Program Director

Oxfam Novib

The Program Director provides overall strategic direction, leadership, and management of the humanitarian response, resilience, and development programs. The position leads the design and development of humanitarian and development programs ensuring alignment to country humanitarian and development needs and trends while maintaining the coordination, linkages and synergies within and between the long term and humanitarian programmes as well as contributing to linking these programmes with influencing, ICT4D and programme quality.

As a most senior post below the Country Director (CD), the Program Director (PD) is a member of the Senior Management Team in country. The Program Director shares in the overall responsibility for the direction and coordination of the Country Program. In the absence of CD, under the delegated authority, the Program Director chairs the SMT and guarantees business continuity.

The Program Director reports to the Country Director and will manage programme staff and work closely with business support, business development and funding, program quality and policy and advocacy units. The Program Director ensures close collaboration and coordination with external stakeholders including partners, consortium members, government authorities, donors, and other NGOs and UN.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• As a part of the leadership and senior management team in the country, develop strong matrix links with other country programme teams, relevant Oxfam in Africa (OiA) staff, Global Humanitarian Team (GHT), Executing Affiliate and Partner Affiliate staff and relevant International Department staff to develop and deliver the Oxfam country strategy.
• Leads the overall program cycle management and delegated responsibility for field delivery of high-quality programming in line with Oxfam standards and the objectives of the country strategy.
• Oversee the program proposal process and participate on the strategic level with the Funding Coordinator to ensure that all programs progress in accordance with grant agreements, are completed within time and on budget.
• Leads on conceptualizing and designing cost effective, innovative and high-quality programs to serve difficult to reach beneficiaries with the Technical Leads, Fundraising Manager, Program Quality Coordinator and BSM
• Oversight of geographical humanitarian and development programmes. Ensures overall leadership of anticipatory action, disaster preparedness, mitigation and management including humanitarian response activities for Category 1 / 2 / 3 emergencies.
• Overall budget holder for all programming; ensure project expenditure is in line with work plans and commitments to donors and affiliates; and conduct monthly budget vs expenditure review for each project.
• Overall leadership of program strategy plans and implementation to ensure responsiveness to communities in line with Oxfam s principles, values and strategic plan and following Oxfam compliance procedures. This includes working with the government and national NGO-partners to strengthen national capacity.
• Ensuring effective advisory support from the country, regional and EA and PA technical teams to the field teams.
• Ensure synergies between and harmonisation of humanitarian, development, and advocacy programme strategies according to the one programme approach and enabling a smooth transition from emergency humanitarian interventions towards resilience and longer-term development programming where possible.
• One of the most crucial roles of the Deputy Country Director - Program is ensuring a strong link and mainstreaming of activities between the assigned departments, maximising their performances and effective use of resources through coordination and strategic guidance.
• Ensure that programme operations are of high quality, comply with established policies and procedures and contribute directly to Oxfam strategies and operational plans. This includes, but is not limited to gender mainstreaming, protection mainstreaming, programme accountability frameworks and humanitarian preparedness and response.
• Work with the Country Director and programme teams to secure internal and external funding to deliver programme activities through support to development of appropriate strategies and funding proposals.
• In close collaboration with HR Team, Programme Managers and Technical Coordinators, identify staffing needs, support recruitment of staff and manage the performance and development of all direct reports, ensuring performance objectives are produced and worked to, including identification and effective delivery of training and development needs.
• Representing Oxfam to government officials, donors, UN agencies, and NGO community as appropriate.
• Deputise for the Country Director in his/her absence or whenever necessary.
• Produce regular programme and context updates that can be shared with other Oxfam stakeholders.
• To ensure all Oxfam staff and programmes are familiar with and abide by the Oxfam s Code of Conduct, Oxfam International standards and procedures and other regulatory codes (e.g. Sphere Minimum Standards).
• Frequent travel to work with the field teams and liaise with Government, UN agencies and other NGOs as appropriate.