PROGRAMME QUALITY MANAGER At Oxfam

Oxfam is a development, humanitarian and campaigning international confederation of 20 organizations that work in over 90 countries to find lasting solutions to poverty, inequality, and injustice. Oxfam was established in Rwanda in 1980s, although prior to that had funded the work within the country. We have been always inspired and driven by the potential that is inherent in all Rwandan people; the potential not only to survive tragic history but to thrive and achieve impressive growth and stability. Oxfam is not an implementing organization, rather it works through partners. In Rwanda, OXFAM vision is just Rwanda without poverty. Our mission is to ensure that women, youth and men enjoy equal rights and benefit from fair and inclusive development.

We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us.

The post holder will undertake the appropriate level of training and is responsible for ensuring that they understand and work within the safeguarding policies of the organisation.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. Oxfam GB also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.

We are committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organisation and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.

Shaping a stronger Oxfam for people living in poverty.

About oxfam

Oxfam is a global community who believe poverty isn’t inevitable. It’s an injustice that can be overcome. We are shop volunteers, women’s right activists, marathon runners, aid workers, coffee farmers, street fundraisers, goat herders, policy experts, campaigners, water engineers and more. And we won’t stop until everyone can live life without poverty for good.

Oxfam GB is a member of the international confederation Oxfam.

our team

Oxfam and partners implement legacy projects and activities falling under the three programme pillars, namely Sustainable Livelihoods including Entreprise Development Programme, Gender Justice and resilience strengthening. Participatory governance is a cross-cutting theme implemented through the other pillars.

job purpose

The overall objective of the Programme Quality Manager (PQM) role is to maintain a strong culture and practice of high quality programming and continuously works towards improving the impact and advancing Oxfam work in fighting poverty and inequality. PQM will strengthen partners capacity and support in programme design and development of proposals for funding. S/he will working in collaboration with partner and support programme teams in ensuring social accountability. S/he will take leadership in guiding programmes to deliver on their outcomes and adhering to the organisation programme standards. S/he will coordinate cross learning and feedback across partners and lead them to adapt as per lessons generated. S/he will support the Legacy Manager to ensure that the organisation is represented in critical partner, donor, CSOs, and government meetings or convenings. S/he will provide leadership to the programme team to ensure that planned commitments are accomplished.

what the recruiting manager has to say about the role?

The Programme Quality Manager’s role is accountable for ensuring that the project management, monitoring, review, evaluation, documentation, reporting and closure processes of legacy projects, including meet Oxfam Minimum Standards for Programming and CAMSA guidelines. The role also ensures compliance with all external and internal programme quality and contractual obligations of Oxfam in Rwanda and advises the team on the risks derived through projects implementation, monitoring and evaluation. The Job holder will ensure that the phasing out of legacy projects, comply with the Rwanda Governance Board (RGB) closing checklist.

core details

Location:

The job holder shall be based at Oxfam Legacy Office in Kigali

Salary:

Competitive salary package

Internal Grade:

Division

National

Job Family:

Programme

Contract type:

Fixed Term: Ending March 2023 with possible extension

Hours of work:

37.5 hours per week. This is a full-time role; however, Oxfam offers various flexible arrangements which candidates can discuss with the Recruiting Manager at interview stage

This role reports to:

Legacy Manager

Staff reporting to this post:

None

Annual budget for the post:

Key relationships/interactions:

Staff of Oxfam legacy in Rwanda, Partner Organisations

Screening checks:

All successful candidates will be screened through Refinitiv World-Check One to comply with counter terrorism and financial sanctions regulations.

References:

Should you be successful and not already employed by Oxfam GB, we will require minimum of two references covering five years of employment history.

**DBS checks (for roles based in the UK):**It is a requirement in the UK for a new DBS check at enhanced level for every new member of staff who works directly with, or has regular contact with, children or vulnerable adults in the UK (consistent with DBS guidance and relevant law).

key responsibilities

Programme Quality Assurance, Documentation and influencing (40%)

Coordinate implementation of monitoring, evaluation systems and processes in the legacy projects.
Coordinate the roll out of and compliance with Oxfam’s program quality frameworks such as CAMSA.
Take the lead in the using MEAL frameworks as effective tools for information and communication and materials to facilitate documentation and effective information sharing and celebration of the key achievements
Provide a critical analysis of the strategies and approaches and facilitate appropriate changes to ensure legacy projects’ outcomes are sustainable and demonstrate wider impact.
Maintain links with regional and global program development, monitoring, evaluations and accountability initiatives and build/strengthen networks for policy, advocacy and influencing around women’s rights.
In collaboration with the Legacy Manager, provide high-quality technical advice to Oxfam and partners teams in monitoring and documentation of progress of the results/ objectives/outcomes and impact as Oxfam phases out from Rwanda.
Act as lead and liaison point for high quality final evaluations and initiatives in compliance with Oxfam’s evaluation policy and ensure that learning from these processes are disseminated and acted upon.
Facilitating capacity building process, using various approaches and methodologies, of partners and Oxfam staff on knowledge, skills and competencies necessary for quality delivery of legacy programme
Provide technical guidance in the quantitative & qualitative data collection, analysis and management and report back in an effective manner.
Take lead in identifying learning points across the range of work carried out during the legacy period and identify opportunities to share the learnings through meetings, workshops, reflection reviews, reports and documentation of best practices.
Work with the legacy team to use Oxfam knowledge management system and organizational learning framework to facilitate access to different projects and program level learning and use it for celebrating Oxfam existence in Rwanda.
Strengthen partners capacity and support in programme design and development of proposals for funding
Working in collaboration with partners, s/he will support programme teams in ensuring social accountability
Coordinate cross learning and feedback across partners and lead them to adapt as per lessons generated.

Managing Programme Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (30%)

Facilitate evaluation and management of the process, including the management response to evaluations and audits of programmes.
Giving specific focus on women and young people through monitoring, evaluations, and accountability measures.
Working closely with the legacy team to ensure that the partners have the necessary organisational and technical capacity to entrench quality work throughout the legacy period.
Maintain oversight for the monitoring of the implementation of the legacy programme/projects; supporting legacy managers to maintain active implementation plans and acceleration plans.
As focal a point for Oxfam’s People-soft programme accountability system and review work with the OGB EA node and the OI regional platform to ensure that the legacy programme/projects management information is recorded, maintained (kept up to date) and meets minimum standards.
Provide refresher sessions and support to the legacy team at Oxfam and partners’ level on the use of Oxfam’s People-soft programme accountability system.
Support the legacy team at Oxfam and partners’ level to create and maximise the links between program work and influencing strategies and activities.

Programme management 20%

Provide support in day to day implementation of Legacy Projects.
Participate in meetings, training sessions, conferences and public promotion of projects’ activities.
Support development and implementation of plans and field visits plans to support the programme’s implementation and smooth spending of programme’s budget.
Support the organization of key advocacy/awareness raising events within legacy projects;
Perform broad range of tasks and activities aimed at ensuring effective implementation of the legacy projects;
Preform regular (at least monthly) visits to the location of legacy project sites;
Provide hands-on support to Oxfam partners during implementation of activities especially to field officers and finance officers;
Establish, build and maintain effective working relationships with the rest of the legacy unit staff;
Ensure compliance with a variety of standards and work processes that are fully documented, researched and reported;
Review a variety of data, identify and adjust discrepancies, support identification and resolution of operational problems and be able to provide inputs to other legacy projects related processes;
Play a key role within the legacy team to ensure acceptable segregation of duties.
Provide support to project logistical arrangements;
Provide technical support and assistance in analysing the projects’ financial information (e.g. projects’ financial projections, BVAs);
Support the collection and review of success stories and documentation of lessons learned from the implementation of the projects;
Support in the implementation of legacy project’s annual work plan;
Contribute to programme reporting, supporting in the consolidation of partners reports into solid, consistent, and high quality reports to donors;
Coordinate learning events for programme improvement.

Partnership Management (10%)

In consultation with the Legacy Manager provide technical support to design and deliver training and support to address legacy staff and partner programme management capacity gaps on programme quality, documentation, monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning.
Schedule and manage the delivery of training to legacy staff and partners on Oxfam program quality standards including CAMSA.
Lead in maintaining systems and processes that will ensure that there is strong accountability in the program between programme beneficiaries, other stakeholders, and Oxfam with programme staff, partners and communities.
Interact with Oxfam communities of practice working on programme quality to represent the issues emerging from the programme, to remain up to date with internal good practice and to solicit capacity building and other support when necessary.
Provide support to PM in facilitation, and communication with implementing partners and other stakeholders and responding to their queries;
Document lessons learned from training activities, community meetings, field visits and assist in preparing training reports;
Assist in partnership capacity strengthening, safeguarding reviews and data quality assessment.

Technical Skills, Experience & Knowledge.

Leadership and Management:

Passion for improving effectiveness of development programmes and demonstrating tangible outcomes for poor and vulnerable women and men
Proven experience in leading on, or leading strategic thinking for quality programmes
Senior level program advisory or management experience and understanding of program realities at country level.
Proven experience in managing, advising, training coaching, and developing others on programme quality issues
Effective negotiation abilities and informal leadership skills in a multi-stakeholder, network environment
Demonstrable organisational and project management skills (including budget management) and an ability to manage multiple projects to deadlines
Ability to plan workload and demonstrate accountability for outputs with minimal direct supervision
Good organisational skills including accuracy, consistency, attention to detail, tenacity and the ability to work under pressure

Technical skills

Strong technical competence in research, monitoring, evaluation and accountability methods; and, good grasp of latest sector thinking, codes, standards and practice.
Understanding of a broad range of program quality issues and the practical issues faced by program managers in demonstrating impact.
Excellent knowledge of programme development and delivery approaches, tools, methodologies and best practices
Experience of working with multi-donor contracts and knowledge/ experience of their programme quality requirements.
Proven experience of improving effectiveness of development programmes and demonstrating tangible outcomes for poor and vulnerable women and men
Strong understanding of all aspects of programme quality and the practical issues faced by programme managers
Proven ability to lead and facilitate a Legacy Strategy and programme implementation strategies
Proven experience in supporting partnership management, strategic thinking and quality implementation
Understanding of, and commitment to Oxfam’s ‘one programme approach’ (linking humanitarian, development & influencing work)
Demonstrable understanding of effective programme cycle management in rights-based long-term development, campaigning/advocacy and humanitarian work, with relevant direct field programme experience.
Practical experience of mainstreaming gender in programme quality components related to development, influencing or humanitarian work.
Demonstrable ability to think creatively and practically to improve programme quality
Strong analytical skills

Communication, networking and influencing

Ability to liaise with a wide range of people, mainly internally and at many levels,
Excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills with demonstrable ability to lead, influence and motivate others in a diversity of contexts and functions
Strong self-awareness, as well as strong analytical and critical thinking skills.
Excellent communications, facilitation and team building skills
Demonstrable ability to contribute to teams and to work with and influence people from diverse backgrounds.
Effective negotiation abilities and informal leadership skills in a multi-stakeholder, network environment
Excellent personal communication skills, in written and verbal English, with high impact influencing and persuasive skills an able to represent Oxfam to donors and external institutions
Excellent knowledge of the INGOs legislation in Rwanda, with a good understanding of key external organisations, how they operate and make decisions, and the country development context
Ability to work effectively with others persuading, influencing, negotiating and supporting, following as required to achieve targets
Good research and analytical skills and ability to write quality reports and make recommendations for improvements
Competent in the use of computers especially spreadsheets (Excel), accounting packages, and word processing preferably Word. Competent in the use of email packages (Outlook, Teams, Zoom, etc.)
Experience of working in a multicultural team