Program Management and Quality Lead

JOB DETAILS

LOCATION: Tunisia

CONTRACT TYPE: In line with the Tunisia Country Office regulations and NSTC, and national law

JOB FAMILY: Program Management

ONE OXFAM GRADE: C     ZONE: 1

TEAM: Program

SALARY: National, according to Tunisia salary scale

HOURS (FTE): Full time per National Staff Terms and Conditions (NSTC)

WORKING CONDITITIONS, BENEFITS AND SETUP

Oxfam offers attractive working conditions and benefit, in line with our National Staff Terms & Conditions (NSTC). Also, flexible working setup is applied following the Director and SMT steer, hence agreed and announced ways of working.

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

We are committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organization.

Oxfam in North Africa (ONA) has a mandate to:

• Provide strategic leadership, management & accountability of and to Oxfam programs in the NA sub-region and relevant countries.
• Deliver sub-regional impact, develop partner relationships, brand and impact through relevant projects and influencing and advocacy work, public engagement and development programming.
• Connect, coordinate, convene -connect practitioners to sources of expertise within and across countries in the NA sub-region, convene people to share and exchange views, knowledge and learnings, and coordinate capacity development initiatives.
• Enable operational agility and efficiency.

Oxfam’s vision is a just and sustainable world. Inequality is multi-dimensional. Its different expressions are created and sustained by unjust systems that can affect anyone, anywhere. Their interaction is the root cause of discrimination, poverty and injustice. Oxfam has a one-program approach which aspires to put people and the planet at the center of all intentions and effort, fight against all forms of discrimination and violence, and support efforts combating the erosion of accountable governance.

TEAM PURPOSE:

Under the leadership of the North Africa Program Management and Quality Lead (PMQL), the Programs Team (PT) ensures alignments with Oxfam global, regional and NA subregion strategy, quality and partnership approaches across all programs and interventions. The team purpose includes the development of the programs strategic documents, plans and reports, the advancement and quality application and implementation of Monitoring, Evaluation Accountability and Learning (MEAL) framework, and mentoring and mentoring their implementation with other colleagues and partners. The team is also responsible for advancing Oxfam’s program portfolio, through the quality design and development of new project, leveraging on successes and lessons of existing and previous ones.

In addition, the Programs team works in close partnership with the Influencing, Advocacy, Campaigns & Communication team, the Business Development & Fundraising team and the Finance & Operation team, to ensure Oxfam One Program approach and align effort and aspired outcomes. The PT directly contributes to advancing the NA strategies, resources and working approaches.

In NA, we implement context-relevant projects with inequality as cross-cutting and seek to advance the role and capacities of national and local actors, support influencing and advocacy and knowledge-for-impact efforts, within and beyond the region.

JOB PURPOSE:

The Program Management and Quality Lead (PMQL) has a strategic oversight of programs across the NA sub-region. The PMQL role leads Oxfam’s strategic program design and development, facilitates and ensures coordination and coherence across goals and projects, advances Oxfam connections, relations, partnerships and relevant approaches and strategy, and ensures that all relevant program managers and leads have the needed resources and support to implement the programs in line with quality standards.

This role also ensures that program quality standards are applied across the programs, including, but not limited to, gender analysis, gender mainstreaming and safe programming. Furthermore, the PMQL sets the model for principled and effective coordination and collaboration with the internal colleagues and departments, and externally with the partners, service providers, donors, peers and allies. 

The PMQL is line managed by the NA Director and a key member of the NA senior management team (SMT) which leads the NA strategic direction and alignments, guards the Oxfam brand, policies and compliance, and provides guidance and support to NA overall operation, staff and partners.

ROLE REPORTS TO

North Africa Director

ROLES REPORTING TO THIS POST

Program Managers and other relevant leads and functions

BUDGET RESPONSIBILITY

NA Program Portfolio overall budget

GEOGRAPHICAL SCOPE

North Africa

IMPACT

Internal and External

KEY STAKEHOLDERS

Internal stakeholders: NA Director and SMT, NA team, MENA Regional Platform, Partner Affiliate/s, Executing Affiliate/s (EA) related department and staff.

External stakeholders: Oxfam extended network of partners, and project specific parnters, service providers, relevant Institutional and Official parties, and others (per need and request).

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategy and Institutional Responsibilities

• Together with the NA Director lead on the strategic direction of NA, ensure Oxfam’s development programmes in NA are coherent and aligned with sub-regional and global strategies with a clear focus on Oxfam's added value in the sub-region.
• Contribute to the strategic discussions in the MENA region and enhance cross-regional dynamics.
• Lead on engagement with Partner Affiliates and OI stakeholders in support of developing, resourcing and quality implementation of Oxfam's sub-regional strategies.
• In close coordination with the NA Director and with the Funding and Compliance Lead, foster co-operation between Oxfam affiliates, actively seek and participate in fundraising initiatives, and negotiate funding opportunities for NA programs.
• Actively engage in discussions with partners and other stakeholders on fostering external funding opportunities and provide strategic advice programmatically to support external and internal resource mobilisation.
• Coordinate and/or actively participate in the design and oversight of programs, ensuring accountability of relevant stakeholders and/or providing thematic function support to the effective delivery of sub-regional or MCPs.
• Manage and support the preparation of high-quality reports/ program documentation/ learning and support its dissemination among key stakeholders in projects and programs, including other Oxfam countries, community and peer organizations, government agencies, universities, development organizations, donors, and the larger public.
• Ensure adherence and compliance of the NA programs to agreed Oxfam policies and management standards.
• In coordination with other SMT members, work closely with and support the NA Director by conducting regular risk analysis and reviews, apply safe programming and ensure partners and staff safety in all areas of work.

Partnership

• In close coordination with program managers and leads, proactively build relationships with external stakeholders and allies at sub-regional level including donors, government representatives and other civil society organizations, academia, to increase partnership and influence.
• Lead and guide the further advancement of the partnership strategy and implementation in NA in close collaboration with Program Managers and leads, the Influencing team and others.
• Ensure the establishing a NA strategic relationship and strengthening coalitions and networks both, across NA countries and within each of them, based on Oxfam partnership principles and best practices.
• Oversee and/or promote linkages and shared learning between counterparts and key stakeholders for effective planning and delivery of quality programming as well as in providing sound monitoring, evaluation, learning and accountability.

Program Quality Assurance and MEAL – planning, delivery and reporting

• In close coordination with relevant team members, ensure and be accountable for the quality design, implementation, management and monitoring of the Oxfam program in the NA sub-region. This includes accomplishing program and project objectives, monitoring and reporting the progress of the NA strategy and annual plan.
• Oversee and ensure programme quality is part and parcel of NA programs, including M&E frameworks, data and information collection for programme monitoring, reporting, donor engagement and learning, across programmes (including influencing) and teams and facilitates accountability to stakeholders.
• Ensure that the program team, working closely and inclusively with partners in countries or regional organisations, develops and delivers quality programs.
• Oversee and monitor the sub-region programs’ budget and expenditures, in close coordination with the Grants & Compliance and Finance & Operation relevant roles and Manager.

Leadership, Management & Coordination

• Promote and shape the One Oxfam culture by creating spaces for engagement and contribution and facilitating linkages, exchanges and shared learnings amongst and between the program team members and across teams and offices, as well as with the region and affiliates.  
• Set example and best practices to following Oxfam policies, compliance and steer with regards to all areas of work within the delegated lines of liability and authority.
• As a member of the NA SMT, provide inputs and priorities for reflection and decision making.
• As needed and by delegation from the NA Director, represent Oxfam in relevant fora and meetings with donors, partners or other stakeholders to promote and increase the organisation strategic positioning.
• Manage, monitor and mentor the NA Program team through day-to-day line-management, hosting regular team meetings as well as one-to-one meetings with the various members. 
• Responsible for the program team’s HR issues and concerns; team building, staff coaching and development, and performance review and assessment.
• Manage and facilitate the recruitment and selection processes of the NA program staff.
• Manage, mentor and monitor the behaviour, performance, and productivity of the direct project team and peers, in line with Oxfam’s principles, values, policies and obligations.
• Apply Oxfam leadership values, and lead their team by example, to ensure the fulfilment of Oxfam internal and external obligations, on all fronts; leave management, time and priority management, alignment with policies, respect of the leadership steer, contributing to a healthy working environment and relations.

WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

Oxfam is seeking a Senior level Program Management and Quality Lead that is/has:

• Seasoned, strategic and dynamic Manager with the following traits:

• Initiative, decisiveness and consistency.
• Self-Awareness and mutual accountability.
• Solution-oriented and agility.

• A Master’s degree OR equivalent level of professional and work experience in the development field, on social and economic matters, with similar type of organizations.
• At least 15 years of experience with progressive levels of professional responsibilities in the areas of strategic program design and management, quality project implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and learning trajectories.
• Solid knowledge and understanding of North Africa or MENA region, and experience in working in countries in transition as well as a significant knowledge of the thematic areas of work of Oxfam.
• Strong experience in building relations with diverse actors; CSOs, public and private sectors, media and academic institutions and donors.
• Solid experience in building, managing, mentoring and monitoring multi-national team and building good and healthy working relations and environment/s in a complex organizational structure and external contexts.
• Strong communication skills and experience in representing an organization at senior level with civil society organizations, government, donors, media, etc.
• Strong financial planning, management and monitoring skills, including the oversight of spending progress, early assessment of financial / budgetary risks, and setting prevention and mitigation plans.
• Strong abilities to address inequality, gender issues, women’s rights, and safe programming principles, and strong capacity in analysis and synthesis of thematic issues applied to the different areas of intervention of programs.
• Solid risk assessment, prevention and mitigations skills and ability to translate complex economic, political and social dynamics into adaptive programmatic and strategic responses.
• Strong knowledge of influencing strategies and opportunities, combined with a solid ability to conduct contextually grounded analysis to inform adaptive and alternative influencing pathways and the design and delivery of relevant interventions.
• Commitment to adhere to equity, diversity, gender, child safety and staff health and wellbeing principles.
• Commitment to Oxfam’s safeguarding policies to ensure all people who come into contact with Oxfam are as safe as possible.
• Experience in developing, designing and writing complex initiatives, programmes and projects.
• Demonstrated ability to work under pressure, prioritize, meet deadlines, and hold self and others to account.
• Availability and ability to travel as required, including regular partner visits and the facilitation of multi-day workshops and programmatic engagements across countries.
• Excellent English, French and Arabic skills (reading, speaking, writing).

Desirable:

• Experience in being part of a multi-cultural and multi-disciplined team.
• Commitment to Oxfam’s overall aims and policies and experience of promoting gender equity and diversity and the interests of marginalized people in all aspects of Oxfam’s work.
• Ability to demonstrate an openness and willingness to learn about the application of gender/gender mainstreaming, women’s rights, and diversity for all aspects of development work.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Most importantly, every individual in Oxfam needs to be able to:

Live our values of INCLUSION, ACCOUNTABILITY, EMPOWERMENT, COURAGE, SOLIDARITY and EQUALITY (read more about these here)

Ensure you commit to our ORGANIZATIONAL ATTRIBUTES (including adhering to the Code of Conduct):