Area Programme Manager at Danish Refugee Council (DRC)

Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Contract type: Expatkontrakt

The Position

• DRC is looking for a driven, pro-active and innovative Area Programme Manager (APM) who can take on responsibility for a broad range of interesting emergency and stabilization/recovery programmes.
• This role will be crucial in the delivery of DRC’s integrated emergency response packages, engaging actively with and managing cross-sectorial activities with the DRC Protection, Livelihood, WASH/Shelter, Food Security and M&E teams.
• The duty station will be Maiduguri (Borno State), where the Program Manager will supervise and coordinate a range of activities across rapid emergency response to first and second line emergency response, through towards stabilization and recovery.

Main Duties and Responsibilities
Program Management:

• Ensure effective community engagement and safety analysis for responses according to needs identified in protection, Food security, WASH/Shelter, Protection and M&E, while linking with other sectors within DRC (AVR/MRE and NTS);
• Ensure appropriate selection of beneficiaries or areas to be targeted following technical methodologies defined by relevant Coordinators and with the agreement/support of local communities.
• Ensure appropriate implementation of the activities in the four (4) sectors under his/her responsibility:
• Food Security: general food distribution and blanket supplementary feeding program.
• WASH/Shelter: water points and sanitation facilities construction and operational maintenance, hygiene Kits’ distribution and hygiene promotion.
• Livelihood: SME development, Cash Transfer, Community based agriculture production and poultry farming.
• Protection: identification/referral/follow-up of cases with specific vulnerabilities, trainings on protection mainstreaming, community-based protection initiative.
• Ensure appropriate M&E support is provided to the programme
• Work closely with all the supports teams in Maiduguri and Yobe base level (Logistics, Procurement, HR and Finance) to ensure that the required means are available on time to implement activities following established work plan.
• Be the focal point for interacting with other programs/activities implemented in Borno and Yobe State level;
• Liaise with the Protection Coordinator, WASH/Shelter- Coordinator, Livelihoods Coordinator, Food Security Coordinator and M&E Coordinator to get required technical inputs to match good quality standards for the respective activities under his/her responsibility.

General Management:

• Line manage national staff, conducting performance reviews, setting objectives and ensuring expected performance criteria are met;
• Adapt the team structure according to needs, resources and capacities if required, with support of technical coordinators as required.
• Develop job descriptions and recruit qualified staff (national) for the relevant position under Programme sector  
• Ensure high quality project implementation in accordance with donor and DRC regulations as well as in line with agreed log frames/indicators, budgets, procurement plans, and work plans;
• Review BFUs regarding activities/projects under his/her responsibility and check the good budget allocation of the related costs. Update Budget tracking tools and update the area Managers on burn-rate with clear work plans to the end of the Project

Coordination:

• Ensure monthly program review with Area Managers and Coordinator in terms of Budget (BFU/TDL), activity plan review, lesson learnt including planning forecast for the next period  
• Attend coordination meetings in Maiduguri and Yobe as necessary or specified by the Area Manager and Coordinators.
• Pro-actively coordinate with other NGOs working in areas of intervention in Borno and Yobe State  
• Support field staff to develop contacts and coordinate closely with stakeholders including local authorities, security actors, community representatives and CBOs where relevant to establish supportive networks and channels of communication.

Safety, Access and Logistics:

• Work closely with the Safety Unit to share local contacts, to ensure appropriate security plans for field missions are in place, and to discuss support needs for new areas of intervention;
• Develop contact networks in area of operation for coordination on alerts, assessments and responses;
• Contribute to Access and Safety SOPs;

To be successful in this role, the candidate is expected to be honest, strongly motivated and display a high standard of integrity in humanitarian work, disciplined and team-oriented

Requirements
Essential:

• Minimum 5 years of working experience in Managing program in humanitarian context and experience in complex emergencies and high-security environments
• Experience of access management in a high-security context, demonstrated ability to liaise with a variety of stakeholders in a professional and adaptive manner, including security actors and local authorities.
• Working experiences with at least 3 of the 4 sectors to be covered by the position (Food Security, WASH/Shelter, Livelihood and Protection).  
• Master degree in Social Sciences or in any of the technical sectors to be covered by this position (internal development, Food Security, WASH, Shelter & NFIs and Protection).
• Solid experience in staff management in a cross-cultural environment required
• Strong experience in conducting large scale distributions in remote locations with limited humanitarian presence
• Proven ability to build external relationships with diplomacy, tact and professionalism in a complex and demanding environment.
• Proficiency in common computer packages and financial software i.e. Word, Excel, Power point etc.
• Must show ability to work in an isolated and challenging environment.
• Strong reporting, report-writing and assessment skills.

Desirable:

• Previous working experience as Program Manager for multiple sector  
• Fluent written and spoken English
• Understanding of Nigerian context and local dynamics is desirable  

Conditions

• Availability: ASAP
• Duty station: non-family
• Position: unaccompanied
• Length of the assignment : 12 months
• Salary and conditions: In accordance with Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment. The income will be subject to statutory deductions as per applicable Nigeria laws. The employee is responsible for the tax returns.