Program Development Manager At Syria Civil Defense (White Helmets)

About Syria Civil Defence / The White Helmets

The Syria Civil Defence (SCD), also known as The White Helmets, is a grassroots, community-driven initiative established in response to the Syrian crisis. We are from the people and for the people, committed to doing whatever we can, wherever we can, for as long as we can, to protect and alleviate the suffering of civilians, regardless of their identity or background.

Our organization currently comprises more than 3,000 volunteers and staff operating through community-based centers and specialized teams, including 39 women’s centers, supported by management and coordination offices across Syria and overseas.

We provide critical services in comprehensive programs under three business lines:

Emergency response: pillar includes women’s centers, emergency medical services, search and rescue operations, firefighting, and more.

Community resilience: encompassing early recovery and mine action programs, climate change adaptation, and localization and community empowerment.

Human Rights and Peace Building: Includes evidence collection and archiving, investigation support and case building, and advocacy and research

All services are delivered in adherence to international humanitarian standards, ensuring neutrality, independence, equality, and impartiality.

Further information about us can be found at www.whitehelmets.org

SCOPE OF WORK

The Programme Development Manager (PDM) plays the leading role within the White Helmets in the design, development and structuring of proposals that provide the basis for institutional donor grants.

The PDM works closely with the WH Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) and programme delivery teams to assess needs in target communities and design effective interventions to address those needs. The PDM engages closely with stakeholders (institutional donors and partners) to develop concept notes and project proposals that ensure potential interventions meet the ultimate needs of the beneficiaries, the capabilities of the implementing teams and the priorities of the donors.

The PDM is a dynamic position, which seeks to balance ongoing donor programme cycles and the realities of the changing needs of communities inside Syria. As the WH continue to diversify their funding sources, the PDM will play a critical role in providing agility to help the WH better meet the needs of their beneficiaries.

TERMS OF REFERENCE

• Duty station: Damascus – Syria
• Line manager: Deputy General Manager
• Line management Responsibility: Program Development Officer(s) / Program Development Senior Officer(s)
• Full-time/Part-time: Full-time

Tasks and activities:

In consultation and under direct supervision of the WH Group Deputy General Manager “DGM”, the Program Development manager “PDM” will perform the following duties:

• Developing a comprehensive Program development strategy in line with the WH mission and vision.
• In consultation with the field program managers, lead on the preparation and development of the programs annual and multi-year plans.
• Co-Lead on the preparation and implementation of the WH fundraising strategy.
• Study available funding opportunities and calls for proposals, provide briefings to the Board Funding and Grants Committee when needed.
• Draft and negotiate requests for amendments.
• Prepare presentations for donors and key partners.
• Production of high-quality concept notes and project proposals that align with beneficiary needs, implementer capabilities and donor priorities;
• Development of project proposals into grant formats;
• Supporting the design or effective impact measurement systems to enable translation of outcomes against grant objectives;
• Supporting communication of programme impacts for fundraising and advocacy purposes;
• Regularly conducts donor mapping to identify funding opportunities from bilateral donors, private foundations and other international donors.

Implied tasks:

• Internal engagement: Strategic programme development at Board instruction. Tactical programme development, working closely with M&E and programme delivery teams, as well as fundraising and advocacy staff;
• External engagement: Donor and partner engagement.

Required qualifications: Education, Experience and Competencies:

• 7 Years professional experience in the humanitarian or development sectors; including at least 2 years in a supervisory position with a similar role and responsibilities.
• Bachelor degree or above in a relevant discipline;
• Proven understanding of government donor programming and experience of managing grant funding;
• Fluency English with excellent writing, editing and presentations skills. Arabic is desirable.
• Exceptional communications skills; able to operate in a multicultural, multilingual environment, engaging a wide range of stakeholders remotely;
• Proven understanding of M&E fundamentals, able to develop theories of change and work with the M&E team to align objectives with donor priorities;
• Proven understanding of humanitarian programme implementation in conflict and its challenges, including core principles such as “do no harm”;
• Demonstrable experience of working with government, philanthropic and international humanitarian donors;
• Conscientious, self-motivated and deeply committed to the mission of the White Helmets to protect civilians inside Syria, and beyond, who are affected by conflict and natural disaster;
• Flexible approach, able to produce high-quality proposals at short notice.

Desirable:

• Masters Degree or above in a relevant subject area (e.g. M&E, Public Health, Humanitarian Response);
• Specific knowledge of EU, UN, US or other bilateral donor grant structures;
• Conversational level in Arabic and other foreign language.
• Excellent ability to follow-up on ongoing processes.