Head of Programmes at Danish Demining Group (DDG)

DDG is part of the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), which is a humanitarian, non-governmental, non-profit organisation founded in 1956 that works in more than 35 countries throughout the world. We are the largest humanitarian NGO in Denmark and consistently ranked as one of the world’s best NGOs according to Global_Geneva.

We are recruiting to fill the position of:

Job Title: Head of Programme

Location: Abuja, Nigeria
Contract length: 2 years

Job Description
The Danish Demining Group (DDG) is looking for a highly experienced and qualified Head of programme (HoP) to oversee the Mine Action and Armed Violence Reduction activities of the DDG programme in Nigeria, with a focus on building national capacity as well as on growing the resources and scope of the programme.

The Job

• The DDG HoP will have the overall responsibility of the DDG portfolio in Nigeria, which will be a balance of both Mine Action and AVR activities.
• DDG is currently scaling up its programming in Nigeria; the HoP will play a key role in leading DDG’s strategic engagement in Nigeria, shaping and advising on DDG programming, and ensuring programme coherence, alignment with DDG’s global mandate and objectives, and quality delivery. 
• The DDG HoP will also lead the overall programme management of a two-year EU-funded stability and resilience programme to be implemented in Adamawa and Borno states. 
• The DDG HoP will be responsible for donor liaison and for liaison/representation with government authorities in the areas of implementation, as well as national level, in coordination with the Country Director, Safety Advisor and Head of Base (HoB).
• The DDG HoP has dual reporting lines, reporting to the DDG Regional Manager (based in Abidjan) and DRC/DDG’s Country Director for Nigeria (based in Abuja).
• The DDG HoP works in close collaboration with: DDG’s Global Specialist Leads on Mine Action and Armed Violence Reduction, Heads of Base, the DRC Head of Programme, technical managers/advisors and the DRC/DDG support staff, and is a member of the Nigeria Senior Management Team (SMT).
• The DDG HoP directly supervises the AVR Manager and the Mine Action Manager of the DDG programme in Nigeria.

Tasks and Responsibilities
Strategic Programme development and management:

• Overall programme management responsibility for the integrated DRC/DDG EU programme (livelihoods, community safety, youth engagement, mine/ERW risk education) ensuring timely and quality programme delivery
• Plan, implement and monitor DDG’s activities in Nigeria.
• Co-ordinate and work with relevant state-level government authorities, local government institutions, non-governmental organisations, community-based organisations and local communities in order to ensure the smooth execution of programme activities.
• Lead DDG programme implementation and development
• Promote the integration of DRC and DDG programming in Nigeria
• Oversee the roll-out of DDG activities throughout DRC/DDG offices in north-eastern Nigeria.
• Monitor and advise field staff in programme delivery.
• Manage and monitor the DDG budgets closely and report to the Country Director, Head of Finance and Administration (HoFA) and DDG Headquarters (RO and HQ) of any discrepancies or issues.
• Keep the Country Director (CD) informed at all times of programmatic updates and potential fundraising / project ideas and initiatives.
• Ensure that the necessary systems are in place.

Team Management:

• Provide strong leadership to the programme, with oversight and management of DDG team.
• Provide oversight to the work of DRC Livelihood Manager, where relevant within the framework of joint programming 
• Ensure the ongoing formal and informal appraisal/evaluation of staff performance, including follow up on Results Contracts and annual written appraisals of the DDG programme staff

Security:

• In close collaboration with the Safety Advisor reporting to the DRC/DDG CD for Nigeria, ensure adherence to security procedures, ensuring a minimum of 91% MOSS compliance of all field locations, monitoring developments in the security situation, developing contingency plans, etc.

Reporting:

• Ensure proper and timely financial and narrative donor reporting in compliance with internal and external reporting requirements including procurement.
• Regular reporting to DRC/DDG Regional Office and HQ as required

Fundraising and Representation:

• In coordination with the CD, act as representative for the DRC/DDG programme in Nigeria towards government authorities, donors, partners, UN agencies and international and local NGOs and various local co-ordination forums.
• In coordination with the DDG RM and CD, take the lead on the process of securing funds for DDG’s activities. This includes any liaison and contact with the donor and national stakeholders.
• In consultation with the CD, liaison with relevant government authorities, donors, partners, UN agencies and international and local NGOs and various local co-ordination forums. 
• Identify new programming opportunities and write concept notes and proposals 
• Liaise with donor representatives in the region and in Abuja as required

Accountability:

• Guided by the DRC Programme Handbook, Operations Handbook, AVR Framework and handbooks, and DDG Mine Action SOPs, the DDG HoP must continuously monitor and develop relevant accountability initiatives in the field as well as strengthening the effort to document the impact of DRC/DDG’s activities.
• Ensure compliance with the guidelines, policies, procedures and values of DRC/DDG.

Required Qualifications
Essential:

• Five to ten years of proven experience with programme management (planning, implementation and monitoring) from a complex and fragile environment, preferably in Sub-Saharan Africa
• Proven experience working on AVR and/or mine action programming and implementation.
• Experience working with donors and external relations
• Strong on liaison and networking with national stakeholders, both on a national and local level.
• Excellent in verbal and written communication skills in English (writing reports and proposals).
• Proven ability to mentor and coach others. Staff management is important in this position.
• Politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience, tact and diplomacy.
• The capacity and willingness to be flexible and accommodating in difficult and insecure circumstances.

Desirable:

• Preferable an MA/MSc level in a relevant discipline from an internationally recognised university.
• Preferable experience working with national partners and capacity building projects.
• Prior M&E experience is an advantage and the capability of working with data collection, analysis and report writing.

Personal competencies:
All employees should master DRC's core competencies: 

• Communicating
• Taking the lead
• Collaborating
• Striving for excellence
• Demonstrating integrity

We Offer
A challenging and rewarding job in one of the best NGOs in the world. Salary and conditions will be in accordance with Danish Demining Group/Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for Expatriates; please refer to www.drc.dk under Vacancies for more information. The successful applicant’s salary level will be decided based on their background and experience. DDG/DRC has a generous benefits package, including R&R, pension, and duty station allowances.

Application Closing Date
31st January, 2016

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online