Regional Technical Field Manager MDD

Job Description

Norwegian People’s Aid is seeking a Technical Field Manager to follow up on Mine Detection Dog (MDD) operations in the Africa region and to be stationed in Angola.

Wars and armed conflicts come to an end; however, the remnants of war continue to terrorize millions of people for decades to follow. NPA’s Humanitarian Disarmament’s vision is a world where people and communities are safe, resilient and protected before, during and after armed conflict. Together with national authorities and other stakeholders, we are working to resolve problems faced by local communities caused by landmines and other explosive remnants of war. Currently NPA has more than 20 Mine Action and Disarmament Programmes ongoing in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Balkans, the Middle East and the Pacific.

Do you want to join our professional and committed global team in our mission to protect civilians from explosive weapons?

Norwegian People`s Aid (NPA) has been registered in Angola since 1989, delivering long-term development projects. NPA Mine Action and Disarmament Programme was established in Angola in 1995 and has been one of the most important international demining programmes in the country. Until now, NPA released more than 356km2 of land for safe use, benefitting tens of thousands of civilians. NPA has also disposed 11,380 anti-personnel mines, 1,442 anti-vehicle mines and hundreds of thousands of other explosive ordnances (EOs).

Today, NPA’s office and area of operation are in the province of Uige, extending its work to the provinces of Kwanza Norte and Zaire. The continuation of NPA`s work in Angola is essential to allow the country to fulfil its obligations to the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention and to stand a chance of reaching its clearance deadline of December 2025.

Duty station: Uige

In this position your main responsibilities will be:

• Develop and implement an annual Action Plan for the MDD capacities in Angola and in the African region
• Develop and maintain plans for the training of dogs and handlers and timely accreditation
• MDDs logistics including organizing transfer of dogs into and out of the country
• Responsible for MDDs health including vaccinations and medical support/treatment
• In charge of development, revision and implementation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) for the MDDs
• Ensure that these SOP’s are followed during operations
• Maintain cooperation and communication with NPA GTC on dog technical issues and problems that may arise
• To be regularly updated on GTC global strategy and other global dog demining programmes carried out by NPA and other NGO’s/companies (experiences, achievements, test results, resource people, SOP’s etc)
• To provide supervision and quality assurance (QA) for MDDs in Angola, Zimbabwe and Somalia, following instructions from the GTC.

To be succesfull in this role you must have:

• Relevant higher education
• Certified Mine Detection Dog (MDD) handler and trainer
• Experience and knowledge of NPA’s technical MDD aspects such as training methodology and philosophy
• Proven ability of competence transfer of national staff and national authorities
• Ability to work independently and structured according to approved plans
• Inclusive management and leadership style.

We consider it an advantage if you also have:

• Experience and knowledge from working in African countries with humanitarian aid and/or humanitarian disarmament/mine action
• A strong operational base including good understanding of manual and mechanical demining operations, as well as non-technical and technical survey
• EOD training and experience
• Knowledge of Portuguese language.

In this position, the following personal qualifications are required:

Good communication skills, cultural understanding, diplomacy and strong interpersonal skills.

Preferred starting date: 31 January 2021

In return we offer:

A position in the Norwegian Labour movement’s Global humanitarian solidarity organisation. NPA strives for diversity and gender equality, and encourages candidates of all nationalities, backgrounds and gender to apply.

We aim for an inclusive working environment where all employees feel respected and supported. In addition, we are continuously working towards reducing our environmental impact in all our interventions.  

We offer a comprehensive salary package which includes country specific allowances* You will be covered by our insurance scheme. We offer five weeks annual holiday** plus one additional week off for expats. NPA provides three international flights home per contract year***. We offer a one-year contract with the possibility of renewal. 

In general, we emphasize the importance of strong health and you will need a medical «fit for duty» attestation from an NPA approved health service to take up the position. 

Please not that this position is still pending donor funding.

* Please note that salary and allowances are subject to income tax according to NPA’s Tax Policy. 
** Terms for annual leave follow the Norwegian Annual Holidays Act  
*** Terms apply according to NPA’s internal regulations 

For more information about NPA, please see our website or visit us on Facebook or Twitter.   

Please note that due to the current situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, the recruitment process and/or the start-date might be delayed. Screening and interviews may take place continuously and before the application deadline. 

About the Organization

The vision of Norwegian People's Aid is Solidarity in Action. We are a politically independent membership-based organisation working in Norway and in more than 30 countries around the world. Founded in 1939 as the labour movement's humanitarian solidarity organisation, NPA aims to improve people's living conditions and to create societies that are more just and more democratic. NPA's international work covers three core areas: Mine Action and Disarmament, Democratisation and Just distribution of power and resources and Humanitarian Action and Crises Response.