Thailand: Deputy Director of Programs

Background/IRC Summary: The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is at work in over 40 countries and 26 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. The IRC has been operating in Thailand since 1975 and currently provides assistance to displaced persons in Tak, Kanchanaburi, Ratchaburi and Mae Hong Son provinces.

Job Overview/Summary: The key responsibilities of the Deputy Director of Programs (DDP) are to participate in the overall strategic direction and vision for IRC’s programming in Thailand and to supervise the administration of the IRC Thailand country office’s grants portfolio. These activities include overseeing the implementation of multi-sector programming, in various provinces where IRC works with humanitarian assistance, health, environmental health, protection and advocacy for displaced persons, as well as activities supporting internally displaced people in southeastern Myanmar. Responsibilities include oversight and supervision of women’s protection, access to justice, legal and health services and partnership relationships. In addition the position is a key member of the senior management team and plays an active role in the general strategic leadership of the country program. The DDP serves as a point of contact with Thailand-based donors who support IRC programming, including United Nations organizations, international governments and the private sector. All functions of this position adhere to the “IRC 2020,” the Thailand country office’s five-year Strategic Action Plan and strive for program excellence, gender equality, maximum beneficiary support, and client voice and choice. The position is part of the senior management team and as such, serves as a key leader in supporting and achieving the IRC’s mission in Thailand.

General Job Description:** The DDP is responsible for oversight of the Programs Unit, which manages grants and contracts awarded from various donor sources, and provides direct supervision for program coordination staff in three provinces. The position is also responsible for ensuring implementation of high-quality programming, including providing direction and oversight on program design, gender equality and supervision of spending plans for all awarded grants. The position represents the IRC in interagency meetings and amongst donor-participated events, supports the country office’s emerging corporate and social responsibility (CSR) program and requires regular travel to field offices for management and monitoring activities. The DDP also serves as the point of contact for IRC Headquarters technical unit and regional focal-points and serves as the lead in the country program’s Strategic Action Plan (SAP).

JOB-SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES:

Program Oversight - Management and Quality

• Direct overall supervision of IRC Thailand’s health, legal, women’s empowerment and protection programs
• Ensure high quality and timely technical supervision of program coordination staff
• Serve as the focal point for communication with IRC headquarters technical unit staff
• Oversee and critically monitor programs that reflect the spirit of IRC’s Program Framework, sector strategies and IRC Thailand’s strategic plan
• Work with the Chief of Party for the USAID/Project for Local Empowerment to ensure IRC implementation strategies are harmonized across all project areas
• Ensure internal program coordination at the project and strategic levels within the country program and across program portfolios, specifically ensuring quality data collection, strategic planning alignment and program framework integration
• Ensure progress towards meeting yearly performance and strategic objectives as set by the Country Director in coordination with regional leadership.

Budget, Administration and Grant Management

• Ensure grants are managed within budget by leading Budget to Actual meetings and ensuring appropriate management staff review expenditure reports.
• Initiate internal reviews and final evaluations, as necessary; identify opportunities for external consultants to help inform the country offices approaches and strategies. Incorporate lessons learned into revised implementation approaches.
• Ensure program coordination staff collect and analyze high quality data, and use this data to inform project decisions and designs per the strategic action plan.
• Provide routine supervisory, operational and management support to program coordinators in multiple field locations.
• Oversee the internal and external submission of reports as required by various donors to ensure the highest quality.

• Conduct regular field visits to monitor programs and provide support to field-based staff. Strategic Planning and Development

• Actively seek to increase IRC’s potential to operationalize sector-specific programming by capitalizing on opportunities and developing proposals through government and non-government donors.

• Develop new programs and assist in project identification, design, monitoring and evaluation per IRC global standards.

• Lead program design sessions that benefit the Thailand country office, provide input to proposals and give advice to project managers who design and implement programs to ensure gender equality is inherent in programming and all activities are designed within budgetary parameters.

• Assess existing and future staffing needs to ensure appropriate capacity within all program portfolios and sectors.

• In coordination with country office leadership, support efforts for program expansion as well as retraction when conditions warrant change. Representation and Partnership

• Develop and maintain a positive working relationship with donors, host government, refugee committees, NGO/UN/IO community, IRC staff in country, as well as regional and headquarters based staff. As requested, represent IRC at coordination events, invited meetings and official functions.

• Represent IRC Thailand at regularly scheduled meetings that bring together key stakeholders working with displaced persons, including Thai government ministries, NGOs, local service organizations, and relevant UN agencies.

• Serve as focal point for management of official donor and IRC visitors to the Thailand-Myanmar border as assigned.

• Uphold IRC’s global corporate initiatives related to evidence-based project design, monitoring, evaluation and learning.

Staff Development

• Effectively communicate with and train relevant IRC country program staff to ensure full understanding of the organization’s commitment to program excellence, gender equality and beneficiary voice and choice.
• Provide guidance in developing and refining staff job descriptions, recruiting sector staff and managing staff performance
• Collaborate with human resources staff to ensure orientation and professional development for all program staff
• Provide human resources support and development opportunities for program and grants management staff

JOB REQUIREMENTS:

• Master’s degree in related field, such as humanitarian assistance, civil society development, community development
• Minimum of eight years’ experience in leading humanitarian and/or development assistance programs with a focus on services or refugee protection in an international setting
• Demonstrated expertise in managing a complex program portfolio spanning humanitarian and development assistance across multiple sectors in a variety of operating contexts
• Technical expertise in one or more of the following: health, education, emergency cash transfers and food assistance, rights protection, institutional capacity building, advocacy, with a demonstrated ability to foster the close integration of multiple project sectors
• Demonstrated ability to ensure appropriate monitoring and evaluation of a complex program portfolio, especially those administered by community-based partner organizations
• Ability to lead large multi-cultural teams delivering complex humanitarian and developmental assistance involving a wide array of project partners
• Strong strategic planning, monitoring, management, supervision, and budgeting expertise
• Strong communication skills, both interpersonal and written
• Indigenous and local language (Burmese, Karen, Karenni, Shan, Thai) capability a plus

Working Environment*:* The position is based in the IRC office in Bangkok, with regular travel to the Thailand-Myanmar border area as required.

HOW TO APPLY:

Application letter and most recent CV in English stating qualifications and experience should be submitted to the IRC Human Resources Department at:**Thailand.HR@Rescue.org** All applications will be treated confidentially and not returned. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. Application deadline: 24 May 2016

The IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, national origin, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, age, marital status or physical or mental disability. The IRC is an equal opportunity employer.