Middle East secure livelihoods programme manager Christian Aid

Christian Aid is striving for wholesale change to the structures and rules that keep people poor. We work wherever the need is greatest, giving people strength to find their own solutions to the problems they face, irrespective of their religion. So if you’re passionate about helping others, and want to help us drive positive change across the world, join us.

Christian Aid is now looking to recruit a highly committed and dynamic secure livelihoods programme manager for the Middle East.

With a strong focus on building resilient and thriving societies, the secure livelihoods programme plays a pivotal part in our Middle East regional strategy. The programme is responsive to the local context, so you can expect to prioritise rights based approaches enabling people to gain control over their livelihoods, building resilience in conflict and post conflict situations and supporting appropriate responses to climate change.

Working together with our partners from across the Middle East (including Egypt, the occupied Palestinian territory and Iraq) you will provide strategic leadership and develop innovative and effective programmes which result in significant impact on the lives of people living in poverty and on changing the policies that keep people poor.

Ensuring a cohesive regional approach, you will develop a dynamic partner and project portfolio with the power to deliver positive change. Backed by a diverse funding package, you will have responsibility for all aspects of the programme cycle, including demonstrating impact and programme learning as well as for budgets ensuring high standards of accountability. You will seek to expand the programme by securing further funding from international donors and work with the funds to develop and deliver effective programmes, bringing maximum benefit to the communities affected. You will build and capitalise on strong relationships across Christian Aid and with external organisations.

You are educated to degree level, with substantial experience of livelihoods programming, you have a strong understanding of the drivers of poverty and its eradication in the Middle East context and are confident in working in partnership with civil society and church-based/ecumenical organisations. A strategic thinker, you have a strong track record in bringing innovative approaches to programme development in rapidly changing contexts. Ideally you will have considerable experience of resilience strategies in conflict situations, knowledge of appropriate climate change responses and an ability to manage humanitarian responses, but we’re also keen to hear from you if you have plenty of initiative and a real sympathy with Christian Aid’s goals.

Please show your suitability for this post by giving answers to the following questions: Using the guidance notes may help you formulate your answers.

Critical judgement

Please tell us about a situation where you had to develop a programme strategy.

Analytical thinking

Describe a time when your analysis brought about innovative solutions to a problem

Operational leadership and management

What have you done in the past to ensure that your team members are aware of the strategic vision of your unit/organisation and how their work relates to it?

Decision making

Tell us about a time when you decided on a course of action even though you knew it would only please some of your staff but disappoint or upset the rest.

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

As this post is UK based, non-EC nationals will require current and valid permission to work in the UK.

Download the role profile (71 KB pdf)

To apply for this post, please download an application pack and email your completed UK & Ireland application form to: recruitment@christian-aid.org (quoting the reference number). Alternatively, your completed application form can be printed out and posted to us at:

Christian Aid
35 Lower Marsh
Waterloo
London SE1 7RT

Please note that CVs will not be accepted.

Job reference: 217/LJ

Closing date: 12 noon GMT, Thursday 8 March 2012

Interview date: Tuesday 20 or Wednesday 21 March 2012 (To be confirmed)

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.