Programme Director

About the role: This is a 24 month, Accompanied, replacement role based in Monrovia, Liberia with a salary of Grade 5 €47,694 – €52,993.

You will report to the CD and will line manage all programme staff and work closely with systems staff. We would like you to start in October 2022.

Your purpose: You are a member of the Senior Management Team and will provide leadership in the development and management of all programmes in accordance with organizational policies and the Country Strategic Plan.

You will be responsible for:

Programme Development & Implementation:

• Ensuring programmes are designed and implemented in line with Concern Worldwide policies using a results-based management approach
• Identifying new programme interventions and opportunities in accordance with Country Strategic Plan, based on thorough contextual analysis and using How Concern Understands Extreme Poverty guidelines
• Ensuring programmes meet the Core Humanitarian Standard of accountability and quality
• Ensuring Concern retains its capacity to respond to emergencies
• Frequently visiting programme areas and providing feedback to managers and staff
• Developing effective linkages with Government, donors, strategic networks and partners
• Assisting Programme Managers to produce reports in line with donor, government and Concern Requirements

Security Management:

• Monitoring and reporting on security issues to the Security Focal Person when necessary
• Ensuring programme staff awareness and adherence to Country Security Management Plan and identifying security training needs where appropriate

Budget Management

• Identifying potential sources of donor funding
• Monitoring under and over spending in each budget and advising solutions
• Coaching, mentoring and assisting budget holders to develop accurate budgets
• Ensuring budgets and revisions are prepared and submitted on time
• Reporting any suspected or actual financial irregularities to the Country Director

People Management

• Ensuring sufficient human resources for programmes to meet their objectives
• Ensuring staff are adequately trained and understand the objectives for their role
• Coaching, mentoring and assisting program managers and staff on their project, people, and financial management skills

Networking & Representation:

• Representing Concern at relevant technical inter-agency, UN, Government and coordination meetings when requested by the Country Director

Monitoring & Evaluation:

• Ensuring Monitoring & Evaluation plans and mechanisms are developed and rolled out
• Ensuring Programme Managers coordinate the monitoring and evaluation of all programmes (including partner programmes) within the agreed plans, budgets, time frames and donor guidelines

Accountability

• promote and ensure compliance with the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) commitments and quality criteria
• ensure that all staff are familiar with the principles underpinning accountability, safeguarding and Concern’s Complaints and Response Mechanism (CRM) and ensure that information about Concern’s commitments on accountability and safeguarding are disseminated among programme participants and communities
• ensure that the CRM is functional, effectively implemented and accessible in all programmes’ locations, enabling safe reporting of both programmatic and sensitive complaints, including safeguarding concerns
• ensure that complaints are welcomed, managed and responded to in a timely, fair and appropriate manner; ensure that sensitive complaints, including safeguarding concerns, are handled with utmost confidentiality and that the safety of the complainants and those affected is prioritised at all stages.

Your skills and experience will include:

• Relevant post graduate qualification
• Four years’ experience in a programming position with an international NGO, with two years at a senior level, with a preference for this experience having been acquired in Liberia
• Understanding of the specific development challenges in Liberia
• Management of diverse and multi-sectoral programmes
• Management of a diverse team of senior staff
• Working with major international donors and securing external donor funding.
• Knowledge and experience of incorporating key approaches across programmes
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and an ability to motivate others
• Delegation, time management and prioritizing skills
• Computer literate and good knowledge of Word and Excel.
• Excellent spoken and written English
• Empathy with Concern’s mission, vision and goals, and our target group

We would also like you to:

• be flexible and reliable
• be culturally and gender- sensitive and empathetic to others
• be able to work under pressure and to strict deadlines;
• Have an excellent sense of humour
• travel frequently to rural field locations and spend periods of time away from the capital in fairly basic conditions. While the post is based in the capital city, Monrovia, the Programme Director is expected to spend considerable periods of time in the rural locations where our programme operates.