Job Purpose :
This position is based at the British Red Cross Dakar offices which is the main cooperation platform in the region with programmes in Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Tchad and Mauritania. The office aims to increase the resilience of the Sahel’s vulnerable population, support the development of strong and well-prepared National Societies and improve Movement coordination and regional approaches to achieve greater impact. The office coordinates all programmes of the Sahel+ network of 10 countries. BRC Programmes focus on five countries in the Sahel (Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad), supporting these five countries through four main sectoral programs: migration programming, cash assistance, FSL programming and forecast based action and preparedness.

The post of the Country Support Officer is responsible for providing programmatic and administrative support to BRC programmes in Sahel based on the PM or SM request. The role of Country Support Officer (CSO) is to provide comprehensive, professional, proactive, partners, Managers and Delegates focused business support services to BRC Sahel Office on financial, logistical, administrative and programmatic aspects. This multi-task role supports/contributes to the effective implementation of BRC programmes and the sound management of the office (main aspect of the position).

Job Duties And Responsibilities :
A: Office management: under the supervision and with the support of the Sahel cluster manager, the Country officer performs several key tasks in the finance, logistics and administrative areas

Finance :
Accounting: in charge of the cashflow management including day to day cashbox management and weekly reconciliation; elaboration and monitoring of monthly cashbook (using Excel) in compliance with small office handbook guidelines and in coordination with Finance team in UK office; monitoring of BRC bank account in Senegal and day to day relationship with Ecobank counterparts.
Cash request: in charge of the coordination and elaboration of the quarterly cash request for office and programmes and the monitoring of cash transfers. CSO will send all the required documents to UKO finance for funds transfer.
Payment of invoices:
In Country: the CSO is in charge of payment under the supervision of SM.
From UKO: complementary to procurement role and liaising with finance (and logistics teams if needed) UK office, CSO is in charge of the preparation of payment documentation and monthly monitoring of payments such as IFRC Integration Agreement monthly invoice.
Budget management: Assist in the monitoring and maintenance of budgets for the programmes in support to the programme managers in their quarterly budget review; Prepares basic financial reports such as journals to track department, programme costs, balance sheet etc; reviews budgets expenditure reports and brings major variances to the attention of Head of office; Support Sahel manager in the quarterly reforecast of the Sahel office budget and the Sahel management costs.
Ensure regular update of the Small office handbook and procedure sheets;

Logistics and Security :
Procurement: in coordination with the driver-logistician in charge of the elaboration of procurement files according to small office handbook guidelines; in charge of compiling and storing procurement documentation
Organisation of events: In coordination with the driver-logistician and BRC’s team in the UK office, in charge of managing the logistics and admin aspects of BRC’s events in the region, including the organization of programme workshops and schedules and coordinates meetings, ; assist the Sahel Manager and regional delegates in the facilitation of, workshops and presentations as required.
Keep inventory of BRC properties, supplies, furniture and equipment.
Office and equipment maintenance: in collaboration with the driver-logistician, in charge of providing a good office service to the team through functioning facilities and good office supply; in coordination with driver-logistician supervision of BRC’s vehicle management (monthly fuel allowance, maintenance…)
Support to delegates: provide effective support and guidance to delegate in managing their daily logistics needs.
Security: assist the Sahel Manager in ensuring that the minimum-security requirements (MSRs) for the country are in place and complied to

Job Duties And Responsibilities (continued)
Administration and HR
Integration Agreement: monitor BRC’s integration and service agreements in Senegal to ensure provision of relevant and contractual services from IFRC (rent contracts, visa, diplomatic cards, admin, logs and HR support); in charge of managing BRC Integration Agreement in collaboration with the IFRC Administration Officer (launch and follow the revision process every two years)
Visits and deployments: Support with the organisation and facilitation of country visits and deployments as well as visits in the Sahel region and in the UKO.
Coordinates the weekly Sahel Team meeting and takes, prepares and distributes minutes; support the SM when he has to lead the West & Central Africa monthly meeting; shares and asks delegates to update the fields visits & leave planning; organise weekly schedules for the driver; Support in travel arrangements for staff when needed;
Support onboarding of new members of the team and facilitate the daily management of BRC staff and delegates in the office
Liaise with IFRC on new recruitments and administrative issues

B: Programme and partnership: in close collaboration with Sahel and programme managers, the Country officer support the development of effective partnerships with RCM and external actors in the region
Support Sahel manager and Programme delegates in the development of cooperation framework and partnership agreements in the region and on review of narrative and financial reports from partners
Assist the regional delegates, if required, in their partnership with the NSs and the IFRC (organization of joint field missions, PMEAL visits, partnership reviews…)
Storing and archiving data to ensure that records are up to date accurate and reliable with the information required.

C: Information and communication: in coordination with the Sahel team, the team assistant and regional office as well as relevant UK teams, the Country officer provides effective support in terms of information management and internal & external communication.
Ensure effective management of information for the programme team, ensuring information on the BRC’s Programme Information Management System (PIMS) is kept up-to-date, together with Regional Officer and Team assistant.
Drafting and sending correspondence with partners under the supervision of the Sahel Manger
Focal point for BRC Newsletter and BRC contribution to the IFRC regional Newsletter
Support Programme delegates with the development of communications materials
Communicate effectively with BRC UKO/field representatives and teams where appropriate.
Coordinate with the Regional Officer to provide progress reports and other information to BRC fundraising teams on externally funded projects.
Respond to internal enquiries relating to the activities of the RCM in the countries as required.
Represent the Sahel team at internal and external meetings as required.
Organize RC coordination meeting when hosted by BRC and do the reporting.

Duties applicable to all staff :
Actively work towards the achievement of the Federation Secretariat’s goals and work within the Society’s Equal Opportunities Policy
Abide by and work in accordance with the Red Cross and Red Crescent principles
Perform any other work-related duties and responsibilities that may be assigned by the line manager/Undertake emergency surge support as required by the Sahel Manager

Education :
Higher level academic qualification (degree level or equivalent) required

Experience :
Experience of general financial administration and budget preparation. Required
Experience of compiling programme documents including proposals, log frames, donor proposals and reports. Required
Experience of working in international development. Preferred
Previous experience of working with the Red Cross Movement. Preferred

Knowledge, Skills and Language :
Understanding of the regional context. Required
Understanding of the international humanitarian system. Required
Knowledge of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Required
Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Required
Presentation and report writing skills. Required
Competent with spreadsheets and financial administration. Required
Excellent IT skills, including all basic MS office packages. Preferred
Fluent French. Required
Fluency in English is desirable. Preferred

Competencies and Values :
Values: Integrity & personal conduct; sensitivity to diversity; flexibility & adaptability; proactivity; solution focused; decisiveness; accountability; teamwork; interpersonal skills.