CCHN Regional Operations Team Lead

Reports to (role)
CCHN Deputy Director

What we do

The Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation (CCHN) is a joint initiative of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Médecins sans Frontières Switzerland (MSF-CH), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), and the UN World Food Programme (WFP).

We facilitate capturing, analyzing, and sharing experiences and practices around humanitarian negotiation and provide a space for dialogue across humanitarian organizations. At the core of our activities is the CCHN community of practice, a global community of humanitarian workers negotiating at the frontlines of humanitarian action.

The CCHN is administratively hosted by the ICRC and is based in Geneva, Switzerland.

Purpose of the role

The Regional Operations Team Lead is a key member of the CCHN Management team, which includes the Executive Director, Deputy Director, Chief Finance Officer, Transversal Operations Team Lead, Head of Support, and Head of Communication. This position reports to the CCHN Deputy Director.

The Team Lead plays a crucial role in driving the execution of CCHN’s strategic operational plan, ensuring high operational effectiveness across five global regions. They oversee a team of four to five Operations Managers and work alongside four Operations Associates.

Their responsibilities include overseeing the deployment of CCHN’s operational and thematic projects across various regions, ensuring these initiatives are streamlined and aligned with CCHN’s strategic goals and directions. The Team Lead is instrumental in leading the regional implementation of CCHN programs, focusing on creating coherence and fostering the exchange of experiences and learnings across different regions within the CCHN Community of Practice of frontline negotiators.

A significant aspect of their role involves creating synergies and collaborating closely with the Transversal Operations team. This collaboration is vital for analyzing global humanitarian negotiation practices, developing new negotiation tools, and ensuring an integrated approach across CCHN programs to maximize impact.

In addition to supervising Operations Managers, the Team Lead manages their own projects based on operational needs and requests received by CCHN. This position demands high flexibility, agility, and the ability to transition between projects dynamically.

Facilitating various negotiation workshops in field locations and online is integral to this role. The Team Lead also contributes to operational research and provides advisory support as needed.

Main duties and responsibilities

Overseeing and Contributing to CCHN’s Regional Operations

• Plays a pivotal role in setting CCHN’s direction, ensuring effective implementation and monitoring of Management decisions within the Regional Operations team.
• Leads and supervises the Regional Operations team, including Operations Managers and Associates.
• Guides the team in developing regional operational strategies grounded in thorough needs assessments, aligning regional work plans with the organization’s overall priorities.
• Manages the execution of community engagement strategies by the Operations team, in partnership with the Communication team, to nurture a dynamic and diverse community of frontline negotiators.
• Coordinates the Operations team’s daily activities, ensuring adherence to project management systems and seamless implementation of operational policies and frameworks.
• Collaborates with the Head of Support to facilitate effective coordination for the logistical execution of CCHN’s Annual Workplan.
• Provides support for peer-to-peer exchange facilitation within the Operations team.
• Directly facilitates onsite and online negotiation workshops and spearheads operational research on specific themes.

Fostering Knowledge Management, Content Development, and Value Creation Across Regions

• Assists Regional Operations Managers in capturing and analyzing negotiation practices through operational research and co-creating tools with CCHN Community of Practice members.
• Ensures effective knowledge management within their region and encourages synergies and value creation across different regions.
• Works alongside the Transversal Operations team to develop new negotiation content and tools.
• Partners with the Transversal Operations Team Lead for sharing expertise, joint analysis, and integrated approaches to enhance the global impact of CCHN operations.
• Coordinates with the Communication team to identify and promote specific knowledge and content of interest to the community.

Developing a Robust Multi-Stakeholder Network and Fostering Partnerships

• Alongside Operations Managers, builds and maintains strong collaborative relationships with operational departments of CCHN’s strategic partners, other UN agencies, and key international and local NGOs at both Headquarters and field levels.
• Supports the CCHN Executive Director and Deputy Director in maintaining effective communication and representation with CCHN stakeholders on operational matters, including strategic partners, academia, donors, and negotiation training centers.
• Aids Operations Managers in expanding the CCHN network in priority contexts, incorporating local humanitarian agencies and academic partners.

People management responsibilities

Yes

Relationships

Internal Interactions

• Engages with both Operational and Transversal Managers within the organization, fostering collaboration and coordination across different departments and functions.

External Interactions

• Builds and maintains a network of local contacts, including authorities, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, and partners within the Movement, facilitating external communication and collaboration.

Education and experience required

• A university degree in international relations, political science, law, or a related field.
• At least 8 years of professional experience in governmental, international organizations, or NGOs.
• Field experience in humanitarian negotiation on the frontlines.
• Fluency in English and French, with Spanish and/or Arabic as additional assets.
• Computer proficiency.

Desired profile and skills

• A deep understanding and knowledge of the humanitarian system and current trends in humanitarian action.
• Strong leadership, people management, and project management skills, with the ability to work effectively in a multicultural and multidisciplinary team.
• Agile and flexible with the capacity to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines.
• Excellent communication skills, adept at facilitating both onsite and online workshops.
• High-level writing, editing, and analytical abilities with critical, concise, and creative thinking skills.
• Ability to balance operational work, team management, and the overarching vision for CCHN.
• Familiarity with CCHN’s mandate and Community of Practice is beneficial.
• Good knowledge of online interactive community platforms.
• Availability for up to 50% of travel for field missions.

Our Values

• At the ICRC, we value impact, collaboration, respect, and compassion. We seek candidates who demonstrate behaviors based on these shared values. For more information on the ICRC values, please visit this page.

Additional information

Location: Geneva, Switzerland
Type of position: Long-Term Assignment
Grade: C1
Activity rate: 100%
Estimated start date: 1 May 2024
Hiring manager: Joëlle GERMANIER
Recruiter: Yana Makaveeva
Application deadline: 21 February 2024

The ICRC values diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive working environment. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates.
Please note that no relocation assistance will be provided for external candidates for this position.