Deputy Country Director – Programmes 131 views2 applications

Responsible to: Country Director
Responsible for: 4-8 Programme and Project Managers related to WASH, resilience, livelihoods, agribusiness and nutrition, and Programme Support Coordinator.
Base: Lilongwe, Malawi
Contract type: permanent
Salary: £25,270 – £36,030 pa
Benefits: Accommodation allowance, insurance, local allowance, annual medical examination, dependent’s and school fees allowances.
Status: Accompanied

The DCD-P will provide strategic leadership and management in developing the UP programme in Malawi, particularly in the areas of programme development, implementation, quality and resource mobilisation. They will play a key role in spearheading the development, management, monitoring, evaluation, reporting, and impact assessment of UP’s country programme by providing strategic support to programme teams and the operations department. They will be expected to work closely and coordinate with the rest of the Senior Management Team, particularly the Deputy Country Director – Operations (DCD-O), respective Programme and Project Managers (role is likely to mainly focus on food security and livelihoods, WASH and healthier lives but this will be finalised in December 2020 when the new strategy is rolled out), and Programme Support Officer.

A major emphasis in this position is to play a strong Resource Mobilization and Technical Leadership role in ensuring that the Malawi programme has a robust and diverse donor funding base and that programmes are implemented fulfilling standards for quality and accountability along with delivering to the desired impacts in making a significant contribution towards our country goal of empowered resilient women, men and children in Malawi determining their own futures.

Responsibilities
STRATEGY
• Leading role in finalising the UP Malawi country strategy and a critical steering role in implementing and monitoring progress towards strategy delivery.
• Key member of the Malawi senior management team and as such is responsible for leading and supporting the UP Malawi leadership and management initiatives.

PROGRAMME DIRECTION, DEVELOPMENT AND QUALITY
• To keep abreast of opportunities for new programme development and funding.
• To lead the proposal development processes to ensure development of high quality, competitive proposals for submission to potential donors through the country director.
• To oversee the development, testing and implementation of new innovative, market oriented programme approaches appropriate for the context of Malawi.

REPRESENTATION
• To represent United Purpose, when delegated, to government, Embassies/Delegations, the UN and other international agencies, funding and other partners, potential donors and other bodies including civil society networks, the media and the public.

STAFF MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT
• Provide leadership and management support to all UP staff reporting to this position including coordinating workplans, building team spirit and working, conducting performance appraisals, supporting staff development, etc.
• To encourage staff involvement and commitment to the running of the programme through regular meetings and visits and a participatory team approach to decision making.
• To recruit senior management staff according to in-country guidelines and UP policy, including equal opportunities.

RESOURCES AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
• To support the Country Director and DCD-O in ensuring effective and efficient management of human and financial resources of UP Malawi
• To ensure adequate budgeting of all new project initiatives, including a realistic contribution to core costs
• To ensure timely production of monthly budget verses actual reports, and to ensure project managers’ understanding and action on them.
• To ensure effective project budgetary control and monitoring in line with UP’s financial procedures and guidelines, fraud and risk management policies.
• To follow up with project managers’ on implementation of the recommendations of internal and external audits and to support the annual global audit process.

OTHER
• To carry out other duties and responsibilities reasonably delegated to her/him by the Country Director.

Person Specification
Qualifications
• Relevant Masters level qualification or similar academic achievement.
Key skills and competencies
• Excellent strategic judgement, planning, co-ordination and prioritisation skills.
• Excellent communication and team-working skills, with the ability to build good relations, both internally and externally.
• Self-starter, capable of innovatively developing the programme.
• Attention to detail and a flexible approach to work.
• Determined hard worker, capable of rapid and quality turn around on a high workload and multiple tasks.
• Outgoing personality with solid interpersonal and diplomatic skills.
• Demonstrated cross cultural communication skills
• Adaptable and responsive disposition relative to the demands and development of the programme.
Languages
• Fluent written and spoken English.

Preferred Experience
• Minimum of 5 years’ senior management experience in leading the development and delivery of development programme strategies
• Excellent understanding of poverty and vulnerability issues in African/Malawian context
• Experience in leading and motivating multi-disciplinary teams, a high degree of self-awareness and an understanding of how to drive and support excellent team performance and individual development
• Proven ability to secure funding from a variety of donors including institutional, corporates, private sector contractors/fund managers, trusts and foundations.
• Demonstrated experience in participatory programme design (including proposal development), implementation and evaluation