Head of programmes, Enhancing community resilience programme, Malawi

The Enhancing Community Resilience Programme (ECRP) aims to increase communities’ resilience to climate change in Malawi. This new programme aims to enable households to build resilient livelihoods that are sustainable and profitable, incorporating natural resource management and risk reduction, increasing adaptive capacity and enabling vulnerable households to have a voice in decisions affecting them. The programme is being implemented in seven districts in central and southern Malawi by a consortium led by Christian Aid. Consortium members include CARE, Action Aid, technical resource partners and a number of local implementing partners. ECRP is funded by the UK’s Department for International Development, Irish Aid and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Head of Programmes will work across the consortium to lead effective programme delivery and ensure the highest standards of programmatic quality amongst consortium members and implementing partners. This is a senior role with significant responsibilities.

Candidates for this job should have a post graduate degree in a relevant discipline and strong technical knowledge of climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. Substantial experience of managing complex projects or programmes with multiple stakeholders is essential, as is an understanding of the requirements of institutional donors. Candidates must also have substantial management and leadership experience. Experience of monitoring and evaluation would be a bonus, as would experience of communications and marketing.

Please show your suitability for this post by giving answers to the following questions in the application form. Using the guidance notes available on our website may help you formulate your answers.

Project management

Describe a time when you designed and managed a complex programme with a number of interventions and multiple implementing partners.

Please describe the programme very briefly
What did your management role involve?
What were the challenges that you encountered when designing and managing this programme?
How did you deal with these challenges?
What were the results?

Planning and organising

Please describe challenges you have encountered in coordinating a number of complex activities or projects and how your planning and organising ability proved to be key in keeping everything on track.

What activities/projects were you responsible for and what challenges did you encounter?
What did you do, and what was the outcome?

Providing and implementing solutions

Please provide an example of when you have had to take initiative to resolve conflict/issues in a team to ensure actions are implemented as agreed.

Motivating and influencing

Describe a time when you had to influence others to gain support for a new approach or initiative.

What issue or initiative was involved?
Why did you need to gain others’ support?
Describe the various efforts you took to gain that support.
What was the outcome?

We value the contribution each person makes to the success of our organization. That’s why you can expect a wide range of rewards and benefits, including a generous holiday allowance and flexibility that will ensure you enjoy a good work/life balance.

Download the role profile (77 KB pdf)

To apply for this post, please download an application pack and email your completed International application form to: Malawi@christian-aid.org quoting the job reference number.

Please note that CVs will not be accepted

Job reference: ECRP/2011/03

Closing date: Monday 14 November 2011

Interview date: 24 November 2011

Christian Aid values diversity and aspires to reflect this in our workforce. We welcome applications from people from all sections of the community, irrespective of race, colour, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief.