Regional Head of Programme Development and Support Senegal Dakar

Background/Context

The NRC Central and West Africa Region Office (CWARO) is composed of country offices in Burkina Faso/Niger, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, and Nigeria, with an overall budget of approximately 100 million USD and 1,500 dedicated colleagues. All countries are experiencing varying levels of deterioration of the security situation, increasing humanitarian needs and displacements due to conflict increasingly impacted by climate change. Across the region new displacements occur alongside secondary displacements of people who are trying to return home, but often find themselves unable to return to their place of origin. While protracted displacement features heavily in the region, there are also opportunities for local integration and return

NRC’s programmes and advocacy support families affected by conflict in – Education, Livelihoods and Food Security, Legal Assistance (ICLA), Protection, Shelter and Settlements, and WASH.

The Regional Programme Department, based in Dakar and managed by the Regional Programme Director, is responsible for the strategic development of NRC programming in the region by maximizing the support to and the development of Country Offices (COs) as well as by exploring and creating synergies among COs. The Regional Programme – Department is focused on research, policies, guidance & procedures, evidence and learning, capacity building, programme quality and donor relations. The department includes a Core Competency and Thematic Unit, which includes several Technical Advisers, and a Programme Development and Support Unit.

About the role:

The Regional Head of Programme Development and Support is a dual role, which also acts as a Regional Programme Adviser in relation to specific allocated countries. It is anticipated that the team leadership will take 15% of working time, and the strategic lead 15% of working time, leaving 70% of working time for the regional programme adviser role.

The Regional Head of Programme Development and Support is responsible for leading on delegated areas of programme related business development across the Region, in line with NRC’s Strategy and programme priorities, and in support of the NRC programmes in country offices. They will also lead a team and personally contribute to the provision of a range of advisory support and capacity building to country offices in the region in relation to programme proposal development, grants management, and Project Cycle Management (ensuring the effective management of the full programme cycle and donor reporting).

The Programme Development and Support Unit is part of a technical matrix structure and required to work collaboratively with colleagues in both the technical and the operational management structures in country offices, the technical programme unit team in the Regional Office (RO) and the regional management group, plus a technical accountability to the programme function, policy, strategy, and direction as determined through the Head Office level of the NRC. Collaborative working with colleagues within the wider regional programme team, at Head Office (HO) and in other Regions is essential to effectiveness in the role and maximising the shared learning across NRC.

Roles and responsibilities Some of your roles and responsibilities will include:

• Lead in the development of a funding strategy identifying new types of donors and monitoring donor priorities and trends; provide specialist knowledge and advice on donor policy and practice
• Lead in the development of a partnerships’ strategy, identifying both interagency and commercial partnership opportunities, monitoring trends; provide specialist knowledge on development of commercial partnerships at Country Office (CO) and Regional Office (RO) level.
• Provide specialist support, advice and guidance to own portfolio of country offices in relation to programme development and to strategic planning in country programmes.
• Conduct regional analysis of trends in the region as allocated by line manager to contribute to regional understanding and provide evidence for new initiatives (e.g. advocacy, new project ideas, new potential donors or partnerships)
• Responsible for capacity building and learning and development, as required, including facilitation of induction training for relevant programme personnel in COs, and provision of PCM support, including facilitation and delivery of trainings, to country programmes within the region.
• Responsible for quality control of designated donor proposals and reports, macros logframes in regard to NRC strategies and donor compliance , and providing general programmatic inputs to triannual reports and internal programme strategy documents and reports, under the guidance of the Senior Regional Advisers in Oslo
• Promote incorporation of lessons learned and best practices into programme development in country programmes, including from M&E products (such as GORS and Evaluations).
• Responsible for identification, development and maintenance of high-level relationships with designated stakeholders (e.g., donors, UN agencies, NGOs, private sector) related to programme and business development.

Competencies

• A minimum of 7 years of documented relevant Manager/Adviser experience within the humanitarian field
• Previous experience in a Head of Programme or similar position would be an asset
• In-depth knowledge of institutional donors’ strategies, priorities, and compliance guidelines
• Track record of successful proposal development, or similar in funding or partnerships
• Experience of strategic planning, including strategic approaches to business development
• Extensive experience with assessments, programme development, and programme implementation
• Experience from working in complex and volatile contexts, with preference for previous experience in the Central West Africa (CWA) region
• Previous experience of managing staff teams, including during periods of change, would be an asset
• Understanding of, and commitment to working collaboratively with technical and operational colleagues within a matrix structure, including capacity building
• Experience of delivering learning and development as part of quality improvement and capacity building
• Fluency in English and French, both written and verbal

Find the full job description*:* JD Regional Head PDSU_CWA-AUG 2022-FINAL.docx

What we offer:

• Grade 10 in NRC scale
• An opportunity to match your career to a compelling cause
• A chance to meet and work with people who are the best in their fields
• 24-month contract

DEADLINE TO APPLY: 15/09/2022

Female candidates are strongly encouraged to join our work culture that empowers every employee to share ideas and take responsibility. At NRC we think outside the box. We encourage ideas and give responsibility to all employees at all levels, to help solve the complex issues that we face. You will have many opportunities to be heard and take the initiative.

To apply as an internal candidate, click on the suitcase icon “I am an employee” on the top right of the page to be redirected to NRC’s internal career site.