Country Programmes Officer at Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS)

Introduction

The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) is seeking to recruit a Country Programme Officer responsible to coordinate and support the implementation of all aspects of programming within the country with the guidance and support of the Country Director and the Regional Office.

He/she will be responsible for planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating the country programmes, under the direction of the Country Director. He/she is required to identify and develop key opportunities for programmes focused on refugees, IDPs and other populations affected by conflict. Together with the Country Director, the CPO will also be responsible for fundraising and grant management. The CPO will work in close collaboration with the Project Office in defining all aspects of the project cycle. The Country Programmes Officer will implement positive and effective relationships with key partners and stakeholders in the interest of promoting JRS’s objectives.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Coordination of JRS programmes at country level
  • In consultation with the Country Director and relevant stakeholders, analyse regularly the unmet needs of refugees and other populations of concern and to suggest new initiatives to the Country Director;
  • Through a consultative process within the country and field visits, to assist in the development of strategies, methodologies, contingency plans that respond to new and emerging challenges for the country;
  • To assist in and provide inputs developing the country strategic and operations plan, aligned with the global and regional strategic framework as well as with annual programming/planning procedures/guidelines.
• Project-related activities
  • With the support of Country and Project Directors, be responsible for the planning, monitoring, reporting and evaluation of JRS projects within the country and, in the absence of the Project Director directly coordinate project activities in liaison with respective coordinators.
  • To plan and conduct annual needs assessments for each project site, according to JRS standards and guidelines.
  • In consultation with the Country Director and in collaboration with the Project Directors, to set methodologies, timetables and resources for project evaluations.
  • To produce project proposals and reports according to JRS standards and donor-related requirements (funding proposal / reports) in collaboration with the Country Director and Regional Office.
  • To carry out frequent project visits to monitor and evaluate the activities to ensure timely and quality implementation according to the JRS vision and mission, standards and guidelines and donor specific requirements, and provide feedback to the field;
  • To frequently travel to the field, to train and update Project Directors and other key field staff (i.e., coordinators) in project writing, management, compliance, monitoring and evaluation according to JRS’ standards and guidelines as well as suggesting improvements of planning, programming implementation and current processes and advise during the appraisal of the program officers.
  • To ensure project learning is generated and documented, and shared within the JRS network
  • Liaise with country, regional, and international technical support officers as needed to ensure relevancy and quality of activities
• Support and Communication
  • When requested, represent JRS Kenya in international meetings, including JRS IO annual Country Director meetings.
  • To communicate regularly with the Regional Office and with the IO Desk Officer in the Programmes and Innovation Department informing them on all major issues and developments in programming within the country.
• Relations with partner and donor agencies
  • To maintain close working relations and attend meetings with JRS’s partner agencies, as well as with other international humanitarian/development organizations including UNHCR, funding agencies and Church bodies;
  • To support the organizational fundraising actions by maintaining regular contact, including meetings with donor representatives and by submitting project funding proposals and managing donor reporting;
  • In close collaboration with the Country Director, to negotiate funding or partnership agreements.
  • To attend cluster and other relevant coordination meetings;
  • To build strong rapport with the major partners/donors as well as with government counterparts (i.e. Ministry of Education, Ministry of Social Welfare);
  • To explore and help create possibilities for new partnerships/ donors;
  • In coordination with Country Communication Officer, develop relevant communication tools to keep team members, partners and donors regularly informed of progress of activities;
  • To represent the organisation in meetings, giving talks and presentations when requested by the Country Director.
• Work with the Country Team
  • To work closely with other members of the Country Office to fulfil its function of shared leadership through the coordination of all programming efforts in the country;
  • To attend regular team meetings, planning meetings and workshops; in particular, to collaborate with the Country Finance Officer and any other Officers.
• Budgeting
  • To monitor regularly project income and expenditure in conjunction with the Country Finance Officer;
  • To assist the Country Director in ensuring that projects have enough funding for their implementation;
  • To submit, in conjunction with the Country Finance Officer, the annual budget for the projects to the Country Director for approval.

Key Performance Indicators

• Timely production and submission of project proposals and reports
• Timely production of reports related to field visits highlighting recommendations and actions taken
• Timely production of annual needs assessment and activities plan for each project site
• Funds raised during the year. Performance can be assessed against a pre-defined fundraising goal.**

Requirements of the Position

• Advanced University degree, preferably in Project Management, Finance, Business Administration, or equivalent;
• At least four (4) years of experience working with NGOs proposal and reports writing, project evaluation and monitoring;
• Professional experience in a similar capacity with international, non-profit organizations;
• Knowledge of and experience in Programme Cycle Management, strategic framework, log frames, etc