Oxfam GB Humanitarian Programme Manager Job Vacancy in Liberia

REPORTING LINES:
Post holder reports to: Country Director and is a member of the Liberia Senior Management Team Staff reporting to this post: Programme managers of Zwedru and Harper bases.

BUDGET RESPONSIBILITY: YES

BACKGROUND:
The refugee crisis of 2011 in south eastern Liberia that saw thousands of people from Cote d’Ivoire flood into the country to escape violence after the elections has now stabilised. Some refugees have returned, the refugee camps are maintained for those who choose to remain in Liberia and those that remain in communities have been requested to settle in the camps. The communities that hosted the refugees are being assisted in their recovery.

Oxfam provided water and sanitation facilities in four camps and started EFSL activities in some camps and surrounding communities in April 2011 in Grand Gedeh and Maryland counties. As of January 2012 Oxfam continues with several donor funded programmes (ECHO, EC, DfID, FAO and UNICEF) focused in the two counties. Camp activities are now focussed in two camps: PTP in Grand Gedeh and Little Wlebo in Maryland. Emergency Food Security and Livelihood and WASH activities are expanding to more communities in both counties. Oxfam Liberia is now actively in the process of merging activities and staff structure, set up in the emergency, with the overall county strategy and programme. The HPM will be actively involved with integrating the humanitarian programme with the established country programme by working with the senior management team in Monrovia whilst ensuring current and planned programme implementation/ development at the field bases. They will focus largely on transition programming and ensure that the gains of the Humanitarian responses integrate into the long term work of Oxfam in Liberia. The humanitarian programmes are all operational and as part of the integration there is a need to identify and work with potential local partners or citizen groups for a more developmental approach to succeed in the field.

DIMENSIONS:
Work pattern is a mixture of reactive and project work; especially relating to the management of ongoing humanitarian response in Grand Gedeh and Harper and the coordination of and delivery of agreed plans or strategies Required to make sound judgement regularly within agreed processes using a good understanding of the team and the facilities of the team Communicate with internal staff including regional and international staff; also external contacts/ target audience to support operational work Analysis and internal communication of country context to inform appropriate planning Some analysis and communication of the wider context Performance management of the team. Problem solving related to communications and coordination between, programme and various support teams Negotiation and representation with local authorities and donors. Coordination with the long term development team to develop a shared analysis and plan for integrating the humanitarian programme with the long term development programme.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
Monitor the changing humanitarian situation in the field , identify gaps in the response, develop new funding opportunities and propose new interventions as appropriate in SE Liberia.
Participate in internal coordination and strategic planning as appropriate to ensure integration of programmes between WASH and EFSL and between humanitarian and long term programming. This should include gender and protection mainstreaming.
Represent Oxfam in Monrovia by attending relevant meetings and liaising with other agencies/organisations to ensure information flow and coordination for the sectors in the field. This will include the food sector and WASH meetings as well as HAC and UNHCR coordination meetings.
Initiate identification and development of partners in the field in coordination with the field bases and Monrovia office staff.
Liaise with on-going programmes implemented by the Monrovia office (e.g.WASH Consortium, Public Health and Livelihoods programmes) to involve existing team members and implementing partners whenever appropriate.
Be the coordinating link to address challenges in the field in collaboration with the SMT in Monrovia.
In the absence of a dedicated advocacy staff bring any issues for action from the field to the attention of the SMT and regional advocacy staff. Reporting: In liaison with the funding coordinator, be responsible for the timely delivery of concept notes, proposals and donor reports. In addition be responsible for the completion of any external surveys/research completed in the field. Ensure that careful monitoring of the projects is ongoing to enable effective reporting.
Actively manage the Programme Managers in Zwedru and Harper through email, regular phone calls, periodic field visits, monthly field reports and performance reviews
Ensure that projects are implemented effectively through tracking BvAs, workplans and supply plans.
Work with Finance, HR and Logs departments in Monrovia to ensure that the needs of the field programmes are promptly addressed and the bases are running as effectively as possible.

SKILLS AND COMPETENCE:
• Ability to think strategically and analyse situations.
• Experience in emergency, transitional and development programming
• Experience in representation to donors/UN agencies/local authorities
• Excellent coordination and negotiation skills
• Experience in budget management
• Experience of remote staff management
• Broad experience in donor reporting and effective report writing
• Committed to Oxfam’ s equal opportunity and gender policies
• Sensitivity to cultural differences, and the ability to work in a wide variety of cultural contexts Excellent verbal and written communications skills
• Sympathy with, and knowledge of, the aims and objectives of Oxfam
• Familiarity with and acceptance of, the NGO/Red Cross Code of Conduct, People in aid, and other regulatory Codes Duration of the post
Time frame: 3 months Starting: 1 March 2012 Ending: 31 May 2012

How to apply:
We are an equal opportunities employer and we welcome applications from people who are representative of a diversity of backgrounds, and we would particularly welcome applications from women.

For details on how to apply and further information on how you can work to find lasting solutions to poverty and suffering around the world, please visit http://www.oxfam.org.uk/jobs . ref:INT5159

Closing date: 10 Feb 2012