Country Director, Syria

**Type of contract:** Consultancy contract (100%) pending legal registration, with transition to an employment contract upon establishment of legal presence in Syria

**Duty station:** Damascus, Syria, with occasional travel within the country

**Duration:** Asap, initially for six (6) months, with potential for extension

**Profile:** The position is open to both national and international candidates who meet the requirements outlined below.

**BACKGROUND INFORMATION**

Solidar Suisse is a Swiss NGO founded in 1936 (then known as Swiss Labour Assistance), committed to social justice and decent working conditions worldwide. Today, Solidar Suisse is active in 16 countries, implementing both development cooperation and humanitarian assistance programs.

In Syria, Solidar Suisse has been operational since 2023, primarily responding to the 2023 earthquake in Northwest Syria. The country program has focused on Protection, Shelter, WASH, and Livelihoods, managed from the Coordination Office (COOF) in Gaziantep, Türkiye.

With the evolving political and humanitarian dynamics, and new opportunities for engagement across Syria, Solidar Suisse aims to expand its support for recovery, resilience, and development efforts throughout the country. This entails strengthening Solidar Suisse’s programmatic presence in Syria, enhancing its institutional positioning, and establishing an operational setup in Damascus.

**GENERAL POSITION SUMMARY**

It is against this background that Solidar Suisse is looking for a highly qualified and proactive professional who can provide both strategic leadership and technical expertise, including stakeholder engagement, relationship building, fundraising, proposal development, coordination leadership, and technical guidance in relevant sectors.

The Country Director for Syria is responsible for the strategic and overall management of the program in Syria based on Solidar Suisse guidelines and policies, including ensuring the smooth functioning of the coordination office in Syria and transparent administration.

The Country Director is responsible for proactively identifying and pursuing fundraising opportunities. S/he represents Solidar Suisse in Syria and works closely with Solidar Suisse headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland and the COOF in Türkiye.

As part of a lean and evolving operational setup, the Country Director is expected to combine strategic leadership, representation, business development, operational oversight, and technical guidance. As the Syria program expands, the scope of responsibilities may evolve accordingly, including increased oversight related to operations, finance, administration, compliance, staff management, and organizational development.

**MAIN TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES**

**Strategic Program Development**

- Lead the strategic expansion of Solidar Suisse’s Syria program, ensuring long-term presence, operational relevance, and institutional credibility.
- Guide the revision of the country strategy in line with contextual developments and organizational priorities.
- Advise the COOF Türkiye and HQ on strategic matters, program direction, entry points, and positioning.

**Networking, Partnership Building & Donor Engagement**

- Carry out donor mapping and engagement strategies.
- Engage with existing and potential donors; identify funding opportunities and promote Solidar Suisse as a reliable partner.
- Build and maintain relationships with donors and key international and local actors.
- Support the development of consortia or strategic partnerships to leverage programmatic and technical synergies.

**Representation & Coordination**

- Represent Solidar Suisse in Damascus/Syria vis-à-vis relevant stakeholders including UN agencies, INGOs, Syrian NGOs, and government entities.
- Participate in coordination forums such as clusters, sector working groups, and bilateral meetings (e.g. donors, partners, etc.).

**Registration & Legal Setup**

- Oversee the legal registration and establishment of Solidar Suisse ’s operational presence in Syria, in close coordination with COOF Türkiye and HQ.
- Represent the organization in official processes as needed under delegated authority.

**Technical Leadership & Positioning**

- Serve as a technical lead for Solidar Suisse in Syria in one or more of the following sectors: Protection, Shelter, WASH, or Livelihoods.
- Design and promote innovative and context-specific technical approaches.
- Provide high-quality inputs to program design and project development.
- Strengthen Solidar Suisse ’s technical profile and positioning in Syria.
- Lead or contribute to the development of concept notes and full proposals in coordination with COOF Türkiye and HQ.

**Coordination Office**

- Set up the operational presence of Solidar Suisse in Damascus/Syria.
- General management of the program, its implementation and development.
- Financial management and internal control in accordance with Solidar Suisse policies and donor requirements
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