View Vacancy – Climate & Resilience Programme Manager, Grade-SEO, Islamabad

Note: All applicants are required to mandatorily fill the complete online application form including the employment, educational details, behavioural and technical/ professional skills questions. We will be thoroughly reviewing the application forms only with all the required details and the shortlisting is not basis CV/ cover letter. Forms that are incomplete in any respect will not be considered while shortlisting for the next stage.

Main purpose of job:

The work of the British High Commission (BHC) in Pakistan is focused on six main workstreams – Regional Stability, Threats, Health and Education, Climate, Resilience and Humanitarian, Open Societies and Economy and Trade.  This  Climate and Resilience Programme Manager role sits within the Climate, Resilience and Humanitarian Group in BHC Islamabad (BHCI). 
The Team goal is: to support Pakistan to adopt a more resilient and cleaner growth path by preparing for, responding to and reducing the impact of climate change, biodiversity loss and humanitarian disaster.

In terms of programming, the Climate, Resilience and Humanitarian Group has two active climate resilience programmes with a likely value of up to £127m including significant allocation of more than £30m for fiscal year 24/25 following the ICF and humanitarian ODA uplift which focus on climate resilience, adaptation, disaster management, humanitarian preparedness and water governance. Much of the programming work focuses on climate governance initiatives, institutional strengthening and capability development of the Government of Pakistan (GoP), at both national and sub-national levels, and that of civil society to address climate resilience and adaptation needs.

BHC Islamabad is looking to recruit a suitably qualified and experienced Programme Manager on a permanent basis who can start as soon as possible. This position is open to Country Based Staff: Programme Managers (SEOs) on level transfer or Deputy Programme Managers (HEOs) on promotion, who have demonstrated the required competencies and experience.
 This is an exciting opportunity to join the Climate, Resilience and Humanitarian Group. The Climate and Resilience Programme Manager has a lead role in the effective programme management and compliance of the climate, resilience and humanitarian portfolio focusing on all aspects of the programme cycle by engaging with government, non-state providers, other donors and multilaterals. 

We reserve the right to review, revise or amend the roles and responsibilities from time to time reflecting the changing needs of business.

Roles and responsibilities / what will the jobholder be expected to achieve:

The purpose of the role to provide expert programme management capacity across the Climate, Resilience and Humanitarian Group portfolio. In particular, it is twofold: 

• To act as the Programme Responsible Owner (PRO) and provide overall programme leadership, management and delivery of the UK Pakistan Network’s most innovative new programme, Building Resilience and Addressing Vulnerabilities to Emergencies (BRAVE) through all stages of the programme cycle for successful delivery of the outcomes. BRAVE is a complex, high value £97m, six-year programme that is currently being redesigned to increase its scope and scale (due to the ICF and humanitarian ODA uplift in fiscal year 24/25) and to incorporate a new humanitarian response component which can be flexed as required to respond to humanitarian spikes, along with strengthening the disaster preparedness programme components.

• To ensure Climate, Resilience and Humanitarian programmes compliance with FCDO Programme Operating Framework (PrOF) covering both BRAVE and the Water Resource and Accountability Programme (WRAP) – £30m, six-year programme at critical junctures of the programmes lifecycle (designing, mobilising, delivery including adaptation and closure).

The Programme Manager will support the Portfolio – Team Leader, Senior and Programme Responsible Owners across the portfolio. The post holder will also line manage up to two other programme staff and provide support to the development of programme delivery capability of less experienced and more junior colleagues.
 
Managing the Programme Cycle: 

• Lead the mobilisation of the BRAVE programme through a complex mix of modalities (accountable grants, framework arrangements, a trust fund and a couple of commercial contracts) with limited supervision and guidance
• Be able to establish and maintain a programme delivery plan to inform planning and task execution
• Be a source of programme expertise for the assigned programme and ensure compliance and transparency requirements are applied effectively
• Manage and deliver CG4 annual/programme completion review cycle, ensuring that all reviews are planned, adequately resourced and delivered within deadlines;
• Ensure appropriate monitoring and evaluation practices are in place that will deliver programme data requirements to understand delivery and impact.

Managing Risk and Issues: 

• Has experience of identifying and assessing risks (including safeguarding), applying appropriate mitigation and escalation measures during project design, mobilisation and implementation; and, implementing project controls until appropriate level of assurance is established
• Take the lead on delivering and maintaining key programme management documents such as due diligence reports for new partners, programme delivery plans and risk registers
• Lead programme financial management to ensure team forecasts are credible, robust and timely; identifies issues and trends; ensures lessons are learnt and fed back into financial management processes. Be aware of the way funds flow through the programme and conscious of where fraud risks are highest. Implement strategies to safeguard FCDO funds and handle any identified cases of fraud rigorously in a timely manner.

Engage Others 

• Manages external relationships, particularly with programme partners – holding them to account/challenge as appropriate.
• Contributes effectively to project related briefing, Parliamentary Questions, Ministerial Correspondence, public enquiries, freedom of information requests. Support the team by drafting clear and concise project documentation (submissions, information notes, Business Case) and other written work; and quality assure these before submission to senior management
• Contributes to policy work, helping to shape policy based on programme lessons; and recognising the need for policy work alongside programmes to lobby for change.
• Liaise proactively with other donors and programmes across BHC Islamabad portfolio to develop synergies.
• Demonstrates good line management skills and zero tolerance to Bullying, Harassment and Discrimination.

Key Behaviours required for the job:

1. Communication and Influencing: Be able to communicate clearly and concisely both verbally and in writing about the assigned programme to Senior Management. Support the team by drafting clear and concise project documentation (submissions, agreements) and other written work; Agree a clear QA process before submission to senior management with Team Leader / SRO as appropriate.
2. Delivery at Pace: Show a positive approach to helping the team focus on key priorities and deliverables.  Raise issues up the management chain when priorities are not clear or help is needed to reallocate work. Identify risks to delivery.

3. Making Effective Decisions: In this role you will be expected to support and make decisions about programmes, and to provide both programme management and compliance advice to other team members, often at senior levels. You will need to be capable of supporting and making decisions based on analysis of a range of information and data as well as based on your own judgement and experience.

4. Changing and Improving: The post holder will be expected to manage and implement the newly redesigned BRAVE programme mobilisation and ensure programme delivery is in line with FCDO standards.  They will need to seek out opportunities to create effective change and suggest innovative ideas for improvement that strengthen programme implementation over the programme life till August 2028. Review ways of working, including seeking and providing feedback to strengthen programme impact and outcomes.

Resources managed (staff and expenditure): 
Line manages up to two programme management staff.

Working patterns:
Embassy hours, Monday-Friday. Some out of hours work may be required on ad hoc basis.

Learning and development opportunities (and any specific training courses to be completed):

• The job holder will be required to undertake all FCDO mandatory trainings.
• in-house programme, finance and commercial training.
• Identify, discuss and action own professional performance and training / development needs with the role’s line manager through FCDO appraisals process and/or attending internal / external training events.

Any other information – Selection process:

Please note that only those applicants selected for interview will be contacted. Shortlisted candidates should be available in November 2024 for next stage of the recruitment process. The selection method will comprise of Paper Application Review and Interview. Candidates may also be asked to complete a Written Exercise, and make a short Presentation. 

To further ensure a successful application it is important that you explain how you demonstrate these behaviours, including through your experience. You are strongly advised to read the Success Profiles Civil Service Behaviours Framework which provides detailed guidance on how the behaviours are defined and the standards expected for this position. 

Applicants are encouraged to use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) format to prepare specific examples of when they have demonstrated these behaviours in their application. Using the STAR format to provide evidence of your skills and experience in your application and at interview helps to give a structure. You briefly describe the situation in which you showed the behaviour, and then explain your task in addressing the situation, what action you took and the result of this.

Candidates must be able to clearly demonstrate experience and skills against the core programme management technical competencies listed below. Technical competencies for the programme management roles are available FCDO technical competency frameworks – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Please go through the technical competency framework before completing the technical questions.

• Managing risks and issues: Practitioner
• Financial management: Practitioner
• Commercial acumen: Practitioner
• Engage others: Practitioner
• Programme leadership: Practitioner

FCDO Pakistan would like to fill this role as soon as possible. If you would like to find out more or need clarity about the role, please contact saad.recruit@fcdo.gov.uk

Essential on arrival:

• Excellent experience of managing and delivering development programmes across the programme cycle.
• Strong programme delivery, financial and risk management skills.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to prioritise workload and respond flexibly as new priorities arise.

Language requirements:

• Language: English and Urdu
• Level of language required: Fluent