Area Programme Manager (National) at Danish Refugee Council (DRC)

Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a Danish international non-governmental organisation, which promotes and supports durable solutions to the problems faced by refugees and internally displaced people all over the world. DRC is present in more than 30 conflict territories around the world assisting displaced people with shelter, food, income-generating activities, and a wide range of other assistance. It is of utmost importance for DRC to work in compliance with the DRC Accountability and Quality Management system and national legislations. Smooth, reliable and effective operational systems are preconditions for DRC to maintain its position as a trustworthy and reliable partner for our donors and an accountable organisation towards our beneficiaries.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Area Programme Manager (National)

Location: Maiduguri, Borno
Supervised by: Area Manager
Reporting to: Area Manager
Employment Period: 12 months starting May 2022
Type of Contract Contract (Expat / National / Trainee): National
Salary & Benefits: Management F

Purpose

• DRC is looking for a motivated, 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, Economic Recovery, WASH / Shelter, Humanitarian Disarmament and Peace Building, and M&E teams.
• The duty station will be Maiduguri (Borno State), where the Area Program Manager will supervise and coordinate a range of activities across rapid emergency response to first- and second-line emergency response, towards stabilization and recovery.
• The role includes assessment (RNA, RPA, MSA) and response teams, in close linkage with the M&E Unit, under the overall leadership of the Area Manager, Borno and Yobe States and technical relationships with Protection Manager, Food Security Manager, WAHS/SNFI Manager, M&E Manager and Livelihood Manager.
• The position will have a key role in the field-level management of cross-sector teams, initially providing gap filing role for technical managers who are staying away from Borno, but in the medium to long-term taking over full management responsibility for all projects in the state. Establishing local networks to ensure information about humanitarian needs is shared in an effective, timely and protection-sensitive manner.
• The APM will be responsible to ensure effective data collection, community engagement, production of reports and data from assessments and effective communication on the results to enable rapid responses to urgent and ongoing humanitarian crises across broad geographic areas.
• The APM will also be key in ensuring a close link to the Safety Unit to discuss new locations and ensure appropriate measures are taken for access and safety on assessment and response missions.
• The APM will also be key in ensuring a close link to supports’ teams at Maiduguri base level to discuss all the finance, logistics, procurement and human resources related issues.
• The APM takes on additional Area Manager responsibilities in his absence, so an understanding of the whole base operations is of paramount importance.

Duties and Responsibilities
Immediate Scope of Role:

• Directly line manage Economic Recovery, Protection, WASH/NFI and M&E Teams in Borno State
• Plan daily, weekly and monthly tasks of the above-mentioned teams
• Follow-up field implementation to ensure planned activities are delivered with the best quality
• Organize and implement PDMs and other relevant programme assessments in consultation with the M&E Manager
• Support / make input into monthly and quarterly implementation reports
• Responsible for budget expenditure and planning for departments of coverage
• Support the Area Manager and HoP to expand DRC programme portfolio in Borno, State through various fund-raising initiatives including concept and proposal development

Medium to Long Term Scope of the Role
Multi-sectorial / rapid needs assessments:

• Monitor the humanitarian situation in the areas of operation and contribute to the prioritization of areas of intervention
• Be the Emergency response focal point and work with the teams to initiate needs assessments and appropriate response
• Work with the Quality Assurance team to compile, review and disseminate multi-sectorial assessment reports internally and externally
• Present summary results of multi-sectorial assessments during external coordination meetings as requested by the ESMT
• Plan and Supervise the conduct of RA, MSA and RPA remotely and in the field, depending on security situation and needs
• Oversee development and correct implementation of tools and methodologies for assessments
• Suggest improvements to the tools and methodologies depending on context and field-testing

Program Management:

• Ensure effective community engagement and safety analysis for responses according to needs identified in protection, Economic Recovery, 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 Managers and with the agreement/support of local communities
• Ensure appropriate implementation of the activities in the four (4) sectors under his/her responsibility:
• WASH / Shelter: water points and sanitation facilities construction and operational maintenance, hygiene Kits’ distribution and hygiene promotion. Shelter repair kits and NFI distribution
• Economic Recovery: 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
• Ensure that all project documents are filed and archived properly at the end of the projects
• Verify distribution registers and ensure that all household information is captured and that all targeted beneficiaries have acknowledged receipt of their dues
• Plan and coordinate sector distributions with the team leaders to ensure that there is support from Protection to ensure protection mainstreaming, M and E and Risk and compliance to ensure accountability
• Liaise with the Protection Manager, WASH / Shelter Manager, Economic Recovery Manager, and M&E Manager to get required technical inputs to match good quality standards for the respective activities under his/her responsibility

General Management:

• Line manages 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 managers as required.
• Develop job descriptions and recruit qualified staff (national) for the relevant position under the 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, lessons learnt including planning forecast for the next period
• Attend coordination meetings in Maiduguri as necessary or specified by the Area Manager and Technical Managers.
• Pro-actively coordinate with other NGOs working in areas of intervention in Borno 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.

Monitoring, Accountability and Reporting:

• Ensure that all activities are included in project M&E plans and supervise the implementation. Ensure key lessons learned are incorporated in new project proposals.
• Make recommendations to the Area Manager and the Managers on improvement of response relevance, efficiency, appropriateness, timeliness, and accountability
• Oversee the implementation of recommendations to ensure continuous improvement of interventions.
• Ensure correct application of accountability, protection and age, gender and diversity-related protocols during assessments and implementation of activities through training and updating of protocols and methodologies.
• Maintain close links with M&E Manager for the assessments and responses.
• Include the participation of beneficiaries and communities, particularly those most vulnerable or at-risk, in all stages of the project cycle where appropriate.
• The responsibilities listed in the Job Description are not exhaustive and may be readjusted according to operational needs but will remain in line with the overall purpose of the role.

Experience and Technical Competencies
Essential:

• Master’s degree in political science, international development, economics or other relevant field.
• In lieu of the above, a Bachelor’s degree and several years of relevant experience.
• Minimum 5 years of experience managing a large team
• Minimum 5 years of experience in project implementation
• Experience working in fragile context and insecure environments
• Experience developing and implementing organizational strategy
• Previous experience in Northeast Nigeria is considered an asset
• Experience working in multicultural work settings
• Experience with critical incident management
• Experience working in hostile or hazardous environments
• Full professional proficiency in English
• Proficiency in Hausa or other Nigerian languages is considered an asset but not a requirement.

General Regulations:

• The employee shall follow DRC instructions on safety, confidentiality and ethical guidelines, including the Code of Conduct and the Humanitarian Accountability Framework
• Employee should not engage in any other paid activity during the DRC contract period without prior authorization
• Employee should not engage in any activity that could harm DRC or the implementation of any project during the DRC contract period
• Employee should not give interviews to the media or publish project-related photos or other material without prior authorization
• Employee shall return all borrowed equipment for the project to DRC after the end of the contract period or upon request

Application Closing Date
4th April, 2022 (midnight GMT-time).