Deputy Director Programs

The humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan is one of the most complex and long-standing in the world, driven by armed conflict, recurrent climactic shocks, disease outbreaks, and weak governance structure, all of which contribute to persistent and pervasive poverty. Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, economic and political instability has resulted in the deterioration of basic service provision across the country, increased prices of staple foods and fuel, reduced household purchasing power, and negatively impacted the ability of Afghan households to meet basic needs. The UN predicts that 24.4 million people will require humanitarian assistance throughout 2023, with the severity of needs deepening across all sectors. Due to the combined factors, food insecurity and acute malnutrition rates are high in 28 out of 34 provinces, with more than 3.5 million children in need of urgent nutrition treatment support. According to the IPC- Acute Food Insecurity Analysis (March- November 2022), currently over 19.7 million people, or 47% of the total population, are facing high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or higher) current/lean season.

The Deputy Director Programs (DDP) provides a leadership, decision-making and coordinating role on programmatic issues, including the effective implementation of IRC’s projects in Afghanistan. With a focus on populations affected by conflict, economic catastrophe and natural disaster, IRC currently works in the following sectors: Economic Well-Being, Environmental Health (WASH), Education, Protection, Health, Cash, Nutrition and Emergency Response.

As a part of the country Senior Management Team (SMT), the DDP leads on developing strategies and implementing programming in the 11 geographic areas/provinces: Kabul, Nangarhar, Laghman, Paktya, Kunduz, Helmand, Badghis, Herat, Logar, Pakitika and Khost.

The DDP line manages the sector Coordinators and reports to the Country Director.

Responsibilities

1. Leadership & Strategic Planning

• Provide leadership and supervisory management to the programs department, as a key member of the SMT, including stewardship of resources, budget management, program delivery and performance management.

• Lead on the development/review and implementation of the Country Strategic Action Plan (SAP) focusing on achievement of the plan objectives, universal expectations, and regular progress review of plans. Serve as the focal point person for the SAP Monitoring and Reporting Protocol and SAP Implementation Committee.

• Advance program sector strategies, including the integration of cross-cutting issues of gender, partnership, protection, climate change, and disaster risk reduction.

• Work closely with the Deputy Director for Program Quality, Deputy Director of Field Management and the Deputy Director for Awards and Partnerships in ensuring appropriate support and coordination between technical Coordinators, Grants and M&E counterparts.

2. Program Implementation

• Drive effective management of program implementation and support the Provincial /Sector Coordinators in collaboration with Deputy Director of Field Management through creation of structured work-plans and approved monitoring plans based on project proposals and that expenditures are monitored monthly; rapidly initiate and track well-structured corrective action where required.

• Take the lead on Project Cycle Management (PCM) and working closely with the Deputy Director for Programs Quality in ensuring that every project has an Indicator dashboard tracked under the Program Indicator Dashboard (PID).

• Mitigate risk by collaborating with the Deputy Director of Finance to ensure that programming staff fully understand financial and administrative processes involved in project budget cycles.

• Provide the Country Director with accurate and up to date advice of developments and opportunities in program and project implementation together with any necessary recommendations for action.

• Work with Deputy Director for Program Quality in developing, rolling out and monitoring a country-wide M&E strategy and tools for the collection and analysis of program information (qualitative and quantitative) to inform all stages of the project cycle to increase shared learning internally and externally.

• Review reports produced by the Grants Unit to ensure high quality and accurate reporting for submission to donors, per IRC and donor guidelines.

• Coordinate donor visits, and support field staff in collaboration with Deputy Director of Field Management in preparing and conducting these visits as necessary.

3. Business/Program Development & Fundraising

• Effectively collaborate with the Deputy Director Programs Quality and Deputy Director for Awards and Partnerships to support the Grants Unit and M&E Unit to make sure that high quality and needs-based project proposals are developed, according to the Proposal Flowchart and in compliance with IRC and donor regulations as well as within the parameters of the Strategic Action Plan (SAP).

• Provide mentorship and leadership in the rollout and use of the SAP and Outcome and Evidence Framework when developing new projects in coordination with the Deputy Director Awards and Partnerships.

4. Human Resources and Staff Development

• Provide supportive mentorship and supervision to direct reports. Provide appropriate and timely feedback to staff regarding their performance, including timely implementation of the annual staff performance management system.

• Set clear performance objectives for sector coordinators clearly stating key deliverables and timelines.

• Support the identification of staff capacity gaps and capacity development opportunities for senior staff. Ensure gender balance across all sectors and across all the program team with special attention to identifying, supporting, and mentoring female staff to take on senior roles.

• Assist in developing job descriptions and in the recruitment of senior program staff (national and international). Ensure that regular and quality staff evaluations are conducted for all staff.

• Work with the Country Director, Deputy Director Operations, Deputy Director for Program Quality, Deputy Director for Awards and Partnership, Deputy Director for Finance and Human Resources Coordinator to review/revise and develop appropriate policies and address issues.

5. Liaison/Representation and Coordination

• Maintain a sound understanding programs to be able to represent the IRC and the IRC’s interests with partners, government, donors and clients.

• Lead effective representation of IRC in all Country Coordination mechanisms (Cluster coordination meetings, Strategic Advisory Groups etc).

• Help develop a positive relationship with donors / Government counterparts and local partners to ensure sustainable programs in the portfolio sectors. Encourage and support improved program cohesion through coordination initiatives and information sharing with and between all key country program staff.

• Promote the IRC Afghanistan vision and mission amongst all staff.

• Serve as an active member of the Senior Management Team and deputize for the Country Director as necessary.

Requirements:

• Graduate degree in International Development, International Relations, business; management and administrative science.

• Excellent professional track record with 6-8 years of experience in a conflict/post-conflict environment with program leadership responsibilities. Successful experience working within a complex security environment is preferred.

• Proven ability to think strategically, prioritize and meet deadlines in a complex and challenging environment; must be culturally sensitive

• Excellent leadership, people management, interpersonal and negotiation skills, and a demonstrated ability to develop harmonious teams in a multi-ethnic context. Must have a strong Passion for gender equality and equity.

• Strong diplomacy skills: ability to establish and maintain good working relationships with partners, donors, government and clients in a sensitive environment.

• Have fluent spoken and written English

• Strong computer skills: including competency in the use of Windows MS office programs (Word, Excel), email programs, etc.

• Willingness to travel outside Kabul depending on security clearance.

• Willingness to live in strict security protocol environment

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation

The IRC is an equal opportunity employer.