Program Manager

Position: Program Manager

Starting date: March 2023

Duration: 1 year with a 2-months’ probation, renewable

Duty station: Palestine (Jerusalem, with frequent field visits to Ramallah)

Terre des Hommes Italia (TDH IT), member of Terre des hommes International Federation, works in 21 developing countries implementing projects and activities for the benefit of more than 3 million people.

TDH IT implements relief and mid-term programs and projects in the fields of education, primary health, protection, livelihood, PSS and child rights.

In Palestine, Terre des Hommes Italia operates since 2000 with emergency and mid-term interventions supporting the fulfilment of the right to education, protection and health care of the most vulnerable communities living under occupation.

Within this context, Terre des Hommes is looking for a Program Manager to join our team in Palestine. The candidate shall have previous professional experience in ME countries, with a focus on education and child protection. S/he is required to have advanced communication and negotiation skills, sound knowledge of the PCM and the main institutional donors’ financial and administrative procedures, a perfect command of the English language as well as the ability to work in partnership with organizations and institutions of different backgrounds. Working knowledge of Italian language is a plus.

The selected candidate will be in charge of managing the partnership with the local partners and authorities, planning TDH Italy activities in the Country, supervising their implementation and reporting, while ensuring their qualitative and quantitative compliance with the project documents, as approved by the donors.

Key responsibilities:

• Manage the relationship with the local authorities and produce needed documentation to ensure TDH IT compliance with their requirements
• Manage the relationship with program’s partners, including a. Present the project to the local authorities and communities in the areas of intervention; b. Draft, negotiate and sign, if any, the MOUs with local partners/local authorities, stating roles, tasks, and responsibilities of both parties
• Represent TDH IT in front of donors, networks, clusters, and local authorities as needed
• Define, in coordination with the HQ, the security rules for TDH IT staff (local and expat) and ensure their implementation
• Ensure compliance with TDH IT policies and manuals and propose adjustments/updates as needed
• Manage the Country offices and oversee the overall Delegation budget and field activities
• Manage TDH project’s national staff, including a. Draft the TOR of the project’s staff; b. Select and hire needed technical and administrative staff, complying rigorously with donors’ and Terre des Hommes Italia procedures; c. In coordination with the HQ, train the project’s staff on TDH ethical standards and manuals and make sure each staff abides by them; d. Identify possible areas of weakness and plan for on-the-job trainings in coordination with the Delegation’s and HQ’s technical experts; e. Supervise their work and fill yearly appraisals
• In coordination with the HQ, identify new funding opportunities and draft proposals
• In coordination with local partners, staff, and HQ, supervise and actively contribute to the implementation of TDH IT sponsorship program and to all the initiatives taken by the Delegation to expand the activities of the organization in the Country and improve their quality
• Call for and lead regular meetings of the Project Leading Committee with the aim of a. Design activity and monitoring plans and regularly revise their implementation; b. Regularly collect information and reports in accordance with the monitoring plan; c. Monitor the expenditure pace and ensure its compliance with the project document and the yearly/quarterly plans
• With the support of the administrator, the PM is responsible for: a. Budget management and follow-up; b. Sound implementation and monitoring of TDH It and the Donor’s administrative procedures; c. Follow TDH IT internal administrative guidelines; d. Define quarterly and monthly plans of expenditures according to the program’s budget and the plan of activities; e. Reporting to donor and HQ.
• Maintain the relationship with the donors. This involves a. Facilitating the donors’ field monitoring visits based on the plan approved by the PLC; b. Drafting reports as requested by donors, and any further report which may be requested.
• Ensure project visibility. This involves a. Ensure that all projects’ sites are provided with visibility materials; b. Ensure that communities and stakeholders are aware of actors funding and/or implementing projects; c. Provide the HQ Communication Department with regular updates and documentation.

Finally, the PM is responsible to ensure to donors, TDH IT and local partners, if any, that:

– TDH IT interventions respect the dignity and autonomy of the people involved

– TDH IT interventions are in line with TDH IT standards regarding Child Protection and Safeguarding, Ethics, PSEAH, impartiality, neutrality and independence of the humanitarian action operating with no discrimination of religious, political and gender nature, and promoting equity, inclusion and a rights-based approach.

Requested qualifications and skills:

• Strong commitment to the aims, principles, and values of TDH IT and of humanitarian aid
• Very high sense of discretion and integrity when dealing with sensitive information
• Relevant University Degree (International Relations, Human Rights, Sociology, Middle Eastern Studies, International Cooperation etc.) or equivalent level of knowledge
• Minimum 5 years of previous professional experience in relevant positions, of which at least 3 spent abroad; previous experience in the Middle East is a strong asset
• Perfect acquaintance with main donors (ECHO-UN-EU- Italian Cooperation) procedures
• Sound previous proven experience in management of programs/projects in the fields of Protection and/or Education and/or Child Protection
• Acquaintance with the Middle East context
• Perfect Command of spoken and written English. Working knowledge of Italian is a plus. Knowledge of Arabic is a much-appreciated asset
• Sound oral and written communication skills, including the ability to interact with diverse stakeholders and to work as part of a team
• Ability to work under stress, strong problem-solving skills
• Sound computer skills with high proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel
• Excellent organizational and reporting skills, precision, rapidity, dependability, and ability to manage and prioritize multiple tasks and meet tight deadlines
• Previous proven experience in developing a team, and ability to lead, motivate and develop others’ skills
• Willingness and capacity to be flexible and patient when challenged by difficult and frustrating working conditions
• High degree of responsibility, of taking initiatives, of having emotional stability
• Prepared to live and work in an uncertain security environment
• Demonstrated awareness and sensitivity to gender and diversity. Ability to live and work in diverse cultural contexts. Capacity to make accurate self-assessments.

TDH Italia has a zero-tolerance policy towards SEAH and is not willing to employ any person who has been found guilty of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment. Ethics is part of the annual performance appraisal.

Salary according to experience and TDH IT salary scale. Since the position advertised for is unaccompanied, TDH will not be responsible for providing benefits for the selected candidate’s family members.

Very important: Most of TDH IT work is based in Jerusalem. Candidates should be able to reside in Jerusalem and/or to commute freely and on daily basis from their residence to Jerusalem. In case of foreign candidates, holding a passport which gives easy access to Palestine is essential