Area Programme Manager

Overall purpose of the role:

Danish Refugee Council (DRC) in Sudan is looking for a highly qualified and experienced Area Programme Manager (APM) to oversee our programme portfolio in Central Darfur. Programing includes both emergency focused activities in the sectors of Economic Recovery, Protection, and emergency shelter and non-food item distributions as well as early recovery and resilience activities. The APM will report to the Area Manager and will provide support in area and sector strategy development, representation of DRC in relevant coordination fora as well as gap filling for the AM during absence.

The APM will ensure that DRC programing is implemented according to DRC’s quality standards and in compliance with donor regulations ensuring that an area-based approach across projects is pursued and the centrality of protection is upheld.

The APM will be based in Nertiti, however is required to travel extensively to other DRC bases in the state (Um Dukhun, Zalingi, Golo) as well as other locations where DRC operates but does not have offices (e.g., Garsila, Wadi Salih). The position holder will be in regular communication with the Head of Programme and Technical Coordinators based in Khartoum.

DRC Sudan is committed to continuous capacity building of its workforce and expects from candidates with people management responsibilities to systematically assess training and development needs within your respective teams throughout your deployment and – in coordination with HR – develop and implement capacity building activities to address identified needs through structured training, one-on-one mentoring and coaching.

Responsibilities:

Project Management and Implementation:

• Ensure the coordination and harmonization of DRC Programme: Protection, Humanitarian Assistance and Durable Solutions (CDRS)
• Directly oversee the implementation of Humanitarian Assistance activities, carried on under a portfolio of donors (including UN, ECHO, DANIDA); this includes programme quality and budget management across all field sites;
• Undertake regular on-site visits to monitor the quality of activity implementation at the village-level and provide technical advice to field project staff as necessary;
• Ensure the relevance and implementation of technically-sound beneficiary selection criteria and approaches;
• Support DRC offices in strengthening information management, including standardized databases for Humanitarian Assistance and planning purposes;
• Support donor reporting by ensuring the accurate and timely provision of inputs on DRC activities.
• Develop protocols and guidelines for Humanitarian Assistance activities and train/coach staff to understand and implement, including strong integration and cooperation with the other relevant sectors.
• Participate in the staff recruitment process, new staff on-boarding and induction process, capacity building, and performance appraisal of staff of her/his concern.
• Ensure that national teams’ capacities are systematically increased through the planning and implementation of dedicated trainings, as well as on the job mentoring, guidance and technical support.

Programme Development and Quality

• Support the AM in developing the strategic framework for DRC’s activities in Central Darfur
• Identify gaps and opportunities for further programming, support needs assessments and gap analyses, and contribute to proposals and other programme development initiatives.
• Support the AM in developing a specific risk analysis is in place and constantly updated in the area of responsibility.

Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning

• Support M&E team to ensure monitoring are gathering appropriate and accurate data on activities and outcomes;
• Develop internal learning and appropriate program adjustments due to new opportunities/challenges;
• In collaboration with Protection Manager and with support from the Grants and MEAL Manager, development of assessment tools and planning
• Support MEAL in the development of accountability activities, ensuring compliance with CHS.

Finance, Procurement and Administration

• Replace AM during her/his absence
• Accountability for the management of programme budgets assigned to him/her (budget holder), with support from the Finance Manager and Head of Support Services.
• Ensure that Teams of her/his concern raise Purchase Requests (PRs) in a timely manner, in-line with DRC standards, and follow-up procurement processed with the Supply Chain Manager.
• Support Area and Base Managers in ensuring that HR policies are followed, including completion of regular Performance Management Meetings, with all staff of her/his concern.
• Proactively seek training from the Support Services Department on operational policies and processes for teams of her/his concern should gaps in understanding be apparent.

Coordination & Representation

• Replace AM during her/his absence
• Support AM and HoP in identifying partnership opportunities and liaising with local partners for activities and implementation relevant to DRC action.
• In consultation with HoP and AM, coordinate with national, local and international actors and participate in working groups and other sector meetings relevant to DRC action in CD.
• Stay abreast of developments in the Humanitarian environment in Darfur and provide timely analysis on key issues on a regular basis.

Experience and technical competencies: (include years of experience)

• At least 5 years of proven international experience working for an INGO with at least 2 years in a similar position
• Demonstrated experience in project cycle management
• Proven knowledge and application of gender, age and disability mainstreaming strategies
• Proven leadership skills and a competence in people management, including multi-cultural teams
• Effective verbal and written communication, multi-tasking, organizational, and prioritization skills
• Demonstrated experience and ability to professionally and appropriately represent the organization and negotiate and defend DRC’s interests with a diverse range of government officials, local organizations and other groups
• Excellent writing and editing skills for external audiences (including governments and donors).
• Experience in producing high-quality technical material (training material, programme tools, proposals, strategic documents etc.)
• Proven capacity to live for prolonged periods in areas affected by conflict in “deep field” locations with basic living conditions.
• Master’s degree in Humanitarian Assistance, Civil/Water Engineering, Architecture, or other relevant subjects related to Humanitarian Assistance.
• Formal training (all level) from a recognized institution on Emergency Response is an advantage