Programs Manager 27 views2 applications

Position: Programs Manager
Location: Nairobi, Kenya
Reports to: Country Manager
Organization: RefuSHE Kenya

Salary Range: Kes 250,000 – Kes 280,000 per month
Contract Type: Full-time

ABOUT RefuSHE

RefuSHE is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting refugee girls and young women in Kenya. We provide comprehensive support services, including safe shelter, education, case management, legal assistance, and advocacy, to empower refugee girls to rebuild their lives in safety and dignity.

POSITION SUMMARY

The purpose of the Programs manager role is to ensure that RefuSHE meets the technical and quality objectives of all its programs and grants. This includes working closely with the Country Manager and other Executive team members to oversee grant management, identify areas for improvement, and create strategies to remedy shortcomings in program approaches, and leading a team of program heads. This role also plays a key role in fundraising, by contributing to donor proposals, and in monitoring and evaluation by ensuring that all program teams are actively engaged in continuous assessment of the outcomes and impacts of RefuSHE interventions.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Program design and implementation:

• Lead high-quality project design and implementation, incorporating project management standards and monitoring and evaluation methods.
• In liaison with the Country Manager and finance and operations coordinator ensure that annual work plans, procurement plans, and budgets for all individual RefuSHE projects/programs are prepared and submitted for approval by program managers/coordinators as per the organizational planning cycle.
• Ensure that project/program implementation is carried out effectively and complies with all relevant organizational and donor requirements.
• Oversee the identification, assessment and strengthening of appropriate program and referral partnerships, including the appropriate application of partnership concepts, tools and approaches.
• Provide oversight of all programs operations and escalate any emerging challenges to the Country Manager for appropriate action/decision making.
• Liaise with communication department in amplifying RefuSHE program activities and visibility.
• Contribute to the design of RefuSHE organizational strategic frameworks and plans, including resource mobilization strategies.

Program management and support:

• Ensure efficient and effective functioning of all program operations, including organizing and documenting program meetings, and ensuring timely management of performance management issues.
• Take the lead in coordinating program activities towards achieving the expected results in accordance with monthly, quarterly, and annual work plans.
• Lead regular ‘burn rate’ monitoring of approved grant and overall project budgets to ensure efficient implementation and alert the senior management team of any areas requiring mitigation.
• Ensure proper adherence to internal organizational controls and segregation of duties between the sub-functions within the programs department.
• Working closely with support departments (finance, operations, administration, and human resources), oversee the planning and delivery of all general services and logistical requirements of program work in line with established procedures e.g. procurement, storage, transportation and distribution of program items.
• In liaison with the finance and operations coordinator, contribute to the strategic development and management of RefuSHE Kenya Operations by participating in the development of policies, procedures and tools that ensure optimal practice in program operations.
• Report any deviations from agreed program plans and outputs, together with a proposal on the way forward to address these, to the Country Manager for agreement and approval.
• Make continuous assessment of emerging and critical needs and bring to the attention of the Country Manager any requirement for project modification to ensure the well-being of RefuSHE program participants.

Monitoring and evaluation:

• Ensure all interventions are monitored regularly and timely evaluations are done
• Support the Monitoring and Evaluation assistant in developing and implementing effective program monitoring and evaluation systems and ensure proper management of data by all program teams.
• Together with the Monitoring and Evaluation assistant, draft Terms of Reference for program evaluation and research work to be undertaken by external consultants and submit to the Country Manager for approval.

Risk Management:

• Provide oversight to coherence of and compliance with the RefuSHE Child Protection Policy and ensure that any child protection issues are handled effectively, in liaison with key staff; report any emergency cases to the Country Manager.
• Lead program coordinators and other functions in development and periodic review of disaster preparedness plans.
• Ensure systems and processes are put in place to identify and manage program risks, including updating and reviewing the program risk registers.
• With support from other departmental heads, and adhering to RefuSHE policies, ensure all operational risks are adequately identified, assessed, mitigated, and reported.

Donor liaison and reporting:

• In liaison with fundraising staff, oversee the business development cycle to ensure the development and submission of quality concept notes and proposals as per organizational and donor standards.
• Ensure timely and quality preparation of monthly, quarterly, and annual program/project progress reports to donors and partners, and to the Country Manager for input to Board meetings.
• Participate in donor and partner meetings, and support donor outreach as designated by the Country Manager.
• Participate and coordinate participation by relevant program staff in all planned virtual meetings with donors and US office colleagues.

Staff supervision and coordination:

• Supervise all program managers and support them in providing adequate supervision to their teams.
• Provide coaching and mentorship to program staff for effective and efficient delivery of program objectives.
• Ensure day-to-day resolution of conflicts between program staff and refer unresolved cases to the HRO and/or the Country Manager for necessary support and action.
• Set, approve, and monitor progress towards annual objectives with each program manager and guide them in doing the same for their teams.
• Undertake bi-annual and annual performance appraisals for program managers according to the set organizational procedures and timelines and guide them in doing the same for their teams.
• Liaise with the HRO and the Country Manager in developing Job Descriptions for new program department staff positions.
• Work with the HRO to ensure that approved program staffing needs are met, and capacity enhancement is actioned to ensure optimal performance within the department.
• Contribute to the recruitment process for program staff and senior staff in other departments as requested.
• Create conducive conditions for learning, including establishing a safe environment for sharing of ideas, solutions, and difficulties within and between projects and departments, and the capacity to detect, analyse and respond quickly to deficiencies to improve overall program impact.

Additional Responsibilities/ Occasional duties

• Support program managers and their supervisees to improve their performance by establishing Performance Improvement Plans, as required based on mid-year and annual appraisals.
• Sit in Procurement Committee meetings where the threshold exceeds the appointed committee ceiling defined in the policy.
• Support in financial approvals as a bank signatory and a document reviewer.

QUALIFICATIONS & SKILLS

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant subject (e.g. development studies, sociology, Social sciences, monitoring and evaluation).
• Master’s degree preferred.

Experience:

• 5 years professional experience in the humanitarian or development sectors, including at least 3 years in a supervisory position.
• Experience of program strategy development, proposal writing and reporting, and fundraising from institutional donors.

Technical & Behavioural Skills

• Humanitarian and/or development program implementation with an excellent understanding of program planning and management fundamentals (theories of change, M&E, etc.).
• Sound understanding of donor programming and experience of managing grant funding.
• Proven ability to use metrics to drive decisions and achieve strategic objectives.
• Leadership skills with the ability to delegate, motivate and inspire team members.
• Fluency in English with excellent writing, editing and presentation skills.
• Proficient in the use of MS Office.
• Able to cope with overlapping tasks and deadlines.
• Conscientious and self-motivated.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, and the ability to communicate well with other staff members at all levels of the organization.
• Strong problem solving and creative skills.
• High level of integrity and dependability with a strong sense of urgency and results-orientation.
• Able to operate in a multicultural, multilingual environment, with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Flexible approach, able to produce high-quality outputs (e.g. proposals, reports) at short notice and adapt to changing circumstances.
• Knowledge of monitoring and evaluation tools and approaches preferable.
• Strong organizational and case management skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication.
• Research and analytical skills, with attention to detail.
• Proficiency in MS Office Suite.

Attributes:

• High level of empathy, discretion, and cultural sensitivity.
• Strong commitment to human rights and refugee protection.
• Ability to work under pressure in a fast-paced environment.