Senior Program Quality and Accountability Coordinator

Work Arrangement:

Job Description

BACKGROUND

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is one of the world's leading crisis response agencies, providing life-saving assistance and supporting recovery and reconstruction for people affected by war and natural disasters. Active in public health, education, livelihoods, women's empowerment, youth development, and protection and promotion of rights, IRC assists people from harm to home.

The IRC was registered in Uganda in mid-1998 and implements rehabilitation activities in the sectors of Child and Youth Protection and development, Health, Economic recovery and Development and women protection and empowerment as well as contributing to the response to the Southern Sudanese Refugee situation. IRC Uganda has a head office in Kampala, field offices in Kiryandongo, Lamwo, Moroto, Kyaka and West Nile.

Job Overview

The IRC Uganda is currently seeking a Senior Program Quality and Accountability Coordinator (SPQAC) to provide strategic direction, leadership, quality assurance and oversight of the grants, monitoring, and evaluation (M&E), client responsiveness, partnership, and communications functions in the Uganda country program.

The position ensures timely and effective management of a $25 million USD+ multi-donor grant portfolio and will lead the process of identifying funding opportunities, writing winning proposals, and overseeing post-award management and donor engagement. S/he will ensure high-quality data collection, oversee the routine application of evidence and learning in program design, promote the development of equitable partnerships with Ugandan NGOs and local authorities, strengthen communication and advocacy efforts, and provide leadership support to client engagement and accountability efforts through strengthening actionable feedback mechanisms.

Based in Kampala, the SPQAC reports to the Deputy Director of Programs (DDP) and directly manages the Grants Coordinator, MEAL Coordinator, Partnerships Coordinator, Communications and Advocacy Coordinator, and the Senior Program Manager, U-Learn This position has close working relationships with the sectoral Technical Coordinators, Operations and Finance staff, and members of the regional support team.

Responsibilities

Business Development and Grants Management (30%)

- Manage and advance the country’s business development plan by mobilizing team members, securing appropriate resources to support execution of the plan, and reporting progress to the SMT. - Identify new funding opportunities by monitoring and analyzing donor strategies and funding trends. Research and advise the DDP on the benefits and risks of pursuing different funding streams in line with the country program’s Strategic Action Plan. - Lead new program design in close coordination with the DDP and technical coordinators. - Support the Grants Coordinator to manage the development and review of concept notes and proposals. Ensure all proposal outputs are accurate and complete prior to submission. - Track, monitor and supervise all external reporting to ensure the timely delivery of reports which meet donor and IRC requirements. - Facilitate open communication with headquarters-based focal points during proposal development and throughout the grant management cycle. - Maintain a strong working relationship with donors. Participate in donor meetings together with the CD and DDP as required.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (15%)

- Support the MEAL Coordinator to ensure that all projects have strong M&E plans with clear data collection mechanisms. Ensure quality data inputs and analysis for reporting to donors and other stakeholders. - Champion an organizational culture where data and client input and program learning are routinely used for decision making and program adaptation. Promote systems which ensure that evidence is actively gathered and used to inform proposal design and theories of change. - Ensure all new proposals contain adequate resources to support the delivery of M&E and CRA to the required standard and promote investment in M&E technology. - Facilitate open communication with third party monitoring (TPM) companies, including timely provision of required documents and feedback on monitoring reports. - Strengthen client feedback and response mechanisms in line with regional and global standards. - Support the MEAL Coordinator in reviewing and addressing major programmatic complaints in a timely manner.

Partnerships (20%)

- Champion robust partner relationship management to achieve IRC Uganda’s partnership goals in the Strategic Action Plan (SAP) characterized by the core partnership principles from IRC’s Partnership Excellence for Equality and Results System (PEERS) of responsibility, results-oriented approach, equality, transparency and complementarity. - Collaborate with technical coordinators to proactively identify potential strategic partnerships with NGOs, government bodies and other relevant stakeholders. - Serve as a leader in building a culture of effective and respectful partnerships. Promote attitudes and values conducive to collaborative partnerships across the country program. - Ensure PEERS is adequately followed across the organization. - Ensure appropriate proactive and reactive communications and engagement with IRC partners to implement sub-grant agreements and complete program deliverables. - Assist in ensuring that strategic partnership considerations are incorporated in program design, including in Go / No-Go funding discussions. Ensure the proactive engagement of partners in program development efforts.

Program Quality (15%)

- Ensure that all departments in the country program adopt the IRC’s Program Quality Standards in the way they design and implement their programs. Provide training, support, and oversight to country-wide efforts to institutionalize the Program Quality Standards. - Work with the DDP and all sector leads to ensure IRC programs are measurably more outcome- focused, gender sensitive, responsive to clients’ needs and preferences, and adapted to contexts of intervention. - Oversee Project Cycle Management (PCM) processes to ensure they are implemented as effectively as possible across all functions. - Provide supervisory support to projects that are aligned to program quality and research. This includes the IRC’s component of the U-Learn consortium, which is focused on strengthening the broader system of accountability to affected populations within the refugee response.

Communications and Advocacy (5%)

- Support the Communications and Advocacy Coordinator to advance the priorities in the communications and advocacy strategy. - Champion and support the development of quality communications and visibility materials to increase the IRC’s visibility/recognition in Uganda. - Provide oversight on external communications and advocacy materials, including sign-off of talking points, press statements, and other materials to ensure alignment with country program priorities and efforts. - Work closely with the DDP to ensure proper linkages between communications and advocacy with the technical sectors and program quality.

Departmental Leadership and Staff Management (15%)

- Provide strategic leadership of the Grants, MEAL, Partnerships and Communications departments. - Promote integration and alignment across the teams, with Technical Coordinators and with Operations departments, and ensure the team upholds quality of support for program development and implementation. - Help to drive a culture of ambitious, responsible, and committed leadership amongst the team. - Support program staff through close attention to staff care, mentoring, and development. - Create and sustain a work environment of inclusion and mutual respect where team members feel valued and strive to achieve excellence. - Contribute to country team-building efforts, help team members identify problem solving options, and ensure the integration of all team members into relevant decision-making processes. - Be responsible for HR processes related to team members including recruitment, performance management, and departmental communication.

Qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS

- At least 6-7 years of professional experience in grants/business development and program quality functions in a multi-donor, multi-sector working environments. - Demonstrated experience in an inter-departmental coordination and leadership role, with the ability to communicate with and balance the priorities of a range of stakeholders. - Extensive experience leading business development strategies, program design, proposal development and report consolidation, including the coordination of inputs and drafting of complex documents across multiple departments. - Excellent English writing/editing skills and comfort with external representation at a senior level are essential. - Experience in M&E and a basic understanding of quantitative/qualitative data quality standards. - A genuine commitment to collaborating with partners and various stakeholders including local and international NGOs and government. Experience managing partnerships with and processing sub- awards to NGOs is a distinct advantage. - Experience in utilizing advocacy and communications to enhance programmatic and strategic goals. - Experience managing humanitarian relief and/or transitional programs in Uganda or other areas affected by displacement or crises. Experience in a range of operational settings is preferred. - Demonstrated experience in supervising expatriate and national staff, and in mentoring of national staff with strong commitment to staff capacity development. - Demonstrated creativity, ability to apply strategic and innovative thinking and problem-solving skills. - Excellent analytical, presentation, communication, organizational and representation skills. - Demonstrated qualities of leadership, sensitivity to cultural settings, commitment, and sound judgment. Ability to navigate interpersonal and inter-departmental organizational dynamics to keep focus on goals and products. - Ability to work well under administrative and programmatic pressures, effectively managing competing priorities, and meeting regular deadlines. - Flexible to adapt to changing requirements. - Strong commitment to the IRC’s mission, purpose, and values. - Must be able to work independently while being a team player.

COMPETENCIES

- Highly developed leadership abilities, including the ability to coach, motivate, and support effective teams. - Strong cross-cultural communication skills and eager to work as part of a diverse team. Sensitive to interpersonal differences and a range of viewpoints. - Exceptional advance planning and organizational skills. Able to effectively prioritize and follow multiple activities and deadlines simultaneously. - Analytical, strategic, and able to proactively develop solutions to complex challenges. - Flexible and innovative. Able to adapt plans in response to contextual changes. - Reliable, patient, and able to work independently in a fast-paced environment.

Standards for Professional Conduct:

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Equality, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

I have read and understood the details of the above Job description, the terms and conditions of my contract and the HR policies for National Staff and agree to always abide by them.

Gender Equality & Equal Opportunity

We are committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer generous benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances. We welcome and strongly encourage qualified female professionals to apply.

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we value diversity in our organization. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request reasonable accommodation.

This position is only for Ugandan nationals to apply. IRC strives to attract, motivate, and retain qualified national staff in our programs.

NB: This advert will close on 12th March 2024.