Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Operations & Field Leadership)

Role Summary:

We are looking for a dedicated and compassionate individual to join our small team, leading ground operations and supporting the CEO with organisational development. This is an exciting opportunity for anyone looking to work in emergency relief with grassroots, community-led approaches. We are looking for someone who is a self-starter and able to grow the role as needed. If you are looking to gain experience in a senior role within an organization, then this might be the opportunity for you!

This is a diverse role, and outcome objectives for the first year include:

· Maintain and deliver consistent, safe operational humanitarian support and assistance systems across Chios, including procurement and budget management responsibilities.

· Strengthen relationships with local authorities, suppliers, community partners, and other stakeholders.

· Enhance RBB’s practice of supporting leadership from community members, including mentoring those with lived experience of displacement to take over responsibilities in projects.

· Embed ethical storytelling and field insight processes into the organisation’s reporting cycle.

Responsible to: Chief Executive Officer, Refugee Biriyani & Bananas

Purpose: To lead RBB’s operational and community-focused work in line with our organisational strategy and needs identified on the ground.
Location: This role is to be based primarily on Chios Island, Greece. Occasional travel across Greece and internationally may be required.

Contract Type: Freelance contract (full time). The role requires the post-holder to manage their own freelance tax status, insurance, and legal right to work in Greece.

Contract Duration: 12 months, with possibility of renewal funding dependent

Initial Review Period: 3 months

Hours: Full time position with flexible hours across 7 days. Evening and weekend hours may be required.
Fee: Competitive freelance rate, starting from €2000 per month. To be calculated based on experience and cost of being based in Greece.

Expenses & Reimbursements: To be determined upon successful recruitment. Work related expenses such as accommodation and travel may be reimbursed when working away from duty station.

About Refugee Biriyani & Bananas

Refugee Biriyani & Bananas (RBB) is a female-led, community-led grassroots organisation that began in 2015, when a small group of friends cooked and distributed biriyani and bananas for people living in an informal displaced people’s camp in Dunkirk, Northern France. What started as an immediate response to an urgent situation—at a time when many Syrian people were being displaced into Europe due to war—grew into a long-term commitment to support displaced communities in places where assistance is urgent, limited, delayed, or inconsistent.

Our work has taken us through border crisis zones and war-affected areas, from delivering medical aid to Syria to supporting camps in Kurdistan and Serbia. Today, our main focus is Greece, with additional support provided through our teams and partners in Cairo and Gaza.

Our work is guided by the leadership, knowledge, and lived experiences of our team: around 80% of our field staff and volunteers come from refugee and asylum-seeking communities. We also have individuals from diaspora backgrounds and people with expertise in the NGO and humanitarian sector within our leadership, bringing a wide range of perspectives, skills, and community knowledge into our work.

We provide equitable, dignified, community-involved aid distributions and practical support, including food, water, hygiene items, season-specific essentials, and person-centred assistance. Our work can vary from aid distributions to arranging morale-boosting activities, supporting funerals, and providing case work, depending on needs identified by displaced communities themselves.

We also undertake community-led advocacy and awareness-raising, amplifying voices, highlighting experiences and community stories, priorities, and situations that are often overlooked.

We ensure the active involvement of people with lived experiences at every stage of our work — from decision-making and planning to the delivery of humanitarian aid, direct support, and raising awareness.

RBB uses a peer-to-peer accompaniment model, working alongside individuals and families who face barriers to accessing information or services. This may involve practical guidance or walking with someone through complex processes over the short or long term, acknowledging that accompaniment is mutual and grounded in shared trust.

We listen closely to affected communities, assess needs together, and identify gaps before acting. Our approach centres continuity, trust, equity, and meaningful involvement, ensuring displaced communities are not only supported but actively shaping the work itself.

About the Role

We are seeking a dynamic and committed Deputy CEO (Operations & Field Leadership) to oversee and lead our operations in Greece, with a particular focus on our community-led aid distributions, outreach, and advocacy in Chios. This is a hands-on leadership role requiring strong operational oversight, team-building, community and local stakeholder coordination, partnership management, and flexibility in a rapidly shifting humanitarian context.

Reporting directly to the CEO, the Deputy CEO will ensure our Greece operations are effective, safe, accountable, and responsive to the needs identified on the ground. You will act as the CEO’s deputy and step in during their absence, ensuring organisational continuity and stability. This is a freelance position, where the individual is expected to deliver on outcomes agreed with the CEO for the contract period. However, we are also looking for the right someone with a flexible approach to adapt to the needs of the organisation, and who is interested in developing the role further with the CEO.

While the primary focus of this role is Greece, you will also contribute to remote support for our team inside Gaza and collaborate with teams and partners in Cairo on logistics, distributions, cross-country planning, raising awareness, and amplifying the voices and experiences of the communities we work alongside. For this reason we are seeking candidates who are able to travel internationally, although we understand not all applicants may have the possibility of travel based on personal circumstances and we will still consider such applicants and not discriminate on this basis. Travel expenses are reimbursed as much as can be facilitated, including accommodation and transportation when outside Greece for work-related purposes.

This role involves a balanced mix of strategy, coordination, logistics, field work, community-led outreach, advocacy, awareness-raising, and relationship-building, and requires a practical, grounded, and community-centred approach.

Training, mentoring, and Continuous Professional Development opportunities will be available to support growth and development, with guidance from the CEO and wider team as appropriate.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee and manage daily operational delivery in Greece, with a primary focus on community-led aid distributions on Chios, including food, hygiene items, and other essential supplies. Build, train and support a high-performing, compassionate team, with a strong focus on community volunteers and individuals from the displaced communities we work alongside.
• Oversee procurement including sourcing supplies, assessing costs, maintaining transparency, and ensuring spending aligns with budgets, programme needs, and organisational values.
• Lead on logistics in Greece, including van maintenance, site logistics, rental agreements, supply storage, and the management of key operational relationships (including container yards, suppliers, community actors, and local authorities).
• Ensure the smooth running of the general helpline and strengthen RBB’s awareness, presence, and ability to respond across Chios and the wider Greek context.
• Work with partners, supporters, and stakeholders to secure in-kind aid, practical assistance, and other forms of support aligned with identified needs.
• Budget management and support to the CEO with financial oversight, including receipts, invoicing, cost tracking, and maintaining clear expenditure records.
• Deliver accurate and timely regular internal reporting, providing operational updates, financial notes, field insights, and community feedback for the CEO, team members, and (where required) the Board. Support donor and partner updates to ensure accuracy and accountability.
• Lead on recruiting, onboarding, training and day to day management of field staff and community volunteers, ensuring people feel supported, informed, included, and that work is delivered safely, efficiently, and in line with safeguarding practices.
• Work closely with the field team to gather accurate updates, information, and community perspectives that inform reporting, communications, and operational decision-making.
• Participate in regular meetings with the CEO, team members, and (when required) the Board, sharing key developments and offering strategic and operational recommendations.
• Handle emergency situations on Chios as they arise, including emergencies arising from contextual changes, and emergencies related to requests for help via the helpline.
• Ensure a safe working environment and uphold RBB’s policies, procedures, and safeguarding guidelines and reporting practices. Model and promote a supportive team culture, encouraging healthy boundaries, and helping maintain the emotional and physical safety of staff, volunteers, and community members, including mediation and conflict resolution where needed.

Strategic and Organisational Support

• Be ready to step into leadership responsibilities when the CEO is unavailable, in a deputy CEO capacity, ensuring continuity of decisions, safeguarding, and day-to-day operations.
• Support organisational development, planning, and strengthening organizational processes, including related to safeguarding, accountability, and community involvement to ensure meaningful community engagement and that people with lived experiences remain central to decision-making.
• Support the CEO with strategic priorities, including cross-country coordination, long-term planning, and alignment across Greece, Cairo, and Gaza.
• Support the CEO and fundraising team (if available) by providing field updates, identifying emerging needs, contributing to proposals, supporting events and crowdfunding campaigns, and ensuring supporters receive accurate information on priorities and gaps. Identify opportunities to expand, adapt, or re-establish services in Greece based on emerging priorities, gaps in support, and feedback from displaced communities.
• Collaborate with colleagues, partners and teams in Cairo and provide remote operational support to our team inside Gaza, supporting with distributions, logistics coordination, planning, raising awareness, while upholding RBB’s community-led values and ways of working across all locations and amplifying community voices across contexts.

Representation and Communications

• Represent Refugee Biriyani & Bananas in meetings with funders, partners, community groups, local authorities, and other stakeholders in Greece, ensuring RBB’s values, community-led approach, and dignity-focused practices are upheld.
• Support the CEO and, where relevant, other members of the RBB team in external representation, including public engagements and representation connected to programmes outside Greece if needed.
• Maintain clear, respectful, and responsive communication with displaced community members who contact RBB for information, support, or referrals, ensuring they receive timely and dignified responses.
• Collaborate with the communications team (if available) to provide accurate, timely field updates, content, and information from Greece to support social media, campaigns, fundraising, and awareness-raising. Where no communications support is available, create responsible, ethical content independently, ensuring dignity, context, and the centring of community voices. Gather information, stories, and field insights to support awareness-raising, ethical storytelling, and content creation, ensuring dignity, accuracy, and that community voices remain central.
• Contribute to community-led advocacy and awareness work by highlighting emerging needs, sharing insights from the ground, and responsibly supporting the amplification of voices and lived experiences from Greece, Cairo, and Gaza in a way that strengthens alignment of campaigns and informs proposals, supporter updates, and public communications.
• Provide support for meetings, events, or organisational activities in the UK or other locations, when required, in coordination with the CEO and wider RBB team.

Essential Requirements

Core Experience

• 3–5 years in field-based humanitarian work, grassroots aid delivery, or similar frontline roles. Direct experience working in Greece, or displacement contexts is preferred.
• Relevant educational/professional background (social sciences, migration studies, social work, public health, medical, community work, logistics, safeguarding).
• Experience with case work, accompaniment, or person-centred support.
• Knowledge of safeguarding frameworks and experience maintaining a safe working environment and upholding NGO policies, procedures, and safeguarding guidelines and reporting practices.
• Experience working with grassroots networks or community organisers, including delivering training, onboarding, or volunteer development.

Operational Experience

• Hands-on experience with aid distributions, including logistics coordination, procurement and supplier engagement.
• Experience negotiating site access and liaising with authorities, landlords, suppliers.
• Experience working alongside displaced communities with sensitivity and respect.
• Experience with community engagement, outreach, advocacy.
• Experience supporting basic financial processes, such as cost tracking, maintaining receipts, managing small budgets, and preparing clear expenditure notes for reporting.
• Experience across multiple project sites or multi-location programmes.

Digital, Communications & Fundraising

• Strong digital and computing skills (email, spreadsheets, cloud systems).
• Experience using Canva, CapCut, and mobile content tools.
• Competence with Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, Mailchimp.
• Experience supporting fundraising (proposals, appeals, crowdfunding, updates).
• Strong fluency in English (spoken and written), with clear, accurate, sensitive communication.

Other Essentials

• Willingness to be based in Chios or Athens, with travel across Greece.
• Valid driving licence (manual vehicles and vans).
• Must ensure own legal right to live and work in Greece, including visas, permits, tax obligations, and insurance for freelance work. This is a freelance/contractor role, and the contractor is responsible for their own tax declarations and social insurance contributions in the country where they are resident.
• Strong leadership and team-building skills.
• Excellent organisational and problem-solving abilities.
• Ability to stay calm under pressure and make grounded decisions.
• Integrity, accountability, and commitment to ethical storytelling.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively.
• Awareness of personal and team wellbeing, with the ability to identify early signs of stress or burnout, promote healthy boundaries and supportive working practices, and make appropriate referrals or signpost team members to wellbeing resources, training, or support systems when needed.

Desirable Requirements

• Experience in border, conflict, or displacement contexts globally.
• Experience working in Egypt, Gaza, or similar contexts.
• Experience using encrypted communication tools (Signal, ProtonMail).
• Familiarity with coordination platforms (Slack, Asana).
• Additional languages: Arabic, Greek, Farsi, Dari, Bangla, French, Somali, Kurdish, Urdu, Pashto.
• Existing networks within solidarity groups, community organisers, or grassroots networks.
• Knowledge of UK charity structures and governance, or a willingness to learn.
• First aid and basic life support training, or willingness to obtain it.
• Training or experience in conflict resolution and mediation.
• Familiarity with simple accounting or bookkeeping tools, such as Xero, QuickBooks, or similar.
• Experience in advocacy, community listening, awareness-raising, or media engagement.

How to apply

You can apply for this role by sending your CV and cover letter outlining your suitability and motivation to. When writing your cover letter please answer the following guiding questions:

1. How do you describe “community-led action” in your own words? (Provide examples of community-led action that you have been part of if possible.)
2. Please tell us about a time when you had to show leadership in a group and what challenges did you face?
3. What is your main motivation for applying for this role and what challenges do you expect to face?

Please send your CV and cover letter by email with the subject line:
RBB Deputy CEO (Operations & Field Leadership Application)

Application should be sent to the following email address: info@refugeebiriyanibananas.org

Applications close on: Monday 12th January 2026 11:59pm UK time.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Early applications are encouraged. We expect to hold interviews remotely the week beginning 19th January 2026. Applicants with lived experience of displacement are encouraged to apply.

Please visit www.refugeebiriyanibananas.org for more information.