• Closing date for applications: Sunday 27 November 2022
• Location: Sphere Secretariat, Geneva, Switzerland
• Reports to: Partnerships Director
• Contract: Permanent / Part-time 80%
• Grade: Officer

Background

The Sphere movement was started in 1997 by a group of humanitarian professionals aiming to improve the quality of humanitarian work during disaster response. With this goal in mind, they framed a Humanitarian Charter and identified a set of humanitarian standards to be applied in humanitarian response.

Initially developed by non-governmental organisations (NGOs), along with the Red Cross and Red Crescent (RCRC) Movement, the Sphere standards have become a primary reference tool for national and international NGOs, volunteers, United Nations (UN) agencies, governments, donors, the private sector, and many others. Today, Sphere is a worldwide community which brings together and empowers practitioners to improve the quality and accountability of humanitarian assistance.

Sphere’s flagship publication, the Sphere Handbook, is one of the most widely known and internationally recognised sets of common principles and universal minimum standards in humanitarian response.

What is expected of you in this role?

The overall purposes of this role are to manage and maintain productive relationships with Sphere members and focal points, and to enhance ownership and application of Sphere standards by expanding, diversifying, strengthening, and deepening the engagement of the global Sphere community of purpose and practice.

Main responsibilities include:

1. Focal Points
   • Engage actively with Sphere focal points through regular communications and facilitate coordination and information sharing among the network based on their annual workplans
   • Map, identify, and recruit new focal points, with a focus on priority countries
   • Ensure appropriate monitoring and reporting on focal points’ annual workplans and activities
   • Review funding requests and oversee projects supported by Sphere in line with approved plans and budgets
   • Provide capacity-building support to national/local partners which submit funding requests
   • Lead on the implementation of a range of the network’s events
   • Support the establishment of regional networks

2. Members
   • Act as the first point of contact for all members, track membership prospects, and ensure well-informed and prompt responses to membership enquiries
   • Manage and review applications, conduct due diligence checks, correspond with applicants, and distribute membership materials
   • Build and strengthen effective working relationships with the Sphere community while assessing their capacities and needs
   • Manage processes for member approval, retention and fee payments
   • Maintain accurate member and membership records (on Salesforce)
   • Work closely with the Head of Finance and Operations to maximise membership fee payments
   • Contribute to outreach and the recruitment of new members to diversify and expand Sphere’s membership base
   • Collaborate with the Head of Communications and Learning Services to ensure timely communications, dissemination of relevant resources and visibility for the Sphere network
   • Represent Sphere (including promoting Sphere membership) at external events

3. Governance
   • Develop and manage relevant processes and procedures to support the work of the Membership and Nominations Committee, the Board, the Partnerships Director and the Executive Director on matters related to members and focal points
   • Support the preparation of General Assembly meetings, Board elections, consultation processes and governance discussions

4. Other Responsibilities
   • Work with the team to maximise engagement with Sphere members and focal points
   • Contribute to networking efforts to build appropriate partnerships to strengthen the position and visibility of Sphere
   • Coordinate special projects, assignments and activities, as required

What we are looking for

The successful candidate will be a motivated, organised, inquisitive and experienced individual, passionate about humanitarian standards and the sector, ready to support Sphere’s overall mission, team and global community.

You will be joining a small, friendly and focused team to deliver real improvements in Quality and Accountability in the humanitarian action. You will have outstanding coordination and diplomatic skills and will be used to working in a diverse political and multicultural environment while being committed to making a difference.

Essential education, skills and experience

• A master’s degree or equivalent experience in Development Studies, International Relations, Political Science, or related field
• Strong interpersonal and problem-solving skills to work effectively and professionally with diverse parties, including colleagues, Board members, constituents and partners
• Dynamic and able to bring opportunities together to deliver results
• Confident self-starter who can work both independently and in collaborative manner
• Fluent in Spanish or Arabic, with a professional working level in English
• People management experience
• Excellent organisational, administrative and planning skills
• Knowledge of and keen interest in Quality and Accountability, migration, protection, or similar fields
• Ability to work under pressure and prioritise workloads
• Familiarity with an online, remote working environment (supported by MS Teams and SharePoint)

Desirable education, skills and experience

• Knowledge of the humanitarian and/or development sectors
• Experience in a membership organisation
• Comfortable working with databases, analytical tools and online surveys
• Event Management experience
• Sense of humour and a passion for creative problem solving and enthusiasm about working flexibly in a small team
• Familiarity with CRM systems (Salesforce)
• Additional language skills, notably French, Spanish and Arabic

Recruitment process

Please send your CV and a letter of motivation to recruitment@spherestandards.org including ‘Network and Membership Manager’ in the subject line.

This is a permanent position based in Geneva, Switzerland[1]. All candidates must hold a valid Swiss work permit.

 Application deadline: Sunday 27 November 2022 (midnight)

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. If you do not hear from us within three weeks following the application deadline, please consider your application unsuccessful this time.

Sphere does not discriminate potential employees on the basis of their race, colour, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), national origin, age or disability.

By applying for this role, you give Sphere your consent to process your personal data for the purpose of handling your application.

[1] The Sphere office is based in Geneva, Switzerland. The Sphere Secretariat follows the rules and guidelines of the Swiss Federal and Cantonal authorities and any other relevant parties regarding place of work, which are subject to change. You must be prepared to work both in the office and from home depending on rules in effect at any given time and decisions made by the Sphere Executive Director and the team regarding remote-working practices.