About FCDO Sudan
Sudan is one of the most professionally interesting and challenging countries to work in for FCDO. Following a revolution which brought an end to 30 years of autocratic rule under Omer Al Bashir, Sudan is in a transition period as it moves towards becoming a peaceful, prosperous and democratic state. The civilian-led transitional government has made progress on its two priorities of peace and economy although many challenges remain to deliver against the populations’ expectations for their revolutionary slogan ‘freedom, peace and justice’. There is significant opportunity for FCDO to help Sudan succeed, to ensure that ‘the New Sudan’ leaves no-one behind.
FCDO has identified Economic Reform and Humanitarian Response as areas of focus, with inclusion, good governance and peace as cross cutting issues. Significant populations are increasingly vulnerable. Inflation is over 200% which means that people are less able to afford food, healthcare and transportation. Over twelve million people are in humanitarian need, mainly concentrated in Darfur, the Two Areas, White Nile and east although the economic crisis brings hardship for the entire population. This includes 35% of the population who are urban poor, 1.1m refugees and 2.5m IDPs Aside from displacement needs created by conflict and environmental degradation in Sudan, there are ongoing concerns regarding health, water, nutrition and food insecurity across much of the country with frequent localised emergencies. This year annual flooding was the worst in 100 years affecting over 800,000 people.
Job Description
| POSITION | A2L Senior Programme Manager |
| TYPE OF CONTRACT | 2 Year Fixed Term |
| salary | US$ 61,838 gross annually |
| Deadline | 27/12/2020 |
Purpose of Job
This is a fantastic opportunity to join a high-performing team and lead programming efforts on either FCDO’s humanitarian or development programme portfolio. The challenge is high, the subject matter fascinating and you can make a significant difference.
As a Senior Programme Manager (SPM) you will lead on programme delivery and compliance, finance, risk management and building staff capability to ensure effective delivery of UK Aid in Sudan. The postholder will work with the Team Leader and Senior Responsible Owners to ensure programmes are delivered in line with FCDO best practice, taking leadership on specific programme issues whilst retaining sufficient oversight of the work of Deputy Programme Managers in order to step in and support delivery where needed. The SPM will coordinate with colleagues in FCDO’s Operational Excellence team, and others in HQ and across the region to ensure that our programme portfolio follows best practice.
The SPMs will be working in a challenging and dynamic context, where programmes are innovative and adaptable to changes in the operating environment. This provides a good opportunity for a SPM to demonstrate and apply their skills across all programme competences. The post holder will need to have broad programme and line management expertise to lead the range programme work covered by the team, and a track record of collaborating with government and other partners. The post holder will have significant responsibility for building the capacity of programme staff, monitoring and supporting their delivery and providing direct project management support on complex aspects of projects. The post holder is expected to undertake some cross-office responsibilities and will be a core part of efforts to review and improve the current portfolio, including the planning and designing of FCDO’s future delivery mechanisms.
There are two SPM posts available in the coming months:
- The first in the Humanitarian and Human Development Team with oversight for FCDO’s large humanitarian programme which provides lifesaving support (food, protection, water and sanitation), as well as support to build resilience of communities to withstand shocks;
- The second in the Inclusion, Resilience and Recovery Team with oversight for FCDO’s development programmes working on climate change resilience, water and sanitation, women’s empowerment and governance reform.
FCDO Sudan is currently reviewing its programme portfolio and workforce plan in light of the changing context in Sudan – this exercise may result in similar opportunities in the coming months. We intend to use this recruitment to develop a potential pipeline of suitable candidates who could be considered if new vacancies emerge in the coming months.
Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities
The key functions of the Senior Programme Manager are the following:
Supporting the Team Leader to deliver the team’s contribution to the office Business Plan, delivering high quality programming, strengthening external engagement with keypartners, and supporting staff to maintain high performance and morale.
Ensuring robust and effective financial management across the programme portfolioincluding accurate forecasting and expenditure reporting. Analysing financial and audit reports and follow up implementation of the recommendations in line with FCDO guidance and procedures.
Lead risk management in a complex environment where FCDO has limited access toproject sites, drawing on the FCDO risk management framework, Due Diligence guidance and Counter Aid Diversion Strategy and best practice.
Building programme management capability –through effective staff coaching andmentoring. Providing leadership on programme management and supporting other advisory and programme staff with a focus on prioritisation, quality, and pace, encouraging stretch and collaborative team working to deliver corporate and cross-office priorities.
Supporting the Senior Responsible Owners to improve delivery and performance incompliance with Smart Rules, especially financial management, risk management and key supplier management.
Manage project relationships, building strong relationships with partner agencies to drivehigh quality performance and adherence to FCDO standards. Lead on briefings for senior meetings with partners. Take full account of cross cutting issues – gender, safeguarding, disability, exclusion, nutrition, commissions, protection, counter terrorism, etc. – in programme development and design. Deputising for the Team leader as required.
Support responsible exit and closure of existing programming as well as the development of new programming. Over the next 12 months there are likely to becontextual, strategic and policy shifts and a number of programmes are coming to an end. The post holder will contribute to the development of new programmes within a multidisciplinary team to develop Business Cases and lead due diligence of partners and programme mobilisation.
Success is measured by:
- Excellent portfolio management; financial management to achieve minimal variance between budget forecast and spend, well-managed risk and the foresight to help programme teams identify and resolve issues that arise, achieving results, and ensuring value for money.
- Effective challenge and support provided to Senior Responsible Owners and programme staff to ensure high quality Business Cases, reviews and due diligence processe, for the highest standard of team compliance with FCDO’s programme management framework.
- Ensuring staff are proactive and working effectively with positive team morale, benefitting from guidance, mentoring, and learning and development opportunities.
The post holder will need to be flexible and adaptable to a rapidly changing context and demonstrate an ability to work outside of the immediate responsibilities highlighted above
Core UK civil service behaviors:
Candidates are expected to be able to demonstrate the behaviours indicated below, further detail can be found in the Civil Service Behaviour Framework. All Civil Servants are expected to conduct themselves in accordance with the Civil Service Code.
- Communicating and Influencing: Communicate with others in a clear, honest andenthusiastic way in order to build trust. Explain complex issues in a way that is easy to understand. Deliver difficult messages with clarity and sensitivity, being persuasive when required. Consider the impact of the language used. Remain open-minded and impartial in discussions, whilst respecting the diverse interests and opinions of others.
- Making Effective Decisions –Analyse and accurately interpret data from a range of complex sources to support the best decisions possible. Make decisions confidently even when details are unclear or if they prove to be unpopular. Ensure decision making happens at the right level, not allowing unnecessary bureaucracy to hinder delivery
- Delivering at Pace – Show a positive approach to keeping the whole team’s efforts focused on the top priorities. Promote a culture of following the appropriate procedures to ensure results are achieved on time whilst still enabling innovation. Act promptly to reassess workloads and priorities when there are conflicting demands to maintain performance. Allow individuals the space and authority to meet objectives, providing additional support where necessary, whilst keeping overall responsibility.
Details of the above UK Civil service Behaviors are available by clicking this link.
Technical Competences
- Managing programme cycle –Level 3: has detailed knowledge and significantexperience in managing the programme/project cycle to deliver results in a cost-effective manner and on time.
- Programme Leadership –Level 3: Is able to be objective and honest aboutprogress against results. quickly resolves, corrects or escalates project/team issues as required.
- Engages others –Level 3
International Competencies
- Demonstrating Resilience- Adapting to working in difficult and varied international environments; and bouncing back from crises and setbacks in these contexts.
Experience Requirements
Essential:
- Experience of managing complex development or humanitarian programmes
- Experience of effective financial and risk management
- Experience managing and developing staff
Desirable:
- Experience working with Government, UN or NGO partners
FCDO is committed to equal opportunities in its staffing policy and does not discriminate on the grounds of race, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation or disability. Selection will be on merit.
Important – HOW TO APPLY!!
- The candidate must complete and send the application form to AfricaHRHubApplication3@ FCDO.gov.uk with a copy of their most recent CV. The subject line MUST read ‘SUD4325’
- Failure to follow the outlined procedure might result in the application not being considered. The closing date for the vacancy is Midnight on 27 December 2020. If no response has been received after 2 weeks from the closing date, consider the application as unsuccessful.
- application form (ODT, 47.7KB)
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