DDG Head of Programme - South Sudan

Employer: Danish Demining Group
Closing date: 07 Oct 2013

Exciting opportunity to join a progressive organisation in a key leadership role and help shape the future of humanitarian mine action and armed violence reduction programming in South Sudan and globally.

Background
Danish Refugee Council (DRC) and its specialist human security unit, Danish Demining Group (DDG), both started work in South Sudan since 2006, initially concentrating on providing safe and supportive conditions for return for refugees returning from neighbouring countries after the Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed. Until 2010 the sister ‘branches’ worked independently, but in recent years there has been a process of convergence and collaboration, partly intended to produce cost efficiencies but more importantly to harness the strengths of both DRC and DDG towards integrated programmes which address the rights to security, protection, basic needs and development through a single agency approach. Since July 2012, DRC and DDG have a joint presence and joint programme in South Sudan.

Purpose

DDG’s Head of Programme (HoP) is a refined position in a unified country programme incorporating Danish Refugee Council and Danish Demining Group. The DDG HoP will support the overall DRC-DDG Country Director to ensure the development and implementation of the joint DRC-DDG country strategy, and work with DRC’s Head of Programme to ensure joint programming, grant management and M&E. Having particular responsibility for ensuring the quality of DDG’s programme elements, the DDG HoP will also share in the overall management of key support services and be able to represent both operations to government partners and in relevant humanitarian fora, as a Senior Management Team member.

DDG’s main competencies in South Sudan are in Mine Action (MA), especially explosive ordnance destruction and mine risk education, and in Armed Violence Reduction (AVR) which incorporates an innovative set of activities in the fields of small arms control, community-level conflict risk reduction and work with development actors to deliver projects in more conflict-sensitive ways. DRC’s strengths in the country are in emergency response, community driven development and livelihoods.

Management

Given the merged DRC-DDG country programme in South Sudan, the DDG Head of Programme will at times experience a dual reporting relationship. On a daily basis, the DDG Head of Programme reports directly to the DRC-DDG Country Director for South Sudan, but remains accountable to DDG HQs. The DDG HoP is responsible for the full DDG portfolio in South Sudan and directly line manages the two sector managers: the AVR Manager and the MA Operations Manager. These two sector managers each have a Programme Support Officer, who can also be tasked directly by the DDG HoP. The DDG desk offer at the Copenhagen headquarters directly supports and advices the DDG HoP in South Sudan and global advisors on AVR and MA, respectively, assist the sectors.

Specific duties

a) Strategic and programme development: • Support the development of a coherent South Sudan country strategy which harnesses the potential of DRC and DDG to provide integrated solution to the problems of conflict and underdevelopment in South Sudan. Lead on DDG’s contributions to this joint strategy by developing country strategies on mine action and armed violence reduction (together with the sector managers). • Identify and follow up on potential growth areas and funding options for DDG programmes (MA and AVR) in South Sudan. • Lead the development of DDG funding proposals for South Sudan, toward the agreed country and global strategies, and keeping in mind opportunities for DDG programming to add value to DRC’s humanitarian and development work whenever possible. • Support assessment missions and start-up activities as appropriate to DDG programme development. • Write persuasive funding proposals and ensure a high standard of reporting to donors. • Within these rapidly-evolving sectors, ensure the country programme continues to be innovative and progressive through encouraging operational research, developing new models of implementation and sharing these experiences through high-quality publications. • Monitor the quality of DDG’s programmes, ensuring they match accepted best practice and deliver on the commitments made in contracts with donors • Support the delegated programme and support functions to work towards achieving common objectives.

b) External representation:

• Act as a senior representative of the unified DRC-DDG country programme in South Sudan towards government authorities, donors, partners, UN agencies and other NGOs in national coordination fora, leading especially on representing the DDG programme elements. • Attend meetings, conferences and workshops to raise DDG’s profile in MA and AVR and in South Sudan.

c) Personnel management:

• Recruit key staff to work in the DDG programme, including consultants for specific tasks as necessary. • Manage, coordinate and support the staff in direct line management. • Assess training needs for programme staff and champion staff development. • Ensure compliance with inter-agency programmatic standards including the national mine action technical standards, the Humanitarian Accountability Partnership and Sphere

d) Internal management:

• Serve as member of the Senior Management Team (SMT), including supporting the Country Director (CD) to lead the SMT toward the achievement of common goals, performing standard SMT duties such as serving on the country programme’s CMT/IMT and, at times, serving as the Acting Country Director in the absence of the CD. • Cover for other SMT members as appropriate to maintain the smooth running of DDG programmes. • Undertake other delegated tasks as necessary.

Requirements • A minimum of 8 years of relevant working experience at a senior international level with humanitarian international NGOs, UN agencies or donor agencies. • Preferably a post-graduate degree in Social Sciences, Law, International Development, International Relations or related areas. • Strong and proven work experience in programme and support services management at a senior level, including representation, strategic planning, fundraising, staff management, monitoring and evaluation. • Proven skills in proposal writing and budgeting. • Preferably good experience in logistics and safety of personnel and assets. • Preferably knowledge or experience of programming related to human security, such as mine action, conflict reduction, security sector reform or peacebuilding. • Fluency in written and spoken English with excellent writing skills. • High degree of computer literacy.

Personal competencies

• Strong leadership skills, including ability to build and motivate teams and to work within teams in a collegiate manner. • Managerial courage and integrity. • Political and cultural sensitivity, flexibility, diplomatic and tactful. • Proven ability to function well in a potentially volatile and sometimes stressful environment. • Problem-solving attitude and ability to get things done in spite of challenging environment. • Strong liaison, organisational and communication skills. • Innovative and creative thinking with strong analytical and reporting skills.

Conditions

Duty station: Juba, South Sudan with frequent travel to other areas of the country. En-suite accommodation in the recently and purpose-built DRC-DDG compound in Juba is provided. This is a ‘non-family duty station’ and applicants must be prepared to live and work in an unstable security environment with limited recreational and social facilities, particularly when working in field locations.

Contract: 12 months - with a possibility for extension, subject to funding. Salary and conditions in accordance with DRC’s Terms of Employment for Expatriates (please refer to www.drc.dk under Vacancies). This position is offered at salary level A6 and attracts an R&R benefit in addition to five weeks of annual leave.

Start date: November 2013.

Further information

You are welcome to contact DDG HQ via Maria Kristensen by email at maria.kristensen@drc.dk for further information on the programme and the position.

Please note that applications are not to be sent to Ms Kristensen, but only submitted via our online application system at www.drc.dk under Vacancies > Current vacancies > DDG Head of Programme – South Sudan. Applications sent directly to Ms Kristensen will not be considered.

For general information about DDG, please consult www.danishdemininggroup.dk and about DRC at www.drc.dk

Commitments

DRC has a Humanitarian Accountability Framework, outlining its global accountability commitments. All staff are required to contribute to the achievement of this framework (http://www.drc.dk/HAF.4265.0.html).

How to apply:
Application and CV

Interested candidates who meet the required qualifications and experience are invited to submit updated CV and cover letter, in English, explaining their motivation and why they are suited for the post. Only motivated applications that address the stipulated duties and meet the required qualifications will be considered. CV-only applications will not be considered.

We only accept applications sent via our online-application form on www.drc.dk under Vacancies > Current vacancies > > DDG Head of Programme – South Sudan.

Applications will be accepted until 7 October 2013 but please note that applicants may be shortlisted and interviewed on a rolling basis.

Please contact job@drc.dk if you experience problems with your online application.