Head of Programs, Sierra Leone

About Trócaire

Trócaire is an International NGO. We work with local partners in the world’s most at-risk communities and with people in Ireland to tackle the underlying causes of poverty and injustice and respond to the crises they create. Together we bring about positive and lasting change for a just world. Trócaire works in up to 20 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. We work towards five goals:

• Promote Access to Justice;
• Achieve Climate & Environmental Justice;
• Ensure Women & Girls’ Protection, Voice & Influence;
• Save Lives and Protect Human Dignity and
• Mobilise the Public on the island of Ireland to achieve Global Justice.

Our work is rooted in Catholic Social Teaching and in our values of Solidarity, Courage, Participation, Perseverance and Accountability.

In Sierra Leone, Trócaire works to achieve climate and environmental justice; ensure women and girls’ protection, voice & influence; and save lives and protect human dignity. Trócaire supports work on the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence, women’s political participation and leadership, sustainable livelihoods and economic empowerment, peacebuilding, climate and environmental justice and humanitarian preparedness and response.

Trócaire works through local partners and actively supports localised development and humanitarian aid. Supporting local civil society organisations to strengthen their organisational, institutional, financial, technical, and managerial capacities is core to Trócaire’s partnership approach in Sierra Leone. Trócaire’s Sierra Leone country programme also works closely with, contributing to and drawing support from, Trócaire’s global hub on partnership and localisation based in Nairobi, Kenya.

The Head of Programmes role is an existing role responsible for ensuring the effective delivery of strong thematic programmes that meet internal and external programme quality demands. The Head of Programmes coordinates technical and thematic support with global advisors and teams and ensures that the Sierra Leone team engages with the global organisation. The Head of Programmes leads on identifying new and innovative project and programme areas and ideas to support. The exciting and fast-paced role ensures that programmes align with Trócaire’s policies, incorporate research and innovation, and inform policy and advocacy work locally and internationally.

Reporting to Country Director, this is a fixed-term two-year contract based in Freetown, Sierra Leone to start in August 2024. The Head of Programmes will manage a team of currently 5 professionals and potentially up to six professionals.

Key responsibilities

Leadership
• Serve and make meaningful contributions as a member of the Country Management Team (CMT), working closely with the Country Director (CD) and Finance & Admin Manager (FAM) to deliver a strategic and innovative country programme that responds to the local context and is driven by research and learning and supports Trócaire’s organisational commitment to partnership and localisation.
• Model the behaviours and values expressed in our organisational Strategic Framework and expected of Trócaire staff.
• Coordinate with the Country Director and CMT on in-country networking and representation with government, donors, NGOs, INGOs, networks and the Catholic Church / Caritas.
• Provide leadership and foster collaboration with other actors (NGOs, INGOs, UN agencies, donors, networks, host government, etc.) to increase networking & opportunities for cooperation and collaboration.
• Support local partners in their organisational and institutional capacity strengthening efforts.

Programme Development and Management
• Supports the team and leads in the vision and the strategic thinking in the working areas of women empowerment, climate and environment justice, ending gender based violence, peacebuilding and agro-ecology.
• Deliver a strategic and innovative country programme that responds to the local context, is driven by research and learning and supports Trócaire’s organisational commitment to partnership and localisation.
• Deliver Trócaire Sierra Leone’s Country Strategy for 2021-2025, contributing to Trócaire’s organisational strategy while continually reviewing and adapting the country strategy. Support the development of the 2025 Country Strategy during the course of the next year.
• Ensure that all programmes are designed, implemented, monitored and evaluated within the Trócaire Programme Management and Accountability Framework.
• Ensure that all programmes effectively mainstream gender and/or protection throughout the programme cycle
• Work to promote innovation, adapt programming and bring iterative, innovative and new programme ideas to the CMT and organisation.
• Support the Programme team to identify and develop learning within the country programme and facilitate sharing this learning with partners, team members, and externally.
• Ensure coordination between the Programme Team and organisational Technical Advisors from various fields (development and humanitarian).
• Design and deliver effective humanitarian responses when appropriate.
• Take responsibility for Risk Management at a programme and project level, ensuring that the Programme Team appropriately analyses, mitigates, and responds to risks.
• Liaise with Trócaire’s Global Partnership & Localisation Hub staff to ensure that programmes and projects strengthen local partners’ organisational and institutional capacity.
• Streamline and manage a healthy, diverse, and strategic country partnership portfolio that supports the effective delivery of programme goals.
• Ensure the team is complying to organisational systems of Agresso, Salesforce, Trócaire People and Box.
• Ensure that the Partnership Policy guides Trócaire’s engagement with partners and that all Programme staff implement the policy, ensuring that Programme Officers offer high-quality support, accompaniment, and mentoring to local partners.
• Promote multi-directional accountability, including developing and implementing effective complaints handling mechanisms with partners and programme participants.

Human Resource, Finance, Logistics & Systems Management
• Effectively performance manage staff, including but not limited to 4 Programme Officers and 1 M&E Officer.
• Support, mentor and coach the Programme Officers and M&E Officer as part of their professional development and help them be highly effective in their work.
• Foster a culture of peer support and constructive engagement amongst the Programme Team.
• Ensure that all programme staff complete an induction and training process that equips them to confidently and effectively deliver on their role.
• Hold and document monthly programme team meetings that focus on vision, strategy and operations.
• As a member of the Country Management Team, support the CD and FAM to develop annual country budgets and participate in regular reviews as agreed with the CD.
• Maintain oversight of programme and project finances and budgets; ensure proper donor and organisational programme financial management.
• Establish a system of ongoing communication with the Finance and Admin Manager to oversee partner and programme finances and jointly address any issues encountered. Ensure full compliance, utilisation of and critical oversight of the Programmes team’s utilisation of Trócaire’s management information systems, including Salesforce, Box and Trócaire People.

Institutional Funding (IF)
• Support the implementation of the Country Team’s Institutional Funding Strategy.
• In collaboration with the Business Development & Grants Manager, lead in developing IF proposals and budgets, delegating responsibilities to Programme Team members and ensuring the delivery of high-quality outputs.
• Ensure global technical advisors and others support engagement in developing proposals and projects in a timely and planned manner.
• Support the Business Development and Grants Manager to manage a donor reporting calendar and ensure that all reports for donors, government, or other stakeholders are high quality and submitted on time.
• Ensure that local partners meet donor reporting and compliance requirements.
• Ensure effective management of IF grants, including cost recovery for legitimate core costs at country and HQ levels.

Policy, Advocacy and Communications
• Support the CD and Programme Team to proactively drive an evidence-based agenda around advocacy at the country level (and internationally where appropriate).
• Support organisational requests for materials or host visits related to programmes, advocacy, campaigns, development education, fundraising, and communications.
• Engage strategically, with the support of Programme Officers, in key thematic spaces, working groups, and networks relevant to Trócaire’s programming in the country.

Other Duties and Responsibilities
Fulfil all other reasonable duties and responsibilities as requested by the CD.

Essential Requirements

Qualification:
• University degree in a relevant field
Experience:
• Minimal 5 years experience in the management of development or humanitarian response programmes.
• Minimal 5 years experience in budgetary and financial management.
• Experience in human resource management.
• In-depth understanding of programming in a partnership model and working in a partnership-based INGO.
• Sound and up to date knowledge of development concepts, methodologies and techniques, including results-based management, programme cycle management, M&E, and organisational development.
• Demonstrable experience in promoting gender equity through programming and within an INGO.
• Sound experience at business development and demonstrable experience in working to attract institutional donor funding and managing complex donor grants.
• Solid experience in managing diverse teams in a multi-cultural environment and playing a leadership role in ensuring equality, cohesiveness, inclusion and development of staff at all levels.
• Experience working with management information systems.

Skills:
• Strong at problem solving in complex situations
• Ability to motivate staff to align behind a shared vision and objectives.
• Co-developing and implementing strategic plans.
• Ability to effectively performance manage staff.
• Excellent interpersonal and relationship management skills.
• Ability to manage budgets and financial systems.
• Highly organised, with excellent planning, prioritisation and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Competent in Microsoft packages (Word, Excel).
• Fluency (written and spoken) in English.

Qualities:
• Understanding of, and empathy with, the role of the Catholic Church in development.
• Calm and empathetic demeanour

Other:
• Ability and willingness to travel and monitor projects on a regular basis within the country
• Ability to travel internationally, if required.
• Commitment to principles of safeguarding of programme participants.

Desirable:
• Master’s degree in Development Studies, Climate Justice, Gender Studies, Peacebuilding.
• Experience in technical writing for business development and proposals. .
• Deep technical experience in one of the core programming areas (women empowerment, climate change, agroecology, peacebuilding or gender based violence)
• Programming experience in women’s empowerment.

Safeguarding Programme Participants-Children & Adults
Trócaire is committed to safeguarding people within our programmes from exploitation and abuse and has specific policies on this commitment (including a Global Code of Conduct) which outlines the expected behaviour and the responsibility of all staff, consultants and other organisational representatives. More information on Trócaire’s safeguarding policies available here.

Diversity and inclusion
We welcome diverse applicants to join our inclusive workforce.
Trócaire is an equal opportunities employer. We are an organisation that embraces diversity and inclusion. We welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds to bring their experiences and perspectives to Trócaire.
Diversity and Inclusion statement available here