Reference number: Rec/016/24
Base Location: Addis Ababa with 40% travel to the field offices

Purpose of the position

The Programme Manager is responsible for the overall programmatic strategy across the entire country operation and ensures strategic coherence and vision of the whole country programme, in relation to Humanitarian and Livelihoods Programmes based on active participation in the development of the Cordaid Strategic Programme Plan document.

S/he takes responsibility for the effective planning, implementation, coordinating, standardization and monitoring the efficient delivery of Cordaid emergency preparedness and response, and the Resilience/Livelihoods programmes in Ethiopia. Working with the respective programme teams/ s/he maintains strategic donor relations management, executes resource mobilizing strategies with current and potential donors. The Programme Manager coordinates all monitoring, reporting and documentation of evidence on outcomes, programme-based human interest stories, lessons, best practices and internal knowledge development and innovation in Cordaid Ethiopia programme.

S/he continuously work on improving quality of products and services by formulating the strategies and programme developments. S/he is responsible to provide technical support for the existing Humanitarian and Resilience/Livelihoods projects to ensure the overall implementation is in accordance with Cordaid’s project-based working principles, procedures, and approaches, and international standards.

Responsibilities and Accountability

Project development, management and Reporting

• Support the Country Director to develop, implement and update the Humanitarian strategy and profile, work on Cordaid visibility, representation and participation in the Humanitarian and Livelihoods sectors in Ethiopia.
• Act as a focal person for Humanitarian and Livelihoods programme, lead field programmes teams , providing relevant technical guidance on Humanitarian, resilience nexus approaches, and support with specific technical guidelines, tools and the Project Implementation Manual (PIM) and manage the Humanitarian programme cycle management (identification, formulation, monitoring, and evaluation, learning and reporting).
• Manage strategic donor relations management, and with the respective programme teams, execute resource mobilizing strategy with current and potential donors, maintaining up-to-date donor intelligence profiles, and monitors and delivers on fundraising plans.
• Ensure capacity and risk assessment of national/local partners and enforce dialogue with partners on (strategic) relation between Cordaid and local partners.
• Conduct regular on-site visits to project sites to build relationships, and continuously support and monitor the progress of projects funded by Cordaid and donors.
• Ensure that Resilience programme are sensitive to gender and vulnerable groups (incl. women, girls and boys, children, people with disabilities and older adults) and incorporate identified risks reduction measures into the full life cycle of the Program design, operations & maintenance etc.,
• Manage disaster risk reduction and resilience projects in Ethiopia and lead the expansion and growth of disaster risk reduction and resilience programming and ensure value addition in the conflict-affected areas.
• Guide and participate in report writing to ensure accuracy in evidence harvesting, consistency, high quality documents submitting them on time to donors.
• Ensure organisational program accountability and transparency and produce all key programme documents, reports and the Annual Country Report submitting them to Cordaid Country office and Global Office on time.

Strategy, Program Development & Management

• Take lead to develop and implement an effective Cordaid program strategies and implementation plans relevant to the country priorities needs transiting resilience to development.
• Implement short-term and long -term programmes that create new opportunities for diversified resource mobilizing base in respect to the assigned prgramme area.

Grant Acquisition

• Provide overall strategic leadership and initiative in continuous donor mapping, donor intelligence, competitor analysis identifying that lead to concrete results in resource mobilizing to secure financial and other resources for the programmes.
• Lead response to call for proposals observing laid out donor requirements and standards and taking into account relevant sectoral strategies, with evidence-based proposal development processes and quality technical writing for award opportunities.

Bid management

• Leads the bid project of calls for proposals and tenders related to the assigned specific donor portfolio. Guidesthe project opportunity from the lead stage to the contracting stage – ending with a signed donor contract. Ensures the writing of the technical and financial proposal through facilitating the technical writing team, finance team or project controller and monitoring progress. Participates in writing and developing the proposal when needed Leads negotiations for specific assigned bids.
• As manager of the bid team provides donor specific advice on rules, regulations and policies. Uses donor contacts to ensure the winning outcome of calls and proposals. Oversees (parts of) the role division, planning and communication with donors and a consortium in order to achieve a positive outcome for Cordaid.

Networking, Representation and Visibility

• Develop and maintain close relationships with donors and counterparts such as ECHO, the UN system, CAP, CHPF, and other in-country INGO and NGO fraternity networks for information sharing, exchange, building relations and networks to further Cordaid aims in Ethiopia.
• Participate in relevant Caritas, Act Alliance UN, CAP, and other humanitarian or Livelihoods related coordination / thematic cluster meetings and other meetings at government and national levels. Facilitate documentation of stories and media materials with human interest related to Cordaid and partners programmes and projects and liaise with concerned units for broader coverage (digital and print media).

Communication, Representation & Advocacy

• Ensure to appropriately represent Cordaid in all relevant forums a) donors, Government, and other key actors; b) Cordaid partners (present and past including relevant partner network consortia, alliance forums, and other relevant sector cluster meetings).
• Facilitate program representation and accountability of Cordaid in relevant strategic levels, platforms, sectors, cluster forums and events that profile visibility, and offer opportunity to share exchange and improve relations, space and opportunities for Cordaid at regional, Woreda and among institutional forums e.g. Caritas, Act Alliance , Dutch INGOs, etc

Leadership & Management

• Maintain strong focus on leadership and people management, ensuring the most capable and competent staff members are in place to implement the programme strategy and operational plans. Lead and manage Cordaid’s respective programme team to facilitate high-performance culture, open trustworthy relationships and integrity.
• Ensure all programme-based needs and requirements are timely and efficiently shared with support services for best coordinated implementation. Provide excellent standards in the management of the human, financial, capital and technical resources of the organisation, which includes inspiring and maintaining high standards of work and clear accountability to stakeholders.
• Establish a consultative and participative management environment that engages and develops Cordaid project teams to deliver on donor obligations hence meeting programme commitment priorities.
• Maintain a close liaison on programmatic issues with the current programme donors beyond contractual reporting requirements.

Financial & Operational Compliance

• Ensure quality adherence, contractual compliance and timely reporting on all projects. In collaboration with the Finance and Operations Director, ensure responsibility for project expenditure, financial accountability and planning requirements, and provide a high level of support to programme processes and procedures.
• Monitor the overall financial integrity of Cordaid programme funds through grant management, monitoring and evaluation. Track project indicators, expenditure and other grant essential information and ensure to conduct grant review meetings on regular basis. Lead the coordination of grant opening and closing meetings and propose resource mobilizing strategies.
• Provide capacity building to managers to strengthen the organizational practices that result in successful financial and operational audit scores and take lead in the implementation of risk management, risk mitigation, and in executing audit recommendations.

Accountability and Reporting

• Maintain management accountability, reporting and updating the line manager on all Cordaid business and organisational performance and progress in program, including resource mobilizing processes, decisions and actions. Undertake functions and roles delegated by the line manager

PMEAL

• Responsible to oversee the tasks of PMEAL team including but not limited to  supporting programme staff with meeting internal, federal, local and donor requirements for PMEAL and the coordination, collection, compilation, consolidation, and analysis of data to facilitate PMEAL best practices, learning, data management and reporting.
• The individual is also responsible in helping reinforcing the working relationship between PMEAL Colleague (s) and Programme ones

Integrity

• Showcases integrity standards as outlined in Cordaid’s integrity policies.
• Fulfill integrity responsibilities as outlined in Cordaid’s Integrity Framework and Standard Operating Procedures.
• Actively contributes to a safe environment within their scope of influence by encouraging dialogue, trust, as well as understanding and adherence to Cordaid’s integrity standards and procedures.

Attend to other duties as directed and instructed by the line manager

About You

Qualifications and experience required

• Masters or post-graduate in development, humanitarian, management, International Relations, Disaster Risk Management and/or similar field.
• Min 5 years management experience, of which at least 3 should include management of a portfolio of programmes across multiple sectors. At least 7 years proven experience with strategy and program development and management of Humanitarian aid and or Livelihoods programmes.
• Demonstrable experience of driving integrated advocacy, communications, and fundraising approaches.
• Proven skills in leading strategic programming and planning processes.
• Ability to live and work under pressure in a rapidly changing and sometimes insecure environment.
• Team player with excellent communication and strong participatory leadership skills.

Knowledge and Experience

• Understanding the workings of the Humanitarian Sector in Ethiopia, knowledge of working with humanitarian concepts, principles, approaches and standards, guidelines frameworks and tools; this includes competent working knowledge on how to link of humanitarian aid to development programming.
• Proven competencies and experience in representation externally to key stakeholders, including donors, embassies and clusters.
• Experience of managing programme systems and tools to oversee complex project portfolios across different sectors and locations as well as within consortium Experience in working with national/local actors and capacity building of national and local organisations in emergency preparedness and response
• Experience with maintaining donor relations and policies in particular ECHO, UN funding mechanisms, CAP and cluster approach
• Competence in resource mobilizing, and working knowledge on how to meet requirements for call for proposals, and the relevant attendant pre, in situ, and post proposal procedures; including skills for adapting to different donor requirements and procedures for funding.
• Strong experience in programme quality, MEAL, programme development and proven fundraising abilities with key donors
• Experience with using relevant humanitarian international standards such as sphere.
• Proficient in micro-soft office packages such Word and Excel **