Program Consultant

SAMS is looking for an international humanitarian consultant to provide technical and program support to its office in Iraq. Under the direct supervision of the Country Director, the Programs Consultant will be based in Erbil, with the possibility of travel to other Iraqi regions/cities to meet with government officials and communities, as well as, NGOs, international agencies, and other stakeholders.  He/she will be responsible for the overall direction and implementation of SAMS’ strategy and programs in compliance with organizational and donors regulations. He/she will initiate the development of the programs department in Iraq. Duties may include building SAMS’ local knowledge and network, coordinating with key stakeholders, recruiting competent personnel, identifying financial resources and grants, and refining SAMS local policies in collaboration with relevant departments in the HQ or Regional Office.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Programs Development, Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation
• • Provide overall leadership and management of SAMS Iraq program portfolio, ensuring strategically coherent program direction, well-managed growth, and compliance with SAMS and donor regulations.
  • Conduct a detailed mapping assessment of local and international humanitarian actors operating in Iraq, including information on current programs and gaps (by location/sector) and donor priorities.
  • Continually seek out ways to build the capacities of the program team members, individually and collectively.
  • Ensure that detailed, realistic and feasible project implementation plans are developed, and modified as needed, in collaboration with Iraq country teams, Regional Office, and SAMS HQ.
  • Coordinate with other members of the Management Team on appropriate management, compliance and performance standards, as well as effective systems for budget management, knowledge management and risk management.
  • Support programming staff to collect, document and disseminate lessons learned and best practices, incorporating these into new project designs.
  • With program staff, develop effective and appropriate M&E plans, including methodologies and tools to strengthen the quality of data collection, analysis and reporting.
  • Review M&E and accountability data with program staff to identify and address areas for operational improvement.
  • Conduct routine monitoring visits to implementation sites to ensure donor compliance and quality program implementation.
  • Mitigate any potential Safety & Security (S&S) risks by reviewing security briefs, alerts and notifications and ensuring that programming staff fully aware and compliant with SAMS’ S&S policies and Standard Operational Procedures.
• Grants Management
• • Identify suitable private and institutional funding opportunities for SAMS to engage – either in collaboration with other partners, or alone.
  • Lead proposal/concept note development, in coordination with headquarters and regional colleagues.
  • Build capacity among program staff in program development, grant management, and reporting through delivery of training and on-job coaching and ensure that programming staff are well trained to properly manage project budgets.
  • Lead on writing all programmatic internal and external reports with programs coordinators and finance, ensuring high-quality, well-written and timely reports; meeting donors, SAMS, and partners requirements.
  • Regularly review Budget vs. Actual monthly summaries; to ensure effective monthly grant implementation and avoid overspending or unjustified underspending .
  • Mitigate any potential risk by collaborating with the Finance and Operations Departments to ensure that programming staff fully understand financial and administrative processes involved in project budget cycles.
• Networking and Partnership Development
• • Meet with potential donors and NGO partners to discuss opportunities for collaboration with SAMS and present results to regional and headquarter colleagues for follow-up.
  • Develop a sound understanding of the SAMS’ programs to be able to professionally represent SAMS Foundation to implementing partners, the government and donors.
  • Assist the Country Director developing strong relationships with donors, assisting with visits and in the development of appropriate advocacy actions.
  • Maintain solid cooperation with partner organizations through regular communication, cooperation and, where appropriate, joint decision-making.
  • Act as the focal point for program-related communication.

REQUIREMENTS:

Minimum requirements of this position are:

• At least five years of programmatic experience for NGOs, including at least two years of field experience.
• At least two years of management experience working in humanitarian or development settings.
• Fluency in written and spoken Arabic and English
• Knowledge of institutional donor requirements for proposal development and grant management, such as USAID, U.S. Department of State, Global Affairs Canada, DFID, ECHO, etc.
• Computer literacy; especially Microsoft Office softwares (Word, PowerPoint and Excel)

Desirable profiles may have one or more of the following:

• Advanced studies, certificates, or trainings related to humanitarian and development programs.
• Master’s degree in Development Studies, International Relations, Social Sciences or a similar field.
• Field experience in the Middle-East and/or Iraq.
• Experience with international NGOs.
• Fully aware of the geopolitical issues relevant to the humanitarian crisis in Iraq.
• Experience in managing health programs is strongly desired.’
• Knowledge of Kurdish language.

To apply, send your resume and cover letter to careers@sams-usa.net.