Back Head of Programmes - Philippines (Cotabato)

About the Organisation:

In situations of armed conflict and violence, Geneva Call (GC), as a neutral, impartial and independent international humanitarian organisation, endeavours to strengthen the respect of humanitarian norms and principles by armed non-State actors, in order to improve the protection of civilians, while supporting local communities in their efforts to enhance their own protection.

Geneva Call is currently focusing its efforts the following thematic areas under the umbrella of international humanitarian norms – banning the use of anti-personnel mines, protecting children and education, prohibiting sexual violence and gender discrimination, prohibition of forced displacement, protection of cultural heritage and the protection of health care – all in the context of armed conflict and violence.

Current areas of Geneva Call’s operations in the Philippines are focused on Maguindanao, North Cotabato and Lanao del Sur. Programming in adjacent areas – namely Bukidnon, Lanao del Norte, South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat – is planned to commence within 2021.

Geneva Call consists of many diverse nationalities, cultures, languages and opinions. Geneva Call is an inclusive working environment for all its staff. Applications are particularly encouraged from all qualified candidates without distinction on the grounds of race, colour, sex, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity.

Role:

The Head of Programme (HoP) will be based in Cotabato City and will oversee the coordination, management, and implementation of programmatic aspects of Geneva Call’s mission in the Philippines, ensuring the objectives of projects and wider country programme are met and resources allocated accordingly. The HoP provides the Head of Mission (HoM) with programmatic input into the strategic planning process and ensures effective planning and implementation of the country programme, including safety and security. The HoP directly supervises all Project Coordinators as well as the MEAL Officer and Training Officer. The programme consists of several projects and involves engaging various stakeholders – both civilian and armed actors – for the better protection of civilians within the framework of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, as well as with reference to relevant religious and cultural norms in support of humanitarian principles.

1. Programme Management & Coordination

2. Consolidate the overall activities of the Country Programme;

3. Coordinate, develop and manage Philippines programme in accordance with country strategy, internal and donor work plans and defined procedures of Geneva Call;

4. Manage programme staff and ensure timely reporting;

5. Ensure that programme expenditures are in line with project budgets and country office financial plan;

6. Ensure programme procurement & logistics are run in line with internal and donor regulations

7. Ensure effective flow of information and communication with partners and stakeholders and update HoM on latest developments;

8. Organise regular meetings with the project teams to strengthen effective coordination and collaboration and promote teambuilding;

9. Manage safe-keeping of information and data, including filing of programme documents and materials;

10. Support partners and joint projects as per approved plans and agreements and ensure timely liquidation of project expenditures;

11. Liaise with partners and stakeholders to ensure close cooperation, collaboration and coordination;

12. Analyze conflict and humanitarian situation on regular basis;

13. Ensure sufficient research is done into specific humanitarian issues in project areas to analyse trends and support arguments to improve compliance with humanitarian norms

14. Ensure conflict sensitivity is integrated into the project design and implementation;

15. Support HoM and HQ in engaging senior officials, military officers and other key stakeholders;

16. Engage local and international organisations regularly and consolidate ‘Friends of IHL’ -Network;

17. Security

18. Ensure the implementation of safety and security policies and procedures throughout the organisation

19. Lead regular assessments of the security situation vis-à-vis the programme, partners, beneficiaries and GC, preparing risk assessments and suggesting mitigating measures and following up on incidents as necessary;

    📚 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯! 🌍🤝 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗡 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗨𝗡𝗛𝗖𝗥, 𝗪𝗙𝗣, 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗖𝗘𝗙, 𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗦𝗦, 𝗨𝗡𝗙𝗣𝗔, 𝗜𝗢𝗠 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀! 🌐

    ⚠️ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐰: 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐍𝐎𝐖!

20. Human Resources Management

21. Line-manage programme staff according to Geneva Call’s policies and procedures;

22. Assist in the recruitment and selection processes (including coaching and evaluation) of staff and consultants

23. Planning, monitoring and reporting

24. Develop programme work plan and budget in consultation with programme team according to Geneva Call’s operational and MEAL procedures;

25. Prepare regular monitoring reports and support MEAL Officer in conducting internal programme evaluations and audits;

26. Ensure annual review of programme;

27. Regularly conduct field missions and monitor activities to achieve desired programme results in line with organizational requirements;

28. Refine programme strategy in consonance with political and security dynamics;

29. Support programme and partner staff in implementation of MEAL system;

30. Draft project reports and proposals in coordination with focal points from Country Office and HQ;

31. Communication and external relations

32. Support implementation of communications strategy including campaigns, events, other initiatives;

33. Ensure material (photos, videos, stories from the field) about project activities and timely reports to showcase project outcomes and achievements;

34. Ensure proper implementation of donor visibility and communications plan, also taking into account security and perception risks and seeking for derogations/exemptions when required;

35. Engage local and international organisations regularly;

36. Other duties

37. Attend and represent GC as required at conferences and other fora of interest to the organisation;

38. Perform any other tasks as assigned by the line manager.

Technical knowledge or experience in

• Minimum 5 years relevant work experience in humanitarian/protection organisations working in a management role in conflict-affected areas;
• Programme cycle management skills including programme planning and implementation and reporting;
• Solid understanding of Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) tools and processes;
• Demonstrable knowledge of humanitarian architecture, humanitarian principles and standards;
• Managing projects, partnerships and teams;
• Safety and security management;
• Strong presentational, writing and editing skills in English including report writing;
• Demonstrable capacity to analyse complex political situations and translate analysis into programme adaptations;
• Strong negotiation skills;
• Understanding of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Law
• Software skills (MS Office, Excel, KOBO, graphic design tools, social media, email)
• Proven experience in managing humanitarian protection projects in conflict affected countries;
• In-depth knowledge of the conflict context(s) in Mindanao is desirable
• Previous experience in engagement with armed actors, access negotiations and/or civilian protection highly desirable

Personal qualities

• Understanding and respect for organisational principles and confidentiality;
• Strong logic and organisational skills, flexibility and adaptability to change
• Leadership qualities and unwavering integrity;
• Ability to take responsibility, strong communication skills;
• Ability to work independently under pressure, and handle numerous tasks simultaneously
• Proven ability to work well with colleagues and partners from diverse ethnic/cultural backgrounds;
• Accuracy and reliability, ability to reach results and meet deadlines under pressure;

Education

• Completed degree of Higher Education in relevant field such as Political or Social Science, International Humanitarian Law or Human Rights

Languages

• Excellent English required
• Tagalog and local dialects (Maguindanaoan, Maranao, Teduray, Bisaya, Tausug, Yakan etc.) preferred

Conflict of interest

Any candidate affiliated to or openly supporting one or more interest groups contrary to the principles and values of the Foundation, or whose previous activity could cause difficulties for the safety of women and men co-workers at Geneva Call will be excluded from this selection process. The employee will be accountable for the responsibilities and the competencies, in accordance with the Geneva Call Performance Management guidelines.

The following documents will be used for performance reviews:

• Job Description
• Action plan
• Performance Review Template Conditions