Syria Director

Position Description

The Near East Foundation (NEF) Syria program is seeking a creative, dynamic, and compionate leader to join its team. The Director is a member of the Near East Foundation leadership team, reporting to the Regional Director (RD). NEF has been operating in northern Syria continuously since 2018. With the appointment of the new Director, NEF is investing in strong local leadership, administration, operations oversight, and management across all facets of the program and operations, while leveraging regional and global capacities to deliver impactful programming. In addition, the Director will hold overall accountability for effectively managing, implementing, and reporting on NEF projects in northern Syria, as well as taking on external relations duties.

This unique opportunity extends beyond the typical Director role. You’ll be joining the NEF Syria program as it is poised for significant growth. You will collaborate closely with the RD to strengthen and grow NEF’s innovative programs in Syria, including expanding and diversifying its funding structure.

Responsibilities

The Director will be responsible for the day-to-day oversight of NEF Syria program teams, working with an exceptionally talented, dedicated, and committed team of national staff to support their success. The Director will work in close collaboration with country, regional and global HQ teams.

Leadership and Representation

• Strengthen local leadership, administration, operations oversight, and management of the project activities.
• Build and foster positive relationships with relevant local stakeholders; represent NEF in relevant local groups, forums, and relevant interagency platforms.
• With the RD, actively engage with regional and in-country donors and the humanitarian and development community to ensure that NEF is strongly represented as required.
• Remain abreast of ongoing humanitarian, development, and funding trends and actively collaborate with the team to yze the impact on program growth opportunities.
• In partnership with the RD, lead integrated teams and coordination meetings to drive cross-departmental collaboration and the effective and efficient management of partnerships.
• Actively liaise with NEF program teams, locally and globally, to share best practices and explore cross-border opportunities for greater regional impact for those we serve.
  

Strategic Direction, Program Quality and Growth

• Manage and provide strategic guidance on adaptive management and project(s) changes including realignment of activities, budgets, and extensions when required.
• Manage and provide strategic guidance to capture program/project-related knowledge products.
• Manage and provide strategic guidance to the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) team to ensure programming is evidence and needs-based, and of high quality and impact.
• Identify funding opportunities; lead the development of competitive, cost-effective, and responsive proposals that meet internal standards.
  

Staff Performance Management, Learning and Development

• Strengthen and further build a local team across project management, finance, procurement, monitoring, evaluation and Learning (MEL), and specific program technical functions.
• Coach, train, supervise, and mentor direct-report staff, including communicating clear expectations, setting quarterly performance objectives, and providing continually constructive performance feedback.
• Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit rooted in productive communications, collaboration, respect, transparency, and trust.
• In partnership with the RD and SMT, work with HR staff to identify and implement recruitment and retention strategies and strengthen country-level policies, procedures, and practices.
• Model healthy work-life balance practices. Promote and monitor staff care, well-being, and self-care and work closely with the RD and SMT to respond to identified staff care needs.