Senior Program Officer

About SEED Foundation:

SEED Foundation is a locally registered NGO in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. SEED’s mission is to protect, empower, and support the recovery of survivors of violence and others at risk. SEED is committed to delivering quality and holistic approaches, combining international expertise and local know-how to achieve results for the people of Iraq and Kurdistan. SEED’s programming focuses on three key objectives: 1) the delivery of transformational, comprehensive services including case management, mental health, and legal services, as well as psychosocial support activities; 2) strengthening the capacity of service providers through education, training, and capacity-development programs; and 3) ​promoting policy and social change to strengthen rights and protections for vulnerable groups and individuals through public awareness, technical assistance, and advocacy.

Role of Senior Program Officer:

The Senior Program Officer (SPO) will coordinate and manage psychosocial support programming focused on social-cohesion. The SPO supports the planning and implementation of all aspects pertaining to this activity including planning, implementation, evaluation, and reporting. The SPO will coordinate closely with an external consultant who is the developer of the intervention. The SPO will support the administrative aspects of the group-based interventions and training of other organizations in the intervention and will also provide technical and administrative support to the development / adaptation of additional materials and monitoring and evaluation processes. The SPO will coordinate between the program manager, implementing team, and other teams across the organization.

Specific Tasks:

Project Management (Coordination, Administration & Project Implementation): 60%

• Work to ensure program targets are met
• Create work plans and/or detailed implementation plans for group implementation
• Identify challenges, make recommendations for course correction, and take steps to ensure program implementation is on time, progressing towards targets, and within budget, with the Program Manager
• Support with adaptations of curriculum materials to be used for sessions (including leading or supporting with FGDs with staff or community members from the communities the intervention would be used with)
• Support grants management including the creation of paper and electronic filing systems, and procuring, storing, and filing grant and program documents pertaining to the activity
• Ensure all activities are in line with grant agreements and are implemented in full compliance with donor regulations and SEED Foundation policies and procedures.
• Adhere to all SEED Foundation procurement, logistics and administrative regulations related to programming
• Conduct field visits to implementation sites, as needed
• Organize trainings with external consultant and staff team
• Manage contractual updates with external consultant
• Liaise with NGOs who are interested in receiving training in the methodology, support with developing the criteria and application process to receive the training, and assess if applicants are suitable based on determined criteria
• Coordinate and track the ongoing follow up coaching between SEED’s trainers/coaches and other NGOs
• Liaise with appropriate teams at SEED pertaining to project implementation (ie: Procurement, Finance, Translation, and Admin)
• Raise PR’s to cover programmatic expenses
• Liaise with any partners (ie: centers where programmatic activities are implemented)
• Support with recruitments, as needed
• Raise areas where further advocacy is needed (pertaining to the needs of those participating in group programming) to the Policy and Advocacy Manager
• Ensure the cash assistance process for participants who need assistance is moving forward smoothly and support with addressing any challenges

Monitoring & Evaluation: 25%

• Support with the development and revision of MEAL tools
• Attend data analysis training and support with data analysis
• Provide support to the MEAL team and facilitators on administering the MEAL tools
• Compile and organize the data received

Communications, Representation, & Reporting: 15%

• Support the communications team as requested by drafting or reviewing social media posts or article features about this activity
• Draft related sections within quarterly, annual, and final donor reports
• Support the technical team on any research or article drafting conducted
• Represent SEED with donors, KRG, UN, and other NGOs, and draft external correspondences as necessary
• Identify, build, and manage collaborative partnerships with other humanitarian partners, coordination bodies, local authorities and other stakeholders, as needed

Key values:

• Serve as a positive role model and SEED ambassador at all times
• Treat all people with respect regardless of age, gender, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, disability status, marital status, and ethnicity.
• Working collaboratively with all colleagues.
• Maintain a positive, cooperative attitude.

Essential criteria:

• University degree relevant for humanitarian or development work, preferably related to human rights, international development, peace and conflict studies, social work, social sciences or other relevant areas.
• Prior experience working in programming which supports survivors of violence. Experience on human rights, child protection, and social cohesion will be considered an asset.
• Previous work experience with NGOs.
• Prior experience in project management or coordination strongly preferred.
• Strong ability to work independently, including the ability to multitask, prioritize competing tasks, and manage time effectively.
• Excellent communication (written and verbal), interpersonal skills, critical thinking, and cross-cultural abilities.
• Experience with monitoring and evaluation, particularly coding or data analysis, a plus.
• Excellent organization and administrative skills.
• High standard of spoken and written English, and Arabic / Kurdish.
• Excellent computer skills.
• Ability to work in a stressful setting and adapt quickly to changing environments.