Head of Programmes

Overview of Saba Relief Programmes:

Saba Relief is the UK-based Yemen-focused charity. It runs a range of programmes across several thematic sectors including healthcare, education, food distribution and food security, water and sanitation, livelihood, sustainability and orphan support in Yemen.

Overview of the role:

Responsible for planning, implementing and monitoring existing projects, maintaining donor relations, expanding donor funding and facilitating communication between stakeholders i.e. other departments, field staff etc. The right candidate is required to have excellent coordination skills along with fluency in written and spoken English.

Collaborate with and support our country office, programs manager and field Office; assist develop, monitor, programme mobilisation and strategy. To develop new strategies for project development, (appropriate to the needs and context of the Charity’s mission) and allow for a responsive approach to proposal development. Focus on and anticipate donor priorities, keeping up to date with current events as they unfold on the ground and update them in a timely manner. Maintain accurate records of projects, writing and updating new proposals, liaising with relevant teams for implementation. Ensure compliance whilst working with donors and implementing partners.

Main Responsibilities:

• Co-ordinate between programmes staff in the field as well at headquarter.
• Manage donor relationships.
• Facilitate all aspects of project management for assigned proposal efforts, including initial research, review/analysis, template creation, task management, kick-off/status calls, scheduling, input review/consolidation and delivery;
• Project Cycle management, including needs assessments, formulation of concept note, proposals and budget;
• Monitoring of project progress through field trips, close communication with project staff, monitoring of expenditure, communication with donors and problem solving.
• Monitoring compliance with procedures or policies and flagging breaches to the line manager.
• Provide support to monitoring and evaluation teams, assisting in capacity building where appropriate.
• Supporting Yemen team in developing submitting high quality reports (narrative and financial).
• Supporting Finance Manager, in the processing of all grant claims and payments, ensuring reconciliation with Saba Relief systems.
• Maintaining electronic and hard-copy files for all grants, in line with established systems.
• Ensuring project financial reports are updated in information systems.
• Represent Saba Relief in the UK at humanitarian meetings as appropriate, including donor meetings.
• Ensuring that Saba Relief’s reputation is enhanced in all representation / liaison activities.
• Support other departments in development of appeals.
• To attend regular team meetings and contribute to the overall smooth operation of Saba Relief.
• To keep up to date with the major issues and solutions pertaining to Saba Relief.
• Collect information for other Departments on field trips, as requested.
• To undertake other tasks and projects as requested by senior managers.

Leadership Skills:

To promote Saba Relief’s vision and mission and to uphold the Charity’s values in all day-to-day activities and delivery of services.

• To contribute to the Charity’s objectives, Risk Register and Assurance Framework.
• To ensure that Saba Relief develops a culture that promotes equality and diversity and that the service you provide meets the needs of all stakeholders. This may involve the development and monitoring of policies and procedures to ensure the services you provide are inclusive to all.
• To participate in Yemen Relief related events as and when required.
• In accordance with the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) and subsequent legislation, the post holder is required to undertake a proactive role in the management of risks in all their actions; this includes:-
• Undertaking risk assessments in line with the Saba Relief risk assessment process;
• Reporting all incidents, near-misses and hazards in line with the Saba Relief’s reporting systems
• Undertaking a statutory duty of care for your own personal safety and that of others
• Attending all statutory and mandatory health and safety training, appropriate to the role.

PERSON SPECIFICATION:

Qualifications/Training

Degree in relevant field i.e. international development, or related field and English Level 4 minimum.

Experience

1. Project management frameworks and governance approaches
2. Third-party management in relation to key suppliers, sub-contractors & stakeholders
3. Advanced planning and organisational skills, able to delegate effectively and proactively identify obstacles
4. Delivering success through effective teamwork
5. Strong financial/cost management capability, including managing budgets, challenging costs & interpreting data
6. Knowledge of donor regulations, policies and procedures
7. Working in an overseas location (preferably a developing country)

Knowledge and Skills

1. Excellent verbal and written communication skills and ability to organise and present information in a compelling way
2. Excellent analytical and interpretive ability
3. Team player with a positive, can-do attitude; comfortable with continuously changing priorities in a fast-paced environment
4. Communicate complex projects within demanding deadlines
5. Strong commercial intelligence and a result driven mind-set
6. Able to think strategically and communicate to project teams/sponsors effectively
7. Strong IT skills including Excel, Outlook
8. Additional language skills e.g. Arabic
9. A willingness to work variable hours, with occasional weekend and evening work and to travel, both national and international
10. Excellent organisational, communication and interpersonal skills. Self-starter, able to work autonomously as well as supporting the leadership and operations teams in the UK and outside the UK.

In depth knowledge of PM techniques, such as Earned Value Management, Risk Management, Project Financial Accounting, scheduling (e.g. MSP/Primavera tools/IT packages) etc…, are highly desired.