Director Programmes and Influencing at Oxfam

Job Description

The Director of Programmes and Influencing will provide strategic leadership to the thematic leads in the programmes and influencing team that will lead in many of the areas like climate change, gender, economic justice, the emerging digital world among others and will have competencies in these specific thematic areaslinked to the global strategic goals and horizon themes

Leadership over Strategy Development & Execution and One Programme Approach

• Lead the development of OiA Programme, including Humanitarian, and Influencing Strategy and ensure effective execution
• Work with the Africa Deputies Directors, the Director will support leadership in the countries, the SAF Cluster and the OI-AU Liaison Office to develop appropriate ways of working
• Explore opportunities for regional and multi-country programmes, advocacy and campaigns engagement that add value to the achievement of the programme goals

Human Resource Management

• Have oversight responsibility of humanitarian strategy in Africa and be accountable and responsible for CAT One humanitarian response
• Manage the largest number of staff and teams within the one Oxfam in Africa structure, ensuring Oxfam’s People management practices are upheld such as goals setting, holding various check ins, performance management, team coordination, knowledge sharing, staff development and innovation and ensuring disciplinary procedures

Program Quality and Impact at Scale

• Ensure a proper implementation of programmes aligned with this Planning and contribute to develop the Strategy to achieve the GSF 2030
• Guide and support countries to develop programmes that show the leap that is expected in our programme ambition.
• Ensure adequate resourcing allocated within budgets to balance properly the long term humanitarian and influencing work including advocacy and campaigns regional level. 

Strategic Partnership

• Lead the strategy development for Oxfam to initiate and maintain a wide range of strategic and transformative partnerships
• Build relationships with external stakeholders and allies including donors, government representatives and other civil society organisations to increase impact.
• Forge meaningful links between local to global (also south-south)

Knowledge Management and Learning

• Drive the development and implementation of Feminist Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning within national and regional long-term programmes and humanitarian in general and influencing and campaigning initiatives.
• Support capacity building across countries and at the regional level.
• Support regional networks to establish an environment of data driven and evidence-based decision making, learning, sharing, storytelling, such that a knowledge management culture is encouraged and implemented

Experience, Knowledge & Competences

• In-depth understanding of the economic, political, and social causes and dynamics of poverty, vulnerability and inequality and a familiarity with policy issues related to the creation or reduction of poverty, vulnerability and inequality.
• Clear understanding of what represents sustainable and effective development action.
• Multi-year work experience in more than one country in the region.
• Excellent inter-personal and collaboration skills, particularly in cross-cultural contexts
• Superb judgement that ensures the delivery of a coherent strategy and policy and grows Oxfam’s reputation across the region.
• Excellent communication and influencing skills, with experience of external representation strategies, lobbying, advocacy, and campaigning
• Strong influencing skills – engages and collaborates, with cultural and interpersonal sensitivity.
• Excellent written and verbal communication across a range of audiences.
• Fluency in English and other languages particularly French is highly desirable