Shaping a stronger Oxfam for people living in poverty.

Job Purpose

A key member of the Country Management Team, the Deputy Country Director – Programs primary responsibility includes the strategic development and management of the country program and supports Oxfam’s impact locally, regionally, and globally through ensuring program alignment to the key strategic objectives and program standards. S/he provides oversight for all Program budgets and expenditure – over EUR 10 m a year. The Deputy CD works closely with the Funding Manager to ensure fundraising for country programmes.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities 

Strategic Management and thought leadership                                                          

• Coordinate programme strategy development; provide strategic and technical leadership in the design, development, planning budgeting, and implementation and monitoring of the Oxfam Country Strategies (OCS)
• Lead the implementation of Oxfam’s ONE Program approach in Mali ensuring it delivers on the OCS vision and objectives and championing the new ways of working embodied in the OCS
• Provide high level technical advice and support on all policy issues and facilitate the development and delivery of high quality programmes with strong gender justice and MEAL components across all programmes
• Stay abreast of and adjust to changing circumstances and understandings regarding international interventions and practices and anticipate, analyze and manage highly complex and diverse public policy issues and programme strategy, ensuring that Oxfam in Mali ideas and approaches include the latest thinking
• Ensure adequate resourcing allocated within budgets to scale up influencing at national level and support initiatives for resource mobilization
• Reduce exposure to risk, minimize opportunity for fraud and institutionalize logs, finance and programme quality systems and procedures into country management
• Provide direct and close leadership ensuring that women rights and women leadership are at the core of Oxfam’s work in Mali
• Work closely with the Funding Manager, identify opportunities for funding to ensure the financial sustainability of country programme  of Oxfam in Mali
• Deputise for the Country Director as required 

Programme Development, Management, Delivery and Quality                                     

• Lead intensive programme development that matches the Oxfam’s one program approach, is conflict and gender sensitive while taking initiative to respond to the unexpected and generating alternative ways to achieve program results bearing in mind the implication of actions.
• Oversee the development of program and project improvement plans, to ensure effective and timely implementation of the projects and program
• Ensure the delivery of a country program with demonstrable impact and value for money, and is accountable for overall program quality and learning
• Ensure that programmes are implemented in a consultative, participative and gender sensitive way and meets Oxfam’s quality standards.
• Ensure technical / sectoral integration of programmes, in an OI context, where appropriate.
• Provide leadership to programme teams in the assessment, design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programmes and projects in line with Oxfam’s values, policies and procedures.
• Ensure that programme implementation comply with donor contractual obligations and that all reporting is of good quality and is done in a timely manner.
• Provide oversight to partner portfolio, ensuring the identification of both implementing and strategic partners, and ensuring the building and maintaining of these relationships
• In coordination with programme teams, ensure technical programmatic support across the programme, ensuring programme quality elements are incorporated in budgets and identifying separate funding opportunities (internal or external) for programme quality.
• Provide program quality assurance and develop, implement and embed, a knowledge management system and social accountability, that will ensure the sharing of knowledge across the program, other country programs, and the broader confederation in line with CAMSA requirements
• Ensure that robust design, monitoring, evaluation, learning and social accountability systems are in place, adhered to and used as a decision-making tool, encouraging consistency and best practice across programs;
• Provide ongoing training and guidance to staff on MEALSA best practices.
• Build strong synergy between development and humanitarian programming and policy advocacy/campaign ensuring that resilient thinking, humanitarian planning and as necessary response meet Oxfam standards.
• Ensure value for money for program delivery is guaranteed and program effectiveness is the order of the day
• In coordination with the Country Director, and other relevant staff, lead the identification of new initiatives and opportunities that respond to identified needs and the OCS
• Lead the development of solicited and unsolicited proposals and concept notes.

Representation, advocacy/policy and communication                                            

• Promote a culture shift in how advocacy, humanitarian and long term development staff bring their skills together to achieve change at national level.
• Manage external relations and public perception in addition to supporting wide dissemination of Oxfam’s policy positions, facilitating networking and ensuring that the organization has the necessary information to engage in influencing activities,

• Support the programme to develop effective networks and partnerships with multiple stakeholders for the effective delivery of campaign goals ensuring linkages at regional and global level.
• Represent Oxfam externally to Government Officials in Ministries, Departments and Agencies, UN agencies, donors and (I)NGOs.
• Develop good networks and relationships for Oxfam with these agencies to create formal and informal alliances towards joint objectives
• Advocate on key issues at programme level and feed into external advocacy initiatives, suggest focus areas for advocacy work.
• Lead and/or participate in effective communications about programme impact with all relevant stakeholders (donors, UN, NGOs, beneficiaries, media).
• Keep informed of relevant programme issues and initiate and contribute to wider programme learning – also by initiating and facilitating programme learning events and evaluations.

Security

• Ensure that programs are designed and implemented with a clear analysis and understanding of security and safety management priorities.
• Contribute to disaster preparedness, mitigation and management including humanitarian response activities for Category 2 / 3 emergencies.

People Development and Management                                                                       

• As a key member of the CMT, support the Country Director steer organisational learning for effective delivery taking into account Oxfam’s new ways of working.
• Take initiatives to improve learning and sharing of programme experience (within the programme and beyond), including cross-programme learning.
• Ensures the delivery of a country program with demonstrable impact and is accountable for overall program quality and learning
• Manage the program team to deliver on the OCS, providing leadership, Inspiration and guidance and ensuring that the management of the team is in line with Oxfam’s HR policies and procedures.
• Provide operational and people line management, including performance management of program staff and non humanitarian budget management
• Motivate and develops staff by empowering and inspiring them to want to do things, providing appropriate coaching and mentoring supports, acting as a role model for behavior
• Provide challenging and stretching tasks or assignments and provide coaching to support staff in meeting those challenges
• Responsible for Talent management and development of Oxfam staff.

Technical Skills, Experience & Knowledge

• Advanced Master degree in international Relations/ development studies, Public Administration, Economics, Project Management, humanitarian aid or other related topics
• At least 10 years of proven program management experience, with minimum of 5 years senior management experience
• Comprehensive knowledge and experience of development programs, advocacy and campaigning.
• Demonstrable experience in managing multidisciplinary projects and programmes with significant budgets, from different donors, medium-large scale projects including multi-year, transformative economic and social projects in a conflict context
• Strong strategic, analytical and conceptual thinking skills; able to understand complex issues and translate them into simple, workable actions and plans
• Strong people management skills to co-ordinate the Mali program team to deliver on the OCS objectives.
• Ability to coach on the building of strong, credible relationships with international and local NGOs, government associations, business leaders and communities
• Politically astute, with a good understanding of key external organisations, how they operate and make decisions, and the country development context
• Experience in representing an organization with partners, government agencies, private sector organizations, legal advisors and donors at senior level: locally, regionally and globally ideally in the West Africa region
• Experience of managing complex change processes and relationships involving a wide range of both internal and external multi-cultural stakeholders; bring in and draw on a wide INGO and NGO network in Mali and/or the West Africa region
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills, in written and verbal English, with high impact influencing and persuasive skills. Able to use different approaches to achieve followership.
• Knowledge of capacity building, learning and development activities and how to create a learning and sharing environment with different stakeholders
• Commitment to and knowledge of creating a partner-led operational environment, with an ability to create an internal Oxfam approach that is focussed on developing and supporting partner organisations to achieve direct impact and results relating to Oxfam’s objectives
• Experience of developing and managing complex budgets associated with donor and partner budgets
• Leadership experience of (possibly) remote teams operating within an INGO context; has knowledge and experience of using coaching and team working to deliver
• Understanding of managing security, health and safety and risk within and INGO
• Proven track record of making sound judgment in uncertain and pressurized situations.
• Ability to anticipate and manage risks that could threaten the organizations reputation, operational viability and security.
• Ability to encourage forward thinking, new ideas and learning from experience beyond the country program context while acting within a global framework
• Commitment to Oxfam’s overall aims and policies and experience of promoting women’s rights and those of marginalised people in all aspects of Oxfam’s work in Mali.

Key Behavioural Competencies