Background

The Central and West Africa Regional Office (CWARO) located in Dakar, Senegal, supports and provides oversight to NRC’s country programmes in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria. All countries are experiencing a deterioration of the security situation, increasing humanitarian needs and growing displacements due to conflict and climate change. NRC’s programmes and advocacy support families affected by conflict in the shelter, food security and livelihoods, education, water and sanitation, camp management, protection and legal assistance sectors. NRC has over 1,300 employees working on the NRC regional response.

The Regional Programme Department, based in CWARO and managed by the Regional Programme Director, is responsible for the strategic development of NRC programming in the region by maximizing the support to and the development of Country Programmes as well as by exploring and creating synergies among these. The Regional Programme Department is focused on guidance and procedures, evidence and learning, capacity building, programme quality, and donor relations. The department includes a Core Competency and Thematic Unit and a Programme Development and Support Unit (PDSU).

The PDSU provides guidance for strategic programme development and resource mobilization, oversight of multi-country and regional grants, and technical support for project cycle management. The unit consists of two Regional Programme Advisors, a Regional Grant Manager, a Regional Roving Grants Manager, and the Head of Programme Development and Support.

Overview of role

The Regional Head of Programme Development and Support is a dual role, which also acts as a Regional Programme Adviser in relation to specific allocated countries.  It is anticipated that the team leadership will take c.15% of working time, and the strategic lead c.50% of working time, leaving 35% of working time for the regional programme adviser role.

The Regional Head of Programme Development and Support is responsible for leading on delegated areas of programme related business development across the Region, in line with NRC’s Strategy and programme priorities, and in support of the NRC programmes in country offices. They will also lead a team and personally contributes to the provision of a range of advisory support and capacity building to country offices in the region in relation to programme proposal development, grants management, and Project Cycle Management (ensuring the effective management of the full programme cycle and donor reporting).

The Programme Development and Support Unit is part of a technical matrix structure and required to work collaboratively with colleagues in both the technical and the operational management structures in country offices, the technical programme unit team in the RO and the regional management group, plus a technical accountability to the programme function, policy, strategy, and direction as determined through the Head Office level of the NRC. Collaborative working with colleagues within the wider regional programme team, at HO and in other Regions is essential to effectiveness in the role and maximising the shared learning across NRC.

NRC is currently reviewing its organization structure, including business development functions. This may have an impact on the roles and responsibilities linked to this role. Any change shall not take place before June 2025.

What you will do: 

As Regional Head of Programme Development and Support Unit – c. 70% working time

Strategy, programme and business development

• Lead on delegated areas of strategic programme development for the region, including identifying new programme and funding opportunities and building partnerships.
• Lead on the identification of potential new business development opportunities in relation to designated regional and multi-country opportunities and contracts, such as new funder or programme opportunities with good synergy with NRC Strategy and programme priorities and the regional and country contexts
• Responsible for the coordination of designated multi-country and regional opportunities and contracts, including high-level external relationship building with actual and potential funders
• In collaboration with Regional Programme Advisors and Country Offices, coordinate regional and cross-border programme development.
• Ensure implementation of and adherence to NRC’s strategies, plans, systems and regulations that are relevant to the unit, including supporting the documentation of the region’s achievements and progress towards NRC’s global strategic ambitions.
• Develop, follow up and report on action plans according to overall NRC strategy and direction and agreed programme priorities

Team leadership

• Provide leadership to a team of Regional Programme Advisers by approving relevant pieces of work, allocating cross-team pieces of work, and bringing coherence to the team through a strategic approach to programme and business development and complementary approaches.
• Provide line management, including performance management and staff development of the Unit’s members, ensuring clear objectives aligned to regional strategy and priorities, and NRC strategy and programme priorities.

Advice, support and capacity building

• Responsible for coordinating programme support to the Country Offices in the region.

Quality standards, data analysis and M&E 

• Ensure the establishment and maintenance of suitable quality control review of donor applications and reports, working in partnership with PnP and with Country Offices, and capacity building of Country Office personnel to reduce and mitigate quality issues.  Responsible for quality control of high-risk donor applications and reports, working in partnership with Core Competencies (CC) and Thematic Advisers as required.
• Ensure effective collaborative working by self and team with regional programme colleagues (CC, Thematic, M&E) in order to inform identification of learning needs at the CO level, synergies, and maximise opportunities for business development
• Focal point for promoting lessons learned and best practices for programme development in country programmes, and identification of learning and development needs to build capacity (e.g., on PCM), harmonizing programme-related regional tools, including guidance notes, assessments, template for all CO’s to ensure consistency and continuity

Networking, representation and relationships

• Responsible for identification, development and maintenance of high-level relationships with designated stakeholders (e.g., donors, UN agencies, NGOs, private sector) related to programme and business development.

As Regional Programme Adviser – c.35% working time

Strategy, programme and business development

• Provide specialist support, advice and guidance to own portfolio of country offices in relation to programme development and to strategic planning in-country programmes.
• Conduct regional analysis of trends in the region as allocated by line manager to contribute to regional understanding and provide evidence for new initiatives (e.g. advocacy, new project ideas, new potential donors or partnerships)
• Responsible to stay updated on specific countries and/or themes as assigned.

Advice, support and capacity building

• Responsible for capacity building and learning and development, as required, including facilitation of induction training for relevant programme personnel in COs, and provision of PCM support, including facilitation and delivery of trainings, to country programmes within the region.
• May be required to participate in a small number of recruitment interviews for key relevant CO positions (e.g. Grants Managers)

Quality standards, M&E and organisational learning

• Responsible for quality control of designated donor proposals and reports, macros logframes in regard to NRC strategies and donor compliance , and providing general programmatic inputs to triannual reports and internal programme strategy documents and reports, under the guidance of the Senior Regional Advisers in Oslo
• Where applicable, liaise and work collaboratively with colleagues in Policy and Partnerships to ensure provision of information and support to COs
• Support programme assessments and evaluations in the country programmes.
• Promote the incorporation of lessons learned and best practices into programme development in the country programmes, including from M&E products (such as GORS and Evaluations).

Please download the detailed job description to learn more about the role

What you will bring:

• A minimum of 5 years of documented relevant Manager/Adviser experience within the humanitarian field
• Previous experience in a Head of Programme or similar position would be an asset
• In-depth knowledge of institutional donors’ strategies, priorities, and compliance guidelines
• Track record of successful proposal development, or similar in funding or partnerships
• Experience in strategic planning, including strategic approaches to business development
• Extensive experience with assessments, programme development, and programme implementation
• Experience from working in complex and volatile contexts, with a preference for previous experience in the CWA region
• Previous experience in managing staff teams, including during periods of change, would be useful
• Understanding of, and commitment to working collaboratively with technical and operational colleagues within a matrix structure, including capacity building
• Experience in delivering learning and development as part of quality improvement and capacity building
• Fluency in both English and French, both written and verbal

What we offer:

• Duty station: Dakar, Senegal
• Contract: 24-month contract (possible extension, dependent on performance & funding)
• Travel: up to 30%
• Salary/benefits: grade 10 on NRC’s scale with accompanying terms and conditions
• NRC is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to diversity without distinction to age, gender, religion, ethnicity, nationality, and physical ability.
• We think outside the box, encourage ideas, and give responsibility to all employees at all levels. You will have many opportunities to be heard and take the initiative.

Find out more about the benefits of working for NRC

Important information about the application process:

• To apply as an internal candidate, log in with your official email, or click on Opportunity MarketPlace.
• When creating your profile, include your full name as given on your passport. Complete all the system-required fields for experience, employment history, and education.
• Submit your application and CV in English or French, ensuring to attach your latest CV.
• Applications that do not meet the minimum standards in terms of experience or qualifications will generally not be considered. Unsolicited applications not related to this specific job advertisement will not be considered.
• We receive many applications for each vacant position, as a result only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
• We invite applications from all qualified and interested candidates. Send in your application by 25th August 2024.
• If you have any questions about this role, please email [email protected] with the job title as the subject line.

Why NRC?

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is an independent humanitarian organisation helping people forced to flee. Our 15,000 staff work in crises across 40 countries, providing life-saving and long-term assistance to millions of people every year.

Watch this short video to see NRC in action.

We are looking for people who are passionate about helping refugees and people forced to flee. Are you one of those people? If you are, NRC offers you the opportunity to:

• do demanding and professional work, often in challenging contexts.
• join a work culture that empowers every employee to share ideas and take responsibility.
• be part of a welcoming and supportive community committed to human dignity.