JOB DESCRIPTION

Position title:               Governance and Policy Advisor

Supervisor:                  Deputy Secretary General

Location:                      CARE International Secretariat, Geneva

Post:                            Full time

Travel Requirements: Approx. 15% travel (once per quarter)

Background

CARE International (CI) is a global confederation of fourteen independent non-profit, non-sectarian humanitarian organizations working together to fight poverty and provide assistance in humanitarian emergencies. CI works, each year, in more than 80 countries around the world, implementing long-term programmes to fight poverty, responding to humanitarian emergencies and advocating for policy change to improve the lives of the poorest people, reaching more than 122 million people.

The years to come will be an exciting time of growth and expansion throughout CARE globally, as members are eager to work more closely together to strengthen the engagement of the private sector in contributing to defending dignity and fighting global poverty.

At the core of the confederation is a Secretariat based in Geneva, Switzerland with offices in Brussels, London and New York. The Secretariat provides coordination and support to a number of governance, membership, strategic planning, communications, fundraising, humanitarian, program and advocacy-related functions. In addition, the Secretariat represents the CARE confederation at the United Nations and the European Union.

POSITION SUMMARY

CI is governed by a representative Council, made up of delegates from its membership as well as other contributing participants, and by a CI Supervisory Board which acts independently from member interests and oversees the performance of the CI Secretariat. CI is registered in both Switzerland and in Belgium as an Association and regulated by respective Statutes in each country. The CI Council is supported by a Governance and Nominations Committee (GNC),a standing committee primarily responsible for overseeing governance principles, structures, processes and regulations including the Statutes.

The Governance and Policy Advisor is part of the Governance team, which is led by the Deputy Secretary General and is responsible for CARE’s global governance. The purpose of this position is to support and facilitate high performing Governance bodies; to provide strategic advice and coordination for the development, review, update and information management of the CARE International Code (a guiding document that defines who CARE is, what binds us and how different parts of CI work together) and related global policies; and to support and guide CARE national Members in implementing key global and harmonised policies.

MAIN RESPONIBILITIES

The key responsibilities of the Governance and Policy Advisor are the following:

1.             CARE International’s governance
Advise and support the Deputy Secretary General (DSG) in ensuring that CI’s governance bodies (Council, SB and GNC) are able to meet their governance and fiduciary obligations;
Act as a trusted Advisor to the Deputy Secretary General on specific governance-related issues, projects and strategic plans;
Work with the DSG to manage all aspects (agenda setting, content, meeting preparation, outcomes & follow-up) of work programmes of CI’s governance bodies;
Produce briefing notes, speaking points and presentations prior to, during and after meetings to help inform and advance governance discussions;
Ensure that the proceedings and decisions of CI’s governance bodies are adequately documented and followed-up on;
Ensure that CI is complying with its legal and statutory requirements;
Support the DSG with succession planning and monitoring of performance of CI’s governance bodies;
Help identify and implement ways in which governance processes and systems can be further improved;
Work with the Head of Organisational Development to help orient new members, Candidates and Affiliates to CARE’s global governance structure and CI Code requirements.
2.             CARE International Code
Act as a point of contact providing support and advice for CARE National Members and Country Offices around access and interpretation of the CI code;
Coordinate the revision process of the CI Code giving due diligence to confederation-wide consultation and communication;
Lead the strengthening of organizational policy and compliance in CI, ensuring that the results are reflected in the CI Code;
Ensure that the CI Code is organized and maintained in a manner that is both current and accessible to the CI membership.
3.             Global Policy
Work with key staff on supporting accountability to global policies;
Oversee a policy governance framework for the CI Code and global policy, which includes quality assurance and monitoring processes for the development, review and update of global policies on a rolling systematised cycle;
Coordinate the review and update of existing global policies as well as the process of developing new global and harmonised policies as needed;
Ensure policy documents reflect governance and policy development best practice;
Develop and oversee the maintenance of a global policy library as a repository for all current and expired global policy documents;
Ensure timely and targeted communication and dissemination of CI code, Global Policy and related information;
Provide strategic advice, guidance and support to policy practitioners and task forces in the rollout phase of key global policy following review and updates of existing policy and when new policy is developed.
Key working relationships:

Members of CI Governance Team and Governance Bodies (Council, SB, GNC), CI Executive and Senior Management Teams, CI Global Policy Governance Group, CI Strategic Leadership Teams and Working Groups, key policy leads and contacts across the Confederation.

QUALIFICATIONS
Education: Post graduate degree in organisational development, policy development, international development or equivalent qualifications and experience. Advanced degree desirable.
Work Experience: At least 5-7 years of relevant work experience.
Language:Fluency in English required, second major language (French) highly desirable.
EXPERIENCE AND COMPETENCIES:

The successful candidate should be able to demonstrate the following skills, attributes and experience:

Governance:A clear understanding of, and experience with, governance bodies and international corporate governance requirements. Proven ability to work with high level members of boards and a variety of stakeholders.

Policy Development: Demonstrated experience in policy development, analysis, and implementation. Experience in consulting a wide variety of stakeholders to build collaborative policies and organisational commitment, processes and systems to ensure coherence with organisational vision and objectives.

Management and Coordination: Outstanding planning and coordination skills, with ability to handle multiple activities concurrently, work under pressure, and meet tight deadlines. Experience in project management, guiding staff and coordinating virtual teams, working groups, communities of practice, and networks.

Communications: Excellent written, oral communication and facilitation skills. Experience drafting policies, writing briefing documents, and communicating, both in writing and verbally, sound rationale for necessary policy change.

Interpersonal: Strong interpersonal, diplomatic and negotiating skills and ability to build relations at all levels. Ability to work across different cultures and nationalities.

CARE offers the chance to work with a great team and make a difference to the world. In addition to a competitive salary, we offer generous holiday benefits and substantial pension contributions to the successful candidate.

CARE International has a zero-tolerance approach to any harm to, or exploitation of, a vulnerable adult or child by any of our staff, representatives or partners. CARE International reserves the right to seek information from job applicants’ previous employers about incidents of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment the applicant may have been found guilty to have committed or about which an investigation was in the process of being carried out at the time of the termination of the applicant’s employment with that employer.

By submitting the application, the job applicant confirms that s/he has no objection to CARE International requesting the information specified above.

How to apply

Interested and qualified candidates should submit their CVs and a covering letter of interest in English to cirecruitment@careinternational.org by 10 December 2018.  Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

More Information on CARE International is available at www.care-international.org.

CARE seeks to improve the lives of the most marginalized, particularly women and girls. Our diversity is our strength. We encourage people from all backgrounds and experiences to apply

Job Email id: cirecruitment(at)careinternational.org