Programme Manager Disaster Preparedness & Response, Cordaid, South Sudan

Background:

Together with more than 800 organizations in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America, Cordaid structurally improve the living conditions of the poorest and most excluded populations - the bottom billion. Cordaid does that where natural disasters strike, where conflicts tear up communities and where underdevelopment keeps families in extreme poverty. In the Netherlands Cordaid is known as Cordaid Memisa, Cordaid Mensen in Nood, Cordaid Kinderstem, Cordaid Bond zonder Naam and Cordaid Microkrediet.

Introduction:

Cordaid has been working in South Sudan for over 20 years. Its programme focuses on several intervention areas, including health, emergency response, community-based disaster risk reduction, food security, security and justice and women leadership. Cordaid manages and supports this programme largely from its country office in Juba, with other staff in project areas. The Juba country office has about 15 staff, and includes staff accommodation for about 10 staff as well.

To address the plight of the large number of returnees and IDPs that have settled in different parts of South Sudan as a result of the January 2011 referendum, the violence that broke out in December 2013 and other humanitarian emergencies, Cordaid together with local and international Caritas and NGO partners is involved in programme development, programme implementation and capacity building regarding disaster response and disaster preparedness (amongst other programs / topics).

Position and responsibility:

The Programme Manager for Disaster Preparedness & Response (DP&R) is responsible for designing, coordinating, managing and monitoring Cordaid’s disaster preparedness & response programmes in South Sudan. The Programme Manager will also support the DP & R capacity building of local partner organizations in these areas.

The Programme Manager DP & R will report to the Cordaid Country Director in Juba and liaise closely with the relevant technical officers of the Disaster Response program unit at Cordaid HQ in The Hague. The Programme Manager DP & R will also cooperate closely with the Programme Manager Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) & Food Security of Cordaid in South Sudan, as well as liaise and coordinate with other programmes implemented by Cordaid in South Sudan.

General objective of the posting:

• Support programme development and strategic position of Cordaid on DP & R;
• Support capacity development of selected local partner organizations in the areas of DP & R;
• Connect to the CMDRR (Community Managed Disaster Risk Reduction) and the Food Security programmes of Cordaid partners in South Sudan where feasible;
• Contribute to Cordaid South Sudan’s contingency planning and that of partners;
• Identify, develop and support new DP & R proposals and projects;
• Acquisition, networking, representation and coordination within the Caritas Diocesan and International network, International NGO community, UN agencies and UN clusters, and potential back donors (ECHO, EC, Netherlands Embassy, UN agencies and Private funds, amongst others);
• Any other responsibilities that can reasonably be asked from the Programme Manager position.

Specific objectives:

Programme development and strategic positioning:

• Explore opportunities and threats for the Cordaid programme on DP & R in South Sudan as well as the strengths and weaknesses of Cordaid herein;
• Explore potential local and international partner organization to cooperate with, in Cordaid’s DP & R programme.
• Actively contribute towards the design and updating of Country Strategic Plans and Annual Work Plans.

Identify, Develop and Support Proposals and Projects:

• Develop project proposals (narrative, logframe, budget, workplan) for Caritas Internationalis, ECHO, OCHA and/or other donors on DP & R;
• Support and cooperate with local and International partners in developing their proposals (narrative, work plan, budget, logframe) and implement their funded projects, for Disaster Response, using project cycle management tools;
• Support project development to strengthen and build upon linking DP & R with CMDRR and Food Security projects, and possible other projects (e.g. Health);
• Responsible for planning, evaluation and audits (with support of financial experts) as foreseen per contract;
• Regular visits to project sites to monitor progress of projects funded by Cordaid and back donors;>
• Responsible for reporting to Cordaid HQ and others based on partner reports and visits.

Capacity development on DP & R:

• Help organize and facilitate trainings for staff of local partner organizations in the areas of emergency preparedness & response, based on International Humanitarian Standards.
• Provide technical assistance on DP & R and accompany/backstop staff of local partner organizations to enable long-term skills-transfer;
• Improve learning, linking and coordination between partner organizations, key stake holders (CI members, local Caritas, local government, institutional donors, etc.) to strengthen networks and establish contingency plans;
• Support documentation of human interest stories, lessons learned, best practices and strategic opportunities related to Cordaid and partners’ programmes and projects.

Networking, representation and acquisition:

• Identify and establish contacts with relevant organizations and stakeholders as strategic to Cordaid’s DP & R interventions in South Sudan;
• Explore added value of Cordaid and promote Cordaid’s interests within relevant clusters;
• Explore potential areas for collaboration and mobilize opportunities and resources;
• Provide regular humanitarian situation updates and ensure issues calling for intervention of the Cordaid Humanitarian Response team are reported in a timely manner;
• Represent Cordaid’s DP & R programme in relevant Caritas, UN and other humanitarian coordination / thematic cluster meetings, in coordination with the Country Director.

Qualifications:

• Relevant education in Humanitarian Aid and related development studies;
• At least 5 years proven experience with analysing, developing, managing and monitoring emergency response programs and participatory needs assessments;
• Proven experience with developing, managing and monitoring emergency preparedness programs;
• Strong proposal writing skills (ECHO, EC, UN, etc.);
• Experience in assessing needs for and/or delivering DP & R training;
• Experience in building capacity and backstopping local partners in conflict-affected states, preferably in Africa;
• Experience in training local partners in DP & R and preparing contingency plans with them is an asset;
• Strong (financial) project management, analytical and problem-solving skills;
• Experience of working with internationally-funded programmes, including coordination, reporting and monitoring according to different donor templates (e.g. ECHO, OCHA);
• Experience in working with faith-based / church organisations is an asset;
• Knowledge of South Sudan’s socio- political environment is an asset;
• Be diplomatic, culturally sensitive and result-oriented;
• Experience in working in security sensitive environment in complex (post)conflict situations;
• Excellent English language writing and communication skills.

Specifics of duty station:

The Programme Manager will be based in Juba, the state capital of Central Equatoria State in South Sudan. Juba has basic to fair medical facilities, some international shops and local markets and an international airport. It offers fair to reasonable opportunities for social activity.

The safety and security situation in South Sudan remains volatile, but is constantly monitored by Cordaid and appropriate policies are in place, such as a curfew and the fact that South Sudan remains a single-posting country.

The successful candidate will have to travel regularly to the field (Upper Nile State, Unity State, Northern & Western Bahr El Ghazal, Central and Western Equatoria State) for project monitoring and for consultation and coordination meetings.

Contract information:

The contract period is for an initial period of six months, with the possibility of extension, starting as soon as possible (preferably 1 January 2016). Cordaid offers an organisational contract with a competitive salary and a benefit package which includes R&R, comprehensive insurance cover, social security, pension contribution and a holiday allowance.