NRC is looking for a qualified and engaged Regional Head of Programme Support Unit for its Regional Office for the Central and West Africa region. All NRC employees are expected to work in accordance with the organisation’s core values: dedication, innovation, inclusivity and accountability. These attitudes shall guide our actions and relationships.
Background
NRC’s Central and West Africa Regional Office (CWARO) located in Dakar, Senegal is quite a recent regional office. It was moved from Oslo, Norway to Dakar, Senegal in March 2018 and started being operational in the summer of 2018.
CWARO is overseeing the country programmers in the CWA region, and provides strategic guidance across core programme, advocacy and support functions. The CWA region is composed of Country Offices in Mali, the Central African Republic (CAR), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), North-east Nigeria, Cameroon and a new country office in Niger and Burkina Faso. All countries are experiencing a deterioration of the security situation, increasing humanitarian needs and displacements numbers due to conflict.
Displacement across the region is fluid and complex. Across the region new displacements occur alongside secondary displacements of people who are trying to return home, but often find themselves unable to reach their place of origin. An increasing number of people across the region live in protracted displacement, and are dependent on humanitarian assistance for survival.
Role and responsibilities
The Regional Head of the Programme Support Unit is responsible for coordinating programme support to the country offices in the region and ensuring implementation of and adherence to NRC’s strategies, plans, systems and regulations throughout the region.
Generic responsibilities
- Line management responsibility for staff in unit.
- Develop, follow up and report on action plans according to overall NRC’s strategic direction.
- Ensure implementation of and adherence to NRC’s strategies, plans, systems and regulations that are relevant to the unit, including supporting the documentation of the region’s achievements and progress towards NRC’s global strategic ambitions.
- Responsible for the provision of quality control reviews of donor applications and reports.
- Responsible for trimestrial narrative reporting and analysis for Country Offices within the region.
- Responsible for coordinating programme support to the Country Offices in the region.
- Performance management and staff development of the Unit’s members, including holding each of these staff members accountable for results.
- Responsible for the coordination of regional contracts.Responsible for PCM support, including facilitation and delivery of trainings to country programmes within the region where back-up coverage for PAs is needed.
- Focal point for promoting lessons learned and best practices into programme development in country programmes, and harmonizing programme-related regional tools for CWARO, including guidance notes, assessments, templates for all CO’s to ensure consistency and continuity.
Specific responsibilities
- Provide strategic programme advisory support to a designated Country Office
- Lead in the development of a funding strategy and monitoring donor priorities and trends; provide specialist knowledge and advice on donor policy and practice
- Lead on strategic programme development for the region, including identifying new opportunities and building partnerships
- In collaboration with Regional Programme Advisors and Country Offices, coordinate regional and cross-border programme development
- In collaboration with the External Relations department and Country Offices, support the identification of private funding opportunities and building strategic partnerships with the private sector as well as foundations and trusts
- Responsible for ensuring a helpdesk function on consortia and downstream partnerships best practices
- Actively contribute to a collaborative working environment within the regional office and between the regional office and country offices
Critical interfaces
By interfaces, NRC means processes and projects that are interlinked with other departments/units or persons. Relevant interfaces for this position:
- Interface with key focal points in CWARO (Regional Programme Director, Head of Finance, Head of HR, Regional Support Director, Head of Advocacy, Regional Technical Advisors, Regional M&E, and Regional Senior Advisor
- Interface with CMG in country offices
- Interface with Organisational Development Department: Strategic planning and development section
- Interface with Field Operations: Core Competencies
- Interface with Partnership and Policy: Donor Support Section
Generic professional competencies required for this position:
- Minimum 6 years of relevant Manager/Adviser experience within the humanitarian field, with previous experience in a Head of Programme or similar position an asset
- Experience from working in complex and volatile contexts, with preference for previous experience in the Central and West Africa region
- Fluency in English and French, both written and verbal
Context related skills, knowledge and experience required for this position
- Extensive experience with assessments, programme development, and programme implementation
- Strong understanding of institutional donor strategies, priorities, compliance guidelines
- Experience in strategy development and planning processes
We Offer:
- 12 months fixed term contract (extendable based on performance and funding)
- Start date: September 2nd 2019
- Duty Station: Dakar, Senegal
- Travels: within the region to be expected – approx. 20%
- Salary grade 10 according to NRC’s salary scale
