Regional Programme Development and Quality Manager

Overall purpose of the role:

Under the direct supervision of the Regional Head of Programmes, the Regional Programme Development and Quality Manager for East Africa and the Great Lakes (EAGL) will provide leadership across the core sectors (Protection, HDP, Economic Recovery) and cross-cutting approaches (Programme Innovation and Business Engagement, Borderlands and grants management). The Regional PDQM will lead planning and coordination across their team, ensure harmonization and coherence, support smaller/emerging areas, ensure continued relevance to EAGL programming, support appropriate resourcing, and lead on achieving regional and country sector priorities.

This position is opened to Kenyan Nationals Only.

Responsibilities :

Leadership and Management

• Manage and lead a team of technical coordinators (Protection, PIBE, Economic Recovery, HDP, borderlands and grants), building team unity, defining the unit’s work, setting individual work plans, providing leadership and mentoring, and ensuring alignment against a shared direction;
• Ensure the appropriate resource prioritization and forward planning against regional and country office strategic objectives based on a continual assessment of needs and priorities, in dialogue with the Regional Head of Programmes;
• Collaborate across the programmes team, nurturing collaborative relationships and ensuring programmatic coherence across regional programmes, advocacy and communications, policy, business development and external engagement;
• Lead or supervise business development processes as and when relevant (e.g. on large-scale, multi-country calls) within the unit’s areas of responsibility.

Strategic Direction

• Lead regional internal coordination across sectors, support collaboration across regional programmes and projects units, and with global sector units;
• Review and recommend for approval regional sector strategic plans, and review and monitor work plans and budgets against the strategies;
• Guide and support country operations in development of country strategic plans, and lead the process of regional quality assurance and review of country strategic plans to align against regional priorities;
• Facilitate and ensure that the regional and country strategic plans align with (and continue to adapt with) contextual needs, DRC’s mandate and the overall DRC Strategy 2025 (incl. the breakthroughs and the strategic initiatives);
• Monitor and keep the organization abreast of major programmatic, operational and business development trends or shifts within the region;
• Lead and drive sectoral integration as a priority area, strengthening DRC’s approach to integrated programming including through cross-learning and coordination with other DRC regions and HQ departments;
• Lead and champion the development and implementation of integrated programme models based on evidence, impact and replicability;
• Support organisational cross-cutting initiatives, including on programme quality and Localisation, to ensure that these are embedded in and across sectors;
• Develop and promote improved networking and exchanges between technical areas across country programmes teams in EAGL;
• Increase the visibility and documentation of DRC’s programmes in the region.

Oversight and quality management of DRC’s programme delivery in the region

• Oversee, guide and support country operations on rollout of and application of programmatic policies, tools and standards relevant to the technical sector unit, in collaboration with the RHOP and wider regional programmes team
• Ensure that the programme team supports and guides country offices with sectoral expertise and advise as needed, incl. technical programme quality standards, in collaboration with the RHOP and wider regional programmes team
• Contribute to overseeing the DRC programme portfolio across the region on aspects of programme delivery and quality management
• Support the RO to ensure that the relevant programmatic capacities are in place in region and in country operations to deliver as needed, and support the identification and delivery of capacity building priorities across the region as needed and feasible
• Promote communication, coordination and integration across programme and support staff in the region and between programme staff at different levels of the organization (HQ, RO and CO).

About you

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’s five core competencies:

• Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process.
• Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback.
• Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation.
• Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly.
• Demonstrating integrity: You act in line with our vision and values.

Experience and Technical comptencies (included year of experience)

• At least 5 years management experience, including at country SMT level, with at least some of those leading teams of technical staff
• At least 7 years field experience in humanitarian and/or fragile and recovery contexts
• Extensive programmatic experience working in fragile, conflict and displacement contexts, ideally from a Head of Programmes or similar role
• Considerable technical experience from and knowledge of sector approaches from at least two of DRC’s core sectors
• Proven track record in business development, budget development, project cycle management and Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL)
• Experience with effectively coordinating with national partners, local governments and authorities, NGO partners, UN agencies, donors, international community and other relevant stakeholders
• Organized, articulate and with attention to detail and quality.
• Fluent in written and spoken English, French desired.
• French, Swahili and other regional languages highly desired.