Programs Director for Syria

Starting date: January 2021 / ASAP
Contract duration: 24 months with the possibility of extension
Country Programme: Syria Response
Base: Erbil, Iraq with travels within the region
Line Manager: Country Director – Syria Response

About the mission:

People in Need delivers assistance in Northern Syria addressing the needs of IDPs and hosting communities in several sectors such as food security, livelihoods, shelter, protection, education and WASH. PIN is well-established organization with several field offices, direct implementation and more than 400 employees. Main office sits in Erbil and provides support services to field teams inside Syria. PIN’s contribution to the Syria humanitarian response is amongst the largest, with an annual turnover of over $35 million across Syria and funding from humanitarian donors including ECHO, ENI, OFDA, FFP, SDC.

About the role:

Programs Director is part of Syria Country Management Team (together with Country Director, Area Directors, Security Advisor, Finance Coordinator, and members of HQ Syria desk). He/she oversees efficient programme delivery, quality and impact of the projects on WoS level. Together with the Country Director and Area Directors, the Programs Director represents PIN to donors and partners for Programme and Grants related communication, ensuring that PIN is recognised for its field experience.

The Programs Director reports to PIN Country Director for Syria Response. He/she has delegated management responsibility for Grants Unit (Grants Manager), and Monitoring & Evaluation Coordinator. Programme Quality Director cooperates closely with the Regional Coordinating Focal Points for Systems and Operations, Field senior management as well as Desk team in HQ.

Programs Director is directly responsible:

1) Whole of Syria (WoS) Programme Coordination

• Oversee project development and ensure quality of project proposals
• Provide support to overall programme implementation on the WoS level
  • In coordination with Field Programme Directors, coordinate on programme quality and promote harmonized approaches across different locations and sectors in line with PIN’s strategy
  • Supervise fulfilling of contractual obligations towards the donor according to donor guidelines and in line with project proposals

• Supervise grants team to ensure quality of external reporting

2) Ensuring quality of PIN programmes and compliance of overall strategy of PIN, specifically the one for Syrian response

• Oversee development and compliance with programme sectorial strategies

• In cooperation with Field Programme Directors, ensures proper implementation of cross-cutting themes across the country programme
  • Mainstreaming of protection, gender, age, disability into all phases of PCM, overall programmes
  • Overseeing project & programme accountability
• Supervises and support Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Coordinator to develop M&E strategy to ensure coherence, efficiency, access to and utilization of data for donors and to inform the programming

3) Representation of PIN programmes in Syrian response towards partners and donors.

• Lead programme discussions on WoS level, and input on regional level discussions with current and potential donors on new possible funding opportunities
• Lead regular discussion, in coordination with Field Directors, with donors regarding overall programme implementation, risks, challenges, lessons learnt

4) Coordination with Systems and Operations Department

• Ensuring policies and procedures are in place and well distributed among programme staff, advocating for programmes in formulation and implementation of new policies in accordance with donor and PIN regulations
• Coordination of project spending updates on WoS level

5) Staff management and capacity development

• Continuously work on capacity development of senior programme management staff

Suitable candidates for this position should possess:

• At least 4 years of management experience of emergency projects in difficult and challenging environments including protracted conflicts.
• Experience with managing multisector projects as a program manager in at least two of the following sectors: WASH, Food Security, Education, Shelter, Protection
• Proven experience with management and supervision of large teams and budgets in challenging and insecure environments, and interest in building the capacity of teams;
• Excellent communication skills, including fluent spoken and written English;
• Strong grasp of all stages of program cycle management and quality standards in humanitarian programming, including safeguarding and accountability mechanisms;
• Strong organizational, critical analysis and problem-solving skills;
• Previous experience with managing large teams and budgets;
• Previous working experience from the Middle East.

Living Conditions / Environmental Conditions:

• This position is an unaccompanied and it is based in Erbil. Erbil accommodation is in a PIN Guesthouse with individual guestrooms and shared bathroom, living room and kitchen (alternatively, housing allowance can be requested for individual arrangements). All sites have internet;
• Security situation in Erbil is generally good with a potential for a good social life with restaurants, bars and gyms and a large expat community;
• Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and PIN's policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.

People in Need offers:

• Salary as per PIN salary scale (per diems included): 3,600-3,800 EUR, depending on the seniority grade;
• Opportunities for learning, training and capacity development;
• 25 days of paid leave annually;
• Reimbursement of travel expenses with travel to the country of residence once per every 6 months of completed work, plus regional flights according to PIN's policy;
• Reimbursement of costs of visas and vaccinations; assistance with visa application procedure;
• Free medical helpdesk and psychological consultation available online;
• Travel health insurance and 24/7 medical helpdesk;
• Housing in PIN guesthouse covered by PIN or housing allowance.

How to apply:

Are you interested in this position? Send us your CV and short cover letter via this link. Please note only the shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Interviews will be conducted on rolling basis and the vacancy will be closed when filled.

People in Need staff are expected to perform job duties and responsibilities in accordance with People in Need Code of conduct and key policies (available at: www.peopleinneed.cz/policies).