Emergency Programme Manager - Syria Crisis (Maternity Cover) for CAFOD

THIS ROLE IS FOR CAFOD A SISTER CARITAS AGENCY

Interested applicants are requested to submit their application on the following link:

CAFOD's Website

Starting Salary: £36,501 - £37,877 p.a.

Contract: 7 months for maternity cover (starting mid-February 2023 to mid-September 2023)

Location: Beirut, Lebanon

Full time: 35 hours per week

Job Profile

The Syria crisis Programme Manager will provide leadership, direction, and management of CAFOD and SCIAF’s response to the regional humanitarian crisis caused by the conflict in Syria, and will to ensure appropriate, effective and high-quality programmes, in accordance with CAFOD and SCIAF policies and procedures.  The Syria crisis Programme Manager will be responsible for developing and delivering CAFOD and SCIAF strategy for responding to the crisis in Syria and in neighbouring countries, including, but not limited to, Lebanon and Jordan, working with local partners and in collaboration and co-ordination with other Caritas International agencies in the region and other relevant actors.

Job Scope

Key components of this role are as follows:

• To provide leadership, direction, and management of the CAFOD/SCIAF Syria crisis programme, covering work in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan;
• Resourcing, financial and funding management and accountability, ensuring effective resourcing of the programme, as well as strong financial management and stewardship of CAFOD/SCIAF and donor funds and expenditure;
• To manage the CAFOD and SCIAF partnership in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding signed by both organisations;
• To manage relationships with Caritas International member organisations active in the region, local and international, other local partners, institutional donors and other humanitarian actors;
• To manage risk & security, taking responsibility for any associated risks of operating within the programme, ensuring appropriate risk identification, mitigation and monitoring.

Accountability

This role reports to the Emergency Response and Support Team Leader at CAFOD, within the International Programme Teams, and line manages the following roles:

• Emergency Programme Officer (UK-based);
• Emergency Response Officer (Lebanon-based);
• Project Manager (Lebanon-based – to be recruited in 2023)

Key Responsibilities

Lead and Manage the Syria crisis programme (60 %)

• Provide leadership, direction, and management of CAFOD and SCIAF response to the regional crisis arising from conflict in Syria, to ensure appropriate, effective and high-quality programmes in accordance with CAFOD and SCIAF policies and procedures.

• Develop and maintain an operational plan for the effective use of funds available to support CAFOD and SCIAF work for the Syria crisis.
• Monitor the development of the crisis and the humanitarian context within the region.  Develop scenarios or forecasts of how the situation might evolve and appropriate contingency plans for CAFOD and SCIAF response.
• Develop and take forwards new and existing partnerships in the region with Caritas International member organisations, local and international, and with other local and regional organisations.

• Support the implementation and maintenance of systems and procedures for ensuring good practice and meeting sectoral standards on accountability and programme quality, including the Red Cross Code of Conduct and the SPHERE standards, and promoting compliance with CHS and Caritas Internationalis Management standards.
• Liaise with the Middle East Programme team in CAFOD and relevant counterpart in SCIAF concerning links and crossover between the Syria crisis programme and other programmes in the region, to ensure a co-ordinated approach to CAFOD/SCIAF work.
• Support appropriate opportunities to strenghten the capacity of local partner organisations involved in the programme, and to promote the sustainability of their humanitarian work.
• Ensure timely submission of quality proposals and reports to external funders, working in close collaboration with the CAFOD Humanitarian Funding Officer.
• Manage grants to partners in accordance with CAFOD’s Programme Management Manual (PMM), including following up on reporting, auditing and other compliance issues.
•  Work with partners on monitoring the impact of CAFOD/SCIAF humanitarian programme work in the region. 
• Participate in  and contribute to the development of the Middle-East programme strategy with relevant colleagues and teams. 
• Undertake travel to Syria and the neighbouring countries when needed, sometimes at short notice and to areas of insecurity.

Resource management (20%)

• Provide line management for CAFOD staff working on the Syria crisis programme.
• Manage and review the CAFOD/SCIAF Syria crisis programme budget and cashflow, monitoring income and expenditure.
• Ensure effective resourcing of the programme engaging new and current donors. This includes driving institutional donor engagement/relationship building, approving submissions and overseeing risk and quality assurance.
• Ensure effective engagement in supporter fundraising and communication processes; informing fundraising priorities, targets and messages.
• Ensure accurate and timely financial management and reporting on programme in close cooperation with the CAFOD Humanitarian Funding Officer and the CAFOD Programmes Accountant.
• Ensure the programme complies with CAFOD’s financial management standards, including managing financial risks and any issues that may arise.

Representation and Communications (10 %)

• Represent CAFOD and SCIAF externally in relationships with other relevant agencies, national partners, government representatives and institutional donors.
• Lead wider cross organisational initiatives relating to the programme, such as media and communications work or advocacy. Engage in particular with the CAFOD Head of Humanitarian Policy, to ensure CAFOD and SCIAF humanitarian policy and advocacy messages are coherent and effective, and informed by our experience and that of our partners.
• Provide effective collaboration with Caritas Internationalis (CI) and its member agencies, representing CAFOD and SCIAF where needed, and also liaising with relevant Caritas working groups in the region. 
• Maximise opportunities for cooperation around programmes, advocacy and fundraising, with sister agencies and other relevant actors, promoting complementarity and avoiding duplication. This includes holding strategic relationships, liaising with relevant donors in order to raise the profile of CAFOD/SCIAF and partners’ work, etc.Develop and facilitate supporter communications and work with the CAFOD communication team.

Risk and security management (10 %)

• Identify and monitor associated risks of operating within the programme, ensuring appropriate risk identification, mitigation and monitoring.
• Monitor the security situation in Lebanon, Jordan and Syria and the region engaging with the relevant security coordination mechanisms.
• Ensure that CAFOD security plans for those countries are up to date and accessible.
• Act as primary security manager for visitors to the region.

Safeguarding

All CAFOD staff share responsibility to promote and maintain a strong safeguarding culture, including identifying the key actions they should take given their role and responsibilities.

Your role is responsible for ensuring that both you and your staff understand and implement minimums on programme quality into your work (related to safety, accessibility, dignity and inclusion) and that all safeguarding standards are upheld and reported on effectively.

People Management  

Lead, manage, develop and support the team by championing our purpose and values through; building strong and safe working relationships, setting SMART objectives and conducting performance reviews, nurturing staff career development.  Encouraging collaborative ways of working and aiding staff to be adaptable to change whilst engaging with the external and internal context.   

This list of duties and responsibilities is by no means exhaustive and the post holder may be required to undertake other relevant and appropriate duties as required. This job description is subject to regular review and appropriate modification.

Safeguarding for Children and Vulnerable Adults

CAFOD recognises the personal dignity and rights of children and vulnerable adults, towards whom it has a special responsibility and a duty of care and respect.  CAFOD, and all its staff and volunteers, undertake to do all in our power to create a safe environment for children, young people and vulnerable adults and to prevent their physical, sexual or emotional abuse.  CAFOD is committed to acting at all times in the best interests of children and vulnerable adults, seeing these interests as paramount.  Any candidate offered a job with CAFOD will be expected to adhere to CAFOD’s Safeguarding policy and sign CAFOD’s Code of Behaviour as an appendix to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents. This post involves contact with children, young people and vulnerable adults, or has responsibility for people who will do, and applicants will be subject to specific checks related to safeguarding issues.  If based in the UK the post holder is required to present or obtain a Disclosure from the DBS (Disclosure & Barring Service).  If the post is based outside the UK the post holder will be subject to a different checking process.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references, and appropriate screening checks can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. CAFOD also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of, and consent to, these recruitment procedures.

Person Specification

Essential Criteria

Understanding our context

A Understanding Catholic identity – Understand the place of CAFOD as an agency within the Caritas network and the Church.

B Understanding CAFOD – Demonstrate how both CAFOD’s and Catholic values influence our work internally and externally.

C Understanding international development – Understanding of working and liaising with international bodies and consortia (Caritas, FCDO, EU, UN and UK NGOs); Demonstrated experience of working with humanitarian standards and best practice (e.g. Humanitarian Charter, SPHERE, Red Cross and Red Crescent Code of Conduct, CHS);  Sound understanding of humanitarian policy, best practice and international humanitarian policy debates; Understanding and ability to incorporate gender, dignity, protection and diversity issues in humanitarian work.             

Working together

D Managing ourselves – Recognise what needs to be done and take action to deal with it; Organise people and processes to deal with crises; Readily share knowledge or expertise with colleagues.

E working with others – Proven successes in working with community-based organisations and local partners in the delivery of humanitarian programmes and capacity building, particularly in preparedness and response; ability to work remotely with partners and team members.

F Communicating – Encourage others to reflect and contribute to discussion; Ensure others fully understand what has been discussed and agreed; Confront conflict and disagreements to reach a satisfactory conclusion.

G Looking outwards – Handle complex negotiations with multiple partners to achieve agreed outcomes; Deep knowledge of the political and social context of the Syria crisis        .

Making change happen

H Managing resources – Take full account of available resources in deciding what can be achieved; translate plans into accurate budgets and forecasts of expenditure.

I Achieving results – Proven experience of successfully delivering operational emergency and humanitarian programmes; Provide a clear sense of purpose and priorities to ensure focus on results; Create contingency plans for potential problems.

J Managing our performance – Understanding of approaches to ensure transparency and accountability in the humanitarian work.

K Taking the lead – provide a clear sense of direction and purpose for the team; act quickly and decisively to deal with emerging problems.          

Job-specific competencies

• Experience of working with, and/or a commitment to humanitarian standards e.g. Core Humanitarian Standards, SPHERE, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Code of Conduct and IHL instruments.
• Experience of managing and monitoring complex budgets.
• Ability to work in insecure environments and to manage one's own personal security and the security of our work and partners .