Programme Manager | Libya

WORK CONTEXT

CESVI has been operating in Libya since 2011 as the first Italian NGO to take action, in the aftermath of the Arab Spring, through humanitarian projects in Cyrenaica and Tripolitania. Nowadays CESVI is one of the best positioned NGOs in Libya, very active in the coordination of various sector working groups – in particular protection ones – with a diverse donors’ portfolio and serving all vulnerable target populations. From 2021 CESVI has expanded its presence in the East and South of Libya, with a further scale-up expected in 2023.

JOB DESCRIPTION

The main duty station will be the Country Office in Tunis, with a minimum of 50% regular stay in Libya (Tripoli, Benghazi, Misrata, and other relevant locations) when security conditions allow it. The current Libya setup implies 4 consecutive weeks in Libya, and 4 weeks in Tunisia. This setup can change depending on mission/logistics and context needs.

The Programme Manager works under the supervision of the Head of Programs, and mirrors the Head of Programs role, on a compact scale, by providing coordination, management, and leadership for CESVI projects in, mostly but not limited to, the East and South of Libya.

The Programme Manager coordinates Field Coordinators – who will have capped budget authorities – in Benghazi who are each responsible for the direct implementation of a project. The Programme Manager will oversee the opening of new CESVI projects in the East and South of Libya, providing cross-departmental support, and ensuring synergy between the intersecting projects, locations, and stakeholders. The Programme Manager will cooperate with the relevant Technical Specialists and MEAL to ensure program quality and meet technical standards, including supporting CESVI to develop a strategic approach to local partner engagement.

The Programme Manager is in charge of:

1. Programme General Coordination, Management and leadership

• Provide coordination and supervision of projects under his/her supervision ensuring they meet goals and have an impact, ensuing implementation is in accordance with donor requirements, sector approaches, activity work plans, timelines, and allocated resources;
• Guide all staff operating in the assigned area. This includes mentoring, troubleshooting, advising, providing recommendations as needed
• Actively contribute to recruitment, contracting, objectives setting and performance appraisals, staff capacity development, disciplinary measures, and dismissal
• Take part in regular project coordination meetings, including those with local implementing partners, to ensure projects are on track and any challenges are addressed
• Regularly analyse the political, security and socio-economical context, and ensure relevant updates are shared with the Country Operations Manager, Head of Mission, and Regional Manager

2.Programme management, including finance and procurement

• Support and monitor project staff’s planning of activities and anticipate procurement and finance needs based on planned activities. In particular, monitor the performance of local implementing partners and provide suggestions and support for improvement
• Act as a go-between for support and program functions within the field and country office, ensuring decision-makers have up-to-date relevant information
• Ensure projects under his/her responsibility are fully spent and that Field Coordinators monitor spending, including reviewing monthly BFUs for the projects
• Review project approaches and strategy, and take the lead on coordinating project amendments in close coordination with the Finance Coordinator and Audit and Compliance Manager, for both programmatic and financial amendments
• Ensure project reports are submitted on time to the donor and are of high quality. With support from the Deputy Programme Coordinator review donor reports and provide feedback for improvements
• When needed, lead on coordination of field assessments, in close collaboration with the Country Operations Manager and field-based staff
• Contribute towards new proposal development for projects that cover similar geographic areas or themes being able to clearly articulate priority programmatic and geographic areas for intervention

3.External coordination and representation

• Cultivate good relations with key external and relevant actors, including UN agencies, INGOs and donors, through regular attendance at coordination meetings/clusters and bilateral meetings. Maintain a strong contextual awareness of who is doing what in the area and up to date contacts to the extent possible
• Lead communication with national implementing partners for strategic matters (i.e. contract renewals, extensions, major bottlenecks)
• Participate in periodic review of partners’ project performance and support the partners with stakeholder engagement
• Support the Programme Coordinator and Regional Manager with project donor relations and representation
• Represent CESVI as required by the Regional Manager, including supporting or leading visits from donors, authorities etc.

4.Implementation of Safeguarding policies –Adult at risk/Child Safeguarding/PSEA

• Ensuring Safeguarding measures are implemented within his/her area of responsibility

The parties may also jointly define new activities that may be necessary or useful for the proper and timely implementation of the project.

REQUIREMENTS

Essential

· Minimum 5 years of experience in managing humanitarian projects with international NGOs in complex and conflict-affected contexts

· Minimum 3 years of relevant experience in people management and leadership, ideally mentoring national staff members

· Proven experience in managing multi-sectoral projects (in multiple geographic locations preferred)

· Excellent knowledge of project cycle management

· Experience in developing partnerships with local/national organisations

· Knowledge of financial, procurement, safety, and HR practices in INGOs

Skills

· Excellent communication skills and ability to work with different interlocutors

· Excellent organizational skills and ability to work unsupervised

· Leadership skills and ability to make decisions in difficult situations

· Capacity to work under a high level of stress

· Adaptation capacities to the dynamic context

· Trustworthiness and sense of responsibility

· Fluent English (written and spoken)

· Computer skills (including Excel and Word)

SAFEGUARDING

Cesvi has a zero-tolerance approach to any harm to, or exploitation of, a child or a vulnerable adult by any of our staff, related persons or partners.

Cesvi commitment to being a safe organization begins with the staff recruitment process which includes meticulous checks, such as criminal records checks or check disclosure of previous convictions, to ensure children and vulnerable people are safeguarded and abuse is prevented. Safeguarding checks are part of the selection process performance.

HEALTH SAFEGUARDING

Cesvi pays particular attention to safeguarding the health of all the human resources of the Organisation. Therefore, in order to protect its staff, an assessment of their suitability for the position in each mission is carried out before departure. Such assessment is done by the Occupational Doctor of the Organisation, who will also examine the vaccination coverage, including the anti-Covid19 vaccination.