Country Program Coordinator

BACKGROUND

Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe (DKH) – with headquarters in Germany and the Regional Office West and Central Asia in Amman (RO), Jordan – is a humanitarian agency providing funds for emergency aid worldwide. DKH implements Relief, Rehabilitation and Disaster Risk Reduction projects through local partner organizations. The focus countries of DKH in West and Central Asia include Afghanistan, Gaza, Iraq, Turkey, Lebanon, Pakistan and Syria. DKH RO is also on stand-by for emergency interventions in case of acute natural disasters in South and Southeast Asia.

DKH provides technical and other backstopping support to all partner organizations within its area of responsibility. It also continuously aims at increasing and further strengthening relations with local partners and building their capacities. For this purpose, DKH has launched a partner-tailored regional Capacity Building Initiative in 2014, targeting all strategic partners in West and Central Asia.

DKH is now looking for a Country Program Coordinator who will be responsible for overseeing DKH project portfolios in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Location: Amman, Jordan, with travels to Afghanistan and Pakistan

Starting date: 01.08.2022

Responsibilities: Working under the supervision of the Regional Director of Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe- Regional Office West and Central Asia, the contracted Country Program Coordinator for Afghanistan and Pakistan is responsible to fulfil the following tasks:

Program Management Support and Development

• Guiding, supporting and advising local partners throughout all stages of PCM, from design and planning to implementation and closure, in alignment with DKH priorities, policies and quality standards
• Monitoring and evaluation of projects through field visits and remotely, ensuring all projects are implemented according to logframe, work plans and budget
• Supporting partners in effectively monitoring projects and adhering to MEAL standards
• Ensuring that reports are prepared in accordance with the requirements and regulations of third-party donors and DKH, overseeing reporting schedules and supervising the development of narrative and financial reports
• Identifying gaps and challenges in the management of projects and management processes and actively supporting or advising local partners in undertaking action for their improvement
• Ensuring that cooperation agreements are signed upon approval of proposals and all relevant documentation (admin/finance, logistics, etc.) are obtained from the donor and adequately filed
• Advising or supporting the partner in managing records, files, folders, and other project documentations, as necessary
• Supporting in developing and revising finance plans

Strategic Planning and Coordination

• Leading the development of country strategies and annual action plans for focus countries
• Identifying new opportunities and partners, providing input and actively guiding the development of country portfolios
• Representing DKH in relevant networks, donor and partner meetings, towards media and other stakeholders
• Liaising with DKH HQ and third-party donors
• Promoting collaboration of all stakeholders of DKH in the field, from staff of DKH and local partners to target communities and other aid agencies and institutions active in the same area of operation
• Attending coordination meetings in sectors that are relevant to DKH sectors of operation
• Establishing and maintaining good contact with the ACT Alliance members and Forum in each focus country, if available
• Monitoring the political, economic, social and humanitarian context in the focus countries and changes in the security situation in assigned focus countries and beyond

Capacity Building

• In close cooperation with the DKH Capacity Building Initiative Coordinator, assessing and monitoring organizational capacity of local partners and identifying their capacity building needs in accordance with the partners
• Designing and supporting capacity building programs, preparing and updating training modules for PCM and delivering or supporting the delivery of trainings

Emergency preparedness and response

Supporting the development of DKH’s emergency preparedness plan for focus countries. Where needed, carrying out one or more of the following tasks in the aftermath of an acute disaster in West and Central Asia:

• Needs assessments
• Designing emergency relief and recovery operations and writing project proposals
• Setting up and staffing of field offices in a disaster zone
• Identifying local partners and involving them in the relief and recovery operation
• Establishing and reviewing institutional structures in field offices
• Conducting impact evaluation studies of relief and recovery programs

Other tasks, as necessary

DKH reserves the right to alter the responsibilities according to programmatic demands and needs in line with the objectives of the office.

QUALIFICATION, EXPERTISE AND SKILLS

• At least 6 years of experience in managing and/or coordinating projects in the field of humanitarian assistance, incl. operational experience and field exposure
• University degree (or comparable education/ work experience) in a relevant field
• Sound knowledge of and skills in project cycle management, needs assessment, project planning, proposal writing, incl. extensive experience in grant management, strong MEAL experience (also remotely)
• Ability and willingness to work with partners and colleagues remotely
• Experience in emergency relief and early recovery, with special emphasis on one or more of the following sectors: Disaster Risk Reduction, Food Security, Livelihoods, Cash and Voucher Assistance
• Knowledge of and experience in rules and regulations as well as implementation of back donor funded projects, especially DG ECHO, German Federal Foreign Office and German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development
• Experience in working through local partner organizations based on equal partnership principles and in providing them technical and other backstopping support
• Good understanding of humanitarian principles and other key principles of international NGOs including accountability, localization, impartiality, neutrality, independence
• Excellent training and mentoring skills with the ability to multitask
• Experience working in different cultural work environments and ability to perform tasks with sensitivity to the local culture, to interact effectively and professionally with persons from diverse cultural, socio-economic, educational, ethnic and professional backgrounds
• Languages: Fluent in written and spoken English. German is a strong asset
• Excellent listening and communication skills: ability to organize and present information, views and concepts in a concise, understandable and interesting way for a variety of audiences, both written and oral
• Highly organized, detail oriented, and proactive, able to come up with initiatives or undertake actions with minimal supervision, yet excellent team player
• Outstanding personal attitude: especially sense of responsibility, ownership, diplomacy, concern for quality
• Outstanding personal values: integrity, commitment, respect for diversity, patience, excellent interpersonal skills, and sense of humor