View Vacancy – OPT – Senior Programme Manager (SEO)

The British Consulate General in Jerusalem (BCGJ) is a sovereign post which leads UK engagement with the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs), in support of HMG objectives. BCGJ is a close-knit office with a strong culture of collaborative working and supportive relationships in a politically challenging context. The Consulate General has an opportunity for a Senior Programme Manager, job grade Senior Executive Officer (SEO) to work within its Humanitarian, Emergency and Refugees Team. 

The role will sit within the Humanitarian, Emergency and Refugees Team (HEaRT) in the British Consulate General Jerusalem (BCGJ). The objectives of the team are to provide lifesaving humanitarian support and invest in the human development of Palestinian refugees across the region, through a combination of direct programming and across mission policy engagement. It is the key team in BCGJ working on humanitarian aspects of the Israel/Gaza conflict. 

The role of Senior Programme Manager is a crucial role within HEaRT. The role will focus on delivering the BCGJ’s UK Support to Palestinian Refugees (UKSPR) regional programme which provides funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), operating in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) and wider region. The role will ensure the programme is managed effectively and can support UNRWA to deliver on its aims. These include advancing Palestinian refugees’ human development and providing humanitarian and protection assistance to the most vulnerable and enhancing regional stability. UNRWA is the backbone of humanitarian operations and service delivery across the OPTs, with a focus on delivery of basic education, health services including family planning, vaccines, sexual and reproductive health services, relief services and humanitarian aid to more than 5.9 million Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. UK support to UNRWA is critical to the achievement of our goals in the OPTs. 

The post-holder will act as Programme Responsible Owner (PRO) for the UNRWA Programme to ensure the programme complies with FCDO’s Programme Operating Framework (PrOF) and other BCGJ management requirements to ensure risk is managed effectively.  The PRO is responsible for managing the enhanced scrutiny and due diligence associated with the programme, with support from a programme manager and the SRO. The SEO will set and monitor standards for the programme in the team portfolio and lead the management of the relationship with UNRWA. 

The Senior UNRWA Programme Manager will also support the Head of Team, and work with Desk in London, to develop and implement policy on issues related to UNRWA in the OPTs with close engagement across BCGJ, OPTs/Gaza Taskforce, UNMD, regional partners, and with other donors. The post-holder will manage relationships with other teams in the region with the ability to channel their funding through the UNRWA regional business case where appropriate. 

This is a stretching role, recognising the volatile context of war and the political sensitivity of the programme. The post-holder will support BCGJ to respond to the high levels of scrutiny and requests for detailed information on UNRWA from London, Ministers, parliament, the UK public and other donors. The SEO will lead engagement with partners in UNRWA and build a strong technical understanding of the organisation to ensure UK support is as impactful as possible. The SEO will represent the FCDO and the UK alongside the SRO at international meetings such as Sub-Committees, as well as technical working groups. The SEO will lead UK efforts to focus on UNRWA’s reforms on neutrality through the implementation of the agency action plan in response to the recommendations in the Colonna Report.

The Senior UNRWA Programme Manager will report to the Grade 7 Head of Team (who is the SRO for the programme), and line manage one programme manager. They will work across the team and the wider BCGJ to deliver our collective goals.  The post holder may be required to flex and support other parts of the team’s work if needed. 

Duties and responsibilities:

Programme Management

• Lead programme management throughout the programme cycle of the current UNRWA business case and future humanitarian funding, including leading the design and implementation of the next UNRWA business case.
• Ensure strong financial performance and escalating areas of risk with proposed mitigations in a timely manner.
• Ensure the programme complies with key FCDO requirements (e.g. transparency, corporate reporting, delivering on audit recommendations etc.), especially related to partner monitoring and risk management.
• Responsible for programme delivery in line with the SEO role profile in the Programme Delivery Capability Framework (PDCF) and the PRO responsibilities in the PrOF.
• Work with the BCGJ’s results adviser to ensure strong reporting of results and impact from the current programme, and identification of lessons learned and recommendations for the future.
• Reporting on UNRWA at FCDO internal meetings (Country Board, Investment Committee etc.).

Policy engagement/ representation

• Act as programme-level focal point for policy issues related to UNRWA in BCGJ.
• Lead and support FCDO engagement with UNRWA in formal governance structures, including Sub-Committees, Harmonised Results Working Group, support to Advisory Committees. Attend UNRWA briefings and ensure information is shared across the team.
• Lead the FCDO’s efforts to work with UNRWA on reform, implementing the recommendations of the Colonna Report.
• Work closely with the political team and others to ensure a coherent approach across BCGJ to our work with UNRWA.

Briefing/ communications related to the humanitarian situation

• Lead from Post on PQs, FOIs, parliamentary correspondence on UNRWA and the UK’s support to the organisation, working with the Head of Team and London-based colleagues to ensure consistency and accuracy of message.
• Maintain analysis of humanitarian and, as appropriate, conflict trends and issues and lead regular internal FCDO meetings related to UNRWA.

Line management of one programme manager

• Agree, and review performance against, objectives, provide support, guidance and mentoring, manage performance and disciplinary matters, ensure staff engage policy as prescribed including financial spend, and ensure that Learning and Development opportunities are identified, sought and developed for the team.

Corporate Objective

• Engage in BCGJ corporate committees on a voluntary basis to help achieve corporate objectives and build engagement and networking across post teams.

The above list is not exhaustive, and the jobholder will be required to be flexible and take on other ad hoc tasks as required, including participating in the Consulate’s emergency planning and any other response to a crisis affecting UK Citizens.

Key behaviours required for the job:

• Managing a Quality Service – Deliver service objectives with professional excellence, expertise and efficiency, taking account of diverse customer needs.
• Working Together – Form effective partnerships and relationships with people both internally and externally, from a range of diverse backgrounds, sharing information, resources and support.
• Leadership – Show pride and passion for public service. Create and engage others in delivering a shared vision. Value difference, diversity and inclusion, ensuring fairness and opportunity for all.
• Delivering at Pace – Take responsibility for delivering timely and quality results with focus and drive.

The following technical competencies from the Programme Delivery Capability Framework will be required for the successful jobholder to engage effectively with stakeholders:

• Managing the programme cycle (expert): This competence is about understanding the tasks and obligations at each stage of the DFID programme cycle, and applying them directly, or through others depending on role, to support delivery.
• Managing risk and issues (practitioner): This competence is about identifying when and how risk can be taken; applying risk management best practice; and understanding when risks become issues and taking action to respond to those issues.
• Programme leadership (practitioner): This competence is about how programme teams and leaders create, sustain and promote a culture of empowerment and accountability, supporting and challenging each other to the best that they can in programme delivery.

• Excellent communication skills in English and Arabic both written and spoken. Able to express ideas and messages clearly and concisely.
• Qualification in programme or project management, social studies or relevant discipline.
• At least 3 years of experience in programme management with international organisations, UN agencies or diplomatic missions.
• Experience managing all aspects of the project cycle for large, complex and politically sensitive programmes.
• Risk management for large, high-risk programmes in a way that aligns with the requirements of FCDO’s PrOF rules and relevant UK legislation (e.g. counter-terrorism act, gender equality act).
• Good working proficiency in Microsoft software, including excel.
• Experience in line management.