medica mondiale e.V.
Location: Liberia
Closing date: 10 Nov 2008
medica mondiale e.V. (mm) is a German based international women’s rights and relief organization that supports women and girls who have survived sexual gender based violence (SGBV) in war or crisis zones. medica mondiale provides direct medical, psychosocial, legal and socioeconomic support to survivors and advocates for women’s human rights on the national and international level. Founded in 1993, medica mondiale is working on the Balkans, in Afghanistan and Liberia. Additionally, mm is working in partnership with local women’s organisations in more than 14 countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. medica mondiale works with a feminist background.
For our Program in Liberia we are looking for a Project Manager/Head of Mission (female)
BACKGROUND
The civil war in Liberia lasted for 14 years. From 1989 to 2003, an estimated two out of every three women were raped. With the end of the civil war much of the violence committed against women and girls has become commonplace in post-war Liberia. Acts of physical and sexualised violence are everyday occurring; rape is at present the most frequently reported crime, sexual abuse of women and girls is on the rise since poverty is forcing many of them into prostitution.
The consequences of rape and other forms of sexualised violence are multiple and interfere with each other. Women that have been raped not only suffer from severe physical and psychological consequences. Rape survivors also face stigmatisation and social exclusion from families and/or communities and are very likely to end up at an extremely low socio-economic status. To tackle all relevant areas, medica mondiale implements a SGBV Rehabilitation and Prevention Program that interlinks the following main areas of action:
- Rehabilitation for survivors of violence through psychosocial counselling; literacy and skills trainings; income generating activities; reproductive health training; social and political empowerment
- Set up of Prevention and Protection Networks through community sensitization and mobilisation and protection networks to enhance the local capacity to prevent and respond to SGBV; training for key actors and partners such as institutions and (I)NGOs;
- Promotion of Structural Change towards equal rights, protection, and justice for women and girls through political advocacy work on the national level
medica mondiale currently works in three counties in south-eastern Liberia: Grand Gedeh, River Gee and Sinoe. Head office is in Fish Town/ River Gee where medica mondiale Liberia has set up a Women and Girls Centre. In Monrovia, medica mondiale has a logistical back-up office.
medica mondiale’s involvement is part of the large-scale Reintegration and Recovery Programme (RPP), a development programme of the Republic of Liberia, co-financed by the Federal Republic of Germany through KfW Development Bank. Welthungerhilfe/German Agro Action is the executing agency for the RPP and implements Infrastructure, Watsan, and Agriculture components. medica mondiale is the implementing agency for the SGBV Program component. Ibis, a Danish INGO is implementing an Educational component.
Further information on our Liberia Program: http://www.medicamondiale.org/
MAIN TASKS & RESPONSIBILITIES
- Provide leadership and strategic direction, overall management, liaising with partners, donors and stakeholders, training and supervision for about 20 national staff, and expatriates/short-term trainers
- Coach, mentor and build capacity of national staff and beneficiaries, ensure teambuilding and ownership
- Continuously monitor and evaluate the quality of medica mondiale’s (S)GBV program in Liberia, identify areas for improvement and provide recommendations how to address gaps
- Ensure staff support clients with a women-centred and empowering approach, promote holistic and integrated approaches based on the local context and women’s realities as well as on medica mondiale’s experiences and international standards
- Project development; proposal and concept paper development; enable national staff and beneficiaries to contribute in the further development of mm’s strategic plans for Liberia
- Ensure donor-reporting requirements are met on time and in high quality
- Manage program funds within the budget framework; ensure all internal administrative, financial and logistical requirements are met
- Ensure effective cooperation with partners and stakeholders (UN, Government, (I)NGOs, etc.) including the provision of trainings and support
- Represent medica mondiale on issues of SGBV to the Liberian Government, local authorities, communities, donors, media, (I)NGOs etc.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
Professional Qualifications
- Professional Background in Social Work/Psychology/Sociology/
International Development/Gender Studies or related fields - Profound knowledge of Sexualized Gender Based Violence (SGBV), trauma and its consequences
- Experience in setting up and strengthening protection networks
- Experience in awareness work on sgbv and training on prevention and protection mechanisms
- Strong training skills on GBV/SGBV, gender relations, project development
- Community Development experience, particularly for rural women
- Strong management skills; proven experience managing large-scale community projects and staff
- Strong staff management skills; clear focus on development of local capacities, participation and ownership
- Participatory planning, monitoring and evaluation experience
- Capacity to assess projects, identify gaps and provide suggestions for solutions
- High capacity to conceptualize and think strategically
- Experience in psychosocial interventions; specific methods of crisis intervention and/or mediation or comparable counselling skills and trauma-therapy skills would be an asset
- Strong commitment to and understanding of women-centred, anti-racist policy
- Financial management experience; field-level budget management; identify and address financial management training needs
- Work experience in (post-)conflict contexts
- Work experience in Africa (Western Africa an asset)
- Excellent English language skills required (German an asset)
Personal Qualifications
- Feministic background and clear commitment to work with a women centred approach and to promote structural changes for women/girls
- High degree of cross-cultural competence; respect for different nationalities, ethnicities, and religions
- High degree of accountability to the project aim, the local team, mmHeadoffice, the community, partners and to mm’s mission and vision
- High flexibility, mobility and independence
- Strong leadership skills
- Strong diplomacy and communication skills
- Readiness to liaise with donors, ministries and other stakeholder but also to live and work under challenging conditions in a remote project area with an undeveloped infrastructure
WE OFFER
- 1 year position (with a possibility for extension )
- Start: 01-2009
- Salary based on head office scales
- Accommodation and logistical support
Application deadline is 10th November 2008.
Please email your application (detailed cover letter, CV, references, in English) to Daniela Gierschmann dgierschmann@medicamondiale.
