Terre des hommes is looking for a proactive, energetic, and organised Deputy Country Director to join its team in Kyiv, Ukraine (with the possibility of traveling between local offices), to support in the implementation of its projects. If you are looking for a meaningful job that will make a lasting impact on the lives of children, we want to meet you.
Start date: as soon as possible
Contract: 12 months (with possibility of extension)
Probation period: 3 months
Remuneration package: Attractive salary, private health insurance and life insurance against accidents
Location: Kyiv, Ukraine (with frequent travel to Tdh UA program locations).Open to recruitment in locations with other project offices (Kyiv, Kharkiv, Ivano-Frankivsk)
Deadline for applications: Recruitment will be ongoing until te position is occupied
WHAT WE DO, IN EUROPE AND UKRAINE
Terre des hommes (Tdh) is the leading Swiss organisation for children’s aid. Since 1960, Tdh has helped build a better future for children and youth, especially those most exposed to risks, making an impact with innovative and sustainable solutions. Active in more than 30 countries, Tdh works with its own teams and/or local and international partners to develop and implement field projects which significantly improve the daily lives of over four million children and members of their communities every year, with a focus on mother and child health, migration, and access to justice for children.
In Europe, Tdh strives to ensure the full realisation of children’s rights, equally and without discrimination. We are present in Albania, Kosovo, Moldova, Romania, Ukraine, Hungary, and Greece, while together with partners, we reach children in other 14 European countries.
In Ukraine, Tdh has worked through partnerships since 2009 and legally established its offices in 2014. Since 2015, Tdh has been providing various services to children, youth and their families in the conflict affected area, with a strong focus on psychosocial support.
For more information, please tdh.ch/en, tdh-ukraine.org/en, facebook.com/TdhUkraine/.
ROLE DESCRIPTION
Under the Country Director’s supervision, The Deputy Country Director (DCD) supports the overall leadership and strategic direction of the delegation, ensuring effective implementation, coordination, and growth of Tdh’s child pro-tection centric programming in Ukraine. The DCD acts as second-in-command and directly oversees the project oversight across multiple project offices, and supports on the development of Strategic planning, Finance, Opera-tions, Human Resources and External Representation.
The DCD contributes to the timely and proper implementation of operations in compliance with the Strategic Plan-ning of the delegation’s operations in adherence Tdh internal processes and the program approach, through the line management of the Tdh UA base coordinators. He/She monitors the progress of activities according to pre-established workplans.
The DCD supports in the overall supervision of the Tdh UA team, as well as all leadership, when relevant and neces-sary.
He/She is accountable to the beneficiaries, collaborators and donors. Serves as Acting Country Director in the ab-sence of the Country Director, assuming decision-making authority and responsibility as delegated (including Power of Attorney).
MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES
More specifically He/She has the following responsibilities:
Strategic Planning & Leadership:
Support the Country Director and Programme Coordinator in developing and implementing the country strategic plan aligned with global and regional frameworks, with the focus on achieving implementation.
Monitor contextual and political developments in Ukraine to inform risk management and project implementation.
Foster a culture of accountability, learning, and continuous improvement across the country program.
Ensure child protection principles and safeguarding standards are integrated into all strategic decisions.
Ensures project implementation and activities follow-up according to the program approach and the strategic issues connected to their context(s) (targets, follow-up of scheduled activities, budget follow-up, through the supervision of the base coordinators and project managers).
Ensures that an effective coordination mechanism is set between the SMT members and the base coordinators.
Consolidates the drafting of internal monthly sitreps and submits them for endorsement to the Head of Delegation.
Contributes to the review and approval of donor reports.
Program Quality & Project Oversight
In coordination with the support staff, ensures that the needs of programs and expertise in terms of financial, logistics and HR means are covered in a professional way within the framework of current and well measured projects for the implementation of new operations (GAP, etc.)
In coordination with the M&E department, ensure that the implementation of activities is in harmony with the quality and accountability protocols
Participates in the design of assessment methods intended to collect qualitative and quantitative data in terms of program indicators (needs assessment, statistical data, impact studies, etc.)
Makes regular visits to programs and activities in the field and informs key internal stakeholders involved of possible problems, challenges or identified obstacles.
Oversee financial planning, budgeting, expenditure monitoring, and donor compliance across all projects, supporting the Base Coordinators and Project Managers.
Collaborate with the Finance Coordinator to ensure timely, accurate financial reporting to donors and HQ, which are aligned with the narrative reporting.
Ensure project communication regarding operational systems are efficient, donor-compliant, and risk-managed.
Ensure effective budget utilization across projects (approx. CHF 5M).
Human Resources
Provide direct supervision and support to senior leadership staff, ensuring clear roles, accountability, and performance management.
Support HR in workforce planning, recruitment, retention, staff well-being, and capacity-building initiatives.
Champion gender equity, inclusion, and staff safety across all offices.
Ensure all staff understand and adhere to safeguarding, PSEA, and child protection policies.
Supports the Country Director in the design and implementation of an organizational structure, participates in defining the roles and responsibilities needed for the proper execution of activities
Ensures a constant effort of strengthening national and international teams’ capacity according to the needs identified and proposes internal and external training activities
Drafts field job descriptions, participates and leads coordination meetings, resolves any conflicts when required, defines activity priorities and scheduling
External Representation
Represent the organization in national or sub-national -level coordination platforms, donor meetings, and high-level forums, as needed.
Support donor engagement and contribute to the development of high-quality proposals.
Build and maintain strong relationships with the strategic partnerships, ensuring aligned objectives and joint planning.
Promote the organization’s mission and values with key stakeholders, including local authorities and civil society.
May be led to act as a Tdh spokesperson with the media upon a request by the Country Director.
Represent Tdh and the Country Director, as required.
YOUR PROFILE
This function requires possession of fundamental personal, social and leadership skills (CPSLs), technical and methodological skills (CTMs) and Managerial and strategic skills (CMSs)
In particular the following (select a maximum of 5):
Exercises matrix management leadership
Manages potentially volatile intervention areas
Represents and explains the Tdh mission and projects
Ethical and exemplary leadership (secure base), managerial excellence; inspires and motivates collaborators
High-level team spirit, a strong ability to create cohesiveness
Shows the way for their colleagues/collaborators
Knows and applies policies for managing operational risks with the ability to explain them
Delegates responsibilities and tasks according to skills available in teams
Fosters and supports the development of the skills of their team(s)
Manages conflicts in his/her team
Makes decisions that he/she is responsible for and owns them
Develops and endorses the strategic plan, the guidelines and governance tools
Defines policies, establishes budgets and sets the quality standards
Analyzes program and context in a connected way
Analyzes and sums up information
Develops the connection/secure base in a crisis situation
A strong capacity to work under pressure
Able to make decisions in the uncertainty of potentially high stakes
Able to schedule and organize in a stressful environment
Able to analyze, rank and summarize
Is open minded and bold
As well as the following specific “trade” skills:
Significant experience in designing and managing projects and implementing multi-sectorial operations
Knowledge of humanitarian, practical and standard principles (Sphere)
Experience in representation (donors, authorities, partners)
Experience in supervising multicultural teams
Similar experience in emergency contexts
Strong organizational capacities, a capacity to operate autonomously, proactively and the strength of initiative, meets deadlines
An analytical mind
A results-driven mindset
Good resistance to stress and an ability to work under pressure
An excellent ability and ease in expressing themselves in public (conferences, workshops) and to adapt themselves to their audience (governments and local authorities)
Required conditions | ||
Training/Qualifications | Management, Humanitarian, Development or other relevant studies | |
Experience | Min 5 years in Humanitarian/Development senior management | |
Languages | English | |
IT know-how | High-level user | |
TO APPLY:
Qualified applicants are encouraged to submit their application (CV and motivation in English) to ukr.hr@tdh.org Please mention in the title of the email the position “Deputy Head of Delegation”.
Child Safeguarding Policy:
To commit to respect Tdh Risk Management Policies including Child Safeguarding Policy, Safety and Security Policy and Anti-Fraud/Corruption Policy, Whistle Blowing Policy.
GDPR compliance:
By sending your application, you agree that your personal data will be used in the recruitment process. All the documents we will request in different steps of the recruitment process will only be used for this purpose.
All staff involved in recruitment and selection are aware that data protection rules apply, and that personal information will be treated confidentially. According to our policy, we will keep your application documents for the period of the recruitment only.
Due to an anticipated high number of applications, Tdh is not in a position to respond to every applicant individually. Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted for the first interview.
