Background

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. IRC has been working in Ethiopia since 1999 and is implementing coordinated, community-managed programs aimed at improving the quality of lives and recovery of livelihood of the disaster-affected population, including host communities, through promoting individual participation, strengthening institutions, and emergency response.

Position overview

Reporting to the Tigray Field Coordinator, the Tigray – Senior Program Manager will be responsible for overseeing the planning, executing, monitoring, and controlling of all projects in Tigray to ensure it is completed in a timely fashion, within budget and in line with commitment in the donor contract. 

Major Responsibilities

·          Working with the relevant Tigray program leads (Health & Nutrition, EH, CWI, Education, CP etc.) in Addis and in Tigray and ensure activity plans, recruitment plans, procurement plans, and spending plans are in place and regularly monitored and ensuring that they are revised as needed to ensure a timely closure of assigned grants / activities.

·          Ensure all project cycle meetings are organized, coordinated and requirements are ready prior to country wide meetings. Furthermore, assure that action plans agreed on the meetings are completed timely. Effective leadership of the field level meetings will contribute for the smooth implementation of the national level meetings.

·          Ensure program leads working on Tigray projects raise PRs in a timely manner, track relevant PR’s and closely follow up to ensure timely delivery / provision.

·          Track all Tigray project related recruitments to ensure PRF along with required supporting documents and approvals are submitted in advance and that there is proactive follow up by hiring manager and Recruitment Unit.

·          Facilitate field level grant management meetings and ensure Addis team receive notes and actions points within a timely manner. Ensure action points in field office are followed up.

·          Facilitate field level grant management meetings and ensure Addis team receive notes and actions points within a timely manner. Ensure action points in field office are followed up.

·          Ensure quarterly operating environment emergency assessment and analysis, as well as identify potential responses and develop concept note and share with the relevant internal stakeholders.

·          Lead different multi sectorial and multi-agency assessments and surveys including humanitarian need assessments, KPC/ KAP surveys and PDM surveys in collaboration with program leads and MEAL team in Shire Field Office and Addis.  

·          Ensure donor compliance on visibility and program management is adhered to in a timely manner.

·          Supervise the program managers under Shire Field office, make regular field visit and give technical support/guidance in a timely manner giving high emphasis to short term projects and ensure program quality and achievement of key program deliverables and report key findings of field visits and corrective actions taken/proposed within 5 days after field visit.

·          Communicate with Field Coordinator and the concerned in Addis any programmatic challenges to seek a timely solution.

Coordination

·         Support coordination in Tigray with the UN clusters, humanitarian forums, working groups, and the government. Ensuring that IRC is represented in all relevant emergency forums, working groups and donor meetings.

·         Ensure program mangers attend their respective cluster meetings and he/she will attend the inter-cluster meeting.

Monitoring

•         Ensure program sectors develop indicator trackers and that they update them regularly to facilitate monitoring of all projects in Tigray and ease of reporting.

•         Ensure the IRC Global Strategy including Outcome Evidence Framework, Indicator Selection Tool, and good and phenomenal standards as well as other tools/strategies are integrated in the design, implementation, and monitoring of CWI projects.

•         Collaborate with the MEAL Department to conduct ongoing monitoring and feedback/accountability of response to ensure actions are timely and appropriate.

•         Working with the Safe Programming Unit, ensure safeguarding system are in place for all Tigray program activities.

•         Ensure Client Responsiveness systems are in place for all Tigray project activities. Lead planning and handling any external program evaluations related to Tigray projects.

•         Promote a culture of respect, transparency, and accountability within IRC’s Tigray funded response activities.

•         Review and share high quality and timely donor reports and MoUs and LoUs.

•         Ensure regular monitoring of budgets of different grants in collaboration with the Field Coordinator for a timely action for underspent/overspent lines.

Reporting.

·         Compile and share general weekly update to country office.

·         Compile and share other relevant reports requested by donor and for internal consumption.

Other

·          Working closely with the Field Coordinator and the Safety and Security team to support adherence with IRC’s safety and security procedures.

·          Coordinate with relevant stakeholders, act as Tigray focal point for support visits from Global TAs and Tus and donors.

·          Working closely with the Field Coordinator and operational unit leads in Tigray and Addis, ensure the Tigray programs received the support required for the timely delivery of projects.

·          Work closely with the Tigray Field Coordinator and their support functions teams to ensure a one-agency response.