Afghanistan: Chief of Programmes (CoP)

Job Description: Position Title Chief of Programmes (CoP)
Location / department: Afghanistan (90% in the field, 10% in Kabul)
Length of contract: 12 months (with a possibility of extension), start as soon as possible
Responsible to: Country Director, Mission East Afghanistan
Direct Line Management of: Senior Country Operational Staff
Coordination with: Has regular contact with the Mission East Afghanistan Country Director, Provincial Programme Managers, Programme Advisers, Chief of Finance and Administration, Monitoring & Evaluation Learning Unit Manager, and the Afghanistan Desk Officer, and is part of the in-country Senior Management Team.
Position Type: This is an unaccompanied position.

Background
Mission East, founded in Denmark in 1991, is an international humanitarian and development organisation, working in South and Central Asia, the Middle East and Eastern Europe.
The organisation’s activities in Afghanistan presently involve a comprehensive, integrated programme working to achieve rural community development through interventions in water sanitation, and hygiene, livelihoods and food security, natural resource management, disaster risk reduction (including infrastructure rehabilitation) and civil society capacity building.
Mission East Afghanistan currently employs approx. 190 full-time staff including 6 expatriate staff. Mission East has 4 main offices in country, with the Head Office in Kabul and field offices in Taloqan, Faizabad and Baharak.
There are smaller sub/site-offices in several other locations in the provinces.
More information on Mission East and its work in Afghanistan can be found at: www.miseast.org.

Overall responsibility

Strategic Programme Design and Development

1. Provide strategic leadership and technical expertise to the Mission East Afghanistan programme team


2. Develop timely and high quality proposals and applications as and when needed/in response to calls

Quality Programme implementation

1. Ensure that all programme activities meet quality assurance standards set by Mission East based on international and donor standards, including aspects such as accountability, monitoring, evaluation, learning and reporting


2. Ensure that programmes are in line with Afghan government humanitarian and development priorities.


3. Ensure that all projects have timely and quality inception and exit strategies.


4. Ensure the development and application of best practices and sound technical interventions in programmes is duly documented and disseminated, and incorporated into strategy development and planning


5. Ensure that communities in the programme areas are centrally engaged on the programming and give full social acceptance to Mission East and its activities.

Management

1. Manage senior programme staff in Afghanistan.

Networking

1. Network with and represent Mission East to partners and stakeholders at national and provincial levels

Budgeting

1. Ensure that programmed budgets are judiciously spent according to the intent and purpose of the donor and Mission East and are balanced across time and programme achievements.

Key tasks and responsibilities
The Chief of Programmes is accountable to fulfill his/her roles and responsibilities in line with Mission East Code of Conduct, values, and principles and to report to his line manager on defined key performance indicators as follows:

Strategic Programme Design and Development (40% time exposure):

1. Provide strategic direction to programme, ensure it works towards the outcomes and impacts it envisions both in the aspects of emergency response, hybrid response (LLRD) and development response


2. Take a lead role in the annual strategic planning process


3. Design programmes and projects based on the country strategic plan


4. Identify proactively opportunities to build key stakeholder relationships, take initiative to follow-up with necessary actions


5. Develop timely, good quality donor proposals using participatory methodologies involving relevant stakeholders.


6. Work with the Country Director (and Desk Officer) to diversify and strengthen funding base (current and additional donors)

Quality Programme Implementation (35% exposure):

1. Make decisions in relation to programme implementation, and offer solutions to problems that arise during the implementation of programmes


2. Ensure that programmes are implemented and evaluated in a participatory and consultative manner through regular field visits


3. Ensure the timely submission of high quality reports, to donors and to HQ according to appropriate guidelines


4. Ensure that all output, outcome and impact indicators are duly measured and achieved with evidence of causality established

Management (10% Exposure):

1. Develop key performance targets and measurable indicators for each supervised personnel to meet each target year and ensure that these are measured in a proper, timely appraisal as per Mission East HR performance appraisal procedures.


2. Actively contribute to the wellbeing of the Senior Management Team through active participation in the conduct of its business


3. Motivate team members to have clear objectives and receive meaningful feedback on their performance


4. With the HR manager ensure the long and short term success of the programme through timely recruitment, staff coaching , programme team well-being, security and safety


5. Deputize as Country Director whenever requested.


6. Ensure that all programmes gain high community acceptance

Networking (10% exposure):

1. Regular and effective communications are maintained between the programmes and the Desk Officer


2. Maintain and build in-country relationships with donors, government, INGOs, NGOs, and civil society organizations in the area of operations


3. Participate regularly in clusters and coordination networks and platforms, and ensure that Mission East is duly represented at national and provincial levels.

Budget Management (5% exposure):

1. Monitor monthly budgets and ensure that expenditures are balanced with accomplishments and budget projections.


2. Prepare budget projections for projects


3. Review BVAs and provide due explanation when positive or negative slippages are noted


4. Ensure corrective measures are taken to address discrepancies or variations in budget spending.

Selection Criteria

Experience Required:

1. Experience of working with various INGOs and NGOs in both humanitarian and development settings (at least three countries aside from home country)


2. Demonstrable knowledge and experience of implementing and measuring quality standards and international humanitarian standards (SPHERE and Core Humanitarian Standard)


3. In-depth understanding and experience of LRRD approaches and methodologies


4. Experience in developing and winning proposals to solicit donor funding (institutional or otherwise)


5. Experience of successful fundraising with ECHO, EC, UN, DANIDA, German MOFA, etc.


6. A seasoned mentor to staff and managers and a participatory management practitioner

Necessary Competencies and skills:

1. Personnel management and team-building skills with an ability to delegate, follow-up and supervise as well as support.


2. Ability to listen, sensitivity to people and cultures, especially when working in cross-cultural teams


3. Strategic leadership skills


4. Strong organizational skills


5. Conflict resolution and mediation skills (both with internal and external stakeholders)


6. High sympathy and sensitivity to the social, political and cultural contexts of the post


7. Strong representation and presentation skills, capacity to liaise with high-level groups and actors


8. Demonstrably well-developed proposal development and report writing skills


9. Sound technical understanding and experience of implementing and managing programme activities in NRM, livelihoods, civil society development, rural development, disability inclusion, and WASH in both humanitarian and development settings


10. Ability to function in a highly stressful high-risk security environment


11. Skilled in word and data processing (Outlook, Word, Excel, Power Point, Google docs)


12. Committed to Mission East vision, mission and values.


13. Fluency in spoken and written English. Some knowledge of Dari /Persian would be an asset.

Qualifications:

1. Post-graduate qualifications (or equivalent experience) in social sciences and/or international development, humanitarian relief, public administration or related fields


2. Relevant experience in programme management in humanitarian and development settings