Programme Director

Job Title: Programme Director

Reports to: Country Director

Department: Programmes

Terms: Fixed Term (24-months), Full-time, Unaccompanied terms.

Location: El Geneina, West Darfur

Salary: Grade 5 salary (€50,107- €55,674)

Requirements: Based in El Geneina in West Darfur with frequent travel between Port Sudan, Darfur, and the Kordofans, with some travel to South Sudan.

About Concern: Established in 1968, Concern is a non-profit, non-governmental humanitarian organisation, dedicated to the reduction of suffering and the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest countries.

Concern’s vision, our mission and our work are all defined by one goal – ending extreme poverty, whatever it takes. Concern strives for a world free from poverty, fear and oppression.

Our culture is values driven and we believe that our people are central to all that we do and are key to delivering on our goal of Reaching the Furthest Behind First. We are committed to ensuring a workplace where everybody feels valued and are enabled to succeed in their work and contribute to delivering on our mission.

Role Purpose: As Programme Director, you will be a member of the Country Management Team. You will provide overall leadership for Concern Sudan programmes, fostering a culture of excellence in accordance with organizational policies, donor policies and the Country Strategic Plan. You will participate in decision-making on strategic issues including geographical priorities, programme quality, programme development, partnership strategy and other organizational priorities. You will be responsible for effective implementation of all Concern programmes including health, nutrition, WASH, livelihoods, and emergency response. You will work closely with programme staff to ensure effective implementation of Concern’s policies and strategies and delivery of high-quality programmes.

The Programme Director directly manages the technical team (Health and Nutrition Coordinator, Cash and Markets Coordinator), the Area Coordinators for Darfur and the Kordofans, and the Programme Quality and Development Coordinator (PQDC).

Responsibilities:

• Ensure Concern’s policies and strategies are implemented in all programmes
• Ensure all Concern’s programmes are implemented following the Country Strategic Plan, sectoral and cross-cutting strategies
• Support the development of new or updated Sudan-specific strategies, as neededEnsure legal and operational government compliance criteria are met at field offices, including securing timely approval of technical agreements (TAs) and memorandums of understanding (MOUs) at state level.
• Ensure all programmes deliver results as per donor contracts and organisational quality standards
• In coordination with the technical team and PQDC, ensure that programmes are delivered in line with Concern’s and international standards, including the Core Humanitarian Standards
• Coordinate programme activities across programmes, sectors and approaches; supporting staff and partners and ensuring complementary approaches and, where appropriate, internal and external referrals
• Oversee fundraising processes including programme design, proposal and budget preparation
• In coordination with the PQDC, lead evidence-based programme development; ensure that programme monitoring data and learning is used to inform adaptive management and continuous improvement
• Undertake monitoring visits to programme areas and provide feedback to programme managers, staff and partners
• Support the PQDC in ensuring the effective functioning of the Grants, Partnerships, MEL, Accountability and Communications teams
• Consistently liaise with the Operations Director and the Country Financial Controller to ensure systems and finance are working for programme delivery
• Ensure optimal use of financial, human and material resources within Concern’s work in a transparent and accountable manner consistent with Concern’s systems and procedures; delivering quality results and demonstrating value for money.
• Oversee the financial management of the Programme budget, supported by Area Coordinators and Programme Managers
• In coordination with the Country Director, represent Concern externally to donors, partners and other key stakeholders
• Ensure internal and external visibility and communications of programme launch, successes and learning.
• Ensure preparedness plans are in place for likely emergency response scenarios, and timely and effective response by Concern and partners as required
• Recruit and build a team of programme staff who deliver excellence in programming
• Structured capacity building and coaching of programme staff to address operational challenges and/or technical gaps
• Keep abreast of significant developments in the external context and support the Country Director in making informed and appropriate decisions
• All managers are responsible for upholding and promoting Concern’s values, demonstrating leadership on workplace equality, diversity and inclusion, and role modelling a positive safeguarding ethos.
• All managers are required to actively participate in any emergency response as and when required.
• Contribute to organisational decision making as a member of the Senior Management Team
• Support in change management.
• Undertake other related duties as may be assigned by the Country Director and deputise for the Country Director as necessary.

Senior management role:

Role Holder Requirements

Essential:

• Advance university qualification in social sciences, management, humanitarian aid or relevant technical field
• At least 8 years of relevant experience in developing and managing emergency and development programmes and/or post conflict context programmes (at least 3 years at a senior level)
• Proven track record in staff management and working with partners.
• Experience managing programmes in emergencies and/or complex and fragile countries
• Empathy with Concern’s core values and policies.
• Flexible and adaptable to a changing environment.
• Ability to work under pressure often to strict deadlines.
• Self-motivated, progressive and proactive.
• Proficient spoken and written English

Desirable:

• Experience of working in Sudan or the East Africa region
• Experience in using participatory approaches
• Working knowledge of Arabic
• Experience leading a multi-disciplinary team

Safeguarding competencies:

We also value the following special skills and aptitudes:

• Respectful of security procedures and rules.
• Empathy with Concern’s Vision, Mission, Goals and Objectives.
• Knowledge of Core Humanitarian Standards, Sphere and Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS).
• Respectful of local laws and customs
• Conducts itself in a professional manner
• Zero-tolerance to sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, human trafficking, child abuse and exploitation. Any violations of these principles and polices will be treated as a serious misconduct

How to apply

For further T&Cs and to apply, please visit the Concern Worldwide website: Concern Careers | Programme Director

Due to the urgency of this position, applications will be shortlisted on a regular basis and we may offer posts before the closing date.