Program Director

Job Posting Organization:
Action Against Hunger-USA is part of the Action Against Hunger International network, which provides humanitarian relief in over 50 countries worldwide. Established to combat hunger and malnutrition, the organization operates in various sectors including nutrition, health, water/sanitation, security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">food security, livelihoods, and protection. Action Against Hunger-USA is an independent NGO that currently manages operations in 8 countries: South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Haiti. The organization has over $110 million in programs and employs approximately 2500 staff across its various country offices, with its headquarters located in Washington DC and an operational center in Nairobi. The organization is anticipating additional growth in its operations.

Job Overview:
The Program Director serves as the senior leader accountable for the entire program cycle in South Sudan, providing unified strategic vision and technical leadership for Action Against Hunger's country program. This role integrates program development, quality assurance, and implementation oversight to ensure a cohesive approach across the organization. The Program Director is responsible for strategic direction, resource mobilization, technical excellence, and operational effectiveness, ensuring that programs deliver measurable impact while adhering to organizational and donor standards. The purpose of this position is to provide integrated leadership that translates strategic vision into tangible results, ensuring that the South Sudan country program is strategically sound, well-funded, technically excellent, and effectively implemented to reduce hunger and malnutrition. The Program Director engages with diverse stakeholders, including high-level donors and government ministries, and serves as the primary link between strategic ambition and operational reality, fostering collaboration across all departments. The delivery of a high-quality, evidence-based, and effectively managed country program that meets strategic objectives while providing life-saving services on-scope, on-time, and on-budget is a key expectation of this role.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Strategic Program Leadership and Alignment: Lead the development and implementation of the Country Strategy Plan (CSP), ensuring alignment with Action Against Hunger's ISP goals and global SDG objectives. Establish robust quality assurance systems to ensure program adherence to international standards and best practices, fostering a culture of continuous improvement through data-driven decision-making. Foster synergy and cross-functional collaboration between program departments for integrated multi-sectoral programming. Oversee comprehensive needs assessments and gap analyses to identify priority interventions for fighting hunger and undernutrition across South Sudan. Develop innovative, evidence-based program concepts that integrate health, WASH, FSL, gender protection, and social protection components to improve nutrition outcomes. Secure leadership buy-in for the Country Strategy Plan and mobilize resources for program implementation through strategic engagement with senior management. Align program activities with regional nutrition priorities, international best practices, and government policies. Lead the development of comprehensive MEAL frameworks that generate timely evidence for learning and adaptive management. Identify and mitigate program risks while developing strategies to ensure program sustainability and resilience. Advocate for integrating child safeguarding principles throughout all programming and ensure culturally appropriate, sustainable program designs.
• Program Quality Assurance through MEAL Excellence: Establish and maintain a comprehensive knowledge management system to systematically capture, document, and disseminate evidence, best practices, and lessons learned from programs and projects. Lead the contextualization and rollout of the ACF Project Quality Management Tool (PQMT) in South Sudan, ensuring it is adapted to the specific operational challenges and programmatic needs. Standardize MEAL systems and establish a robust Continuous Quality Improvement framework. Lead the development and regular updating of comprehensive situation analyses covering hunger hotspots, IPC classifications, SMART+ surveys, and gender analysis. Drive forward the Country Strategy Plan implementation, monitoring progress against strategic pivots and organizational priorities. Provide leadership on CSP monitoring and ensure accurate, timely completion of Country Annual Reports. Facilitate the development and integration of cross-cutting priorities including localization, disability inclusion, Nutrition-centric HDP Nexus, and gender mainstreaming. Establish comprehensive quality assurance and accountability frameworks in collaboration with technical advisors. Promote data-driven decision-making and champion the use of digital data collection tools to enhance monitoring efficiency. Conduct regular field visits to assess program implementation quality and provide technical guidance.
• Program Development and Resource Mobilization: Develop and execute a comprehensive resource mobilization strategy and business development workplan to secure funding for country programs. Conduct donor intelligence gathering and prepositioning with major donors, consortia, and alliances. Lead the development of high-quality proposals aligned with donor priorities and ACF's Theory of Change. Build and manage strategic relationships with government entities, donors, and partners to secure sustainable funding. Ensure proposal designs incorporate robust MEAL plans and align with ACF's Results Framework. Identify funding opportunities and develop both solicited and unsolicited concept notes and proposals for program expansion. Ensure timely and accurate donor reporting that demonstrates program impact.
• Program Implementation and Management: Champion flawless program execution by proactively identifying and mitigating operational bottlenecks. Provide overarching leadership for program implementation, ensuring activities are delivered on scope, on time, and within budget. Develop and monitor detailed implementation plans that translate strategic objectives into actionable field-level activities. Establish systems and processes to support efficient program delivery across multiple technical sectors. Oversee procurement planning and supply chain management. Conduct regular program reviews, compliance checks, and audits. Manage program finances including cash flow forecasting and budget execution.
• Team Leadership and Capacity Development: Lead the development and execution of a capacity-strengthening plan for national staff and local partners. Provide strategic leadership and direction for technical heads of departments. Foster a culture of innovation, experimentation, and continuous learning within the program team. Recruit, retain, and develop a highly skilled program team with expertise in nutrition-sensitive programming. Conduct regular performance reviews and provide constructive feedback.
• Strategic Partnerships, Consortium Leadership, and Policy Influence: Provide strategic leadership for ACF's engagement in consortia and high-level partnerships. Establish and maintain clear governance structures and communication protocols for multi-partner initiatives. Negotiate consortium agreements and partnership frameworks. Represent ACF in consortium steering committees and high-level partnership forums. Engage with government officials and policymakers to advocate for policy reforms.
• Emergency Preparedness and Response Management: Establish and maintain a robust emergency preparedness system. Lead multi-sectoral rapid needs assessments in emergency contexts. Coordinate with UN OCHA and other humanitarian actors. Mobilize emergency funding and lead the development of emergency appeal proposals. Conduct regular simulation exercises and emergency preparedness drills.

Required Qualifications:
Minimum of MSc degree in public health, Nutrition, development studies, WASH engineering, or related field. A PhD degree will be considered an added advantage. At least 10 years of related experience with an INGO including senior management program positions. Experience in at least one of Action Against Hunger’s core technical sectors: Nutrition and Health, WASH, Food Security and Livelihoods, Agriculture/climate in development and/or emergencies. Familiarity with project design methods and tools, including assessments, logical frameworks, and theory of change. Strong analytical skills with the ability to positively influence cross-departmental and cross-sector working. Strong results orientation, with the ability to meet deadlines and produce high-quality products. Strong cultural awareness and ability to work well in an international environment with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures. Ability and willingness to change work practices and hours, and work with proposal development teams to meet deadlines. Substantial experience and skills in establishing and maintaining external relations with government, community stakeholders, and civil society. Fluency in English (business level), both verbal and written. Proficiency in computer applications such as MS Word, MS PowerPoint, and Excel.

Educational Background:
A minimum of a Master's degree in public health, Nutrition, development studies, WASH engineering, or a related field is required for this position. A PhD degree will be considered as an added advantage, indicating a higher level of expertise and knowledge in the relevant field.

Experience:
The position requires at least 10 years of related experience with an International Non-Governmental Organization (INGO), including senior management program positions. Candidates should have experience in managing complex development and resilience-building projects, particularly in sectors relevant to Action Against Hunger's mission, such as Nutrition and Health, WASH, Food Security and Livelihoods, and Agriculture/climate in both development and emergency contexts.

Languages:
Fluency in English is mandatory, both verbal and written, as it is the primary language of communication within the organization and with external stakeholders. Proficiency in additional languages may be considered an asset, particularly if they are relevant to the regions in which Action Against Hunger operates, but English remains the essential language for this position.

Additional Notes:
The position is full-time and based in South Sudan, with expectations for regular travel within the country and potentially to other regions as required. The role may involve working in challenging environments and under high security risks, necessitating a strong commitment to safety and security protocols. The organization values diversity and encourages applications from individuals of all backgrounds, ensuring equal opportunities for all candidates. Compensation and benefits will be commensurate with experience and in line with organizational policies.