SENSE INTERNATIONAL

PROGRAMME OFFICER

JOB DESCRIPTION

(June 2016)

Reports to:Senior Programme Manager

Location:101 Pentonville Road, London N1 9LG

Salary Scale:Programme Officer Scale 31-34 plus Inner London Allowance

Hours:22.5 hours per week (over 3 days)

Job Type:Permanent

Category: International Development/ Programme Management

Sectors: Children/ Disability

Pension:Sense International will match a contribution of up to 5% of salary to a stakeholder pension scheme.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF POST:

Sense International is a development NGO that works to ensure children and young people with deafblindness or multisensory impairment live full and active lives. The Sense International office in London currently supports regional programmes in East Africa, Romania, Latin America and South Asia. The Programme Officerposition is a new post, and will support the Senior Programme Manager.

The Programme Officer will work with regional teams to ensure that programme processes and reporting are carried out in a timely manner, and are compliant with donor requirements as well as organisational guidelines and policies. S/he will also regularly monitor activities, plans and budgets to ensure alignment with strategy, effective implementation and demonstration of impact. Where possible, the Programme Officer will work to ensure that regional technical support needs are met. S/he will work closely with the Senior Programme Manager and the fundraising teams/other support departments to ensure that statutory and other grants are effectively monitored and aligned with programme plans and budgets, and reporting requirements achieved.

The Programme Officer will act as a champion and ambassador on behalf of the regional programmes to ensure that the work that they do and the issues they raise are promoted and shared elsewhere in the organisation and externally as appropriate. S/he will also represent Sense International in a number of forums and strengthen strategic linkages and cooperation with other NGOs.

The Programme Officerposition is a challenging function in SI, and the job holder is therefore expected to perform with a high degree of professionalism and to produce work of excellent quality. The person is expected to work independently, showing good judgment, and applying initiative and persistence to deal with the unexpected in order to achieve the best results.

The Programme Officer is expected to attend meetings and be involved in other activities at times at irregular hours as required. This will include Country Programme visits totalling no more than three months per year (pro-rata), with each visit covering a one to two-week period.

The main tasks of the post will be as follows:

Specific Responsibilities

  1. Programme Management
  2. Monitor regional and country programmes to ensure they comply with Sense International’s strategic direction and related programme policies, ensuring evaluation of progress is conducted effectively at all levels
  3. Ensure that the implementation of programmes is in line with donor requirements
  4. Regularly review the monitoring and appraisal systems to ensure coherence and integrity across the country programmes
  5. Ensure that planning and implementation are effective, and appropriate planning tools are used by programme staff
  6. Ensure that technical support needs of regional offices are met wherever possible, and technical support plans are developed
  7. Support the development of Terms of Reference (TOR) for consultants in conjunction with the Senior Programme Manager and Fundraising. Review reports and make recommendations on improvements where considered appropriate
  8. Conduct regular programme visits to review programme progress against country strategies and programme objectives.
  9. Ensure wider accessibility of programme information, both internally and externally, using a variety of platforms
  10. In conjunction with the Senior Programmes Manager review quarterly reports and provide feedback on narrative and financial data, monitoring key performance indicators updating the Director of SI where appropriate
  11. Develop research and policy on thematic topics in conjunction with the Senior Programme Manager
  12. Remain in touch with key in country developments in the disability field and cultivate relationships with priority stakeholders.
  1. Financial Management
  2. Ensure sound budgeting and forecasting in all regional/country programmes, monitoring regional plans and budgets on monthly and quarterly basis to ensure effective programme delivery
  3. Report to the Senior Programme Manager on programme expenditure highlighting variances and potential delays in programme implementation
  4. Collaborate with Finance and Senior Programme Manager to ensure effective systems are in place for managing finances related to the programmes operations
  5. Fundraising / Contract Management
  6. Support in the development of new project proposals for fundraising purposes.
  7. Support the fundraising team with managing statutory grants with support from regional/country teams, paying particular attention to grant compliance and the timely provision of narrative and financial reports
  8. Representation
  9. Participate in relevant international and national forums, and work in close collaboration with donors and partners
  10. Attend meetings with SI supporters, fundraisers, and trustees as required
  11. Other tasks as directed

PROGRAMME OFFICER

PERSONAL SPECIFICATION

Qualifications and Experience:

  • A bachelor degree in social science, international development studies, international relations or the equivalent relevant qualification or experience.
  • Experience of working in international development and an understanding of and empathy with development issues
  • Demonstrated experience with programme management and the project cycle
  • Demonstrated experience involvement in project planning and implementation
  • Demonstrated experience of maintaining monitoring and evaluation systems
  • Demonstrated experience of budgeting and financial monitoring
  • Demonstrated experience of developing statutory proposals and managing statutory grants
  • Familiarity with NGO networks within UK and/or experience of making positive use of networks in developing countries

Aptitude/Skills:

  • Strong communication skills
  • Ability to effectively inform, negotiate and problem-solve with a wide range of people, often from different countries, with tact and diplomacy
  • Excellent organisational and administrative skills, with the flexibility to manage and prioritise own workload to meet deadlines
  • Ability to work independently, combined with a commitment to working as a team member
  • Experience with Microsoft packages
  • Enthusiasm
  • Cultural sensitivity
  • Ability and willingness to travel in the regions as required.
  • Willingness to identify with the values and I-Statements of Sense International

Desirable:

  • Ability to communicate in a number of languages, in particular Spanish, BSL
  • Experience or knowledge of the disability field
  • Relevant postgraduate qualification
  • Experience working with colleagues in different geographic locations (via skype, email etc)
  • A diploma in NGO Management, Project Management or similar

Please note: the successful applicant must have the right to work in the UK

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