JOB DESCRIPTION. Country Leadership and Project Leads Key external

Transcription

1 JOB DESCRIPTION Job Title: Programme Development Manager Responsible to: CEO Responsible for: Programme Development Officer Multi-Country Project Manager Key internal Finance Manager relationships Country Leadership and Project Leads Key external Key institutional donors relationships M&E Consultant Local partners in country Global and regional programme counterparts in other organisations Location Coventry, UK Contract Type Full-time, Permanent Salary Grade 7 30,170 35,495 Job Context Cord is an international charity working with people in highly sensitive and oppressive contexts to transform dysfunctional relationships into those that create peaceful and inclusive societies. Our vision, inspired by the Christian faith, is of a world where all people live in the fullness of peace, have the freedom to flourish and live free from fear. We work towards this through employing and working with people of all faiths and none. Cord has a long and proud history in humanitarian and development work with communities worldwide and since 2012 has focused on building peace, advocating for people s rights, enhancing collaboration between and strengthening the capacity of civil society and government. Cord is at an exciting crossroads in its organisational history as it has recently launched a new strategy, Promoting the Power of Peaceful Relationships, building on what it has learnt from its recent programme work and adapting to the new challenges and opportunities that are present in the world today. Cord has recently secured several new sources of funding for projects that will enable it to implement this strategy over the next period across a diverse range of contexts in Asia and Africa. Cord is looking for someone who is passionate about making a positive difference who can bring strong fundraising, technical and project cycle management skills to our small and committed team. You will be able to evidence impact, engage donors with Cord s work, and develop future programmes based on sound research and learning. Managing the Programme Development officer role, this post is responsible for overseeing three key areas: 1) Programme development and proposal submission 2) Programme Quality 3) Monitoring, Accountability, Evaluation & Learning (MEAL) Job Purpose 1) Lead on the development and implementation of the institutional funding strategy. Oversee the programme development process from project conception & design through to proposal submission. In partnership with the

2 CEO and country teams, diversify and nurture existing and new relationships with institutional donor and other key stakeholders and identify new areas for programmatic growth; 2) Oversee programme quality to ensure projects are being implemented and reported to a high standard. Provide technical advice and capacity development support to country teams as required. 3) Coordinate and champion the development and implementation of Cord s Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) plan with support from an external consultant; Drive the institutional funding strategy and project funding plans and prepare high quality proposal submissions Scope and Limits of Authority Financial/Budgeting: Budget holder for the UK programmes team budget. Consultation with other budget holders on global travel, donor visibility, M&E, research & learning, and programme development Line Management: This role has line management responsibility for the Programme Development Officer position (based in UK) and for the Multi-Country Project Manager (based in Laos). Risk Management: 4) Mitigation and consultation with CEO on arising programme risks Areas of Responsibility Programme Development Lead on identifying programme development opportunities and communicating these to relevant team members; Coordinate and manage an efficient and collaborative programme development process ensuring input from relevant teams at appropriate stages; Maintain an expert understanding of country contexts and lead on gathering qualitative and quantitative data to inform project designs (through desk-based research, needs assessments and partner meetings); Lead on designing new project concepts across a range of thematic areas which respond both to Cord s technical strengths and institutional donor and funding call priorities; Lead on producing high quality problem statements, intervention logics, theories of change, logical frameworks, activity plans, stakeholder and risk analysis for new projects; Maintain credible understanding of comparator organisations and projects to avoid duplication of interventions and ensure innovation; Advise country teams on relevant partnership development. Institutional Fundraising Lead on writing and submitting major institutional and match funding proposals and provide quality assurance of bids submitted by country teams;

3 Implement and refine Cord s Institutional Funding Strategy, including identifying and attending relevant meetings and conferences; Maintain and develop targeted relationships with existing and relevant new institutional donors; Maintain expert intelligence of institutional donor priorities and areas of interest in relation to Cord s Strategy and countries of operation; Coordinate and oversee a twin track approach to influencing donors from the UK and in-country, and advise country teams on donor engagement tools; Lead on the development of a Match Funding Plan and oversee its implementation in the UK and country offices; Jointly manage and maintain accurate pipeline databases of funding opportunities and application statuses and input these into Country Programme Meetings; Oversee timely submission processes, including gathering relevant back up documentation and adhering to requirements of online systems (e.g. EU PADOR and PROSPECT). Programme Quality Ensure that country teams have clear implementation plans and support with any emerging problems or challenges; Coordinate regular Country Programme Meetings to ensure that all internal stakeholders are well informed on key programmatic and financial information and decision-making; Work with the Finance and country teams to ensure efficient processes are in place to enable submission of excellent quality financial and narrative reports which highlight impact at a project and strategic level; Ensure project log frames are being monitored using appropriate tools, and that outputs, outcomes and impact are being honoured and documented effectively. Ensure high quality donor reporting backstopping the submission of reports to donors. Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability & Learning (MEAL) Coordinate and champion the development and implementation of Cord s organisation-wide MEAL Plan alongside an external M&E consultant; Design M&E frameworks for new projects which capture a range of qualitative and quantitative indicators; Support country teams to develop and roll out usable and effective M&E tools to gather data to inform project log frames and reporting; Regularly review and analyse project-level data and use this to inform an adaptive programming approach; Input into the design of project-level evaluations and advise external evaluators to ensure that impact is measured and cross-cutting themes such as gender are incorporated; Document, synthesise, disseminate and incorporate anecdotal evidence and case studies from projects and ensure that these inform the high quality design of future projects. Other: Produce external publications evidencing Cord s impact in relation to its

4 Strategy; Contribute to the continual review and development of Cord s Strategy; Contribute as an active member to relevant networks including EU-CORD and Bond. Contribute as an active member of the UK Office team in modelling Cord s values and creating a positive environment to work in PERSON SPECIFICATION Knowledge Higher degree and advanced understanding of human rights, peacebuilding or international development; Strong knowledge of current policy debates regarding the above, with ability to advocate and write credibly on such issues; Strong knowledge of all stages of project management cycles; Expert understanding of current MEAL approaches and tools; Strong intelligence of relevant institutional donor priorities and strategies; Demonstrated understanding of how to write engaging and convincing technical proposals and reports; Strong understanding of civil society and capacity development approaches. Experience At least five years experience in programme design and institutional fundraising, preferably within the human rights and peacebuilding sector; Strong track record of securing funding from both existing and new institutional donors; Demonstrated experience in forging new relationships with donors through cold approaches; Experience in writing complex and detailed institutional funding proposals and reports tailored to the language of donors including the European Union, FCO, NORAD, GIZ and the U.S Bureau for Democracy, Rights and Labor; Experience in line managing and motivating remote field-based staff; Experience in establishing multi-partner and multi-country consortia; Experience working in insecure and highly sensitive environments, ideally in one or more of the countries in which Cord currently works, would be a distinct advantage; Experience working with US and Scandinavian donors would be a distinct advantage. Skills/Abilities Excellent writer with meticulous attention to detail; Ability to communicate to a wide range of audiences and adapt language accordingly; Strong qualitative and quantitative research and analysis skills, with the ability to form convincing conclusions and arguments; Excellent intercultural communication skills and ability to work with teams from a range of different backgrounds; Ability to work under pressure, manage several different priorities and meet

5 tight deadlines; Confidence and enthusiasm networking and engaging with a range of stakeholders, including donors, governments, peers, the general public and local partners; Strong organisational and project management skills; Good capacity development skills and mentoring approach to management; Ability to influence and advise others; Proficient computer skills (Microsoft Office, Word and Excel). Personal Qualities Commitment to Cord s values and ethos which are inspired by the Christian faith; Passion and enthusiasm to further develop and deliver Cord s new Strategy; Highly motivated self-starter who is able to work independently and exercise judgement; Positive team-player with a commitment to continual learning and professional development; Flexible and agile with the ability to generate results with limited resources; Willingness to sometimes work outside of daily hours in order to meet deadlines; Contribution as an active member of the UK Office team in modelling Cord s values and creating a positive environment to work in; Willingness and ability to travel up to eight weeks per year to sensitive / insecure contexts.