Head of Program (Deputy Head of Mission) At CESVI – Cooperazione e Sviluppo Onlus

Cesvi is a secular and independent association founded in Italy in 1985 that works for global solidarity and the ideal of social justice through humanitarian development actions. The very name CESVI, Cooperazione e Sviluppo (Cooperation and Development), expresses its philosophy of action, based on promoting the protagonism of its beneficiaries in favour of their own progress, so that international aid is not reduced to a temporary charitable action, but rather promotes authentic sustainable development of the most needy populations.

During 2022, Cesvi is implementing projects of: “Multisectoral humanitarian assistance to address the urgent needs of the most vulnerable people in Venezuela” which aims to strengthen the availability of protection services, primary health and humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable people and communities affected by the crisis.

Responsibilities:

The Program Manager has a key leadership role and operates under the supervision of the Regional Manager. He or she is a member of the Senior Management Team, which plays a central role in both the day-to-day operations and strategic direction of the program.

The Program Manager has overall responsibility for the oversight and management of all programmatic activities within the organization in Venezuela. He or she is charged with overseeing multiple programs, providing strategic leadership, contributing to the design of the country strategy, and ensuring the quality and effectiveness of the programs. It is his or her duty to ensure that both programmatic and technical aspects align harmoniously with the mission vision and objectives.

The Head of Programs is in charge of:

Strategic Program Management:

• Provide strategic leadership.
• Efficient management of office, luggage and tools.
• Monitor program quality, budgets, purchasing processes and partnerships.
• Stay informed about emerging trends, best practices and developments in the humanitarian sector and the Venezuelan context, incorporating them into program design and implementation.
• Align CESVI priorities and initiatives effectively.
• Ensure the integration of minimum requirements in all areas and activities of the program.
• Contribute to the definition of a Country Strategy Document in collaboration with the country team, the Regional Manager and headquarters.
• Contribute to the definition of a Regional Strategy ensuring that the Venezuelan programme is developed and integrated into the framework of Cesvi’s humanitarian response in Latin America and the Caribbean.
• Ensure that project activities are implemented on time and in accordance with approved project documentation.
• Lead coordination with the INGO consortium and implementing partners.
• Ensure proper archiving of project documentation.
• Financial management, procurement procedures related to assigned projects, in cooperation with the administration and under the supervision of the Regional Manager.
• Drafting reports and sending documentation to the lead agency, ensuring the achievement of the results planned in the project document for the corresponding period.
• Writing context and needs analysis.
• Design and expand projects, develop high-quality proposals and promote the search for new donors and funds.
• Ensure the quality, effectiveness and efficiency of the program through rigorous monitoring, evaluation and learning systems.
• Promote inclusion, diversity and knowledge sharing.
• Oversee the entire recruitment process.
• Oversee internal project reviews (pre/mid/post) with project, technical and support staff, identifying strengths, weaknesses, challenges, impact, sustainability and recommendations related to the projects. Provide updates to the Regional Manager and seek input on areas of concern.
• Directly supervise CESVI base managers and the Caracas operations and MEAL team based in Caracas.

Program Development and Team Leadership:

External Commitment and Compliance:

• Represent CESVI before other organizations and institutions present in the country, in the forum of international NGOs, in the access group and maintain relations with donors.
• Develop and manage Partnership Agreements.
• Ensure compliance, timely reporting and risk assessment.
• Implement safeguarding measures and promote a culture of learning.
• Contribute to the development of Cesvi’s Localization strategy in Venezuela: consolidating partnerships and identifying new partners within civil society; developing empowerment plans and tools to improve partnership management, monitoring and evaluation.

Access and Security Management:

• General management of Security in Venezuela, under the supervision of the Regional Manager and in coordination with the base coordinators.
• Monitor and resolve access issues in coordination with base coordinators, process incidents at national and local levels.
• Ensure the presence of positive relationships, agreements and formal authorizations with public institutions for effective implementation.
• Develop contingency plans in collaboration with the local team, due to access restrictions or other reasons.
• Share security-related information in the country and with the Regional Manager and Headquarters in a timely manner.
• Establish rules and regulations to reinforce the security of Cesvi’s personnel and material resources.
• Ensure that the Security Plan in Venezuela is updated and implemented at the national level.

Maintain communication with key informants on security and access issues.