Head of Programmes*

The position is to be filled as soon as possible, with an initial contract duration of two years. There are very good prospects for an extension. Employment location will be Antananarivo, Madagascar.

The overall goal of Welthungerhilfe’ (WHH) programme in Madagascar is to assure the right to food, improve the resilience of the most vulnerable rural population in the South-East and to preserve the unique environment of the intervention zone through support in the three thematic areas of “Rural development”, “Sustainable Food & Nutrition Security” and “Emergency Assistance & Disaster Risk Reduction”. As Head of Programmes, you will coordinate the multiannual country programme under the supervision of the Country Director and contribute to its implementation and monitoring in order to maximise WHH’s impact on the basis of WHH’s strategy and quality standards. In addition, you ensure the overall quality of WHH programming by managing a team of technical experts (WASH, Nutrition, Livelihoods and Food Security, Partnership) and the MEAL team. You also contribute to the strategic development of WHH Madagascar by supervising the business development activities and grant management. You work in close relation and with functional links to the 3 Area Managers and their project teams.

Your responsibilities

• Contribute towards the definition and orientation of the country programme strategy
• Supervise the development of quality insurance processes and MEAL standards
• Ensure donors’ compliance within the programme, in particular quality and timely donor reports
• Monitor the situation of the country and evolution of needs in WHH’s technical sectors of intervention
• Manage the team of national and international experts (technical experts, MEAL and partnership, programme coordinator)
• Ensure close collaboration with area managers for the identification of needs and provision of adapted support
• Support national experts in the development of technical guidelines and tools based on needs of the fields teams and responding to the objectives of the country strategy
• Supervise the dissemination of good practices, lessons learned and exchanges withing the programme
• Ensure clear overview of actors, services and research institutes at national and regional levels, to develop and implement strategic partnerships and reinforce WHH impact and efficiency
• Perform regular field trips to monitor the quality of intervention
• Supervise regular project review, providing updates on projects’ workplan, and related financial plan, ensuring timely and quality implementation in compliance with WHH and donor guidelines and in line with projects and sector specific strategies
• In close collaboration with the country director, contribute to the development of the programme, fundraising strategy and project proposal writing

Your profile

• A university or college degree in humanitarian action, international development or a relevant field
• A minimum of 10 years professional experience working in programme management in both emergency and development settings
• Proven experience in at least one of the following sectors of intervention: Rural development, Sustainable Food & Nutrition Security and/or Emergency Assistance and Disaster Risk Reduction
• Successful experiences in working with local partners and managing partnership development
• Previous experience in working with research institutes and with action-research
• Confirmed capacities and knowledge in MEAL
• Very good knowledge of key institutional donors (EU, ECHO, BHA, USAID, BMZ, GFFO, PAM, UNICEF etc.) and in coordinating the writing of successful project proposals
• Readiness to receive necessary vaccinations for working in Welthungerhilfe’s project countries
• Excellent spoken and written French and English; German language skills will be an asset

Our offer

We offer you the opportunity to work in a responsible and interesting field as part of an extremely dedicated team. Welthungerhilfe attaches great importance to the personal and professional development of its employees and the balance of their work and private life. Remuneration is based on our gender-independent salary scale. In addition, Welthungerhilfe offers numerous other benefits, which are listed under “Our benefits”.

*Welthungerhilfe values diversity and ensures an inclusive, non-discriminatory working environment. We welcome applications from suitably qualified people from all sections of the community.