Regional Programme Coordinator ToGETHER Project (for Consortium Project) (100 %) At Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe

Regional Programme Coordinator ToGETHER Project (for Consortium Project) (100 %)

Fixed contract until 30th April 2027

Duty station: Nairobi, Kenya with regular travel to (Eastern) DRC and Mogadishu, Somalia

Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe

Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe is the humanitarian assistance agency of the Protestant Churches in Germany with headquarters in Berlin. It has regional offices in Asia, Africa and Latin America, as well as country offices responsible for the coordination of aid programmes in its priority countries. Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe’s operating model is structured around implementing projects exclusively through a network of local partner organisations. In the context of this vacancy announcement, Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe programmes in Somalia and DR Congo are of special relevance:

In Somalia, Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe has been active since 1992 with own offices in Nairobi and Mogadishu (since 2024 only in Mogadishu), with currently eight staff incl. the Country Director and two vacant positions, responsible for the oversight and technical support for humanitarian and transitional aid activities implemented through local partner organisations. Project activities are located in several regions in South Central Somalia and interventions are covering several sectors like WASH, Livelihood, Education in Emergencies and Camp Management.

In DR Congo, Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe has been implementing humanitarian projects with local partner organisations for more than 20 years and has been running a country office in Goma since 2010, with currently nine staff. The main areas of intervention are North and South Kivu provinces as well as Ituri province, with projects mostly applying a multi-sectoral approach, including WASH and epidemic prevention, Food Security/Nutrition, Shelter/NFI and Protection activities.

Programme Description

With the aim of supporting local actors in strengthening their capacities in humanitarian response, preparedness, coordination, and advocacy, four German humanitarian NGOs (Caritas Germany, Welthungerhilfe, Malteser International and Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe) have agreed to form a Consortium and work together in a localisation programme. The programme ToGETHER – Towards Greater Effectiveness and Timeliness in Humanitarian Emergency Response is considerably funded by German Foreign Federal Office and aspires for Local Humanitarian Partners (LHP) of the programme to take responsibilities and actions in the humanitarian system of their countries for an effective and timely, accountable, and principled humanitarian action.

The first phase of the program was running from March 2020 to April 2024. Consecutively, The development of ToGETHER 2.0 is the result of sustained progress built on the collective experiences gained through ToGETHER 1.0 on the Grand Bargain (GB) and localisation efforts with an emphasis on contributing to Grand Bargain 3.0.

This new ToGETHER 2.0 accentuates the promotion of local leadership, humanitarian-centred approaches, mentoring local humanitarian peer’s capacity strengthening, anticipatory humanitarian action, piloting risk sharing, and advocating for efficient, effective and fair humanitarian architecture.

There are 8 countries involved in the initiative: Bangladesh, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Pakistan and Somalia. Each consortium member has the operational lead in two of the participating countries. Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe is in the lead for DR Congo and Somalia.

For the coordination of the ToGETHER 2.0 programme activities of Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe in Somalia and DRC and for its integration into the overall ToGETHER consortium programme, Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe is recruiting a Regional Programme Coordinator (RPC).

Main Responsibilities

Program Management

• Oversight and responsibility for timely and qualitative programme implementation in compliance with the programme proposal, donor strategy and regulations of the German Federal Foreign Office GFFO/ Auswärtiges Amt-AA and Core Humanitarian Standards.
• Develop and operationalise programme work and MEAL plans for both countries (DRC & SOM)
• Coordinate the ToGETHERCountry Project Unit Teams (Project Coordinator, Process & Finance Administrator and MEAL Advisor) in both, Somalia and DRC, and manage their programmatic performance, as well as their interlinkages to the Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe Heads of Mission and Office teams, both in Goma, DR Congo and Mogadishu/ Nairobi for Somalia.
• Ensure the programmatic and thematic priorities of the ToGETHER programme are understood and followed by the Country Project Units (CPU) in DRC and Somalia as well as the Local Humanitarian Partners.
• Link and streamline overall ToGETHER 2.0 targets and policies with the civil society initiatives and networks in DRC and Somalia, closely coordinating the country teams and LHPs both in DRC and Somalia and ensure their attachment to the programme.
• Effectively coordinate with the Programme Management Unit (PMU) at Welthungerhilfe and other Regional Programme Coordinators to align programme activities and maximise impact across the consortium.
• Closely coordinate with other regional and country-based programmes to ensure complementarity and synergies.
• Coordinate with Regional Liaison Manager Africa on communication with GFFO and visibility, and Berlin-based project officers for DRC & SOM.

Reporting and finance

• Ensure timely and high-quality narrative and financial reporting is submitted to the consortium lead at Welthungerhilfe. This includes compiling, coordinating, and reviewing narrative and financial reports submitted by the CPU in DRC and Somalia.
• Ensure timely and donor-compliant cash transfer flow to the CPUs and Local Humanitarian Partners in the programme.
• Monitor project progress against the master log frame and workplan and share continuous learning from the implementation.
• Ensure that technical quality and standards are considered and respected during project implementation.
• Conduct, in collaboration with the country offices, monitoring visits and prepare, together with the Finance Officer for on the spot checks.
• Together with the Finance Officer AA, review and identify discrepancies between financial and programme progress and provide mitigation measures to implementing partners through the country offices.

  Capacity strengthening and partnership

• Provide technical inputs to activities for capacity building, participation, MEAL and finance activities to Country Project Units and Local Humanitarian Partners
• Encourage maximum involvement and ownership of the programme by Local Humanitarian Partners by ensuring all in-country processes are designed in a participatory manner

Communication

• Collaborate with Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe technical advisors and Partnership and Learning Coordinator (Regional Office) on discussions on principled humanitarian aid, localisation, Grand Bargain and Charter for Change (e.g. DRR; CVA, Compliance/CRM) for relevant programme activities
• Collaborate with Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe Program Standard and Quality Assurance Managers in East and southern Africa region and West, Central and Caribbean region and Partnership and Learning Coordinator (Regional Office) to create opportunities for experience sharing and learning
• Ensure that knowledge and best practices of the programme are shared with other humanitarian stakeholders in the programme countries and beyond
• Ensure Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe contributes to and is visible in ToGETHER communications outputs, media reports, and learning events
• Ensure regular communication about progress of the programme with Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe offices in DRC, Somalia, the Regional Hub for West and Central Africa in Dakar and Berlin Office and staff in other project countries.
• Stay informed about the localisation agenda and respective initiatives in DRC and SOM as well as in other broader regions, especially Western and Central Africa.

Reporting and Communication lines

Line Management:

The RPC is part of the Programme Support Unit of the RO and reports to the Regional Director in Nairobi. Technical oversight is provided by the two Regional Directors of the hubs in Dakar for West and Central Africa and in Nairobi for East and Southern Africa.

Directly reporting to the RPC: /

Technical oversight:

The RPC coordinates the members of the CPU in both DRC and Somalia and manage their programmatic performance

Coordination:

The RPC coordinates closely with the Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe office in Berlin (mainly project officers DR Congo and Somalia and the Regional Liaison Manager), the Country Representatives in the DRC and Somalia offices and the Regional Coordinators of other consortium partners as well as the PMU.

Professional qualifications

• At least five years of project management experience, preferably in humanitarian contexts. Previous experience in staff management, financial management and MEAL are a must
• Proven work experience in and on Localisation, Charter4Change, #ShiftThePower
• Familiarity with the ToGETHER Consortium and Project
• Strong grasp of global localisation and participation debates
• Experience in designing, facilitating and overseeing capacity building and exchange activities
• Proven work experience in Africa
• Profound knowledge of civil society networks and recent humanitarian developments in DRC and Somalia
• Proven and strong communication and coordination skills
• Proven experience in managing multi-country consortium projects
• Experience working in a humanitarian innovation project is an asset
• Ability to work remotely and establish trust among intercultural project teams
• Willingness and ability to travel minimum 50% of working time (duty station TBD,)
• Experience working with a partnership-focused NGO desired.
• Fluency in French and English (oral and written) is a must, command of German is a plus.