Danish Refugee Council, one of the world’s leading humanitarian NGOs, is currently looking for a highly qualified, dynamic and experienced Head of Program who will provide overall quality and delivery of DRC’s programs across all established areas of operation in DR Congo with a significant contribution expected to the conceptualization, technical support and implementation of development, emergency projects.

About the job

The Head of Programme plays a vital role as a member of the SMT and will drive the overall country-level vision, mission and objectives, and guide implementation of area- and technical level strategies.

S/he will be active in high level and strategic decision-making, collaborating closely with the Head of Support Services and Country Director, ensuring outputs are in line with the programmes country priorities, DRCs mandate and according to DRC policies and systems. The incumbent will oversee and coordinate programmatic issues related to quality and delivery with a focus on program sector integration and collaboration.

Your main duties and responsibilities will be:

• Responsible for the overall programmatic strategy across the entire country operation;

• Ensures strategic coherence and vision of the whole country programme, based on active participation in the drafting of the DRC Strategic Programme Document and as part of the Senior Management Team;

• Provides technical expertise to the entire country operation and ensures technical advice on programme quality, MEAL and programme development for the Country programme;

• Design, contribute and/or lead assessments for emergency or longer-term programming in existing or new project locations;

• Responsible for shaping and driving the Advocacy strategy for the country and feeding into regional initiatives;

• Establish strong and efficient partnerships with organisations, donors and authorities, in line with the country programme strategy and DRC partnership management policy.

• Responsible for developing policies, processes, and standards within respective areas

• Oversee and support continuous improvement of programme quality standards, including application and harmonisation across field bases

• Pursue funding opportunities in DRCs areas of competence and coordinate the capacities of the Technical Coordinators and SMT to identify and materialize opportunities in alignment with country and regional strategies;

• Oversee and support capacity building of employees on technical issues and program cycle management, based on assessment of the critical program improvement needs of the country mission;

• Representation of DRC with government authorities, donors, UN agencies, humanitarian agencies and other partners in regard to programme and participation in coordination meetings as relevant;

• Work in collaboration with Country Director on developing advocacy and policy key messages across programmatic platforms;

About you

To be successful in this role we expect you to have a post-graduate degree in international relations, business administration, management, law/human rights, social sciences or a related field. Moreover, we also expect the following:

• Minimum 7 years professional work experience in humanitarian/ development work including in displacement setting;

• Min 4 years of experience in staff management and development in complex environments;

• Demonstrated experience of successfully managing program implementation;

• A good understanding and experience of context in DR Congo is an added advantage;

• Technical expertise and experience in livelihoods, conflict management, WASH, protection, infrastructure programming in post conflict setting is an advantage;

• Proven analytical and strategic planning skills;

• High-level communication and people skills;

• Excellent writing skills and able to negotiate effectively between different stakeholders, and to represent DRC at high level forums;

• Extensive experience in representation and networking, with Government authorities, EU, humanitarian and development actors;

• Demonstrated project, program and human resource management experience, including working with local partners;

• Strong understanding of MEAL, including in complex programmes;

• Full professional proficiency in English and French is required

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’ five core competencies:

Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process.

Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback.

Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation.

Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly.

Demonstrating integrity: You uphold and promote the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation to our values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.

We offer

Contract length: 1 year

Band: E

Designation of Duty Station: Unaccompanied, Non-Family Duty Station

Start date: 01 April 2025

Salary and conditions will be in accordance with Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for Expatriate or National employees; please refer to drc.ngo under Vacancies.

Application process

All applicants must upload a cover letter and an updated CV (no longer than four pages) in English. Applications sent by email will not be considered.

Closing date for applications: 19 January 2025

For further information about the Danish Refugee Council, please consult our website drc.ngo.