Head of Programmes – Philippines (National/International)

Mission

In situations of armed conflict, Geneva Call, as a neutral, impartial and independent international humanitarian organization, endeavors to strengthen the respect of humanitarian norms and principles by armed non-State actors, in order to improve the protection of civilians, while supporting local communities in their efforts to enhance their own protection. Appel de Genève/Geneva Call is a private, not-for-profit, humanitarian organization foundation under Swiss law, founded in 1998.

Geneva Call consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages and opinions. Geneva Call is an inclusive working environment for all its staff. Applications are particularly encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on the grounds of race, colour, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

Role

The Head of Programmes (HoP) will be based either in Cotabato City or in Manila, with frequent travel to Mindanao, and will oversee the coordination, management, and implementation of programmatic aspects of Geneva Call’s missions in the Philippines and southern Thailand, ensuring the objectives of projects and wider country programmes are met and resources allocated accordingly. The HoP provides the Head of Mission (HoM) with programmatic input into the strategic planning process and ensures effective planning and implementation of the country programmes, including safety and security. The HoP directly supervises all Project Coordinators as well as the MEAL Officer. Other technical positions, such as a Training Officer, may be added to the structure under the HoP’s management. The programmes consist of several projects and involves engaging various stakeholders ? both civilian and armed actors ? for the better protection of civilians within the framework of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, as well as with reference to relevant religious and cultural norms in support of humanitarian principles.

Core responsibilities

I. Programme Management & Coordination

• Coordinate, manage and develop programmatic aspects of the Philippines and Thailand missions in accordance with country strategies, internal and donor work plans and defined internal procedures;
• Manage programme staff and ensure timely reporting;
• Ensure that programme expenditures are in line with project budgets and internal and donor regulations;
• Organise regular meetings with project teams to strengthen effective coordination and collaboration;
• Manage safe-keeping of information and data, including filing of programme documents and materials;
• Support partners and joint projects as per approved plans and agreements and ensure timely liquidation of project expenditures;
• Liaise with partners and stakeholders to ensure close cooperation, collaboration and coordination;
• Analyse conflict and humanitarian situation on regular basis and update HoM;
• Ensure sufficient research is done into specific humanitarian issues to analyse trends and support arguments to improve compliance with humanitarian norms;
• Ensure conflict sensitivity is integrated into the project design and implementation;
• Support HoM in engaging senior officials, military officers and other key stakeholders.

II. Security

• Ensure the implementation of safety and security policies and procedures throughout the programme;
• Support regular assessments of the security situation vis-à-vis the programme, partners, beneficiaries and GC, preparing risk assessments and suggesting mitigating measures and following up on incidents as necessary.

III. Human Resource Management

• Line-manage programme staff according to Geneva Call’s policies and procedures;
• Assist in the recruitment and selection processes (including coaching and evaluation) of staff and consultants.

IV. Planning, Monitoring & Reporting

• Develop programme work plan and budget in consultation with programme team according to Geneva Call’s operational and MEAL procedures;
• Prepare regular monitoring reports and support MEAL Officer in conducting internal programme evaluations and audits;
• Ensure annual review of programme;
• Regularly conduct field missions and monitor activities to achieve desired programme results;
• Refine programme strategy in consonance with political and security dynamics;
• Support programme and partner staff in implementation of MEAL system;
• Draft and review project reports and proposals in coordination with focal points from Country Office and HQ.

V. Communications & External relations

• Support implementation of communications strategy including campaigns, events, other initiatives;
• Support development of materials (photos, videos, stories from the field) about project activities and timely reports to showcase project outcomes and achievements;
• Ensure proper implementation of donor visibility and communications plan, also taking into account security and perception risks, seeking for derogations/exemptions when required;
• Engage local and international organisations regularly.

VI. Other Duties

• Attend and represent GC as required at conferences and other fora of interest to the organisation;
• Perform any other tasks as assigned by the line manager.

Main qualifications

Education and experience

• Completed degree of Higher Education in relevant field such as Political or Social Science, International Humanitarian Law or Human Rights;
• Minimum 8 years relevant work experience in humanitarian/protection organisations working in conflict-affected areas, of which a minimum of 4 years in a management role;
• Proven experience in managing humanitarian protection projects in conflict-affected countries;
• Previous experience in engagement with armed actors, access negotiations and/or civilian protection highly desirable.

Technical skills

• Programme cycle management skills including programme planning and implementation and reporting;
• Solid understanding of Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) tools and processes;
• Demonstrable knowledge of humanitarian principles and standards;
• Managing projects, partnerships and teams;
• Safety and security management;
• Strong presentational, writing and editing skills in English including report writing;
• Demonstrable capacity to analyse complex contexts and translate analysis into programme adaptations;
• Strong negotiation skills;
• Understanding of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Law;
• Software skills (MS Office, Excel, KOBO, graphic design tools, social media, email);
• In-depth knowledge of the conflict context(s) in the Philippines, Thailand and broader region desirable.

Personal qualities

• Understanding and respect for organisational principles and confidentiality;
• Strong logic and organisational skills, flexibility and adaptability to change;
• Leadership qualities and unwavering integrity;
• Ability to take responsibility, strong communication skills;
• Ability to work independently under pressure, and handle numerous tasks simultaneously;
• Proven ability to work well with colleagues and partners from diverse ethnic/cultural backgrounds;
• Accuracy and reliability, ability to reach results and meet deadlines under pressure.

Languages

• Excellent English required.
• Filipino and local dialects (Maguindanaoan, Maranao, Teduray, Bisaya, Tausug, Yakan etc.) preferred.
• Thai and Malay/Bahasa an advantage.

Conflict of interest

Any candidate affiliated to, or openly supporting, one or more interest groups opposed to the Foundation’s principles and values, or whose previous position could engender safety issues for co-workers at Appel de Genève / Geneva Call, will be excluded from this selection process.

Conditions

• Position : Head of Programmes – Philippines / Southern Thailand
• Type of Contract: Fixed term contract (National or International position)
• Activity rate: 100%
• Work place: based in Cotabato City or Manila, Philippines
• Preferred start date: September 1st, 2022