JobsDDG Programme Manager - South Sudan - Reuters AlertNet

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. From July 2012 DRC and DDG will have a joint presence and joint programme in South Sudan. 

Purpose
DDG Programme Manager (PM) is a refined post in a newly-unified country programme incorporating Danish Refugee Council and Danish Demining Group.  The DDG PM will support the overall DRC-DDG Country Director to ensure the development and implementation of the joint DRC-DDG country strategy.  The DDG PM will work closely with the DRC Programme Manager to ensure joint programming, grant management and M&E.

Having particular responsibility for ensuring the quality of the DDG programme elements, the DDG PM 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
The DDG Programme Manager reports directly to the DRC-DDG South Sudan Country Director.
The DDG PM line manages the following expatriate staff: Head of AVR, MA Ops Manager (security focal point), and Logistics Manager, and is responsible for the full DDG portfolio in South Sudan.

A DDG employee at the Copenhagen headquarters will directly support and advice the DDG PM in South Sudan.

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.
• Coordinate DDG funding proposals for South Sudan with the DRC-DDG country and global strategies and seek opportunities for DDG programming to add value to DRC’s humanitarian and development work whenever possible.
• Identify and follow up on potential growth areas and funding options for DDG programmes in South Sudan.
• 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
• Ensure delegated programme and support functions 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 support 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 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 matrix management and other delegated tasks as necessary.

Requirements
• 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 a post-graduate degree in Social Sciences, Law, International Development, International Relations or related areas.
• Preferably good experience in logistics.
• A minimum of 5 years’ working experience at a senior international level with humanitarian international NGOs, UN agencies or donor agencies.
• Prior experience of having security management responsibility in conflict-affected areas.
• 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.
• Strong liaison, organisational and communication skills.
• Innovative and creative thinking.
• 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 newly 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 B1 and attracts a generous R&R benefit, currently every six weeks, in addition to standard five weeks of annual leave.

Start date: End July or soon thereafter.

Further information
You are welcome to contact DDG HQ via Maria Kristensen by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or the DRC-DDG South Sudan Country Director, Kate Norton, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for further information on the programme and the position.

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

Application and CV
Interested candidates who meet the required qualifications and experience are invited to submit updated CV and cover letter, in English and marked "DDG Programme Manager - South Sudan", 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 system on www.drc.dk under Vacancies > Current vacancies > > DDG Programme Manager – South Sudan. (Click on the vacancy, then on “Apply” at the bottom of the window that opens).

Applications will be accepted until 09. July 2012. Applicants may be short-listed and interviewed on a rolling basis.

Please contact our HR-department at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you experience problems with your online application.