Programme Coordinator – Afghanistan  

Position Start Date :  01.05.2024

Duration : 12 months with possible extension

Location : Kabul, Afghanistan

Status : Unaccompanied

Terre des hommes does not set closing dates for this position; recruitment is on-going until the position is filled. Candidates are nevertheless encouraged to apply as early as possible.

Tdh :

Terre des hommes Foundation (Tdh), with headquarters in Lausanne and an office in Zurich, is the leading Swiss organisation for child rights. In 2022, we supported 2.6 million children and members of their communities around the world. We trained people who in turn supported a further 4.5 million children and members of their communities.

Context :

Terre des hommes (Tdh) has been working in Afghanistan since 1995. In 2023, Tdh provided humanitarian assistance and protection to very vulnerable children and families who often did not have at all access to basic services in 4 provinces: Nangarhar, Herat, Kandahar and Kabul.

In Afghanistan, Tdh’s work focuses on two main components: general health centered around maternal and child health and child protection. Since August 2021 and the regain of power by the Taliban, Tdh has also integrated a multi-purpose cash component, sub-grants and vocational training  to meet the basic needs of the population. Indeed, due to the economic crisis generated by this political unrest, combined with international sanctions and constant natural disasters, the entire public system has collapsed. Today, the population depends almost exclusively on humanitarian aid – which is diminishing – to meet its basic needs as well as to access health and education services.

It is estimated that, out of a population of over 42 million people, 29.2 million are in need of humanitarian aid. As families struggle to make ends meet, children and women suffer directly from the consequences of the deteriorating overall humanitarian situation. Negative coping mechanisms include the reduction of expenditure considered non-essential, such as maternal, newborn and child health care (MNCH), and/or the involvement of children in harmful practices to contribute to household expenditure, in particular child labour for boys and early marriage for girls.

As well as facing a dramatic political, economic and human and women rights context, while humanitarian space continues to shrink, Afghanistan is also having to cope with a steady increase in the number of internally displaced persons and returnees. A humanitarian disaster is currently unfolding on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, as undocumented Afghans are being sent back from Pakistan. It is estimated that this current situation will develop into a protracted humanitarian crisis that Afghanistan will have to face in the coming months and year.

Responsibilities :

·       Under the supervision of the Head of Delegation, he/she ensures the roll-out of the program strategy in his/her field of expertise at the national level as aligned with the delegation strategy and plan of action, and as such he/she is the guarantor of the national impact of Terre des hommes in his/her field of expertise.

·       He/She is in charge of developing, improving and consolidating, and improving the implementation of programming across the country.

·       He/She is in charge of overseeing specialized program coordinators and ensuring quality control and sound financial management.

·       He/She coordinates the development of new proposals with a focus on the technical approach and staffing structure and contributes to securing the required resources (financial and human) in the delegation with the support services involved.

·       He/She contributes to the coordination with existing donors and the development of partnerships with new donors.

·       He/She contributes to steering the program by implementing and following up indicators, especially concerning the cross-cutting themes of his/her field.

·       He/She develops and fosters innovation in the program in the country.

·       He/She supports the implementation of the insurance system and quality control for the projects of the program in the country.

·       He/She coordinates closely with counterparts in the regional office and at HQ to discuss innovations, partnership, and the sharing of knowledge of his/her program in the country.

·       He/She is in charge of running and developing the program’s strategic partnerships in the Delegation.

·       He/She is responsible for and accountable to beneficiaries, collaborators and donors.

·       He/She ensures close coordination with the Support Service Coordinator, the Safety & Security Manager and the Grants & Reporting Manager to ensure the smooth implementation of programming and address issues as they arise in a timely manner.

·       He/She ensures that teams and partners have learned the security policies and the general code of conduct and comply with them at all times.

The full job description will be shared with the candidates selected to start the recruitment process.

Profile :

Education :

Master’s degree in management, social science, international development, humanitarian assistance and/or other relevant field.

Experience & Competencies :

·     Minimum 10 years of progressively responsible experience in program management, design developing and leading integrated and complex program portfolios – preferably experience in Afghanistan or similar context.

·     Proven experience in both humanitarian and/or conflict affected countries settings.

·     At least 5 years’ experience in people management with proven leadership experience in managing multi-disciplinary teams of diverse cultural backgrounds, fostering a positive working environment, and manage issues sensitively and diplomatically.

·     Experience in project development and management; including ability to lead on assessments, design, implementation, monitoring; with good skills in donor reporting, accountability, and compliance.

·     Experience in drafting strategies, programmatic frameworks and fundraising proposals.

Languages

Full professional proficiency in English is mandatory; Dari and/or Pashto is an asset; French a plus.

IT know-how

Full proficiency with Microsoft Office Environment.

Knowledge of KOBO or other data collection, survey tools a plus

Conditions:

·     Swiss Labour Law contract

·     Gross monthly salary between CHF 5’000.- and CHF 5’500.-, depending on experience, – x13,36 months

·     Insurances: sickness, accident, repatriation

·     Annual leaves: 25 days/year

·     Flights to duty station and back

Tdh Global Code of Conduct and Risk Management Policies :

·     Fully complies with Tdh’s Global Code of Conduct and systematically reports any breach to the Code through the whistleblowing procedure: raises awareness within the Foundation on abuse and violence and the rights deriving therefrom, respecting the rights and dignity of children, members of the communities and our own Staff

·     Commits to respecting Risk Management Policies including: Safeguarding Policies (Child Safeguarding Policy, Policy on the Protection against Sexual Exploitation and the Directive on Staff Misconduct at the Workplace), Safety and Security Policy and Anti-Fraud/Corruption and Prevention of the Financing of Criminal Activities Policies

·     Commits to reducing the risk of abuse and harm by developing a culture of open and informed leadership within the organization and in our work with children and the communities in which we intervene in.

We offer an exciting and varied work, useful and meaningful, in a team that wants to make a difference for vulnerable children.

Are you interested? Do you want to face this challenge?

Procedure :

Please apply directly to our email address: [email protected]

Include your name and job title in the subject line of the e-mail, as well as the location.

Additional documents (diplomas, work certificates, etc.) will be requested at a later stage.

We will be in touch with the shortlisted candidates only in the selection process – with the large number of applications received, we unfortunately cannot provide personal follow-up to the larger candidate pool. Thanks for your understanding.

For any questions you can consult the FAQ below the job advertisements.