Senior Programs Officer

About FilmAid Kenya:

FilmAid Kenya is a development and humanitarian organization working in the Kenya Refugee Operation for over 20 years. FilmAid Kenya harnesses the power and influence of media and the arts to respond to emergencies and promote social change through dialogue to protect the well-being of displaced and vulnerable populations. FilmAid Kenya is working to build stronger, healthier, and more informed communities in health, education, protection, WASH, and livelihoods.

Job Purpose:

The Senior Programs Officer will supervise the successful delivery of FilmAid’s community communications projects in Kakuma. The SPO works closely with the Area Manager, Community Engagement Officers, and other staff to coordinate and oversee the successful planning, implementation, and reporting of a portfolio of donor-funded projects in FilmAid’s operations in Kakuma and Kalobeyei. The position requires exemplary results-oriented planning, implementation, reporting, and interpersonal communication skills to champion synergies between internal departments and incorporate beneficiaries’ needs, donor stipulations, aid stakeholders, and government contributions in the humanitarian and development projects FilmAid Kenya undertakes.

Main duties and responsibilities:

Planning:

• Lead field-level project planning processes, including annual work plans, monthly work plans, project-specific plans, and department-specific work plans (Outreach and Creative and Content)
• Oversee regular review of monthly work plans against project implementation, ensuring that work plans are being amended and submitted to the Area Manager and SMT promptly
• Oversee drafting of weekly departmental work plans and staff’s work plans
• Oversee field-level project inception processes, including participating in SMT-level and donor-specific inception meetings; working with the M&E Officer and Creative and content staff to develop field-level project work plans; organize and facilitate field-level project inception meetings and project launches (internal and external) in collaboration with Area Manager ensuring that key staff, community structures, partner agencies, and other stakeholders have a good understanding of FilmAid’s new and existing projects
• Develop activity-specific work plans, including plans for ad hoc interventions such as requests from partner agencies
• Work with the Operations Officer and other staff to manage monthly procurement plans and asset distribution to beneficiaries and community structures

Activity Implementation:

• Oversee the implementation of field-level project-specific and monthly organizational work plans, ensuring that activities are being implemented by FilmAid’s methodologies and deliverables are being met
• Project manage ad hoc and/or additional activities, including partner and donor requests, as required
• Manage relationships with FilmAid’s community structures, including Community Resource Persons (CoRPS), Advisory Committees, Listenership Groups, and alumni, ensuring that FilmAid is collating community feedback and incorporating it into programming
• Programmatic quality assurance: closely monitor the work plans and activity implementation, including daily activity requests and activity-supporting documents such as activity reports and photographs ensuring that activities are implemented according to work plans and organizational approaches, methodologies, and policies
• Change management: identify and address programmatic opportunities and challenges, ensuring that FilmAid Kakuma is adapting and innovating

Implementation Monitoring:

• Track Outreach and Creative and content activity implementation: supporting monthly reviews of project grant trackers; facilitating monthly progress review meetings; supporting Area Manager and Operations Officer to review Budget vs Actuals (BVAs) against the grant trackers
• Carry out regular field visits to monitor activity implementation across all grants and departments, ensuring that the Area Manager and relevant staff receive feedback on issues and opportunities identified
• Implement a community feedback strategy, ensuring that the Kakuma office is collecting, properly documenting, and incorporating community feedback into programs regularly
• Track and report on complementary and ad hoc activities, including overseeing the tracking of on partner request database
• Supporting MERL Officer and Data Clerks as and when required

Reporting:

• Drafts, copy-edits, and ensures timely submission of good quality project reports to the Area Manager and in his/her absence, to SMT and donors
• Develop project close-out plans
• Manage project close-out processes by organizing meetings, and working closely with the Operations Officer and Area Manager to review BVAs and ensure targets are met and budget lines are used up.

Project Close-outs:

Communications and Information Management:

• External Communications Strategy and implementing
• Information management
• Represent FilmAid in inter-agency coordination meetings, including CwC Working Group, ensuring that FilmAid is providing concrete community and communications-related feedback to partners, and drafting reports to inform programming
• Identify opportunities for partnerships and support the Area Manager in managing collaborative working relationships including drafting MOUs and work plans
• Support Area Manager to undertake fundraising research through discussions with partners and online research for calls for proposals
• Support project design and proposal development for new projects.

External Partnerships, Project Design, and Fundraising Support:

HR Management:

• Supervise and mentor Community Engagement Officers
• Regular meetings and mentoring of Outreach Facilitators and Data Clerks
• Fulfill other functions/activities as requested by the Area Manager

Role skills profile

Important:

• Bachelor’s degree in political or social science or a development-related degree.
• Minimum 4 years experience in portfolio and project cycle management, including managing the planning, implementation, and reporting of a portfolio of donor-funded projects, preferably with an international humanitarian or development NGO.
• Experience delivering projects in multiple locations, including cross-cultural and multi-language environments.
• Experience in programmatic quality control, including regular activity implementation monitoring to ensure the adoption of organizational policies and methodologies, and to identify and address gaps, opportunities, and challenges.
• Organized and able to juggle multiple competing demands and meet deadlines while delivering quality programmatic outcomes.
• Solid experience in drafting and copy-editing high-quality donor and internal reports, and other project documentation including concept notes and proposals.
• Demonstrated HR experience, including the ability to manage, mentor, and support a multi-cultural team.
• High-level project coordination experience, with requisite skills in project management, budget management, internal communications, cross-departmental coordination, and stakeholder relationship management.
• Experience working in development or humanitarian communications is a plus.

Critical:

• Fluency in oral and strong written English skills is required.
• Project and program cycle management skills.
• Working knowledge of Social Marketing, C4D, and CwC methodologies.
• Have a high-level understanding of Monitoring Evaluation Research and learning systems.
• Excellence in using Microsoft Office products (Office 365, Excel, Word)
• Experience with principles and practice of humanitarian aid and/or development.
• Has lived and is willing to live and work in non-family workstations for long durations of time.
• Ability to use program management software
• Very good reporting skills
• Diverse and have the ability to conceptualize various projects
• Ability to supervise project teams

Desirable

• Social Media Skills
• Presentation skills