JOB DETAILS
LOCATION:
This role can be located in a country where Oxfam has a presence, subject to Oxfam’s ability to employ in that location, the affordability and practicality of doing so for this restricted funded fixed term position and right to work requirements being met. Follow this link to see where we work as a guide to where Oxfam may have the ability to establish a contract of employment.
Due to legal & financial constraints, it is not currently possible for this role to be based in some Oxfam locations. These include, but are not limited to, Brazil, France, Italy and Sweden and any countries restricted due to budget constraints.
CONTRACT TYPE: Fixed Term 18 months.
JOB FAMILY: Program
ONE OXFAM GRADE: B ZONE: 2
DEPARTMENT:
Global Humanitarian Team
TEAM: Performance and Innovation Team
SALARY: Competitive salary and benefits packages will be offered in line with local cost of living and national pay structures. Exact details to be confirmed by employing Affiliate.
HOURS: Full time
FLEXIBLE WORKING
We believe flexible working is key to building the Oxfam of the future, so we’re open to talking through the type of flexible arrangements which might work for you.
COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
We are committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organization.
GLOBAL HUMANITARIAN TEAM PURPOSE: The Global Humanitarian Team (GHT) has designated responsibilities to support, coordinate and lead humanitarian response and policies to reduce the impact of, prepare for and respond to crises, harnessing the resources of the whole Oxfam confederation to deliver support for Oxfam’s strategic plan.
The GHT has designated responsibilities to support, coordinate and lead humanitarian response and policies to reduce the impact of, prepare for and respond to crises, harnessing the resources of the whole Oxfam confederation to deliver support for Oxfam’s strategic plan. The GHT works across Oxfam countries and regions and in close coordination with others working GHT will work with others to maximize the quality and impact of Oxfam’s humanitarian program by:
- Delivering rapid, safe and high-quality emergency surge capacity.
- Supporting program strategy, operational design, humanitarian preparedness and response.
- Promote greater local humanitarian leadership and collaborate on our approach to fragility and across the nexus.
- Facilitate the development of humanitarian capacity across Oxfam and partner organizations through building and brokering a cross-confederation network and community.
- Supporting the gathering of evidence to enable learning, innovation and advocating for change across the sector.
- Working with Campaigns and Policy to influence for greater respect of the basic rights of crisis affected men and women.
- Working closely with affiliates in their roles as EAs and PAs for the best interests of the humanitarian program.
- Ensure connection with global and technical humanitarian system and coordination.
PERFORMANCE & INNOVATION TEAM PURPOSE: The Performance and Innovation Team (PIT) is composed of experts in each Oxfam key programming and quality area, to provide strategic leadership, expertise and support to the confederation’s humanitarian programme and global positioning. They PIT builds and brokers a network of practitioners in key technical areas to improve coordination, coherence and learning across the confederation. It sets and monitors programme standards, uses evidence to drive organisational learning and innovation, gathers evidence, analyses performance and makes recommendations for internal change or adaptation and to ensure Oxfam remains a key humanitarian actor able to influence the global sector. The PIT leads innovation and collaborates with external partners and stakeholders to improve the humanitarian system.
JOB PURPOSE: The Organizational Preparedness Project Manager will lead the “Organizational Preparedness Project” with the objective to ensure that procedures, strategic ownership, decision-making and accountability mechanisms are in place in the different Oxfam teams, entities and functions to guarantee a timely and quality Oxfam and partners humanitarian preparedness and response, and the optimisation of quality, speed and volume of humanitarian assistance delivered just before or after the onset of a humanitarian crisis.
JOB REPORTS TO:
Deputy Humanitarian Director Quality
Matrix Manager: Deputy Humanitarian Director Responses
JOBS REPORTING TO THIS JOB
Project Coordinator
BUDGET RESPONSIBILITY
300.000 Euros
GEOGRAPHICAL SCOPE
Global
IMPACT
Internal: Cross-confederation within Oxfam
External: represent Oxfam in any preparedness fora (for example, SCHR)
KEY STAKEHOLDERS
Southern Affiliates, Partner organizations, Executing and Partner Affiliates (EAs & PAs), GHT Leadership Team (LT), Humanitarian Working Group (HWG), Country Directors (CDs), Regional Directors (RDs), Executive Directors (Eds), Country/Response Leads/Programme Managers/Country HR advisors, Finance, Security and Logistics Leads, MEAL, Programme & Nexus Forum Humanitarian Sub-Committee (PNF HSC), GHT Technical Leads, EA Decision makers, Regional Humanitarian Coordinators (RHCs)
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES (Technical, Leadership, People and Resource management)
They will be responsible for the strategic improvement of Oxfam’s organizational preparedness and to ensure it becomes systematically embedded and maintained in critical above country entities and functions in line with key Oxfam strategic documents (such as the GSF, Horizon Thinking 2.0 and Oxfam’s humanitarian mandate, Commitments and Expectations).
They will focus on preparedness above country level, systematically considering different scenarios affecting a range of Oxfam presentations as well as areas where Oxfam has currently no presence.
Once the status quo and gaps have been identified, they will carry out a risk analysis to define the scope of the project and enable the project to focus efforts on those gaps which create the most critical risks, and where the impact is significant and the likelihood high.
Throughout the whole phase of this project, they will ensure that key stakeholders are contributing, involved, consulted and on board, and that buy in from decision makers in key spaces (affiliates, EA, support functions etc.) is maintained throughout the project.
In the EXPLORATION PHASE of the project, they will:
- Form a cross confederal reference group consisting of key stakeholders (including Southern Affiliates, Partners, countries and response teams as end users) and consult closely during the development of an improvement plan.
- Determine resources, roles and responsibilities, processes and coordination mechanisms needed for adequate levels of preparedness across a range of different crises and emergencies which are affecting different Oxfam representations. They will develop a comprehensive overview of the essential elements required for organizational preparedness across different scenarios.
- Review and establish the status quo of organizational preparedness across Oxfam in all its different presentations above country (from Executing/partner/southern affiliates to clusters, regions, to functions such as the GHT, and OI capacities such as security and fundraising and support functions and systems) through a desk top review of key documents, tools and resources and consultations and by completing a scenario planning matrix and key informant interviews.
- Include key stakeholder’s ownership of, and accountability for, Oxfam’s humanitarian mandate and existing (levels of) commitment across organizational entities to humanitarian action in this assessment.
- Identify critical gaps and prioritize them according to risk and/or impact. Gap analysis should include levels of commitment, capacity and ownership of key stakeholders, accountability mechanisms as well as decision-making and coordination processes, policies, tools such as minimum requirements and documents which need to be reviewed or developed. Risk analysis should prioritize gaps re impact and likelihood and help to define the scope of the project aligned with available resources and time.
- Identify quick wins and good practices to build on and amplify.
In the CONSULTATION PHASE of the project, they will:
- Develop a phased and multi-tiered preparedness improvement plan in consultation with key stakeholders and the cross confederal reference group, including proposed steps for all relevant stakeholders to close critical gaps and highlight necessary investments (and any associated costs); suggesting steps to implement quick wins and to amplify good practices.
- Recommend clear decision-making processes with responsible and accountable positions/stakeholders, ensuring buy-in from key stakeholders and establishment of accountability mechanisms across Oxfam presentations, structures, and functions.
- Include key milestones, communication plan, identified risks to realization, key roles and responsibilities as well as a proposed timeline.
- Include measures to ensure maintenance of organizational preparedness beyond project duration.
- Communicate improvement plan consisting of actions and recommendations to the PNF HSC as high-level sponsor of the project for sign off.
In the COMMUNICATION PHASE of the project, they will:
- Communicate preparedness improvement plan to wider confederation aligned with the approach so key actors know their roles and responsibilities.
- See through the implementation of the proposed decision-making process/ improvement plan in coordination with key stakeholders and with the coordinated support of identified groups/ stakeholders and for groups such as the reference group, the HWG. Adapt plan when/where necessary, discussing fundamental changes to budget or direction discuss with high level sponsor for additional sign off.
- Raise necessary additional resources to realize the project.
- Provide a tool/ process which ensure Oxfam’s organizational preparedness is being prioritized, resourced, monitored and maintained.
Main Tasks
- Project management
- Accomplish the project within budget, according to the project plan, in a cost-effective and efficient way.
- Oversee and coordinate the activities of the Organizational Preparedness project and manage the corresponding budget.
- Line Management of Project Coordinator.
- Keep the overview, analyze progress and in case of gaps, pro-actively propose ways forward; pro-actively mitigate risks.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Most importantly, every individual in Oxfam needs to be able to:
- Live our values of INCLUSION, ACCOUNTABILITY, EMPOWERMENT, COURAGE, SOLIDARITY and EQUALITY (read more about these here)
- Ensure you commit to our ORGANIZATIONAL ATTRIBUTES (including adhering to the Code of Conduct):
1. Be committed to our feminist principles, and to applying them in your day-to-day behaviour and your work. Be ready to keep learning, with accountability to those who experience oppression as a result of their identities, such as their gender, race/ethnicity, disability, class, or LGBTQIA identity.”
2. Be committed to undertaking Oxfam’s safeguarding training and adhering to relevant policies, to ensure all people who come into Oxfam are as safe as possible.
EXPERIENCE, KNOWLEDGE & COMPETENCIES
ESSENTIAL
- Self-Awareness
- Strategic thinking and judgement
- Relationship building
- Influencing
- Mutual accountability
- Experience with emergency preparedness
- Experience of work in humanitarian crises in multiple contexts, with an in- depth understanding of relevant humanitarian issues.
- In-depth understanding of relevant humanitarian principles and policies, key indicators for humanitarian settings, and sphere standards
- Excellent teamwork skills, and a track record of building trust within and empowering large, diverse teams
- Proven influencing, negotiating and networking skills with internal and external audiences
- Confident high-level representation and coordination skills
- Analytical and strategic planning skills
- Experience in the humanitarian architecture
- Knowledge of Oxfam’s ways of working, hierarchy and structure
- Oxfam experience
- Proven financial management skills
- Ability to take initiative and make decisions with limited support in fast moving environments
- Good communication skills
- Good written and spoken English
- Significant relevant experience of project management – delivering complex, multi-stakeholder projects to deadlines and within budget.
Desirable
- An advanced University degree (master’s or equivalent) in a relevant field (e.g. humanitarian studies,development studies, international relations, conflict studies, social sciences etc.) would be anadvantage. Experience could substitute for a formal qualification, but not vice versa.
- Ability to work in French and / or Spanish in addition to English.
SAFER RECRUITMENT
Oxfam is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct; and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. Oxfam expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment through our code of conduct. We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us. Offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks.
