Background:

The International Humanitarian NGO Forum in Cameroon, known as The Coordination of Humanitarian International Non-Governmental Organizations (CHINGO) has been active since 2019. It was formalized to enable a collaborative platform for effective and principled INGOs’ interaction, engagement, advocacy and coordination of humanitarian plus early recovery interventions in Cameroon. Presently, CHINGO has a core membership of 24 members (and 3 observers) and is a critical platform for ensuring effective information sharing and analysis; leadership on advocacy and policy engagement; and liaison with government/donors/UN engagement and engagement ensuring the perspectives of INGOs and affected populations are ultimately included in decision-making processes. CHINGO is governed by an elected Steering Committee of five Country Directors and is administratively hosted by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). While the position remains accountable to the Steering Committee of the INGO Forum, the Forum Manager will have an administrative reporting line to the NRC Country Director.

What we are looking for 

The INGO Forum (CHINGO) Manager will manage all CHINGO operations. They will provide support to the member organizations through high quality information exchange, coordination, multi-stakeholder engagement, effective INGOs representation in decision-making and humanitarian coordination mechanisms; lead CHINGO advocacy strategy of humanitarian INGOs in Cameroon. They will also directly supervise two CHINGO officers.

What you will do 

The following is a brief description of the role: –

Leadership, Representation, and Coordination

• Organize and facilitate high quality meeting with Country Directors, Area Managers, thematic working groups (Advocacy, Programme, Administration/support Working Groups).
• Mobilize CHINGO members (more than 20 International NGOs) to define agendas prior to meetings and ensure that minutes of meetings are shared in a timely manner
• Increase and enhance INGO engagement with national NGOs and civil society organizations to identify potential joint actions.
• Actively represent INGO Forum members in senior humanitarian and development platforms e.g. HCT, ISWG, Access Working Group, HDP Nexus Taskforce, and ensure the dissemination of high-quality written feedback.
• Regularly network and represent the INGO community at high-level fora and bilateral meetings including with UN, Donors, Member States, government, stakeholders and Civil Society Organizations.
• Participate in important policy and planning processes underway at the UN level that requires field level operational inputs from INGOs e.g. Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP).

Strategy, Policy, and Advocacy:

• Lead strategy and development of CHINGO as a forum
• Responsible for CHINGO Advocacy and communication work
• Capacity building of INGOs Country Directors on emerging themes, such as humanitarian access, localization agenda, advocacy priorities. In the same line, deliver introductory briefings for new country directors.

Information Sharing, Analysis and capacity building

• Act as focal point for information/experience sharing with and among NGOs on relevant issues including forum membership, contact lists and mailing lists
• Identify strategies to support INGOs to work collaboratively and in a principled manner that places the needs and interests of affected populations at the center
• Stay informed about political, humanitarian and security contexts, while providing structured updates to CHINGO Members
• Ensure timely response to requests for help and information from member organizations, non-member organizations and other stakeholders, such as donors, governments and UN agencies.
• Share quality minutes of a wide range of meetings on humanitarian and development issues pertaining to INGOs mandate and operations in Cameroon
• Support analysis and research work into prevailing humanitarian and development issues in Cameroon
• Organize and deliver trainings for INGOs staff and their partners on relevant identified topics (IHL, humanitarian access, humanitarian principles etc.)

Project Management and Human Resources 

• Manage CHINGO overall budget, and specifically donor budgets (including ECHO, CDCS and BHA).
• Ensure high quality INGO Forum donor reporting and proposal development, as well as donor liaison on key areas of progress in collaboration with the Chair and Host Agency.
• Report back to Steering Committee on project activity progress, expenditures and plans.
• Build and maintain a productive relationship with the Host Agency (CD, programme, advocacy and communication, HSS and support departments).
• Manage CHINGO programme officers (2) including regular performance appraisals

Please download the detailed job description JD_CHINGO Forum Manager.pdf to learn more about the position.

What you will bring 

1. Professional competencies 

• Advanced university degree in law, political science, international relations, journalism, social sciences, international development or related technical field or undergraduate degree with significant field experience in complex humanitarian contexts
• Demonstrated experience of 5-7 years in managing humanitarian emergency responses in conflict contexts.
• Demonstrated experience of coordination in complex emergencies and/or active engagement in high level humanitarian coordination structures (eg. as member on HCT).
• Knowledge and understanding of key thematic priority areas including access, protection, humanitarian aid architecture in conflict settings, and responses to acute and protracted crises.
• Proven relationship building skills and ability to facilitate common space between disparate views and agendas.
• Experience in developing advocacy strategies and stakeholder maps.
• Excellent writing, editing and analytical skills and ability to formulate well-targeted strategic documents.
• Written and spoken fluency in both French and English.
• Prior experience as an INGO Country Director is a value-add.
• Prior experience in managing INGO Consortia/fora desirable.

2. Behavioural competencies 

• Managing resources to optimize results
• Managing performance and development
• Empowering and building trust
• Strategic thinking
• Analyzing

What we offer 

• Duty station: Yaounde Cameroon

• Contract: 12 months (extension possible, dependent on funding)

• Travel: up to 30%

• Salary/benefits: grade 9 on NRC’s salary scale

Find out more about the benefits of working for NRC https://www.nrc.no/career/what-we-offer/

Kindly send any questions about the application process to: cwa.recruitment@nrc.no. Applications sent via email will not be accepted. Please check your application status on your NRC application profile