We are here for our neighbors in need, who are suffering in this broken world.

ZOA, as an international NGO, supports people who have lost everything due to armed conflict or natural disaster. Together, we can come to their aid in emergencies and remain faithful to communities as they recover – providing new opportunities for them to help themselves again. The work of ZOA is coordinated from the Netherlands. We are active in multiple countries in Africa, South America, the Middle East Region, and Asia. We work with approximately 900 employees worldwide and with (local) partners. We invite you to join our team of committed colleagues.                               

ZOA is looking for a

Area (Programme) Manager

ZOA’s programme in Ethiopia

ZOA works in several regions in Ethiopia: Gambella Regional State (field office in Gambella Town), Somali Regional State (field office in Dolo Ado and Melkadida refugee camp), Tigray Regional State (field office in Shire and Mekelle), Oromia Regional State (field office in Harar), Amhara and Addis Ababa. In Ethiopia, ZOA works with Internally Displaced People (IDPs), host populations, persons with disabilities, returnees, and a large population of refugees who fled a combination of violence and drought in Somalia, South Sudan and Eritrea. 

What we offer 

ZOA offers a challenging position with a lot of responsibilities. We offer good benefits and remuneration which suits the NGO sector (including, but not limited to: medical, accident and life insurances, provident fund, training options). 

Your challenge 

 The Area Manager for Somali is responsible for the development and achievement of ZOA’s project and programmatic goals in Somali Regional State. The Area Manager provides high quality and comprehensive programme management leadership for ZOA’s projects and programme in this region. Key responsibilities include establishing and maintaining positive and engaged relationships with local authorities, partners and donors, designing projects, writing first drafts of proposals, ensuring that high quality MEAL is implemented, and delivering a range of complex resilience and development programmes in ZOA’s sectors and in humanitarian responses. The Area Manager is also responsible for embedding good practice and ZOA’s cross cutting issues in project implementation in Somali, coaching and mentoring of ZOA staff. S/he is responsible for making sure that key issues are being raised from field level in Somali and that management and technical decisions are taken based on quality programme and management information and follow up. The Area Manager will also participate in strategy processes, and driving joint advocacy initiatives with key stakeholders, ensuring these initiatives are informed by effective monitoring, evaluation and documentation of programme learning.

  The Area Manager is a budget holding position and as such s/he proposes implementation budgets at project and programme level for Somali and executes approved budgets. A key task is to ensure that projects and the Somali Office running costs are managed in a way that ensures cost effectiveness, donor compliance and timeliness. The Area Manager ensures that ZOA’s work in Somali is properly resourced and staffed and meets planned budget parameters. 

 The role also involves working with the Consortium Manager, Grants Manager, Manager of Programme Quality and Country Director in developing and maintaining consortium relationships.  

Your main tasks and responsibilities

• Overall leadership and integral management responsibility of the ZOA organisation in Somali Regional State.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES:

Leadership and management

• Responsible for all ZOA activities within programme area;
• Spiritual oversight and Christian leadership of the ZOA team in the programme area;
• Participate in country wide programme and knowledge development;
• Member of Country Management Team;
• Strategic partnership engagement at programme level;
• Gender, conflict and environmentally sensitive approach to team management and project activities under her/his responsibility. 

Programme Management

• Development of the Programme plan for the respective programme area, with annual review of needs for changes, based on ongoing context analysis and results of annual programme review;
• Annual planning for the programme area, with the corresponding annual programme area budget, as an input to the Country Strategic Annual Plan (CSAP);
• Planning, implementation, and monitoring of project activities that were approved by donors with the corresponding project budget planning;
• Project Cycle management, including needs assessments, formulation of concept notes and proposals and budget;
• Reporting - monthly and quarterly activity and financial reporting, including realization of activities versus budget utilisation;
• Providing input to narrative and financial donor reporting;
• Annual review of progress towards programme objectives and outcomes;
• Initiating and maintaining effective working relations with relevant stakeholders at programme area level.

 HR / Admin / Finance

• Budget owner for projects implemented in programme area;
• Approval of expenditures and related cost allocations, on the basis of approved project and programme organisation budgets;
• Human Resource Management (at individual- and team level) for ZOA staff stationed in the Somali Regional Office;
• Supervision and periodical evaluation of the performance of the members of ZOA team in Somali according to the line management structure;
• Implementation and monitoring of financial, personnel and security policies and procedures;
• In collaboration with the Director of Operations and Finance Team, prepare and process the allocation of indirect costs to project budgets.

Representation of ZOA

• Play a key role in representing ZOA in consortia in formal and informal relationships with partners, donor, government authorities and other stakeholders, as appropriate;
• Support the design of cross consortium advocacy initiatives and participate in advocacy activities that target decision-makers in-country related to project advocacy objectives.
• Ensure all necessary information concerning ZOA’s programme in Somali is available on a timely basis to ZOA Senior Management;
• Work closely with partner organisations to monitor and support delivery, reporting and monitoring and evaluation;
• Provide updates and information to consortia partners as required to ensure donor compliance;
• Ensure that all project, programmatic and financial documentation is timely, accurate, high quality and well presented;
• Represent ZOA in consortia delivering projects in Somali to foster collaboration and learning;
• Work with partners to make sure that emerging issues can be systematically identified, analyzed and responded to from field and technical committee meetings and discussed together to achieve solutions in a timely manner;
• Play a key role in driving joint advocacy initiatives and setting strategic direction;

 Programme Quality:

• Ensure management staff are informed of programme progress and best practices to feed into advocacy and programme design;
• Ensure that efficient systems are in place to support coordinated consortium management and implementation including grant management and project monitoring and evaluation;
• Work with the finance team to ensure effective financial processes and controls are in place, and that issues are identified and followed up with partners in a timely way, including ensuring financial reports (in collaboration with the Grant Finance Coordinator) and other key deliverables are completed;
• Maintain a close working relationship with technical teams across partners at field office and to support coherence in approaches, raising and follow up on key issues, strategy development, and integration across partners and sectors;
• Coordination and production of key reports and other project deliverables;
• Organize and participate in frequent field visits with partners, donors, head office and other organizations.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Information Management:

• Ensure the effective monitoring, evaluation and documentation of the programme, and that any learning is built into the design of future programmatic work;
• Work closely with ZOA’s MEAL and partner organizations M&E staff.

Security:

• Ensures the design and maintenance of an effective security management system at program level, in compliance with ZOA’s over-all security policy and procedures, and the monitoring of compliance to that system by staff and other relevant persons for whom the PGM holds security responsibility.

Authority:

• The Programme Manager is authorized and accountable within the frame work and limits as defined in:
• 'The Declaration of Authorization’ signed by the Country Director;
• The ZOA Country Management Charter;
• The agreed Annual Country Plan;
• The programme budget approved by the Country Director;
• The project plans as approved by the donors;
• The country quality management system as approved by the Country Director.

In the performance and as a member of the Country Management Team, the PGM balances the interests of Programme area, the country organization as a whole and of all stakeholders involved.

The Programme manager is accountable to the Country Director of the programme country.

 Contacts External contacts:

•  Government on a national and local level;
• (I)NGOs, CBOs and other civil society groups including churches;
• International organizations operating in the programme area;
• Donors.

Internal contacts:

• Somali Programme office team
• Members of country management team

Job Requirements

QUALIFICATIONS & REQUIREMENTS

This position demands a dynamic individual, with very strong interpersonal and influencing skills, and with a proven ability to achieve results in a demanding and fast paced environment.

• Bachelor's or Master’s degree in social sciences, humanitarian assistance/international development or related field;
• 5 years of professional experience in development with a minimum of 5 years’ experience in a coordination or leadership role in the implementation of projects;
• Substantial experience and knowledge of effective financial and budgetary control and of managing big grants;
• Working knowledge and experience of Core Humanitarian Standards (CHS);
• Experience of managing Complaints Feedback and Response Mechanisms (CFRM);
• Strong experience in managing consortium programmes and understanding of institutional donor compliance;
• Strong experience managing multiple tasks and ability to be proactive and demonstrate leadership;
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the demonstrated ability to lead, build and work effectively in team situations;
• Strong experience in monitoring and evaluation of complex projects
• Demonstrable experience in advocacy initiatives including influencing key stakeholders at high levels including senior management, donors, Government Authorities
• Experience in organizational representation, coordination and liaison;
• Experience in narrative and financial reporting on complex projects to international donors;
• Experience in implementing projects within partner networks or consortia;
• Willingness and ability to travel within Ethiopia;
• Cultural sensitivity and proven experience in working in Ethiopia with international NGOs strongly desired;
• Excellent conceptual, planning, organizational, and leadership skills;
• Excellent communication, negotiation and problem-solving capacities;
• Fluency in English and Amharic (written and spoken);
• Strong computer literacy;
• Ability to manage stress, multi-task and take decisions.

 VALUES:

 Accountability:

• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving results in line with ZOA core values;
• Good knowledge of CHS and capacitate partners to work in adherence to CHS;
• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities – giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved;
• Creates a managerial environment in-country to lead, enable and maintain our culture of child safeguarding.

 Ambition:

• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for self;
• Widely shares personal vision for ZOA, engages and motivates others;
• Future oriented, thinks strategically and on a global scale.

 Collaboration:

• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with own team, colleagues, members, donors and partners;
• Values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength;
• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.

Creativity:

• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions;
• Willing to take calculated risks.

 Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency;
• Always acts in the best interests of children.

How to Apply

ZOA operates with an equal opportunities policy and is committed to diversity in the workplace. Qualified women and men, people of all nationalities, and cultural backgrounds, and candidates with disabilities are welcome to apply.

 If you are interested in this position, please apply directly via CLICK HERE

CV’s of no more than 5 pages in length are appreciated. Please provide at least 3 references related to your previous employment listed in the application. References of previous positions held should not be older than five years. Only selected candidates will be contacted and invited to participate in the process of recruitment. It is our aim to inform all other candidates of their status in the recruitment process within 4 weeks after the vacancy has closed. An assessment may be part of the recruitment procedure. Documents that do not match the profile above will not be considered. Internal candidates will have priority, in case of similar results.

Please note that, as part of its recruitment process, ZOA carries out background and reference checks for all candidates. As ZOA participates in the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme, all reference checks include a written questionnaire: the “Statement of Conduct”, which will be sent to past employers regarding Misconduct (such as sexual exploitation, abuse or harassment). 

Also we reserve the right to stop accepting applications before the end date if we find a suitable candidate.