Program Director (100%) At

Hoffnungszeichen | Sign of Hope is a Christian-motivated organization for human rights, humanitarian assistance and development cooperation. Based in Constance and Berlin, Sign of Hope is committed to helping oppressed and exploited people worldwide.

Hoffnungszeichen | Sign of Hope e.V. (SoH) has been providing humanitarian assistance in Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh for more than three decades. In 2024, we received a grant from the German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO) to implement a program to provide humanitarian assistance and support recovery of people affected by the crisis in Nagorno Karabakh in the areas of shelter, mental health and psychosocial support, nonfood items support, voucher assistance and winterization.

Program Director (100%)

We are searching for a Program Director who will be responsible for overall program delivery for a program co-funded by the German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO) in Armenia, implemented by SoH and three partners.

Your responsibilities:

Program Management, Quality assurance and MEAL:

• Ensure that the program is managed and implemented in line with SoH and donor’s requirements and quality standards
• Ensure monitoring and evaluation of program activities and indicators and enhance learning between partners and SoH
• Maintain close contact with SoH HQ on program developments

Reporting:

• Ensure timely submission of coherent quality reports, coordinating SoH and partners’ narrative and financial inputs to fulfill reporting requirements in line with SoH and donor’s requirements
• As necessary, design or improve tools and templates for reporting

Human Resources Management and Capacity Development

• Ensure human resources management of the SoH team in Armenia, including administrative HR tasks, performance appraisal, capacity development, team-building, mentoring, etc.
• When required, support the recruitment of additional staff in Armenia

Compliance and Safeguarding

• Ensure that compliance and safeguarding principles, policies, and guidelines are available, understood, and applied in all aspects of SoH’s work in Armenia

Partner Cooperation

• Maintain relationship with program partners according to SoH’s partnership guidelines and principles
• Ensure effective and efficient cooperation with program partners
• Establish and maintain a network of further relevant partners and stakeholders in Armenia, including other (I)NGOs, authorities, UN agencies, etc.

Communication and Visibility

• Contribute materials directly or collect and process materials from partners for the creation of PR, fundraising and visibility materials in Germany
• Represent SoH at relevant meetings (coordination meetings, technical working groups, donor meetings)

The Program Director reports directly to the Head of Department for Humanitarian Assistance based in Germany. S/he manages a team of at least 2 staff members based in Armenia. S/he has a direct communication line with the Project Manager in HQ.

To further strengthen its presence and meet its strategic objectives in Armenia, we plan to establish a country office. Therefore, the responsibilities of the Program Director might in addition include:

Strategy

• Contribute to tasks related to setting up an office in Armenia
• Contribute to proposal development for new programs

Your profile:

• Completed higher education such as Master’s degree or equivalent;
• At least 3 years of professional experience in a comparable position with demonstrable ability to lead a team in a complex environment;
• At least 7 years of professional experience in program management;
• Experience in working with institutional donors (e.g. GFFO, BMZ, ECHO, bilateral European funding, etc.);
• Experience of working in Armenia or another eastern European country;
• Experience in working with local partner organizations;
• Fluency in English (written and verbal) is a must, while working knowledge of Armenian is a strong asset;
• Proficiency in, or at least willingness to learn the use of, office and program management and accounting software (such as MS Office, MS Teams, document management solutions, organizational and project accounting such as Diamant, Winpaccs, etc.);
• High level of resilience to handle a high level of workload and stressful situations;
• Excellent organizational skills;
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills;
• Commitment to SoH’s values.

What we offer:

• Duty station in Yerevan, Armenia, with frequent travel within the county
• Contract start as soon as possible and no later than 1 January 2025.
• Contract duration: 1 year
• Onboarding week in Germany
• Salary according to internal salary scale, qualification, and experience
• Holidays and other benefits as per SoH’s human resources policies and German and/or Armenian labor law
• Insurance package, as applicable
• Housing allowance and R&R, if applicable

We do everything we can to protect children from danger in our work. We therefore require a willingness to act in accordance with our Safeguarding Standards and demand the submission of an extended certificate of good conduct when hiring.

Diversity is important to us. We want to promote encounters between people with different biographies and perspectives. In the case of equal suitability, ability and professional performance, people with severe disabilities are given preferential consideration.