Habitat International Coalition (HIC) is an
international collective of civil society organizations, social movements and
individuals that mobilizes and advocates in defence, promotion and enforceability
of the human rights of homeless, evicted, displaced, landless and inadequately
housed people and communities, including those under occupation, in urban and
rural areas. HIC seeks to empower people and communities to improve their
conditions based on the principles, norms and standards of human rights,
diversity, gender equality, social production and environmental sustainability.
HIC produces knowledge and promotes public awareness about habitat issues and
serves as a platform for the formulation of programs, policies and strategies
for constituent social movements and civil society organizations working to
promote the human rights to housing, land, and the city, and acts as their
representative to public, national, regional and international bodies and
forums.
Visit hic-net.org for more information.
HIC is
currently recruiting for the position of General Secretary to lead the coordination of the global
network for the right to habitat and social justice.
Job Summary
The General
Secretary (GS), based in Cairo, starting
in January 2014, coordinates a team responsible for the coordination of HIC.
The GS consolidates the Coalition, executing the Board decisions, supporting
the General Assembly, providing accountability of the Coalition, coordinating
HIC Reference Centers, supervising the management of the membership, acting as
the Coalition’s legal representative, fundraising and managing resources, and running
elections of the Board members. The GS leads Secretariat staff in facilitating the
HIC Members’ processes to attain and sustain a place to live in dignity,
supporting Urgent Appeals, maintaining permanent contact with HIC Members,
articulating actions with other networks, and maintaining the HIC Consultative
Status in the United Nations system. The GS supports the HIC advocacy for
recognition defence and full implementation of habitat rights, coordinating
global campaigns, being at the cutting edge on habitat issues, organizing
contributions for the HIC statements.
Responsibilities
Consolidating
the Coalition (40%)
Supporting
the HIC Members’ processes (40%)
Advocacy (20%)
Consolidating the Coalition
Is in
permanent contact with HIC President and the Board members;
Functions
in coordination and direct communication with Reference Centers and Board
members;
Provides
coordination of the agenda, minutes and follow-up of the Board and General
Assembly meetings, in person or virtual (online);
Executes
Board decisions with support Secretariat staff and HIC structures;
Applies the
by-law for the membership management and the election of HIC President and Board
members;
Produces
the HIC Annual Report with audited accounting;
Organizes
the HIC global meetings with responsibility for content and logistics;
Management
of HIC communication tools: portal, website, HICademy, Member Space, HIC-News,
Media lists and contacts database;
Fund
raising for global activities related to GS operation and global projects,
monitoring, reporting and follow-up of the projects;
Operates
bank accounts at the Rabobank in The Netherlands;
Supervises
translation of HIC documents into 4 languages (Arabic, English, Spanish and
French);
Updates legal
registration in coordination with HIC legal counsel in The Netherlands;
Updates HIC
Consultative Status at ECOSOC and coordinates the UN-DESA Quadrennial Report.
Supporting the HIC Members’
processes
Daily
contact with HIC Members, answering questions, orienting their inquiries to HIC
Reference Centers and other Members;
Calls and letters
to express solidarity and denouncements;
Provides
basic information about HIC to new Members;
Assesses
the contribution of active Members and Friends of HIC;
Attends
allies’ events and participates in their campaigns;
Administrates
the membership database with on-line services and documentation of all Members and
Friends;
Processes
membership applications, requests the corresponding HIC structures for their
endorsement, and informs the Board;
Administers
HIC Members’ monetary contributions, according to Board decisions.
Advocacy
Coordinates
resources for global campaigns and researches opportunities for international
projects;
Articulates
the main global habitat issues;
Permanently
updates the habitat key terms;
Coaches HIC
spokesperson team;
Collects
and disseminates HIC declarations;
Coordination
of the process towards gender mainstreaming in HIC;
Relation
with ONU.
Reporting Lines/ Line Management
The General
Secretary reports to the HIC Board, which evaluates annually and decides to
maintain or remove the General Secretary (according to HIC Constitution, 2013,
Art. 15.6).
Qualifications
Experience: At least seven (7)
years experience in organizational management; campaign development;
partnership development; advocacy.
Specific technical skills: Knowledge of
habitat issues; demonstrated capacity in management and administration; strong
language skills (speaking, writing and reading) in English, Spanish and French
(mandatory) / Arabic, Hindi and Portuguese (desirable); ability to articulate
civil society expressions through a human rights focus while promoting gender
equality and respect for Mother Earth; ability to coordinate between various
HIC Reference Centers located in different locations around the world; experience
in fundraising, planning, administration, monitoring and evaluation of
international projects and programs; management ofcommunication’s
strategy and technologies.
Work Conditions
Based in
Cairo, in the HIC-HLRN-MENA office;
Able to
work both independently and in a team setting in a collaborative fashion;
Ability to
travel internationally;
Available
to work some evenings and weekends as needed.
Core Competencies
People Skills: Ability to work
independently and as a team player who demonstrates leadership and is able to
motivate and support project partners. Able to work with, respect and empower
partners, colleagues and communities in a sensitive and participatory
manner.
Communication Skills: Well-developed
written and oral communication and listening skills in English and two other
languages. Able to communicate clearly, sensitively, passionately and
effectively with diverse audiences. Must possess effective negotiation and
facilitation skills.
Integrity: Maintains ethical
and organizational norms, firmly adhering to codes of conduct.
Diversity: Ability to create
and maintain a work environment that respects and promotes diversity, fully
benefiting from each individual’s unique qualities.Willingness and
capacity to deal with diverse working cultures;
Personal Work Management: Sets high standards of
performance for self and others and assumes responsibility and accountability
for successfully completing assignments and tasks. Capacity for sound
operational decision making, anticipating problems and proactive problem
solving.
Knowledge and skills: Requires experience
working with partners in program development, project management and basic computer
skills.
Terms of Offer
The General
Secretary is appointed by the HIC Board and works independently, with an
agreement of collaboration with Housing and Land Rights Network (HIC-HLRN) for
the use of the office services, accounting, audit and systems manager in a
collegial working environment. The remuneration is negotiable. HIC is raising
the funds to ensure the operation of the new General Secretariat for three
years, starting on Monday, 1 January
2014, on the base of a total annual budget of one hundred thousand Euros (€
100.000) for a team of two to three collaborators, including possible support
of current GS staff.
Applicants
are invited to send a cover letter stating their salary expectations and illustrating
their suitability for the above position, and a detailed resume outlining
relevant experience. Three references will be requested.
Please
submit your application bymidnight
(GMT), Monday, 15 July 2013to Ana Sugranyes, HIC General Secretary, P.O.
Box 41-T, Providencia, 7500000 Santiago, Chile, general.secretary@hic-net.org
E-mailed applications in PDF or Word
format, with “HIC-GS Recruitment” in the subject line, are strongly
preferred.
Only
qualified applicants will be shortlisted and contacted.
* To download the call in pdf, click
here.
Santiago, Chile, HIC-GS, May 2013