Programme Director at Concern Worldwide

Role Purpose: 

• The job holder will provide leadership in the development and management of all the programmes of Concern Worldwide in Kenya, aligned with and contribute in the achievement of Concern’s Country Strategic Plan (CSP). As a member of the Country Management Team (CMT). He/she will contribute to the management of the Country Programme with specific responsibility for programme design, development, inception, implementation, funding, targeting, quality, efficiency, and impact.

Responsibilities:

Programme Development & Implementation:

• Ensuring programmes are designed and implemented in line with Concern Worldwide policies using a results-based management approach
• Identifying new programme interventions and opportunities in accordance with the Country Strategic Plan, based on thorough contextual analysis and using “How Concern Understand Extreme Poverty” guidelines
• Ensuring programmes meet Core Humanitarian Standards of accountability and quality
• Ensuring Concern retains its capacity to respond and prepares adequately to emergencies
• Frequently visiting programme areas and providing feedback to managers and staff
• Developing effective linkages with the Government, donors, strategic networks, and partners (including local and national actors, as well as private sector actors)
• Supporting Programme Managers to produce reports in line with donor, government, and Concern Requirements
• Guiding project team to develop workplans, budgets, and procurement plans.
• Regularly assess and identify risks to the programme and develop strategies to mitigate them.
• Ensure that programme updates are provided regularly to the Regional Desk Officer and that relevant head office staff are aware of progress, challenges and technical support needs. The PD is required to report on grant potential funding opportunities and ensure that that the CMT contribute to successful applications.
• Ensure that programme and grant management are prioritised through line management structures and that efficiency and effectiveness are tracked on a weekly, monthly and quarterly basis.
• Support Programme Managers and Coordinators in undertaking analyses that facilitate the integration of market-based interventions across the Kenya programme portfolio, including both existing and developing programmes.
• Ensure that appropriate assistance delivery modalities are scoped, assessed and considered, with particular emphasis on the integration of Cash and Voucher Assistance across sectors.

Security Management:

• Monitoring and reporting on security issues to the Security Focal Person when necessary
• Ensuring programme staff awareness and adherence to Country Security Management Plan and identifying security training needs where appropriate
• Ensure that appropriate risk mitigation and security measures are adapted to the delivery modality, with specific consideration for assistance provided through CVA.

Budget Management

• Identifying potential sources of donor funding / funding opportunities & develop funding strategies.
• Monitoring under- and overspending in each budget and advising on appropriate solutions, considering specific considerations related to budget management when CVA is used as a delivery modality.
• Coaching, mentoring, and assisting budget holders to develop accurate budgets
• Ensuring budgets and revisions are prepared and submitted on time
• Ensuring full compliance with all donors and other fiduciary regulations.
• Reporting any suspected or actual financial irregularities to the Country Director

People Management

• Ensuring sufficient human resources for programmes to meet their objectives
• Ensuring staff are adequately trained and understand the objectives for their role
• Coaching, mentoring and assisting budget holders to develop accurate budgets

Partnerships Management

• Leading the development and maintenance of strong partnerships and collaboration with key stakeholders.
• Proactively lead and adapt the programme to make use of trends and opportunities, and find solutions to emerging challenges
• Lead the development of strong partnerships with private sector actors, including financial service providers (FSPs), ensuring that they are appropriately engaged, subject to due diligence, and assessed for their capacity and potential to support programme objectives.
• Lead the identification of strong partnerships with local and national actors to support the delivery of programme objectives, and support the technical lead in assessing the sectoral capacities of the identified LNAs, including their capacity to deliver assistance through CVA (whenever possible and feasible)
• Providing strategic direction and guidance to the partners at meso and macro levels.

Networking & Representation:

• Representing Concern at relevant technical inter-agency meetings, UN, Government, and coordination meetings when requested by the Country Director
• Ensure representation, through technical staff in relevant national and subnational coordination fora related to CVA or market-based approaches.

Monitoring & Evaluation:

• Ensuring Monitoring & Evaluation plans and mechanisms are developed and rolled out
• Ensuring Programme Managers coordinate the monitoring and evaluation of all programmes (including partner programmes) within the agreed plans, budgets, time frames, and donor guidelines
• Ensuring quality control and timeliness of all deliverables as required in an accountable manner to all stakeholders.
• Foster collaboration between programme teams and the MEAL Unit to promote evidence-based programming, learning, adaptive management, and the effective use of data for strategic decision-making.

Responding to Emergencies:

• Participating and contributing, towards Concern’s emergency response, as and when necessary
• Complying with Concern’s health, safety and security guidelines during emergencies
• Ensure that adequate preparedness measures are in place to maintain timely and sufficient response capacity in the event of emergencies.
• Ensure that all relevant departments are engaged and aware of the procedures, including those specific to CVA delivery, for responding to sudden-onset emergencies.

Accountability:

• Promote and ensure compliance with the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) commitments and quality criteria
• Ensure that all staff are familiar with the principles underpinning accountability, safeguarding and Concern’s Complaints and Response Mechanism (CRM) and ensure that information about Concern’s commitments on accountability and safeguarding are disseminated among programme participants and communities
• Ensure that the CRM is functional, effectively implemented and accessible in all programmes’ locations, enabling safe reporting of both programmatic and sensitive complaints, including safeguarding concerns, ensure that complaints are welcomed, managed and responded to in a timely, fair and appropriate manner; ensure that sensitive complaints, including safeguarding concerns, are handled with utmost confidentiality and that the safety of the complainants and those affected is prioritized at all stages

Specific responsibilities for managers:

• 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.

Role Holder Requirements:

• Master’s degree or equivalent, preferably in social science, development management, business management, or a related discipline.
• 8-10 years relevant experience, with at least 3 years at senior management level within a development/ humanitarian organisation/NGO.
• In-depth technical/programme knowledge at international level.
• Excellent management capability (budgets, people, resources) required.
• Previous experience of developing and overseeing programmes focusing on one or more of the following areas: market systems development and market-based approaches; climate change adaptation; nature-based solutions (NbS); and health and nutrition systems strengthening.
• Ability to engage in high level representation.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills in English
• Strong coordination and conflict resolution skills.
• Good coaching, motivational, facilitation and capacity-building skills.
• Strong leadership skills and ability to manage change effectively.