Head of Programme Syria Damascus AO2

Contract

This is a Professional contract (NRC) contract. More about Professional contract (NRC) contracts.

Background

Entering the twelfth year of the conflict in 2022, more than half of the Syrian population remains displaced from their homes with 5.7 million refugees living abroad and another 6.9 million internally displaced persons inside Syria.

Conflict and protracted mass population displacement, combined with severe economic downturn (fuelled by the impact of the Covid-19 crisis as well as the start of the Ukraine war in February 2022), depreciation of the Syrian pound, inflation with soaring food and fuel prices, loss of livelihoods, water crisis and drought and reduced food production have led to widespread poverty, food insecurity and increased deterioration of the humanitarian situation across Syria. In 2022, 14.6 million people need humanitarian assistance inside the country, representing an increase of 1.2 million from 2021.

NRC in Syria:

NRC has been operational in Syria since 2013 and registered in Damascus since 2015. Over the course of the conflict, the organization has provided aid to Syrians, displaced and vulnerable persons, through all available implementation modalities across the country. NRC is providing emergency, transitional and early recovery programmes to people in need. NRC will continue to reach people in need of emergency assistance in areas with ongoing insecurity and displacement through Education, Capacity Building, Livelihood and Food security as well as Shelter and WASH assistance.

Role and responsibilities

The purpose of the Head of Programme position is to develop and ensure implementation of holistic high-quality programmes

The following is a brief description of the role.

Generic responsibilities

• These responsibilities are the same for all HoP positions and cannot be modified:
• Line management for staff in the Program Unit as per Country Office organigram
• Member of the Country Management Group (CMG)
• Compliance with and adherence to NRC policies, guidance and procedures
• Provide programme input to Country Strategy and Plan of Action
• Development of Core Competency strategies
• Development of holistic and needs based programmes
• Identify funding opportunities, develop funding strategies and forecasts
• Grants management, budget allocations and reporting to donors, including compliance with donor standards
• Quality control, M&E and organizational learning
• Capacity building of all technical staff
• In-country representation
• Promote the rights of IDPs/returnees in line with the advocacy strategy

Specific responsibilities

• Deputy CD when appointed;
• Design, contribute and/or lead assessments for emergency and/or longer-term programming in existing or new project locations;
• Responsible for the Core Competencies programmatic inputs to contingency plans and emergency preparedness;
• Lead the development of proposals for new projects, including as lead for complex / high value bids, including in consortium with others. Ensures the timely submissions of high-quality donor reports;
• Oversee programme design and ensures that principles of inclusion, do no harm, safeguarding, protection and conflict sensitivity are mainstreamed in all our work;
• Actively promote PSEA (Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse) standards & principles within NRC and amongst beneficiaries served by NRC;
• Drive resource mobilization strategies with a focus on early recovery and durable solutions to ensure programme ambitions are well resourced and donor coordination and management maintained (including leading the reflection on expansion or downsizing plans and implementing them once validated);
• Proactively engage with Donors in meetings, fundraising tours, etc.
• Responsible for extracting key learnings from project implementation and incorporate them in program development processes with a specific focus on strengthening safe programming;
• Responsible for ensuring that the M&E plan is implemented, funded and adhered to;
• Ensure leadership in empowering and capacitating national resource
• Establish strong and efficient partnerships with organizations, donors and authorities, in line with the country programme strategy
• Contribute to strategic thinking of the mission on durable solutions, principled access including in hard-to-reach areas;
• Build and strengthen strategic relationship with NRC Program Units in the region
• Liaise with the NRC regional Management and Programme Advisor to ensure organizational consistency in operational modalities.

Critical interfaces

By interfaces, NRC means processes and projects that are interlinked with other departments/units or persons. Relevant interfaces for this position are:

• Proposal development: Area Managers, Regional Programme Adviser
• Programme development: Core Competencies section (RO, and HO), Area Managers, Regional Programme Adviser
• BPO and allocation of shared costs: Finance Manager, Head of Support, Area Managers
• Grant management: Area Managers, Head of support (HOS), Regional programme support, Regional Programme Adviser

Scale and scope of position

Staff:

Grants Manager (national), M&E Manager (international), Education Specialist (international), Capacity Building PDM (international), Livelihood and Food Security Project Development Manager (international), Shelter Specialist (international), Partnerships and Innovations Coordinator (national)

Stakeholders:

UN agencies, INGOs, local NGOs, civil society, governmental bodies, NRC MERO

Budgets:

TBD

Information:

Use of GORS, Cycles, Microsoft 365, etc.

Legal or compliance:

Adherence to legal requirements in the country and for NRC of the program of NRC in Syria

Competencies

Competencies are important in order for the employee and the organisation to deliver desired results. They are relevant for all staff and are divided into the following two categories:

1. Professional competencies

These are skills, knowledge and experience that are important for effective performance.

Generic professional competencies for this position:

• Minimum 4 years’ experience from a senior management position in a humanitarian/ recovery context
• Experience from working in complex and volatile contexts
• Expertise in shelter/WASH, education, FSL and legal aid programming
• Documented results related to the position’s responsibilities
• Knowledge about own leadership skills/profile
• Fluency in English, both written and verbal

Context/Specific skills, knowledge and experience:

• Knowledge of the context in the Middle East and Syria

• Knowledge of Arabic an asset

• Experience from advocacy work

• Experience with start-up, exit or similar

2. Behavioural competencies (max 6)

These are personal qualities that influence how successful people are in their job. NRC’s Competency Framework states 12 behavioral competencies, the following are essential for this position:

• Strategic thinking
• Initiating action and change
• Influencing
• Handling insecure environments

Performance Management

The employee will be accountable for the responsibilities and the competencies, in accordance with the NRC Performance Management Manual. The following documents will be used for performance reviews:

• The Job Description
• Work- and Professional Development Plan
• The Mid-term/End-of-trial Period Performance Review Template
• The End-term Performance Review Template
• The NRC Competency Framework

What We Offer:

• Contract period: 24 months
• Salary/benefits: According to NRC’s salary scale and terms and conditions: Job Grade 11
• Duty station: Damascus, Syria
• Travel :30%

We encourage applications from all qualified candidates as soon as possible- screening of the applications will start before the end of the application window.

For any queries please write to: [email protected]