Area Programme Manager Iraq -Kirkuk At Norwegian Refugee Council

Background

The Norwegian Refugee Council in Iraq is looking for an experienced professional to lead the implementation of integrated programmes as Area Programme Manager in the Central Iraq Area Office. The Kirkuk based role presents an exciting opportunity to shape programming related to both emergency response and returns.

The Central Area Office portfolio currently focuses on integrated livelihoods, legal assistance, and education programming. Livelihoods interventions include agriculture and water infrastructure rehabilitation combined with material and capacity support to farmers and business owners, and emergency cash assistance in areas with immediate needs. The legal assistance programme entails information, counselling, and legal assistance to individuals and households on legal civil documentation as well as housing, land and property rights issues. NRC’s education projects entail material support to schools, rehabilitation of key educational infrastructure, and capacity building of teachers, including in addressing children’s psycho-educational needs.

Role and Responsibilities:

The Area Programme Manager is responsible for bringing the different components of NRC’s programme response together to maximize positive impact for affected populations with the resources available. The role is expected to create cohesion between NRC core competency teams in order to that ensure people receive holistic assistance, create efficient linkages between programme and support departments, and to support the Area Manager in in facilitating collaboration with local stakeholders. In particular, the role seeks to capitalize on synergies and strengths with NRC’s livelihoods, legal assistance, and education capacities.

The role is responsible for improving management capacities and programmatic quality in large Area Offices. The Area Programme Manager line manages senior programming staff in Central Area Office, effectively oversees implementation, and leads on other programme development initiatives, as delegated by the Area Manager in the area of operation. The Area Programme Manager has core responsibility for implementing integrated programmes, is a member of the Central Area Management Team, represents NRC externally, and deputizes the Area Manager as needed. The role liaises with the Country Office programme team and has a technical line to the Head of Programmes.

Generic responsibilities

These responsibilities are the same for all Area Programme Manager positions and cannot be modified.

Line management for CC project managers
Compliance and adherence to NRC policies, guidance and procedures
Responsible for ensuring programme support to integrated programme, coordination and technical quality in Area office
Provide area specific input relevant for CC strategies
Compliance to donor standards, and grant management and regular reporting to donor in Area
Identify funding opportunities and develop funding strategy and forecasts
Responsible for grants management and BPO allocations in Area
Ensure compliance with contractual commitments and extracting and implementing key learnings from project implementation
Coordinate new emergency response in Area**, and approve existing**
Ensure capacity building of all technical staff

Specific responsibilities

These responsibilities to be adapted to the particularities of the job location and context, phase of operation, strategic focus and type of intervention.

Oversee all grants management and budget allocations in the Area Office
Line manage most senior programme staff in the area
Work with Project Managers to develop strategy for both emergency response and returns
Promote the rights of refugees in line with the advocacy strategy
Ensure integration, technical quality, and coherence of implementation for all activities across Area
Promote integrated programme approaches and methodologies, such as market-based approaches, urban and out-of-camp displacement responses, graduation approaches, et cetera
Contribute to fundraising, and develop funding proposals, budgets, and forecasts
Improve information management, localization, safe programming, and referral area processes
Promote programmatic approaches that are gender sensitive and inclusive
Represent NRC in sectorial coordination, clusters and/or working group at the Area level
Take actions to ensure appropriate and in-depth context analysis across the Area
Lead PCM at area office level as per NRC PCM standards, as delegated by the Area Manager
Provide innovative solutions to program challenges and conduct regular field monitoring
Support cross-cutting interventions including protection, gender, and cash and market programming
Deputize the Area Manager, when requested by the Area Manager and/or Country Director
Actively contribute to and support capacity building of all technical staff in the Area

Critical interfaces

By interfaces, NRC means processes/projects that are interlinked with other departments, units, or persons. These shall be adapted to the particularities of the job location and context, phase of operation, strategic focus and type of intervention. Relevant interfaces for this position are:

Proposal development: AM, HoP, CC/thematic Specialists and PDMs, Grants and Partnerships Manager, Regional Programme Advisor, Project Managers
Programme implementation: AM, HoP, CC Specialists and PDMs, Project Managers, M&E Manager
BPO and allocation of shared costs: Finance Manager, Area Manager
Grant management: AM, HoP, Grants Manager
Capacity development: Core Competency Project Managers and Coordinators

Competencies

Competencies are important in order for the employee and the organisation to deliver desired results. They are relevant for all staff and are divided into the following two categories:

Professional competencies

These are skills, knowledge and experience that are important for effective performance.

Generic professional competencies

These are the same for all Area Programme Manager positions and cannot be modified

Experience from working in complex and volatile contexts
Minimum of 5 years’ work experience in Project Management
Documented results related to the position’s responsibilities
Knowledge about own leadership skills/profile
Fluency in English, both written and verbal
Valid driver’s license

Context/Specific skills knowledge and experience

This section shall be adapted to the particularities of the job location and context, phase of operation, strategic focus and type of intervention*.*

Experience from a senior project implementation position in a humanitarian/ recovery context
Experience with integrated programming and/or coordinating multiple sectors/CCs
Experience in facilitating the capacity building efforts of diverse colleagues, including local
Excellent analytical and critical thinking skills
Excellent organizational and team management skills
Expertise on localization, working with partners, and community engagement
Experience with safe programming, including gender and protection mainstreaming
Experience building team culture of testing new ideas and solutions toward higher outcomes
Experience facilitating space for communication that is appreciative of everyone’s contribution
Experience generating space and processes that enable staff to use systems thinking to identify and address complex problems and barriers to integration
Thorough knowledge of the MS Office suite, especially MS Excel and the online Microsoft suite
Experience with livelihoods, education, and/or legal assistance programming is advantageous

Behavioural competencies

Personal qualities that influence how successful people are in their job. NRC’s Competency Framework states 12 behavioural competencies, the following are essential for this position:

Strategic thinking
Managing resources to optimise results
Empowering and building trust
Initiating action and change
Influencing
Planning and delivering results

Performance Management

The employee will be accountable for the responsibilities and the competencies, in accordance with the NRC Performance Management Manual. The following documents will be used for performance reviews: