Head of Programme, Poland, Moldova and Romania

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a leading protection agency with a mandate is to promote and protect durable solutions to conflict and displacement affected populations on the basis of humanitarian principles and human rights.DRC is implementing a multi-sector response to support Ukraine refugees, IDPs and host populations both within Ukraine and in the neighboring countries of Poland, Romania and Moldova and wider Europe.

DRC has been operating in Ukraine since 2014, following previous operations in the 1990’s and between 2007-2013. Over the years, DRC successfully maintained its presence in the government-controlled areas (GCA) and adapted its programmes to provide early recovery and durable solutions to people affected by the conflict including IDPs and communities living along the contact line, as well as reduce the threats of explosive ordnance with a growing humanitarian mine action programme.

Due to the ongoing conflict that began in Feb 22, DRC opened offices in Poland, Moldova and Romania to provide support to displaced populations through partnership with civil society organizations and national NGOs, duty bearers and other actors. DRC continues to implement in these three countries through partnerships, technical assistance and capacity exchange, and direct implementation in some cases.

About the Job

The Head of Program reports to and works closely with the Country Director to provide leadership, management and strategic program direction for Poland, Moldova and Romania operations, and in promoting programmatic and operational compliance and development. The HOP supports quality programming by providing and mobilizing regional technical support for the country operations and program teams hosted within PMR. The Head of Programme is part of DRC PMR Senior Management Team and has direct line-management of the programme protection manager, PQ and MEAL Manager, and CCCM team.

Your main responsibilities will be:

Program Strategy & Development

• Participate in country level strategic planning and contribute to the sustainable management of program growth with an eye towards program growth and development.
• Contribute to the conceptualization and evolution of the country strategy, develop/define the country programming in a collaborative way ensuring program appropriateness and accountability among the country program team with active participation in the drafting of the DRC Strategic Programme Document
• Collaborate closely with senior management staff in the development and design of innovative initiatives to drive new program development in DRC PMR in accordance with DRC’s assistance framework
• Foster synergies between program areas (integrated approach) and support the strong integration of protection and gender considerations throughout all humanitarian initiatives and ensure adherence to humanitarian principles and any other international standards when relevant
• Advocate for DRC’s program in PMR with government, donors and humanitarian stakeholders, in HCT, consortia, cluster meetings, workshops, conferences and in other relevant fora.
• Establish strong and efficient partnerships with organisations, donors and authorities, in line with the country programme strategy and DRC partnership management policy

Program Implementation & Coordination

• Provide oversight, guidance and leadership to all technical coordinators and specialists to ensure quality program implementation and integration in DRC PMR.
• In a frequent context of remote management, provide oversight on programmatic needs and gaps collaborate closely with the Response Managers, as well as the Quality Assurance team.
• With the Technical teams, continually evaluate current methodologies and policies, determine their effectiveness and provide suggestions on ways to improve compliance, and to ensure program and organizational success.
• Ensure effective and transparent budget follow up, planning and use of financial resources in compliance with DRC and donor policies and priorities.
• Lead Technical Coordinators in compiling and developing work plans for PMs and achieving benchmarks for program activities including spending plans and burn rates.
• Effectively stay abreast of donor policies, procedures, rules and regulations; and train DRC program staff in these policies

Program Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning

• With PQ and MEAL team ensure that all projects contribute to measuring impact and are in line with DRC’s country strategic plan.
• Ensure quality programming by coordinating the technical support provided by the Quality Assurance team into programs with a keen focus on IM, MEAL and other quality improvement initiatives
• Promote learning and knowledge management within the country program
• Document lessons learned and best practices for dissemination within DRC country and Regional teams, to donors and to other stakeholders when relevant in order ensure synergetic programming and cross-program collaboration in DRC PMR and in the whole region
• Implement appropriate monitoring, tracking and reporting systems, tools and templates that enhance monitoring of program outputs and quality, generate quality evidence on program impact and promote and ensure use of data for decision-making processes/ program adjustments.

Fundraising, Grant proposals writing & reporting processes

• Pursue funding opportunities in all DRC- areas of competence and coordinate the capacities of the Technical Coordiators and SMT to identify and materialize opportunities in alignment with country and regional strategies
• Trigger and oversee the drafting of concept notes, proposals and donor reports by program managers (including budgets for cost-related activities) in coordination with grants departments in line with DRC HQ/Region and donor requirements
• Ensure timely and targeted communication and information flow to all relevant internal and external parties in coordination with the Country Director, Regional Office, HQ and other program stakeholders to remain informed about program achievements

Program staff Management and Capacity Building

• Effectively manage program teams, including where applicable, international and national managers, specialists and technical experts, coordinators, officers, located at sites throughout the country with an emphasis on excellence, promoting a culture of cooperation, learning, creativity and innovation.
• Develop Job descriptions/Terms of Reference, lead and or contribute to recruitment processes and the induction and/or orientation of new staff.
• Development of overall staff competence through leadership, training and coaching of technical and management key program staff
• Conduct annual staff performance reviews
• Collaborate closely with the Head of Support Services and Head of Operations to allocate funding for staff development, performance management and team building processes.

Donor liaison, Partnerships and Representation

• Together with Country Director, ensure adequate bilateral representation of DRC with government authorities, donors, UN agencies, humanitarian agencies and other partners in regard to programme and participation in coordination meetings as relevant.
• Liaise with government counterpats to ensure DRC grant sub agreements are signed in a timely manner.

Advocacy and communication:

• Work in collaboration with CD and Regional Advocacy Coordinator on developing advocacy and policy key messages across programmatic platforms.
• Support the CD and Regional Communications Coordinator in the development and review of communication materials, including brochures, case studies as well as press releases.

About You

• Min 5 years management experience, including the management of a programmes across multiple sectors.
• Min 3 years of experience in staff management and development.
• Post-graduate in international relations, Humanitarian Programs Management, degree, social science, international development and/or similar field
• Good understanding of displacement issues and related international standards/frameworks
• Strong experience in programme quality, MEAL, programme development and proven fundraising abilities with key donors
• Proven experience of representing externally to key stakeholders, including government authotities, donors, embassies and clusters.
• Experience of leading strategic programming and planning processes
• Experience of managing systems and tools to oversee complex project portfolios across different sectors and locations as well as within consortia
• Ability to live and work under pressure in a rapidly changing and sometimes insecure environment
• Team player with excellent communication and strong participatory leadership skills
• Ability to work in hazardous environments with limited social possibilities
• Fluency in written and spoken English required
• Fluency in written and spoken regional languagues (Polish, Romanian, Moldovan, Ukrainian, etc) is beneficial

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’ five core competencies:

Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process.

Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback.

Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation.

Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly.

Demonstrating integrity: You uphold and promote the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation to our values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.

We offer

Contract length: 12 months

Band: E

Designation of Duty Station: Family – non-accompanied

Start date: 15 December 2022

Salary and conditions will be in accordance with Danish Refugee Council’s national salary scale; For questions regarding the vacancy please contact Ana Povrzenic at [email protected]