Regional Programme Manager

Oxfam is a world-wide development organization that mobilizes the power of people against poverty.

The Oxfam Global Humanitarian Team is looking for a:

REGIONAL PROGRAMME MANAGER

Fulltime, 40 hrs

Starting date: as soon as possible

Based in: Regional office Athens, Greece with frequent travel

This position reports to: Oxfam International (OI) Deputy Humanitarian Director

Duration: 12 months (possible extension subject to funding)

Job purpose:

To provide strategic leadership, and oversight of the response, including: a coherent integrated response; financial security; a robust campaign/advocacy dimension and support and contribute to the national level responses of the crisis.

Key functions:

Ensure strategic leadership and overall quality of the response consistent with the Oxfam strategy for the regional response to the crisis.

Support to country & regional teams to ensure high quality program response and support to build enhanced humanitarian capacity.

Secure and maintain oversight of financial and people resourcing for the response

Ensure internal Coordination and accountability

Build internal relationships and linkages which include coordination with the Syria Crisis response, the OI EU office in Brussels, the Global Rights in Crisis campaign and Global Migration Campaign.

Budget oversight:

8 - 10 million Euro

Background and response:

Since September 2015 Oxfam is responding to the migrant influx to Europe and aims to meet the needs of people on the move in need of protection. Oxfam is responding in Serbia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Greece and in Tuscany and Sicily (Italy) through partners or through direct services delivery (Greece). The responses, that primarily respond to the needs of the affected migrants and refugees aim to deliver relevant and credible information for the purpose of global and national influencing of engaged publics and decision makers. The responses in the countries are aligned by one agreed Strategic Plan that is backed up by a well developed influencing plan.

The migration influx has had and still has a major impact on the European Union and individual European countries. European countries and the European Union as a whole have failed to come up with a cohesive and comprehensive response that respects human rights and protects rights of individual migrants in accordance with European Council legislation

.A direct impact of the lack of clear European policy in regards to the migration flow has led to a chaotic environment in which recently a certain number of migrants were allowed to move onwards while other got stuck in Greece, FYROM and Serbia, often deprived of the all basics. The current situation may result in people deciding to move onwards using their own capacities and ability to complete their journey.

Since early March, two major events have considerably changed the dynamics of the response. The first event is the closure of the Balkan Route and the second is EU/Turkey agreement. This is consistently changing the logic of the flow: in Greece people on the move have become stranded, the funding for assistance has increased considerably, while only few people remain in Serbia and FYROM. A the same time the first quarter of 2016 has shown an increase of the arrivals to Italy of about 80% more than the arrivals of the same quarter of the year in 2015, and Italian authorities expect the 2016 as the year that will mark the highest number of arrival ever.

The response draws on a number of Oxfam capacities which is to provide humanitarian assistance, a worldwide Campaigning and policy network and capacity to engage with audiences around the world. The response is based on the "One Programme Approach" of Oxfam. Internally the response is defined as a protection response that provides the basis for Oxfam's influencing. The relationships with the partners centre on the delivery of humanitarian assistance and the ability of Oxfam to act as a convenor using its influencing capacity.

The structure of the response is based on two Oxfam affiliates (Oxfam Novib and Oxfam Italy) delivering the responses in respectively Greece (ONL) and Serbia, FYROM and Italy (Oxfam Italy).

The regional capacity consists of the operational lead (this Job profile), and Rights in Crisis Campaign Manager, a short term regional Protection Lead, and a Funding/Finance capacity. For its influencing undertakings the response draws on capacity in the PE teams, the Brussels EU office and Rights in Crisis capacity in addition to some support from other campaigns in the organisation. Within Europe the response is supported through individual European affiliate focal points.

This position has direct management responsibility for the Funding/Finance position and the Regional Campaigns and policy position and works closely together with the Humanitarian leads of the implementing affiliates and with the humanitarian response leads in the countries.

Key Roles and Responsibilities:

Strategy:

Overall responsible for the strategic leadership and high-quality delivery of Oxfam's Migration program response, (speed, scale, contextually appropriated, integrated and taking into account long term issues and implications) and in line with Oxfam's overall OSP ambitions, external commitments and Oxfam's brand as a lead humanitarian actor.

Contribute and provide leadership to the overall One Oxfam response, fostering mutually reinforcing strategies with public engagement, communications and advocacy.

Hold the country teams accountable in implementing the country strategy in order to ensure the delivery of the regional strategy in a consistent way.

Ensure consistency among the Program, Advocacy and Public Engagement components of the Oxfam strategy.

Ensure and support Oxfam's representation in national and regional coordination mechanisms and other key interagency fora.

Represent Oxfam's work and positioning in external fora or media, as required

Support to country teams to ensure high quality program response and support to build enhanced humanitarian capacity:

Ensure that the Oxfam's response meets agreed standards, including WIN and the Public engagement needs.

Provide support and advice to country teams and programs, promoting cross-learning across country programs and country teams

Identification of good practices that can be scaled up/replicated across countries. Likewise identification of weaknesses / areas for improvement and ensure action to mitigate/corrective measures.

Consider and promote coherence in the response and response activities

Ensure necessary inputs and support (program or support functions) is provided, including the development of a Regional contingency plan, regional stocks, HR and fundraising planning.

Resources

Ensure that a Regional Response Funding strategy is implemented in order to:

Secure the necessary levels of restricted funding to support the response

Ensure that all the response components are properly resourced and funded

Support the split of unrestricted funding among the different national levels responses, based on needs and priorities.

Oversight of timely donor reporting, and responsibility for multi-country grants reports and proposals.

Reports on the regional budget.

Coordination and accountability

Track humanitarian information, learning and knowledge developed in the EU Migration Response, ensuring these are shared with key internal and external stakeholders.

Chair and mobilise Regional level response coordination, ensuring follow up of agreed actions and necessary support from others (e.g. HR, Funding, MEAL, others).

Coordinate and link-up appointed focal points from affiliates or OI, global campaigns and leads of other related responses beyond Europe.

Participate regularly and report back to the Response Leadership Team (composed of the Regional Programme Manager, and the Humanitarian Lead of the Oxfam affiliates involved in the response) on the content of the work, main decisions and outcomes.

Ensure overall accountability to the OI Deputy Humanitarian Director and the Response Leadership Team. To the Global Humanitarian team (GHT), on response implementation, progress and challenges.

Share with the program and advocacy members of the responding affiliates the relevant documents related to the migration crisis (e.g. advocacy messages, protection surveys, etc.)...

Ensure timely and relevant information dissemination (country and overall SitReps, humanitarian updates, informal communication with all involved affiliates).

Skills and experience

• At least 10 years experience in the development or humanitarian sector combined with demonstrable human rights experience
• At least 5 years experience in a senior management position
• Experience in strategic planning
• A good ability to comprehend and present complex plans
• A good networker
• Excellent people skills
• Demonstrable experience in facilitating teams
• Experience working with virtual teams
• Demonstrable leadership skills and experience
• Fluent in English and ability to communicate in at least two other European languages would be a distinct advantage
• Affinity with humanitarian responses
• An understanding of European refugee and migrant challenges and the political sensitivities and obstacles
• A good understanding of the challenges faced by people outside Europe and their motives to come to Europe
• Experience in giving interviews
• A good understanding of media, campaigning and policy undertakings
• Understanding of IHL and legal aspects of migration and refugees is desirable
• Experience of working in a European context

Location

You will be based in Regional office of Greece, Athens with frequent deployment in other countries of the regional response, namely Serbia, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Italy. The duty station may change during the contracting period if new scenarios occur and needs will change. Other possible locations may become Italy, or Belgrade.

We offer

The position is graded in scale 11 (between EU 3,706 and EU 5,700 gross monthly based on 40 hours workweek). If applicable expat allowance will be offered.

The procedure

If you are interested please send your application letter and CV in English, mentioning reference number 5- 9301 to jobs@oxfamnovib.nl for the attention of Koen Hubben, HR Business Partner, no later than June 19th, 2016. Further information about this position can be obtained from Colette Fearon, Deputy Humanitarian Director GHT,cfearon@ght.oxfam.org.

We are committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organization.

Applicants must be Nationals of a European Union member State or have a valid work permit for the European Union.