Head of Programmes Nepal

Position: Head of Programmes

Contract Length: 1 year with the possibility of an extension

Country Programme: Nepal

Base: Kathmandu

Line Manager: Country Director

About the Nepal Country Programme of People in Need:

People in Need (PIN) is a non-governmental, non-profit, international organization founded in the Czech Republic in 1992. PIN arrived in Nepal as part of a humanitarian response to the April 25, 2015 earthquake. Since its inception in Nepal, PIN has had a strong role in designing and facilitating systemic solutions advocating for and addressing the needs of vulnerable populations affected by disasters including person categories who live in geographically remote areas of the country, historically marginalized ethnic groups, and those marginalized because of their age and/or gender identity. Currently, PIN Nepal is implementing programmes under three strategic pillars 1) Emergency response and recovery, 2) Climate resilience, and 3) Civil society and inclusive governance. PIN Nepal team works in and promotes strong partnerships with civil society, Government of Nepal, academia, private sector and other key stakeholders in Nepal. Together with them, PIN Nepal has been for example one of the pioneer organizations advancing programmes such as landslide disaster preparedness and anticipatory action, climate and flood resilient housing, durable local solutions, climate change modelling for more inclusive and efficient local decision-making, girls and inclusive education, waste management and circular economy approaches. PIN is strongly committed for safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults, including persons with disabilities, in line with its safeguarding framework and child protection policy.

Scope of work:

Head of Programme (HoP) is responsible for overall PIN Nepal Country Programme efforts to develop, innovate and implement programmes in line with PIN Nepal Country Strategy and its strategic pillars, with the aim to achieve the highest impact while providing quality and accountability to beneficiaries, government, donors and partners. HOP manages all programme teams (approximately 40 staff) and closely collaborates with Programme Managers (PMs) and Project Managers for implementation and PCM of the specific programmes and projects.

Furthermore, HoP ensures quality of and synergies among existing and new programmes and enhances visibility of PIN Nepal proactively. Together with the Country Director (CD) and Deputy Country Director (DCD), Head of Programmes represents PIN to donors and partners, ensuring that PIN is recognised for its field experience. Furthermore, the Head of Programmes engages in medium and long-term planning and strategy activities, ensures continuous quality improvement of programmes and contributes towards a successful environment for the programme staff.

HoP reports to PIN Country Director for Nepal Country Programme with delegated management and responsibility for key programmes and their assigned teams. HoP also closely cooperates with Head of Systems & Operations (HoSo) as well as Desk Officer, Relief and Development Department (RDD) Management, and sector specialists in PIN HQ.

HOP is a member of Country Management Team (CMT) together with Country Director, Deputy Country Director and Head of Systems and Operations. HOP is also member of Senior Management Team (SMT), and actively participates in strategic guidance and decisions relevant to PIN Nepal Country Programme.

Main Duties & Responsibilities:

Programme Management

• Leadership and Management – ensure effective leadership and management of PIN Nepal programmes through line management of Programme Managers or Project Managers where relevant;
• Oversee the strategic alignment of PIN Nepal programmes and projects with the PIN Nepal Country Strategy and its three pillars;
• Ensure continuous exchange and mutual learning between PIN Nepal programme teams and Knowledge and Learning Department (KLD) and PIN Pillar leads globally, including incorporating the lessons learned from PIN NPL programmes into the global debates and vice versa;
• Promote and actively use the proven and impact oriented programmatic approaches in all PIN Nepal programmes including facilitation approach, adaptive management, etc.;
• Actively promote integration of and active participation of PIN programmes in the relevant platforms and clusters (Girls and Inclusive Education Network (GIEN), National Housing, Settlement and Reconstruction Platform (NHSRP), clusters, AIN working groups, etc.);
• Ensure alignment of PIN Nepal’s programmes with the Government of Nepal (GoN)’s policies and guidelines; together with PMs and programmatic teams actively advocate for the inclusion of the marginalized groups and vulnerable individuals into the design and implementation of such policies across the three tiers of GoN;
• Promote and develop, together with PMs and their teams, partnerships with major CSO networks, NGOs, as well as with civil society in general, and with private actors and other stakeholders;
• Ensure that the new projects build on the lessons learned from the previous programmes, in collaboration with MEAL Manager, MEAL teams, and DCD;
• Regularly coordinates with colleagues responsible for management of MEAL, Communication and Advocacy, GEDSI and Protection, localization and partnersip/CSO development, and ensures together with DCD that these agendas are mainstreamed effectively in all existing and new programmes of PIN Nepal;
• Actively participates in identification of future funding opportunities together with PMs and DCD, as well as in go/no go decisions;
• Co-lead (or lead upon approval of CD) development of new programmes in close collaboration with DCD and her/his/their team;
• Together with CD, DCD and PMs works to establish strategic partnerships with selected partners as per PIN Nepal’s Country Strategy;
• Ensure project developed meets high internal and donor/sectoral standards in terms of design, implementation and M&E through the Project Cycle;
• Reporting – ensure timely and high-quality reporting is done by all programmes to donors;
• Prepare programme budgets collaboratively with programme and finance staff;
• Track programme expenditure through monthly programme review meetings using financial expenditure reports prepared by the finance department;
• Ensure compliance to donor policies, procedures and procurement;
• In collaboration with MEAL Manager, MEAL team and DCD, ensure setting up monitoring & evaluation plan for each project with clear impact indicators involving independent M&E mechanisms;
• Promote synergies among PIN programmes, organize regular programme management meetings;
• Promote sharing of experiences and lessons learnt within the team and other PIN Country Programmes, ensure that all new programs incorporate innovation and push the boundaries of development work;
• Together with CD, DCD and HOSO, ensure VfM and transparency of PIN projects.

Human Resource Management

• In consultation with the Deputy Country Director and Country Director, plan HR needs, capacity building needs for senior programme staff and ensure sufficient human resources for the programme to meet its objectives;
• Ensure coherent policy towards recruitment, remuneration and bonuses across the programme teams;
• Ensure capacity development of programme teams in topic related to Country Strategy pillar thematic priorities, aligned with PIN global expertise under each pillar and using available resources;
• Line manage PMs and supports them in people management skills in their teams and in any other HR related agendas.

Representation, Communications & Networking

• Together with DCD and PMs ensure representation, networking and positioning of PIN programmes in Nepal towards partners, government, donors and private sector;
• Actively participate in the working groups, clusters;
• Actively contribute to designing, reviewing and implementing of PIN Nepal Country Strategy including communication and advocacy plans;
• Positioning – ensure PIN Nepal and programme teams maintain position within strategic sectors, especially with regards to field presence, and regional expertise;
• Share responsibilities with Country Director and Deputy Country Director for donor representation and discussions about funding opportunities;
• Advocacy – engage in advocacy and policy dialogues where appropriate, ensuring PIN represents the needs of its beneficiaries and based on its field experience in order to campaign for needed policies, donor commitments etc.

Documentation and Learning

• Together with MEAL Manager and DCD, ensure that all programmes properly retain programme learning for future projects, and that all information is properly documented;
• Actively lead Internal Quarterly Report Meetings (IQR) together with PMs and Desk Officer;
• Use PIN global means on monitoring the progress and impact of the projects and programmes (such as ITT, BI, etc.);
• Together with MEAL Manager explore new ways of measuring impact (CBA, VfM, unlocking GoN’s grants, etc.) and implement it into the new programmes;
• Ensure that all official programme documentation is properly stored and available for the future.

Senior Management

• Is member of CMT and actively participates in executive decisions relevant for PIN Nepal Country Programme;
• Is member of SMT and actively participates in reviewing and finalizing strategic decisions for PIN Nepal Country Programme;
• Contribute and lead thematic sections/priorities of PIN Nepal Country Strategy;
• Ensure that the overall programme is designed, managed and implemented in conformity to PIN policies, strategy and guidelines;
• Participates in the investigations where needed as per PIN Nepal’s Code of Conduct, and Safeguarding and Accountability principles.

Main requirements:

• Excellent track record and proven experience in project cycle management of programmes/projects in sectors as per PIN Nepal’s Country Strategy pillars;
• Proven track record in innovative and impact-oriented approaches, engaging the GoN (across three tiers) and stakeholders in Nepal;
• Excellent skills in people management and managing programmatic teams;
• Proven experience with leading and co-producing of needs assessments and proposal development;
• Strong grasp of quality standards in humanitarian and development programming (direct experience with CHS is an asset);
• Strong knowledge of GEDSI principles and proven track record of implementing GEDSI in programmes/projects;
• Strong knowledge of safeguarding and accountability mechanisms, and proven record of implementing them in practice;
• Knowledge and experience of Monitoring and Evaluation within projects is required;
• Excellent spoken and written English;
• A higher-education degree (Bachelors or Masters) in relevant fields;
• Dynamic and result-oriented profile;
• Ability to organize and plan effectively;
• Critical analysis and problem-solving skills;
• Cultural sensitivity, excellent communication skills and strong ability and willingness to transfer knowledge;
• Ability to work in difficult conditions and under pressure;
• Responsible and systematic.

PIN offers:

• Work experience with professional and flexible INGO, reputable in Nepal, and the largest in Central and Eastern Europe;
• Starting salary as per PIN salary, more details will be shared with pre-selected candidates;
• A supportive HQ that provides expertise and guidance on everything from finance and procurement to proposal development and strategic positioning;
• Personal and professional growth as a leader in the highly competitive development sector;
• Extensive Capacity Building program – global PIN Induction Training, internal e-learnings, Knowledge and Learning Department onboarding, and individually tailored capacity-building opportunities;
• Participation in enriching annual meetings of all senior field staff in Prague.