Program Manager

Job Details

Reporting to the Regional Program Manager, the Program Manager provides technical assistance and programmatic and operational leadership for Save the Children projects in the Kasese field location in Uganda. The role is accountable for overall coordination and oversight of delivery across Education, Child Protection, Child Rights Governance, Disaster Risk Management and Youth Resilience, including planning, implementation, capacity enhancement, monitoring/evaluation and internal and external reporting. The position may be called upon to support the emergency team during humanitarian crises. Location is Kasese, Uganda. Employment is Full Time.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Oversee the coordination and implementation of projects across the operational area in line with project designs and donor requirements.
• Create and sustain positive working relationships with partners and other stakeholders and plan and coordinate district-level engagements.
• Monitor and ensure timely and quality reports are submitted as per reporting requirements per project.
• Work closely with Technical Thematic Teams to ensure quality program delivery, documentation and reporting of progress.
• Provide district-level lead in planning, development of detailed implementation plans, phased budgets, implementation, monitoring, documentation and reporting.
• Oversee implementation and budget performance in line with program plans and phased budgets and support staff and partners to develop annual plans per Save the Children International planning guidelines.
• Prepare realistic and detailed implementation plans and phased budgets in collaboration with relevant departments.
• Manage program budgets in coordination with relevant finance teams in regional and country offices and support project implementation teams with budget monitoring and reporting.
• Ensure budget monitoring reports are responded to in time with accurate information and build partners’ capacity in sound financial management procedures.
• Responsible and accountable for preparation of timely high-quality progress and end-of-project narrative and financial reports per donor schedules and formats.
• Review all program financial reports ensuring donor guidelines and high standards are met prior to submission.
• Organize and facilitate quarterly follow-ups and progress review meetings to address key performance issues and perform overall Budget vs Actual analysis with variance explanations.
• Share monthly humanitarian situation reports with the Regional Program Manager.
• Ensure program experience is represented at stakeholder meetings, workshops, donor networks and other engagements and maintain regular communication with partners and district stakeholders.
• Support advocacy and influencing engagements across the district linking to national-level processes.
• In liaison with Technical Advisors and field teams, provide guidance and support to project teams, partners and stakeholders.
• Ensure recruitment, training, development and growth of staff and manage performance of field location staff, building effective team relationships.
• Ensure field staff understand and are able to effectively respond to and manage emergencies.
• Support and strengthen safety and security measures, develop and operationalise the field location Safety and Security Plan, ensure minimum operating standards are met, coordinate implementation of staff security guidelines, support periodic security assessments and reporting, and escalate security incidents to the Regional Program Manager.

Qualifications, Skills and Requirements

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in humanities; experience in managing integrated programmes across different thematic areas such as education, child protection, child rights governance or disaster risk reduction is a must.
• At least 5 years of accrued working experience in program implementation with a minimum of 3 years in a management level position in an international NGO; experience applying partnership approaches is desirable.
• Experience of working with local partners and District Local Government in Child Rights Governance, Education or Child Protection is an added advantage.
• Experience in strategic thinking and planning skills, able to set priorities, prepare manageable plans and evaluate progress.
• Strong analytical skills and strategic planning abilities.
• Ability to establish and maintain conducive collegial relations and perform effectively as a member of a team.
• Willingness to travel and work in hard-to-reach areas, occasionally under strenuous conditions.
• Computer literacy and excellent documentation skills are a must.
• Availability and willingness to work extra hours during times of humanitarian responses.
• Highly developed cultural awareness and ability to work well in an international environment with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
• Ability to intervene with crisis management or troubleshooting as necessary.
• Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills including influencing, negotiation and coaching.
• Excellent time management and planning capacity.