Area Manager – Northern Hub At Oxfam

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KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Partnership Leadership & Localisation (30%)

Lead implementation through strategic partnerships and strengthen local leadership, as genuine co-owners of results rather than sub-contractors of Oxfam’s programme.

  • Lead implementation through national and local partners in line with Oxfam’s Partner Led Implementation approach, actively shifting decision making power to local actors.
  • Develop and maintain equitable, long term partnerships with NGOs, CSOs, WROs, CBOs, and government institutions, based on mutual trust, transparency, and shared values.
  • Co-develop organisational capacity strengthening plans with partners, rooted in their own ambitions and needs, and monitor progress jointly.
  • Support partners to strengthen governance, programme quality, financial management, and accountability systems, respecting their autonomy and strategic direction.
  • Promote localisation commitments, including Charter for Change and Grand Bargain principles, and actively track and report on progress, including the OCS target of 25–30% of programme funds channelled directly to local partners.
  • Work in solidarity with partners to address performance gaps through joint problem solving and structured, mutually agreed improvement plans never unilaterally imposed corrective action.
  • Progressively transfer humanitarian delivery responsibilities to partners in line with the OCS commitment to local humanitarian leadership, tracked against an agreed annual transition plan (see KPIs).

2. Programme Quality, Technical Integration & Adaptive Management (20%)

Ensure programmes achieve high technical quality and measurable outcomes, working collaboratively with Country Office Technical Leads.

  • Ensure technical standards are consistently applied across programmes.
  • Promote integrated programming between WaSH, FES, Protection, Gender, and influencing.
  • Ensure programmes are informed by evidence, community feedback, and learning.
  • Facilitate adaptive management based on monitoring, evaluations, and changing operational contexts, including VUCA conditions specific to Syria’s transition.
  • Ensure recommendations from evaluations, audits, and reviews are implemented.
  • Promote innovation, knowledge management, and cross learning between projects and partners.

(Accountability: overall programme quality and integration within the Hub. Technical authority: Country Office Technical Leads.

3. Programme Performance & Results Management (10%)

  • Monitor physical and financial progress against agreed targets, jointly with partners.
  • Lead monthly portfolio review meetings, with partner participation where appropriate.
  • Ensure corrective actions are implemented promptly and collaboratively.
  • Ensure high quality donor reporting and performance analysis.
  • Monitor programme risks affecting delivery and recommend mitigation measures.
  • Ensure programme data supports evidence-based, shared decision making with partners.

4. Financial Stewardship (10%)

The Area Manager is accountable for portfolio financial performance while technical financial oversight remains with the Finance Department.

  • Ensure sound financial management of a Hub portfolio of approx. GBP 5–6M.
  • Lead forecasting, budget monitoring, and expenditure analysis.
  • Ensure Value for Money principles are applied.
  • Recommend budget revisions and grant modifications where required.
  • Ensure compliance with donor and Oxfam financial policies.
  • Monitor financial risks and implement corrective actions.

(The Area Manager is accountable for portfolio financial performance; technical financial oversight remains with the Finance Department.)

5. Operational Leadership (10%)

  • Ensure HR, Finance, Procurement, Logistics, and Security functions effectively support programme implementation with partners.
  • Lead integrated operational planning across the Hub.
  • Resolve operational bottlenecks affecting programme delivery.
  • Strengthen procurement and supply planning, including for partners.
  • Ensure effective business continuity and emergency preparedness.
  • Promote efficient use of organisational resources.

6. People Leadership & Organisational Development (5%)

Create a high performing, inclusive Hub team, and model the intersectional feminist approach the OCS requires across every sector not only within HR practice.

  • Lead, coach, and develop multidisciplinary teams.
  • Promote collaboration and accountability.
  • Ensure effective performance management and succession planning.
  • Foster staff wellbeing and duty of care.
  • Actively apply feminist leadership principles, diversity, and inclusion in day to day decisions and behaviour, including in how authority is exercised with partners and staff.
  • Strengthen leadership capacity within Oxfam teams and partner organisations.

7. Representation, Coordination & Resource Mobilisation (5%)

  • Represent Oxfam with government authorities, donors, UN agencies, NGOs, and coordination mechanisms.
  • Build constructive relationships with strategic stakeholders.
  • Identify opportunities for programme growth and resource mobilisation, including diversifying the donor base (e.g. Gulf donors, climate adaptation funders).
  • Contribute contextual analysis and operational insights to proposal development.
  • Support donor missions and external evaluations.

(The Area Manager contributes to fundraising and proposal development; overall funding strategy and donor engagement remain the responsibility of the Country Office Funding Team.)

8. Risk Management, Compliance & Safeguarding (10%)

  • Maintain and regularly review the Hub Risk Register.
  • Ensure safeguarding standards are fully and consistently implemented across Oxfam staff and partner organisations, with zero tolerance for Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) and child abuse this standard is non-negotiable and is not subject to the empowerment oriented, risk based approach applied to other areas of partner performance.
  • Ensure partner due diligence and financial compliance are maintained through supportive, risk based approaches for programmatic performance, while safeguarding and anti-fraud thresholds remain fixed regardless of partner autonomy.
  • Ensure compliance with donor requirements and Oxfam policies.
  • Lead fraud prevention and ethical conduct.
  • Ensure audit readiness across all programmes and partners.
  • Oversee security risk management and business continuity planning.
  • Escalate strategic, safeguarding, and fraud-related risks to senior management immediately and without delay.

Decision Making Authority

Within delegated authority, the Area Manager is authorised to:

  • Approve Hub operational and implementation plans.
  • Co-approve (jointly with partner leadership, not unilaterally) partner workplans, programme design, and adaptation decisions.
  • Prioritise programme resources across the Hub, in consultation with partners on decisions materially affecting their delivery.
  • Approve expenditure within delegated financial limits.
  • Delegate specific budget and programmatic decision making authority to partners within agreed thresholds, as part of the progressive transfer of decision making power.
  • Jointly sign off, with partner leadership, on capacity strengthening plans and significant programme pivots.
  • Recommend budget revisions, grant amendments, and no-cost extensions.
  • Lead operational responses during emergencies.
  • Escalate strategic, financial, and safeguarding risks to senior management.
  • Represent Oxfam in external coordination forums at Area level.
  • Escalate systemic constraints, barriers, and risks that impede partner-led implementation to the Country Office for strategic resolution and advocacy

Experience, Knowledge & Competencies

ESSENTIAL

  • Sound judgement, listening, decisiveness, self-awareness.
  • Master’s degree in development studies, Humanitarian Action, Public Administration, Social Sciences, Business Administration, or a related field.
  • Minimum 5 years of progressively responsible programme management experience, including at least 3 years in a senior leadership role.
  • Proven experience managing complex humanitarian and development portfolios valued at EUR/GBP 5 million or more.
  • Demonstrated experience working through partner led implementation and localisation approaches.
  • Strong knowledge of institutional donor requirements (ECHO, EU SIDA, DANIDA, GAC, EU, UN agencies and similar).
  • Proven leadership of multidisciplinary teams within a matrix management environment.
  • Excellent financial management, risk management, and strategic planning skills.
  • Strong representation, negotiation, and stakeholder engagement skills.
  • Demonstrated commitment to safeguarding, gender justice, and inclusive leadership.
  • Fluency in English and Arabic

Desirable

  • Experience leading organisational change or localisation initiatives.
  • Experience in conflict-affected or fragile contexts.
  • Professional qualifications in programme or project management.

Core Competencies

While all competencies listed below are important, the following are non-negotiable for success in this Partner Led Implementation role and will be given particular weight during the selection process,

  • Partnership & Localisation Leadership: shift power to local actors, build equitable partnerships, navigate the tension between compliance and empowerment.
  • Adaptive Management: sound decisions in volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) environments.
  • Collaboration in Matrix Structures: achieve results through influence and negotiation with colleagues over whom you have no direct authority
  • Negotiation & Influencing: represent Oxfam credibly with government, donors, and UN agencies while advocating for partner-led approaches.
  • People Leadership: lead, coach, and develop multidisciplinary teams, with a commitment to feminist leadership, staff wellbeing, and duty of care.

Success Measures (Key Performance Indicators)

The Area Manager will be assessed against Localisation & Partnership Specific KPIs as below.

  • Partner Capacity Strengthening: measurable improvement in partner organisational capacity, governance, and financial management, assessed through joint capacity assessments and partner self-assessments.
  • Partner Satisfaction: positive feedback from partners on the quality of Oxfam’s support, collaboration, and respect for their autonomy (annual partner perception surveys).
  • Localisation Progress: demonstrated progress towards the OCS target of 25–30% of programme funds channelled directly to local partners, and increased partner leadership in coordination mechanisms.
  • Partner Led Decision Making: evidence of partners leading programme design, implementation, and adaptation decisions, with Oxfam playing a facilitating rather than directing role.
  • Delivery Handover Pace: annual milestones tracking the % of direct delivery functions transitioned to partner leadership, against an agreed multiyear transition plan.
  • Effective Escalation: timely identification and escalation of systemic barriers to partner led implementation to the Country Office, with evidence of proactive problem solving.

How to apply

you can visit Oxfam website to apply: https://jobs.oxfam.org.uk/jobs/vacancy/25074/description