Back Director of Programmes

Ground Truth Solutions is seeking a Director of Programmes to drive a diverse portfolio of projects that aim to shift power in the way humanitarian aid and climate change adaptation is designed, implemented and monitored. Reporting to the CEO, this new role will be accountable for overseeing programme management, ensuring quality assurance, making sure our programmes are driving change, and helping us develop new prospects to improve both our organisation and humanitarian action. Working with our brilliant and creative team, you will help push our work to its next level and make a significant contribution to humanitarian reform. Full time. Based in Vienna, Austria, voted the world’s most liveable city this year (again).

About Ground Truth Solutions

Our mission is to ensure that people affected by crises have a say in humanitarian action, from individual aid projects to global humanitarian reform. To achieve this, we collect feedback from people at the receiving end of aid. We challenge and encourage aid agencies to use this feedback to optimise their work. We influence policymakers, governments, and aid agencies to bring change to the humanitarian, health and environmental sectors.

About our work culture

We are a committed team of people who take the responsibility of receiving funds to work toward aid reform seriously. We strive for excellence, constantly challenging the status quo (internally and externally), and conducting ourselves with discipline, creativity, curiosity, boldness and candour. We seek diverse viewpoints. We work hard, we communicate directly and along the way, we have fun. We are a small, agile organisation trying to change the humanitarian system; not a bureaucracy. This has pros and cons. If you prefer being told what to do, working in a silo or following a manual, we may not be the organisation for you. Our culture best suits those who like being part of the solution, believing things can change and working creatively and collaboratively. If that sounds like an environment you would grow and thrive in, keep reading.

About the job

As Head of Programmes, you will be accountable for:

• Overseeing programmes, and programme managers, to ensure programme quality: projects run properly, are fulfilling donor requirements, are well-coordinated and are pushing the envelope for a more accountable humanitarian system
• driving improvements and innovation in our programmes overall, both fast-tracking implementation of, and improving, our strategy in line with sector developments
• directly managing projects as required
• working with the CEO on programme development strategies, fundraising and donor relations
• representing GTS at events, conferences and with senior partners to tell compelling, datadriven stories that inspire action
• managing relationships with our advisory board, facilitating advisory board meetings, and tracking follow-up
• liaising with the head of finance to stay on top of project finances and ensure funds are maximised for impact.

About you

You are curious, dynamic, motivated for change and hard-working. You understand the humanitarian system and its shortfalls, but are not cynical. You have experience balancing research and action in complex settings, and understand the see-saw of methodological rigidity and the realities of the messy, loosely controlled aid ecosystem. You are not interested in perpetuating a status quo, or cutting and pasting processes from humanitarian agencies. You are excited to get to know your colleagues. You are accountable, respecting deadlines, managing your time transparently and adhering to processes that ensure we remain accountable to our many stakeholders. You understand the benefits and shortfalls of small, agile organisations.

Your experience and skills will include

• at least eight years’ experience in leadership roles in humanitarian/international research, monitoring, innovation, human-centred design or journalism
• expertise in project management, including budget management and reporting
• a sophisticated understanding of the humanitarian system, the evolving humanitarian reform agenda and its complexities
• a master’s degree in international relations, public policy, social or behavioural science, journalism/communications, or a related field
• excellent written and spoken communication skills in English. Working proficiency in French or Arabic is a plus
• proven experience in fundraising and programme development.

(We know that women are less likely to apply to roles for which they don’t meet ALL of the criteria. If this is you but you feel that you were born for this job, please apply!)

Flexible work

Our work mode is very flexible, valuing work/life balance and supporting ongoing learning. Our Vienna-based contracts are ongoing – a rarity in humanitarian sector – and come with appealing benefits under Austrian law. We offer relocation support. (But from the outset: we are a European INGO. We cannot offer UN salaries.)