Forum Director, Uganda Humanitarian INGO forum (HINGO)
TEAM/PROGRAMME:
Program Development and Quality
LOCATION: Kampala, with domestic, regional, and international travel
GRADE: 2
CONTRACT LENGTH: 24 months with possibility of extension
REPORTS TO: Country Director SCI Uganda, HINGO Steering Committee Chair
CHILD SAFEGUARDING:
Level 3: The responsibilities
of the post may require the role holder to have regular contact with children
or young people. The role holder will carry out the responsibilities of
the role in a way this reflects Save the Children’s
commitment
to safeguarding children in accordance with the Child Safeguarding Policy.
ROLE PURPOSE:
There are currently 63 International NGOs actively engaged in the refugee and
humanitarian responses in Uganda, which includes over 1.7 million refugees,
host communities across 13 refugee hosting districts, and ongoing
coordination in the Karamoja region, and emergent health, climate, and
security responses.
The HINGO Forum Director is a senior management position and is responsible for
ensuring effective coordination, information sharing, representing and
advocating on common positions and agreed interests of the HINGO Forum and
wider humanitarian community, including with local, national, and refugee-led
organisations.
The HINGO Forum Director is responsible for building and sustaining productive
relationships and aiding coordination between international, local, national,
and refugee-led NGOs, the government, UN agencies, and donors and diplomatic
missions. The HINGO Forum Director is also responsible for the general
management of the HINGO Forum staff/secondments and effective and regular
communication on Forum performance to the HINGO Steering Committee.
Fundraising via members and donor agencies is ongoing part of the role, alongside effective project and budget management.
The 2024-25 HINGO strategy includes a suite of commitments to work alongside
local and refugee-led organisations, with the explicit mandate of walking
alongside the Charter4Change Working Group, sharing capacities and learning,
and implementing the localisation agenda in a meaningful manner. The strategy
also includes implementing and reporting on the suite of commitments and
pledges made by the HINGO forum to the 2023 Global Refugee Forum.
The Director serves as a liaison to the Office of the Prime Minister, including the Secretariat for the Comprehensive Refugee
Response Framework (CRRF) in Uganda, Department of Refugees, and Department
of Disaster Preparedness and Management. Maintaining relationships through
structures and interlocutions that range from lateral staff to ministerial
levels, the Director plays a critical role in maintaining positive relations
with government line ministries. The Director will also serve as a liaison to
the Refugee Engagement Forum, District Engagement Forum, and Development
Partners Group.
The Forum Director is hosted by the Save the
Children International Uganda Country Office, but is expected to maintain and
demonstrate respectful independence and neutrality among member organisations.
They will work closely with the HINGO Chair and Steering Committee. The Forum
Director will report jointly to the Chair of the HINGO Steering Committee and
to the host agency Country Director.
KEY AREAS OF
ACCOUNTABILITY:
Internal Coordination:
- Facilitate and lead internal
coordination among HINGO members in response to humanitarian, security, and
health emergencies and events, including preparedness planning.
- Maintain a thorough understanding
and develop messaging on operational, programme, and policy related issues
affecting NGOs in country as well as broader political developments.
- Read, synthesize and analyse
political and security updates.
- Provide a conduit for the UN,
government, donor representatives and other stakeholders to communicate and
coordinate with INGOs, enabling an informed, predicted and safe intervention
for all involved.
- Organize and facilitate HINGO Working
Groups, as relevant to the context, i.e. Karamoja working group.
External
Coordination and Representation:
· Liaise
with humanitarian partners to promote and encourage improved coordination and
information sharing and common approaches to the response.
· Participate
in and prepare messaging for the relevant coordination fora, including CRRF Steering
Group, HCT-Lite, Refugee and Humanitarian partners Group (RHPG), InterAgency,
and others.
● Assist HINGO members in
facilitating collective understanding and analysis of the humanitarian
response efforts, and bureaucratic and access impediments among humanitarian
partners.
● Develop a network of contacts
among key stakeholders, including national NGOs and CSOs, refugee-led
organisations, government authorities and the humanitarian community.
● Represent the HINGO Forum at key
meetings with donors, UN and GoU and ensure the dissemination of written
feedback.
Advocacy
● Represent a collective voice and
shared message from the INGO community to critical response stakeholders and
decision makers, including the GoU, UN Agencies, donors (at regional and
global levels), and regional and international fora and networks.
● Ensure transparent coordination
mechanisms and regular information-sharing between INGOs, NGOs and UN and
government agencies and other stakeholders as relevant
● Schedule HINGO Forum meetings and HINGO
Steering Committee meetings, draft agendas, invite external speakers and
follow up on relevant action points as required.
● Encourage active and open dialogue
between the forum members and other key stakeholders.
● Pro-actively seek input from
members and ensure coordinated messaging and advocacy regarding emergency
responses and NGO entry points.
● Together with other Forum
representatives, liaise with sector working groups, ensuring key messages are
shared and activities, follow up actions and advocacy messages are
coordinated and consistent.
● Engage in the process of briefing
and orienting all new INGOs and key leaders in the refugee response on the
role of the HINGO, the CRRF and available services and interlocution.
HINGO Management, Finances and Sustainability
· Management of the
HINGO budget in coordination with host organization finance teams.
· Management of any
HINGO staff and/or interns or secondments, in conjunction with host
organization HR policies,
· Ensuring
financial stability for the HINGO network, including collection and
management of membership fees and management of grants.
· Reporting as
required.
Other tasks as may be required to support the HINGO,
individual members, and other functions relating to OPM.
Child Safeguarding:
· Comply with and promote SCI’s Global policies
such as Child Safeguarding, Whistle blowing, Fraud, Health and Safety and
other relevant policies.
· Working closely with SC
Uganda’s Child Safeguarding Manager and key stakeholders and support developing
and ensuring compliance with guidance on cash for child headed households.
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
Experience and technical competencies:
· Advanced university
degree (Master’s or equivalent), or equivalent field and senior level
experience.
· At least 10 years of experience within international humanitarian,
development or displacement issues.
· Experience in humanitarian coordination and humanitarian responses.
· Proven understanding of refugee and humanitarian response, policy,
and advocacy, particularly in the Uganda context.
· Strong understanding of the Global Compact on Refugees, Global
Refugee Forum, and the CRRF.
· Strong understanding of the Triple Nexus and its practical
application in humanitarian and refugee responses;
· Experience
in developing and updating TORs, Strategy documents, SOPs, and other
management documents and tools.
· Experience
managing budgets, reporting to stakeholders, and developing proposals.
· Previous experience of working in Uganda and understanding of the
refugee response in Uganda is a strong asset;
· Strong networks upon which to draw to contribute to coordination,
advocacy and CRRF implementation;
· Experience of working with NGOs and NGO forums;
· Experience of working with refugee hosting governments, Un agencies,
and bilateral and multilateral development partners;
· Ability to take initiative, work independently, as well as be a
strong team player;
· Ability to coordinate in a professional and informed manner with
different stakeholders;
· Strong interpersonal and relation-building skills;
· Excellent communications and writing skills;
· Full professional proficiency in English.
Date of issue: August 2024
Are you passionate about being an advocate for children? Do you want to use your expertise to bring about lasting change for children and be a part of an inspiring, dynamic global movement?
The HINGO Forum Director is a senior management position and is responsible for ensuring effective coordination, information sharing, representing and advocating on common positions and agreed interests of the HINGO Forum and wider humanitarian community, including with local, national, and refugee-led organizations.
The HINGO Forum Director is responsible for building and sustaining productive relationships and aiding coordination between international, local, national, and refugee-led NGOs, the government, UN agencies, and donors and diplomatic missions. The HINGO Forum Director is also responsible for the general management of the HINGO Forum staff/secondments and effective and regular communication on Forum performance to the HINGO Steering Committee.
Fundraising via members and donor agencies is ongoing part of the role, alongside effective project and budget management.
The Director serves as a liaison to the Office of the Prime Minister, including the Secretariat for the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) in Uganda, Department of Refugees, and Department of Disaster Preparedness and Management. Maintaining relationships through structures and interlocutions that range from lateral staff to ministerial levels, the Director plays a critical role in maintaining positive relations with government line ministries. The Director will also serve as a liaison to the Refugee Engagement Forum, District Engagement Forum, and Development Partners Group.
The Forum Director is hosted by the Save the Children International Uganda Country Office, but is expected to maintain and demonstrate respectful independence and neutrality among member organisations. They will work closely with the HINGO Chair and Steering Committee. The Forum Director will report jointly to the Chair of the HINGO Steering Committee and to the host agency Country Director.
