Head of Programs

Requisition ID: req6137

Job Title: Head of Programs

Sector: Program Administration

Employment Category: Fixed Term

Employment Type: Full-Time

Open to Expatriates: No

Location: Athens, Greece

Job Description

Background/IRC Summary:  

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries, the IRC aims to restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. 
In response to the influx of refugees in Greece, The IRC Hellas started operations in Greece in June 2015 and currently runs operations out of three offices in Athens, Mytilini and Chios. IRC is implementing programs in the sectors of Mental Health, Child Protection, Livelihoods and Gender Based Violence while it also runs an Information Provision web and Facebook page, Refugee.Info. Refugee.Info is a unique multi-channel platform with two-way communication as a core activity.

Job Overview/Summary: 

The Head of Programs reports to the Head of Office and directly manages 7 colleagues comprised of 5 program leads (child protection, women’s protection, mental health, livelihoods, and provision of information), the Senior Area Manager for Lesvos/Chios and the M&E Sr. Officer. This position has close working relations with the Grants Manager, HR Sr. Manager, the Finance Sr. Manager, the Advocacy Senior Officer and the Deputy Regional Director.

The Head of Programs plays a leading role in ensuring overall program quality and proposal development; as such s/he overlooks all IRC programs (e.g. MHPSS, UNHCR Kara Tepe, UIA Curing the Limbo, Survivor etc). The Head of Programs ensures that programs are evidence and needs driven and monitored closely. 
 
Program Strategy and Design 
• Working in collaboration with in-country program specialists and HQ based Technical Unit staff ensure that programs are designed according to IRC and industry best practices, the IRC program framework, and thorough context analyses.
• Leads the strategic and program initiatives along with the program managers and contributes to the regional (Europe) strategic direction. 

Program Management – Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation
• Provide overall leadership and management to IRC Greece programs, ensuring strategic program direction and compliance with IRC and donor regulations.
• Working in collaboration with in-country program specialists Technical Unit staff, ensure that program implementation is managed closely through the development of workplans, indicator tracking sheets and approved monitoring plans. Ensure that monitoring data is used to improve program performance.
• Ensure the financial health of all projects  by monitoring expenditure within each project on the monthly basis, and ensuring that well-structured corrective action is initiated and tracked where required.
• Participates in the Steering Groups of programs in which the IRC is a consortium member or leader. 
• Provide leadership to the program specialists to ensure – in coordination with the Grants Manager – the development of timely, high quality and regulation compliant reporting per IRC and donor guidelines.
• In consultation with the Technical Unit and the Research, Evaluation and Learning Unit, ensure that evaluations take place around selected programs / program components to contribute to existing evidence bases. Ensure that lessons learnt are shared with other actors in Greece.
 
Proposal development 
• Leads proposal development in cooperation with the grants department and the program’s leads. 
• Leads the creation of consortium's for proposal development. 
• Reviews and signs off proposals prior to the submission.  

Staff Performance Management, Learning and Development
• Coach, train, supervise and mentor direct-report staff, including communicating clear expectations, setting quarterly performance objectives, providing regular and timely positive and constructive performance feedback, and providing documented semi-annual performance reviews.
• Provide supportive guidance and supervision to program specialists who are charged to implement programs.

Representation and Coordination
• Ensure that IRC’s contribution in the response in Greece is well-coordinated with other initiatives.
• Represents IRC towards authorities, forums and other relevant for the role bodies. 
• Position IRC as thought leader and provider of Technical Assistance in IRC Greece’s priority areas. 
 

Qualifications

Education:
• Postgraduate degree preferred.
Experience:
• Excellent professional track record with at least seven years of management level experience within NGO leadership working in program implementation.
• Experience managing programs financed through different institutional and private donors.
• Experience in proposal development for various institutional and private donors. 
• Experience in the Greek context is an advantage. 

Skills and Abilities:
• Excellent English and Greek language skills required.
• Inquisitive thinker, questioning the impact of our programs and constantly looking for optimization.
• Comfortable to take decisions even when not as much data as desired is present.
• Able to understand M&E for a variety of programs and to design data collection and analysis tools.
• Must be comfortable in being a proactive member of the senior management team.  Must seek to identify and communicate potential problems and propose solutions to the level of management appropriate to effect solutions.
• Ability to carry out responsibilities independently with minimal technical support from within the program organization.
• Must be a patient and good communicator who can function in an organizational environment involving a diversity of cultures, languages, and personal interests and agendas.
• Good at role of facilitator and team player in solving problems.
• Committed to staff training and development.


Work Location:
The position is based in Athens with occasional travel to Lesvos, Chios and potentially other locations.