Background:

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is an independent humanitarian organisation dedicated to protecting the rights of displaced and affected people during crises. NRC delivers high-quality programmes to support people forced to flee, helping them rebuild their lives and establish a new future. NRC provides immediate humanitarian assistance, prevents further displacement, and contributes to durable solutions. It operates across both new and protracted crises across 40 countries. In Unity State, NRC has been providing humanitarian assistance to displacement-affected populations since 2018 in Mayom, Koch, Leer, Mayendit, Rubkona and Panyijiar counties through direct provision of assistance, coordination of humanitarian responses with various actors and through advocacy.

NRC specialises in five core competencies: counselling and legal assistance (ICLA), protection from violence, education, shelter and settlements, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). These specialised areas enable NRC to respond effectively to the diverse needs of displaced populations. As a rights-based organisation, NRC is a strong advocate for displaced and vulnerable people, working at local, national, regional, and global levels to influence decision-makers. This advocacy is rooted in the organisation's first-hand experience and specialised expertise.

From January 2026, NRC will have a field office in Unity State - South Sudan, moving from an Area Office composed of three physical offices (Leer, Koch, Mankien) to one main office in Leer and one satellite office in Bentiu.

With Leer Field Office as a hub, NRC will directly implement activities in Leer and Rubkona Counties and use mobile modality and local partners to respond in all the other counties within Unity State and Ruweng Administrative Area whenever the need arises. This is aimed at ensuring that NRC can respond to ongoing and new crises in Unity State in a timely, efficient and effective manner.

What we are looking for:

The Field Office Manager position provides operational leadership and coordination of NRC’s activities at field office level. The FM is responsible for ensuring efficient, secure, and accountable management of the programmes and support functions in the designated field office. The position oversees the operations of the field office including staff management, support and programme coordination, external engagement and representation.

The position holder is responsible for addressing specific operational needs in contexts where the scale and complexity of the response, the remoteness of the location, the security environment, access constraints, or the need for external representation and coordination require a dedicated and senior leadership role at field level. 

What you will do:

Generic Responsibilities:

1. Line management responsibilities for directly reporting staff. This includes:

   • Performance management process: setting clear goals aligned to country strategy and priorities, and to follow up and support staff’s achievement. 

   • Responsible for key processes as workforce planning, recruitment, staff induction and development and ensure Duty of Care for own staff

   • Provide field-specific analysis and inputs on Area Office strategies.

   • Lead and maintain effective communication, coordination, and collaboration with key external stakeholders at the field level, including communities, local authorities, and humanitarian actors.

   • Represent NRC in any external stakeholder engagement at field-level, in line with the delegation from the Area Manager.

   • Ensure effective coordination and information flow between programme and support teams in the field office and with the Area Office.

   • Responsible for field office resources, including budget holder responsibilities for field office budget lines (programme and support), procurement and asset management.

   • Ensure timely, efficient, and quality implementation of operations at field level, in line with NRC policies and procedures.

   • Lead on security management in the field office, including access negotiations, risk assessments, and implementation of Humanitarian Access and Safety procedures.

   • Ensure effective implementation of NRC’s duty of care and accountability mechanisms for staff and affected populations at field level.

   • Ensure compliance and adherence to NRC policies, guidance and procedures.

     Specific Responsibilities:

     • Coordinate implementation of field office security plans and access strategies.

     • Lead engagement with local authorities, community leaders and humanitarian actors.

     • Participate in assessments, operational analysis and humanitarian response planning.

     • Ensure proper use of NRC’s accountability, information sharing and reporting tools.

     • Ensure team building and duty of care at Field Office level

     • Carry out any other tasks relevant to the role as delegated by the line manager

       What you will bring:

       Generic professional competencies: 

     • Education Qualifications- bachelor's degree in Business management/Social sciences/natural Sciences etc.

     • 2 to 3 years’ experience in a managerial role in humanitarian/recovery contexts

     • Experience in complex and volatile humanitarian contexts

     • Experience in coordination, inter-agency coordination, representation and facilitation

     • Strong understanding of both support functions (Finance, Logistics, etc.) and programme implementation

     • Professional level in English, both written and verbal

        

       📚 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯! 🌍🤝 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗨𝗡𝗛𝗖𝗥, 𝗪𝗙𝗣, 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗘𝗙, 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗦𝗦, 𝗨𝗡𝗙𝗣𝗔, 𝗜𝗢𝗠 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀! 🌐

       ⚠️ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐰: 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐍𝐎𝐖!

       What we offer:

     • Duty station: Unity, South Sudan

     • Contract: national contract, 12 months 

     • Travel: 70%

     • Salary/benefits: grade 8 on NRC’s national salary scale. 

     • NRC is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to diversity without distinction to age, gender, religion, ethnicity, nationality, and physical ability.

     • We think outside the box, encourage ideas, and give responsibility to all employees at all levels. You will have many opportunities to be heard and take the initiative.

       Find out more about the benefits of working for NRC

       Important information about the application process

     • Internal candidates only: To apply as an internal candidate, log in with your official email or click on Opportunity MarketPlace.

     • When creating your profile, include your full name as given on your passport. Complete all the system-required fields for experience, employment history and education.

     • Submit your application and CV in English, taking care to attach your latest CV.

     • Incomplete applications will not be considered. 

     • Applications that do not meet the minimum standards in terms of experience or qualifications will generally not be considered. Unsolicited applications not related to this specific job advertisement will not be considered.

     • Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. We receive many applicants for each vacant position.

     • This position is only open to candidates who have the legal right to work in South Sudan. NRC will not sponsor visa nor work permits.

     • This position is only open for internal NRC staff. 

     • If you have any questions about this role, please email ESA Recruitment esa.recruitment@nrc.no with the job title as the subject line.

       Why NRC?

       The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is an independent humanitarian organisation helping people forced to flee. Our 15,000 staff work in crises across 40 countries, providing life-saving and long-term assistance to millions of people every year.

       Watch this short video to see NRC in action.

       An estimated 9.4 million people in South Sudan need humanitarian assistance and protection services in 2023, reflecting 76 per cent of the population. Many of the 2.3 million South Sudanese living in protracted displacement since 2013 have been displaced multiple times and cannot return home. The ongoing conflict in Sudan continues to drive significant displacement into South Sudan with hundred thousands new arrivals since April 2023. The returnees are encouraged to go to areas of origin, places that are equally vulnerable and lack basic services. Often their houses, land or property has been destroyed by the civil war or is occupied. Humanitarian actors are over stretched by the volume of returns and associated needs. 

        

       Over 83 per cent of South Sudan’s population relies on subsistence farming, livelihood, and fishing as their primary source of livelihoods, leaving them vulnerable to climatic and conflict related shocks and stressors. Disrupted supply chains, weakening currency, and rising cost, diminishes the purchasing power of the population, exacerbating existing malnutrition and food insecurity. South Sudan remains one of the most severe protection crises in the world, with high levels of gender-based violence and significant gross human rights violations across the country, and with people impacted by violence having limited access to justice and the rule of law. 

        

       Despite significant deployment of humanitarian assistance, the cumulative effects of years of conflict, a surge in sub-national violence, and unprecedented flooding, leaves vulnerable population in urgent needs of basic services and protection.

        

       We are looking for people who are passionate about helping refugees and people forced to flee. Are you one of those people? If you are, NRC offers you the opportunity to:

     • Do demanding and professional work, often in challenging contexts.

     • Join a work culture that empowers every employee to share ideas and take responsibility.

     • Be part of a welcoming and supportive community committed to human dignity.

       Learn more about NRC The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is a global humanitarian organisation helping people forced to flee.  Join us in assisting millions of people in areas where others cannot, tackling some of the world's most dangerous and difficult crises. Bring your skills and dedication to an organisation recognised for providing high quality aid and for defending the rights of refugees and internally displaced people.  At NRC, we give responsibility to employees at all levels and foster professional growth and innovative teams. You can expect a supportive culture and an open dialogue with management. We are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion.  Together, we save lives and rebuild futures. Safeguarding is central to NRC’s work. We expect all employees to:  • treat everyone with respect and dignity  • contribute to building a safe environment for all  • never engage in any form of exploitation, harassment and specifically sexual exploitation, abuse and sexual harassment (SEAH)  • always report. NRC has a zero-tolerance approach to inaction against exploitation, abuse and SEAH