DIMENSIONS OF THE ROLE

The Deputy Country Director – Programmes is responsible for developing a long-term vision and strategic planning to achieve significant impact through high-quality programming and leadership. The role involves supporting the partnership team, and leading where appropriate, strategic engagement with partners. The successful candidate coordinates and oversees the delivery of agreed plans and programmes, integrating humanitarian response and development programmes with policy and advocacy based on the Oxfam One programme approach.

The Deputy Country Director – Programmes must be able to deal with complex, non-routine, and unexpected management tasks and problems. They represent Oxfam in coordination meetings and critical external relationships with municipalities and governance structures, humanitarian stakeholders, and interagency coordination. The successful candidate shows an ability to analyze and communicate complex information to a wide audience. The individual must also demonstrate decision-making that is strategic and operational, requiring significant levels of judgment based on technical and management experience, and a range of external and internal factors.

The Deputy Country Director – Programmes must demonstrate well-developed abilities to motivate and persuade at many levels and recognize the support required to manage change. They are a role model for their team in this process. The role impacts and influences within the country programme and influences the diverse internal/external target audiences both at the country and above the country level, requiring proven communication, facilitation, and representation skills.

The individual will manage a significant number of staff and have budgetary responsibility for multiple programmes, involving strong operational management experience and capability. They will provide specialist advice to country and regional management on humanitarian and development issues and possibly interface with the media/public on humanitarian and development issues. In-depth knowledge of the principles underlying the key purpose and role of programme leadership, coordination and management is required to make decisions affecting the team and which may impact more widely in the division/programme.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Direction and Leadership

·         Develop Oxfam’s long-term vision and provide a clear strategic direction for the development, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of Oxfam’s programme under its three strategic goals that span the humanitarian and development continuum and ensure strong linkages to influencing work in Iraq.

·         Work with the CD to develop Oxfam’s Country Operating Plans and Budget and support the CD in monitoring overall performance against and delivery of the Country Strategy in Iraq.

·         Support and maintain strategic alliances and partnerships with a wide range of stakeholders including national and local authorities, donors, multilateral agencies, partners, as well as within Oxfam confederation (partner affiliates, knowledge hubs, Global Humanitarian Team, etc.)

·         Maintain an analysis of the evolving country context and use this to inform interventions.

·         Provide leadership and management on Oxfam’s programming in Iraq, including fundraising, appropriate allocation and management of resources, programming quality, accountability, and performance management.

• Remain up-to-date, and aware of ongoing contextual and funding trends in the region and provide regular updates on these trends and analysis of how they may affect Oxfam programming.

Programme design, implementation, and quality

·         In coordination with programme team and under the guidance of the Country Director, to lead on developing country programme strategies, objectives, and activity plans.

·         Responsible for, in close collaboration with the funding department, and the Thematic programme team, lead on programme design and proposal development, ensuring full participation of influencing department and support departments.

·         The DCD-P maintains the overview of the programme funding pipeline and needs, clearly communicating Programme funding needs and priorities, maintaining, and developing new and existing donor relationships.

·         Ensure programme quality implementation of programmes in a consultative, participative, and transparent and gender sensitive way.

·         Work with the DCD-Support to ensure that budgets/projections are drawn up for all activities, and that costs are kept within budgets and programmes are cost-efficient, providing a monthly financial projection.

·         Responsible for ensuring that Oxfam meets all contractual obligations and achieves high quality proposal and donor reporting on time.

·         Take measures to limit risks to the programme , including security, safeguarding, reputational, financial and harm to beneficiaries.

·         Ensure that learning is incorporated into on-going and new programmes.

·         Ensure adherence to Oxfam’s policies and programme standards including humanitarian standards as well as compliance with Oxfam’s Common Approach to MEL and Social Accountability (CAMSA) and partnership principles.

·         Ensure ongoing constructive relationships with partners and allies, and work with diverse teams to strengthen partner capacity, adopting a strategic, proactive perspective on how to achieve partner led approaches to achieve sustainable change.

·         Support the Oxfam in Iraq in relevant programme research and knowledge generation ensuring the integration of cross cutting, regional and global issues.

·         Provide guidance to the programme team regarding tools and strategies to ensure that programming is based on input from communities, a thorough understanding of the context, and technical best practices.

·         Work with colleagues in country program, region and HQ to identify funding opportunities and develop competitive, responsive proposals that meet internal standards, apply Oxfam’s strategy/ies and are donor compliant; meet with donors to discuss current and potential funding opportunities.

Financial Management

·         As a senior budget holder for the country programme, ensure timely spending, compliance, and procedural controls are rolled out across the country programme.

·         Through the provision of leadership support to the in-country grants team, and in close collaboration with the Finance Team, develop evidenced based and cost-effective funding applications.

person specification

1. Be committed to our feminist principles, and to applying them in your day-to-day behaviour and your work. Be ready to keep learning, with accountability to those who experience oppression as a result of their identities, such as their gender, race/ethnicity, disability, class, or LGBTQIA identity.”

2. Be committed to undertaking Oxfam’s safeguarding training and adhering to relevant policies, to ensure all people who come into Oxfam are as safe as possible.

Essential

•       A proven record of effective leadership, especially in conflict/post-conflict contexts. Ability to challenge, motivate and develop a team through periods of programme change.

•       Ability to work with significant levels of autonomy and make prompt and sound decisions.

•       Proven analytical skills and ability to work with others to develop strategy into action and communicate and influence this to a wider audience.

•       Knowledge and experience of promoting gender equity, and an active commitment to promoting the interests of marginalized people in all aspects of programme work.

•       Experience in programme planning, and competent use of project management tools.

•       The ability to meet agreed deadlines in a stressful and fast-paced environment, will be critical.

•       Proven experience in effective management of complex humanitarian situations, including managing finances, staff and funding of the programme (contract design and management).

•       Experience in managing staff: challenging, motivating, developing and inspiring team members

•       Evidence of professional excellence in related sectors (Livelihoods, WASH, Gender, Protection and Advocacy).

•       Sensitivity to cultural differences, and the ability to work in a wide variety of cultural contexts.

•       High-level interpersonal and communications skills.

•       Ability to influence and liaise effectively with key stakeholders and representation in high profile environments.

•       Fluency in written and spoken English is essential.

•       Sympathy with the aims and objectives of Oxfam.

•       Commitment to humanitarian principles and action.

•       Commitment to Oxfam’s equal opportunity and gender policies.

Feminist Leadership approach

•       Self-Awareness Able to develop a high degree of self-awareness around our own strengths and weaknesses and our impact on others. Our self-awareness enables us to moderate and self-regulate our behaviours to control and channel our impulses for good purposes. We self-moderate appropriately to different context thereby optimizing our ability to achieve goals

•       Vision Setting We have the ability to identify and lead visionary initiatives that are beneficial for our organisation and we set high-level direction through a visioning process that engages the organisation and diverse external stakeholders. Clarity in our communication of vision allows others to focus on delivery and their contribution to the wider changes we seek.

•       Strategic Thinking and Judgment We use judgment, weighing risk against the imperative to act. We make decisions consistent with organisational strategies and values.

•       Mutual accountability We can explain our decisions and how we have taken them based on our
organisational values. We are ready to be held to account for our actions and how we behave, as we are also holding others to account in a consistent manner.

•       Influencing We have the ability to engage with diverse stakeholders in a way that leads to increased impact for the organisation We spot opportunities to influence effectively and where there are no opportunities we have the ability to create them in a respectful and impactful manner.

•       Enabling We all work to effectively empower and enable others to deliver the organisations goals through creating conditions of success. We passionately invest in others by developing their careers, not only their skills for the job. We give more freedom and demonstrate belief and trust, underpinned with appropriate support.

At the interview, shortlisted candidates will also be assessed on our values and organisational attributes, as outlined above. 

Desirable

•       Arabic language skills are highly desirable.

•       Knowledge of the Iraqi and Middle Eastern context

•       Knowledge and understanding of Oxfam’s programmes in emergencies and development.