Regional Program Coordinator At Lutheran World Federation

Expected start date: 1 November 2024

Work time: 100%

Extensive travel more than 20 days per year

Closing date for applications: 4 August 2024

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Purpose

The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) is a Communion of 150 Churches in 99 countries. The role of the Communion Office (CO) as the head office is to serve these churches in different ways. The CO has three departments, the Department for Planning and Coordination (DPC), the Department for Theology, Mission and Justice (DTMJ) and the Department for World Service as well the Office of the General Secretary.

The Department for World Service (hereafter referred to as LWF World Service) is responsible for carrying out diaconal response to humanitarian emergencies and development needs on behalf of the Lutheran World Federation – a Communion of Churches (LWF). In pursuance of its responsibility and based on its strategy, LWF World Service:

• Operates together with and on behalf of the LWF member churches.
• Provides support to refugees, returnees, internally displaced people, their host communities and communities at risk, emphasizing livelihoods, quality services, protection and social cohesion.
• Establishes and runs country programs and emergency operations.
• Engages in cooperation and partnership with governmental and non-governmental organizations, relevant United Nations agencies and other structures involved in humanitarian and development programs as they link to the WS mandate and represents LWF in the ACT Alliance.

The International Programs Team is responsible for bringing the Communion Office and its field operations together, ensuring an environment of coherence, support and mutual accountability between them. It is comprised of a Head of International Programs, Regional Program Coordinators, a Global Humanitarian Coordinator and Support Officers.

The Regional Program Coordinator is responsible for maintaining the critical link between the Communion Office and its Country Programs (CPs), and for coordinating efforts in Geneva to ensure strong and well-supported programs. Through direct line management to the Country or Regional Representative, Country Director or Team Leader (hereafter referred to as Representatives), and in collaboration with other departments and units of the Communion Office, the Regional Program Coordinator will:

• Remotely manage a number of Representatives.
• Ensure alignment between country strategies and the Global Strategy.
• Enable the CPs to deliver results as part of an international organization, specifically in the areas of policy, quality, accountability. financial management, resource mobilization, human resources and stakeholder management.
• Provide support in relevant working groups and networks on thematic of interest in the region.

The position holder is responsible for Country Programs in Central America (Central America, Colombia-Venezuela, Haïti). In Guatemala and Haiti, LWF is the lead in a joint office structure with other ecumenical partners.

Required Qualifications

• Preferably Master’s degree in humanitarian or development work, and/or other related social sciences.
• Fluency in Spanish and English. French is an asset as well as other languages relevant to the region.
• Strong computer literacy.
• Endorsement by a Christian Church is an asset.

Additional Study and Experience

• Minimum 3-4 years of professional experience in emergency response or development with NGOs, UN agencies or faith-based organizations.
• Experience in the management of staff, ensuring compliance and quality of the work.
• Strong experience in organizational, relational, communicative and enabling management styles adapted to a great variety of situations.

LWF Core Skills

• Analytical thinking/Level expert
• Initiative/Level advanced
• Leadership/Level expert
• Achieving results/Level expert
  Accountability/Level expert
• Working effectively with others/Level expert

Required Skills

• People management/ Level expert
• Project management / Level expert
• Regulatory compliance/ Level expert
• Communication/ Level expert
• Networking/ Level advanced
• Facilitation/Negotiation/ Level advanced
• Change management/ Level advanced

Position Environment and Dimensions

• Internally, as a member of the International Programs Team, mainly interacts with the Country Program Senior Management Teams; the Geneva Finance, QAA/PMER, Global Funding, Policy and Thematics, the Human Resources and Management teams; Safety & Security, Action for Justice, and Communications teams; and the Office of the General Secretary as necessary.
• Externally, interacts and cooperates with member churches, institutional donors and related agencies, ecumenical organizations, UN agencies, INGOs and NGOs, global networks, and any other LWF stakeholders of their Country Program.
  The RPC is expected to travel at short notice to support the CPs.

Main duties
Manage staff remotely by:

• Regularly checking in with the Representatives in a context of uncertainty and change.
• Supporting an enabling working environment, which inspires teams to fulfill their mission.
• Promoting the sharing of best practices and learning across CPs.
• Providing periodic performance appraisals of Representatives and regular feedback to senior management staff.
• Analyzing and supporting training and development needs of staff.
• Supporting field programs in senior staffing decisions.
• Maintaining open communication lines between the CP and Geneva.
• Ensuring follow up of tasks and deadlines requested of the CP.
• Helping to manage the balance between Geneva-driven needs and the priorities and limitations of the CP.
• Overseeing the HR management cycle of the Representatives and other key staff, together with the HR Manager, including, but not limited to, recruitments, terminations and workforce planning.

Develop and nurture relations which benefit the CPs by:

• Coordinating collaboration with each unit within the department.
• Facilitating engagement from other LWF departments.
• Maintaining a close working relationship with other relevant ecumenical bodies and interfaith partners.
• Networking actively with related agencies.
• Nurturing relations with UN, government and various networks related to the country program.

Lead, manage and coordinate support to enable each country to:
Ensure coherence with policies and relevance of program work by

• Providing analysis of the country context and its implications for program work.
• Providing analysis of program work (relevance, trends, appropriateness).
• Ensuring adherence to the country strategy focus and direction.
• Promoting accountability to affected populations.
• Informing and disseminating relevant policies, news and information to the CP.

Ensure quality performance of country programs by

• Engaging actively with the Representatives as their supervisor and primary contact point in Geneva.
• Assisting the CP on necessary actions at program and project levels.
• Promoting proactive risk management and contingency planning.
• Helping the Representative to create and maintain an environment, which prevents and responds to sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.
• Enabling the CP to deliver a high-quality standard of program and project plans.
• Enabling the CP to provide timely reporting.
• Carrying out regular and meaningful monitoring of the CP.

Ensure financial viability, accountability and resource mobilisation by

• Assisting the CP to have an effective resource mobilization strategy.
• Enabling the CP to maintain accountable, transparent and corruption-free operations, acting on early signs to prevent any damage.

Special duties
As may be assigned by the supervisor.

Major Challenges

• To be prepared to provide direct assistance to country programs experiencing capacity gaps, where an RPC may be called on to do some of the work of a Representative rather than merely overseeing it.
• To prioritize time and energy between a diverse range of country programs with varying levels of need, capacity and sustainability.
• To carefully nurture and manage relations to other ecumenical partners, in particular in relation to the joint offices in Guatemala and Haiti.
• To strike the balance of keeping country program accountable to the expectations demanded of it while providing a supportive and encouraging management approach.
• To bring the various departments and units within the Communion Office together to ensure well supported, efficient and effective country programs.