Deputy Director (Programs)

As a member of the Country Program Senior Management Team, the director" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">Deputy Director of Programs (DDP) provides overall leadership in the development, management, oversees the implementation of the Strategic Action Plan (SAP), and manages growth of IRC’s programming portfolio in South Sudan, with particular emphasis on responsiveness to clients’ needs, program quality and impact. The DDP will ensure that capacity building of national non-governmental partners is prioritized as part of IRC South Sudan long term strategy. In close coordination with the Country Director, the DDP will build and sustain strong donor relationships, ensuring a diverse and sustainable portfolio that adequately covers funding needs across all program sectors of the Country Program. Based in Juba, South Sudan, the DDP will have dual reporting to the Country Director and the Deputy Regional Director (DRD). The DDP directly supervises Technical Coordinators (TC) who are responsible for proposal development, program quality and grants management. This position has close working relationships with the Deputy Diretor of Operations (DDO), the Deputy Director for Finance (DDF), the HR Coordinator as well as field-based staff. The DDP position in South Sudan is unaccompanied and requires extensive in-country and occasional regional travel. Key areas of accountability 1. Program Strategy, Design and Fundraising • Provide leadership in the design and implementation of the South Sudan Program Strategic Action Plan (SAP). • Ensure together with TCs, and HQ-based Technical Unit staff, that project design reflects IRC program quality standards and industry best practices. • Implement South Sudan’s Partnership Strategy, ensuring more sustainable long term programming that allows for capacity strengthening of a variety of local and national institutions in line with the Grand Bargain Agreement. • Lead efforts for sustainable program growth, proactively identifying opportunities for new programming initiatives and emphasizing multi-year funding to support them. • Provide leadership support to the program and grants teams to develop competitive, evidence-based and cost-effective funding applications. • Provide guidance, strategies and tools to ensure that programming choices are based on needs assessment findings (primary & secondary data) and analysis, input from communities, a thorough understanding of context, technical best practices, and operational viability. • Formulate integrated programming initiatives so that technical sectors complement each other and promote mainstreaming of protection principles, diversity and gender-responsive approaches. 2. Program Management – Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation • Provide overall leadership and management of IRC South Sudan’s program portfolio, ensuring strategically coherent program direction, well-managed growth, and compliance with IRC and donor regulations. • Continually seek out ways to build the capacities of program team members, individually and collectively. • Ensure that regular and meaningful Program Cycle Management meetings are held for each grant and all issues requiring management decisions are flagged in a timely manner for resolution. • Ensure that detailed, realistic and feasible project implementation plans are developed, and modified as needed, in collaboration with the Deputy Director of Operations (DDO) and Field Coordinators. • Regularly travel to the field to visit projects and regularly review progress against indicators. • Coordinate with other members of SMT on appropriate management, compliance and performance standards, as well as effective systems for budget management, knowledge management and risk management. • Put accountability mechanisms in place for client feedback. • Support program staff to collect, document and disseminate lessons learned and best practices, incorporating these into new project designs. • With programming staff, develop effective and appropriate M&E plans, including methodologies and tools to strengthen the quality of data collection, analysis and reporting. • Review M&E and accountability data with program staff to identify and address areas for operational improvement. 3. Grant Financial Management • In coordination with finance and operations, oversee grants to ensure compliance with donor requirements. • In collaboration with finance and operations, contribute to the development and periodic reforecasting of the annual operating budget. • In collaboration with the DDO and DDF, ensure that program staff are well trained to properly manage project budgets. • Meet with program, grants, operations and finance staff regularly to review budget spending reports. • Mitigate risk by collaborating with the Finance Department to ensure that program staff fully understand financial and administrative processes involved in project budget cycles. • Ensure that risks limiting achievement of objectives are reported and rapidly addressed. 4. Staff Management and Development • Create a supervisory environment focused on the achievement of team and individual results that emphasizes the importance of learning, productivity, accountability and openness. • Communicate regularly with staff and promote positive conflict resolution among team members. • Provide guidance and supervision to Technical Coordinators and the Grants team; discuss job expectations, set objectives, provide regular, timely and thoughtful coaching, feedback on expectations, performance assessment, and professional development for all direct reports, while making sure that they do the same for their direct reports. • Build capacities of program staff in key project management principles, tools and approaches and ensure that these new skills are utilized on the job. • Manage recruitment, hiring and development of high-performing national staff to assume greater levels of responsibility. • Provide leadership support for the successful implementation of and adherence to the IRC Global HR Operating Policies and Procedures. • Lead with commitment, integrity and accountability to the "IRC Way" – Global Standards for Professional Conduct. • Promote constructive, collegial teamwork between program and operations staff. 5. Representation and Communication • Enhance IRC South Sudan’s profile among relevant stakeholders: donors, national and local government partners, international and national NGOs, etc. • Act as the focal point for program-related communication between IRC country programs in the region and global offices. • Oversee programmatic inputs to advocacy efforts both in-country and globally Requirements • Education: Advanced degree in international relations, development studies or relevant discipline • Must have at least six years of international management experience, including technical staff supervision. • Must be experienced in the development of sustainable approaches to programming through local and national partners. • Demonstrated success managing programs with 800+ employees in multiple locations within the region or global environment required. • Strong experience is required in the management of humanitarian and recovery projects, including specific skill in people management, program budget management, project cycle management and donor relations (proposal negotiation, reporting, and donor compliance). • Excellent written and verbal skills in the English language • Experience managing programs financed by US government agencies, USAID/OFDA, DFID, EU, UN, foundations and private donors a must, with previous experience in competitive RFA/P environments a plus. • Proven ability to manage a wide variety of projects to completion on time, within budget, and with the anticipated results. • Demonstrated successful leadership experience with a multi-disciplinary team in a cross-cultural setting, including active mentoring and coaching. • Extensive experience with monitoring and evaluation tools and systems for complex programs Key Competencies: • Must be comfortable in being a proactive member of the senior management team. Must have a validated track-record of proactively identifying and communicating potential problems and proposing solutions. • Must be able to function effectively in a complex work environment, setting appropriate priorities and handle competing priorities and pressure • Ability to carry out responsibilities independently with minimal technical support • Must have excellent interpersonal communication skills and professional patience and be able to interact, partner and thrive in a diverse emergency environment • Committed to staff training and development and effective at facilitation • Be responsive to needs expressed by programs, finance and operations staff as well as by implementing partners Working environment: security" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #007bff !important;">Security level: Orange. The situation in the country is generally calm but can be tense and unpredictable; concerns include criminality, presence of armed troops, and looting. The position is based in Juba and is unaccompanied. Lodging is a private bedroom in a shared IRC guest house – with electricity, internet and cable TV. Food is the individual’s responsibility. Field office housing is more basic, i.e. in traditional huts or tents with separate shared latrines and showers. The IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Equality, Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In adherence to these values, the IRC implements and policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Safeguarding, Harassment Free Workplace, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation, among others. All IRC Staff are expected to behave respectfully at all times, and to be able to work with a diverse workforce without discriminating anyone on the basis of their race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic background, origin, religion or beliefs and other aspects of identity.