Job Description
Blumont is a global organization working with communities around the world to help people overcome challenges and create a foundation for progress. Our vision is a world where a community’s future is not determined by its circumstances, but by the aspirations of its people.
Whether delivering lifesaving humanitarian assistance, building the infrastructure that stabilizes communities, or creating economic opportunities for individuals and businesses, Blumont teams are committed to making a positive difference in peoples’ lives.
POSITION SUMMARY:
The Program Director will ensure high-quality implementation of a USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (USAID/BHA) food security and camp coordination and camp management program to provide emergency assistance to vulnerable communities in Northeast Syria in adherence to Blumont and donor programmatic, financial, administrative, and security procedures. The Program Director will collaborate with the Country Director and Program Quality and Learning (PQL) Division support team to oversee all aspects of the food security and Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) operations of the program. The Program Director will work closely with the field and HQ teams to develop programmatic reports, track progress toward program deliverables, identify implementation challenges, and recommend program adjustments based on changing needs. The Program Director will be responsible for coordinating communication between the program teams, the Country Director, all key HQ stakeholders, and all field administrative and support functions, including finance, procurement, supply chain logistics, and human resources (HR).
KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY
The Program Director is the strategic lead for the program, and as such s/he plans, oversees, and coordinates all aspects of program implementation with field teams to ensure the objectives of the program are accomplished within the prescribed timeframe and funding parameters. This includes, but is not limited to, monitoring progress toward deliverables, providing necessary reporting and documentation, quality assurance of activities, careful financial and administrative management, and adherence to Blumont policies and procedures and USAID/BHA rules and regulations.
Activity Management:
- Work with field teams to troubleshoot logistic challenges such as road closures blocking access to areas of implementation, border bottlenecks, and a dynamic security situation.
- Lead in the development of all program deliverables, including the annual workplan, quarterly and annual reports, the M&E plan, etc., in close coordination with relevant internal teams and the PQL division at HQ.
- Responsible for ensuring that the program is implementing high quality programming in compliance with relevant operational and technical standards and guidelines.
- Support in the annual proposal development, close-out, and start-up cycle of this annually renewable program.
Program Personnel Management:
- Establish an emotionally and psychologically safe work environment where staff feel confident raising mistakes to promote learning.
- Approach staff with humility to build effective relationships that lead to trust and openness.
- Mentor direct-report staff, including communicating clear expectations, setting performance objectives, establishing a supportive environment while emphasizing accountability, providing regular and timely constructive performance feedback, and leading documented semi-annual performance reviews.
- Collaboratively define the roles and responsibilities of M&E and technical field teams with the M&E Director and technical leads at the field level and Directors at HQ.
Program Earned-Value Management:
- Develop and manage the program work plan, and use the work plan to identify programmatic bottlenecks, risks, and issues and formulate innovative solutions through coordination with the appropriate field and HQ teams.
- Work with the Deputy Country Director to ensure effective financial management of programs, close monitoring of the monthly burn rate, and minimize over- and under-spend in the execution of programs.
- Conduct regular analyses of program spend versus program achievement, to ensure the budget stays aligned with program targets.
- In close coordination with the M&E and programs team, collect data to inform program decision making leading to regular adjustments in implementation to continue to achieve program targets in the ever-changing context of NES.
Administrative Management and Compliance:
- Work in close coordination with the Finance staff to ensure effective financial management of the program, including accurate accounting of all expenses, close tracking of program expenses against the budget, tracking of budgetary commitments to avoid unexpected invoice submissions, and regular tracking of accounts payable and accounts receivable.
- Work in close coordination with the supply chain team to ensure all procurement and logistics management is conducted in coordination with donor rules and regulations and Blumont standard operating procedures. This includes developing systems for the receipt of goods in Syria to confirm compliance with procurement documents.
- Work in close coordination with the HR team to support human resource management for all program staff.
Coordination with Stakeholders:
- Interface with USG donor representatives and represent Blumont in a professional manner before the donor.
- Work closely with the Food Security & Livelihoods and CCCM Clusters, relevant Working Groups, NES Forum actors and other USAID/BHA funded food security programs to ensure coordination and avoid duplication of activities.
- Actively engage with local authorities and key stakeholders in Syria, including regarding staff protection and community acceptance
- Effectively coordinate communication between the program team, Country Director, field-based administrative and finance teams (including procurement, HR, and finance), and PQL support team
- Closely coordinate all aspect of program implementation with the PQL team at HQ, including program managers, technical and M&E support, and support from administrative and financial divisions.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor’s degree in international affairs, economics, agriculture, or relevant field;
EXPERIENCE and SKILLS
- At least 8-10 years of demonstrated management skills, preferably within international non-governmental organizations;
- At least 8-10 years of prior experience with NGO work; humanitarian response programming required;
- Programming experience with mass displacements, IDPs, and camp management preferred;
- Demonstrated success interfacing with donor agencies;
- Experience implementing BHA emergency food security and CCCM programming preferred;
- Prior experience in Middle East is required, Syria experience desirable;
- Fluency in English required; proficiency in Arabic and/or Kurdish preferred.
SUCCESS FACTORS:
- Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills;
- Flexibility and ability to work in fluid, ambiguous, and rapidly changing circumstances;
- Ability to recognize problems and bottleneck and provide innovative solutions; and
- Excellent organizational skills.
Travel Requirements:
- Erbil-based position, with frequent field (50-60%) visits to Northeast Syria-based offices.
