across all internal and external stakeholders.

Response Leadership: 

• Maintain an overview of the country context and humanitarian trends, ensuring War Child’s country presence, impact and strategy remains relevant and evolves when needed.
• Lead the annual planning and budgeting process, including regular reviews.
• Integrate operational and program systems, policies, and procedures to enable impactful and high-quality programming and effective operations.
• Ensure effective country management and support structures are in place to manage short term complexities and contribute to long-term programming stabilization.
• Support programme and technical staff to effectively plan and resolve implementation challenges.
• Liaise with relevant departments and external stakeholders to maximise opportunities for War Child to add value, including proactive identification of response and programme options.
• Lead the consolidation of the response and global programme initiatives, achieving one War Child in Ukraine.

Resource Mobilisation & Grant Management: 

• Proactively map, network and position with prospective donors, in line with partners’ shared priorities and strategic aims.
• Ensure strategic investments in pilot initiatives align with partner priorities and forecasts in the donor landscape.
• Lead fundraising efforts in-country with prospective donors, ensuring clear responsibilities and capacities in place to anticipate and capture calls for proposals.

Operations & People Management: 

• Maintain an agile and flexible operating model, minimising unnecessary bureaucratic burdens, particularly for partners.
• Maintain and monitor the Ukraine master budget, ensuring coverage of core costs and financial sustainability of the response
• Establish strong team cohesion amongst all Ukraine staff.
• Create and nurture a safe, inclusive and transparent work environment and culture where everyone can bring their authentic, whole and true selves to work and to safeguard the wellbeing of all.
• Provide direct support and ongoing review of work performance for staff under direct report including regular opportunities for two-way feedback.

Your Profile: 

• Experience in delivering humanitarian programmes in fragile contexts ideally in a management capacity.
• Proven experience of successful donor-funded program development and implementation, fundraising / resources mobilization, and strategy development and execution.
• Relevant academic background e.g. Management, Social Sciences, Community Development, Child Rights, Social Work, Education, etc.
• Demonstrated experience in developing strategic partnerships including local partners, networking and representation, with actors such as ministries, institutional governmental donors, UN agencies, INGOs and civil society actors.
• Experience in managing UN-funded projects and knowledge of compliance requirements.
• Experience in and technical knowledge in some of the following domains: Child Protection, Psychosocial Support, Education, Youth Empowerment.
• Proven experience in institutional fundraising including developing concept notes and proposals.
• Strong leadership & solid management skills with cultural sensitivity and results focus.
• Excellent communication, networking, relationship building, interpersonal skills.
• Highly proactive and a self-starter.
• Stress-resilient to be able to cope with complex problems, security issues and deadlines.
• Fluency in English, both written and spoken is essential, fluency in Ukrainian is preferable.
• Ability to travel frequently for extended periods (if not Ukraine based).

Location: 

It is highly preferable for this position to be based in Ukraine. Other country locations, where War Child has its offices, will however also be considered. The successful candidate must be eligible to work in that country. Preference will be given to local candidates.

Contract: 

War Child standardly offers an initial 1-year contract with the intention to extend. Depending on the duty station, a local contract with salary and secondary labour conditions based on the local salary scale and T&C will apply.

The Organisation: 

War Child is a dynamic organization. We try to keep an informal ambiance within our office, with a lot of room for creativity, inspiration and self-initiative from employees. We practice what we preach: dynamic, innovative, integrity focused, and a drive to reach the highest possible results against the lowest possible costs. War Child Holland offers a challenging job in an inspiring workplace.

How to Apply: 

Interested and qualified candidates are invited to apply before 15 December 2023. Make sure to upload your English CV (maximum of two pages) and cover letter by using the following hyperlink: https://warchild.onlinevacatures.nl/job/296199/apply

N.B. War Child will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis and reserves the right to close the vacancy if a successful candidate is identified prior to the closing date.

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