Job Description Regional Programme Adviser
A job description is a written statement that describes the employee’s role and responsibilities. The role and responsibilities shall be executed within the NRC framework. The job description facilitates the recruitment process by stating the necessary competencies. It is mandatory for all positions.

• Position: Regional Programme Adviser
• Grade: 9
• Date: January 1st, 2024
• Reports to: Regional Head of Programme Development and Support
• Supervision of: None
• Duty station: Regional Office, Dakar, Sénégal
• Travel: Up to 30%
• Duration and type of contract: 12 months with possibility for renewal
All NRC employees are expected to work in accordance with the organisation’s core values: dedication, innovation, inclusivity, and accountability. These attitudes and beliefs shall guide our actions and relationships.


Background
The Central and West Africa Regional Office (CWARO) located in Dakar, Senegal, supports and provides oversight to NRC’s country programmes in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Niger, and Nigeria. All countries are experiencing a deterioration of the security situation, increasing humanitarian needs and growing displacements due to conflict and climate change. NRC’s programmes and advocacy support families affected by conflict in the shelter, food security and livelihoods, education, water and sanitation, camp management, protection and legal assistance sectors. NRC has over 1,300 employees working on the NRC regional response.

The Regional Programme Department, based in CWARO and managed by the Regional Programme Director, is responsible for the strategic development of NRC programming in the region by maximizing the support to and the development of Country Programmes as well as by exploring and creating synergies among these. The Regional Programme Department is focused on guidance and procedures, evidence and learning, capacity building, programme quality and donor relations. The department includes a Core Competency and Thematic Unit and a Programme Development and Support Unit (PDSU).
The PDSU provides guidance for strategic programme development and resource mobilization, oversight of multi- country and regional grants, and technical support for project cycle management. The unit consists of two Regional Programme Advisors, a Regional Grant Manager, a Regional Roving Grants Manager and the Head of Programme Development and Support.


1. Role and responsibilities
Overview of Role
The Regional Programme Advisor is responsible for providing specialist advice and guidance to the Country Director and/or Head of Programme and Grants Managers at Country level in ensuring that optimal programme strategies, structures, systems, and resources are in place. The Regional Programme Adviser will provide advisory support, technical oversight, and capacity building to Country Office (CO) staff to ensure the highest quality of programming.
The Regional Programme Adviser will have a number of allocated country offices and will provide a range of advisory support and capacity building to in relation to programme proposal development, grants management, and Project Cycle Management (PCM) (ensuring the effective management of the full programme cycle) according to NRC process, systems and tools Additionally, they may act as focal point on some specific processes such as Complaints and Feedback Mechanisms, or donor related processes.
The post holder acts as the key interface between the country office, regional office and head office. As part of a technical matrix structure, the postholder is required to work collaboratively with colleagues in both the technical and the operational management structures in country offices, and also has a technical accountability to the programme function, policy, strategy, and direction as determined through the Head Office level of the NRC. Staff within the PDSU team may be required to contribute to global initiatives as part of a wider community of specialists. Collaborative working with colleagues within the wider regional programme team, at Head Office (HO) and in other regions is essential to effectiveness in the role and maximising the shared learning across NRC.


Generic responsibilities
Strategy, programme and business development
• Provide specialist support, advice and guidance to own portfolio of country offices in relation to programme development and to strategic planning in country programmes.
• Conduct regional analysis of trends in the region as allocated by line manager to contribute to regional understanding and provide evidence for new initiatives (e.g., advocacy, new project ideas, new potential donors or partnerships)
• Identify potential new business development opportunities within the region, including region wide opportunities, and country specific opportunities, such as new funder or programme opportunities with good synergy with NRC Strategy and programme priorities and the regional and country contexts
• Coordinate internal reporting and facilitate meetings between country offices the Regional Office and Head Office as required, ensure correct archiving of designated multi-country grants, strategy, programme and project documentation, and keep oversight of designated multi-grant proposals and reporting deadlines.
• Responsible to stay updated on specific countries and/ or themes as assigned.

Advice, support and capacity building
• Responsible for capacity building and learning and development, as required, including facilitation of induction training for relevant programme personnel in COs and in RO, and provision of PCM support, including facilitation and delivery of trainings to country programmes within the region.
• May be required to participate in a small number of recruitment interviews for key relevant CO positions and provide some technical supervision (e.g., Grants Managers).

Quality standards, data analysis and M&E
• Responsible for quality control of high-risk donor proposals and reports, , income forecast and triannual reports and internal programme strategy documents and reports, in regard to NRC strategies and donor compliance.
• Where applicable, liaise and work collaboratively with colleagues in Policy and Partnerships to ensure provision of information and support to Cos
• Support programme assessments evaluations in country programmes.
• Promote incorporation of lessons learned and best practices into programme development in country programmes, including from M&E products (such as GORS and Evaluations).

Networking, representation and relationships
Contribute to identification, development and maintenance of relationships with designated stakeholders (e.g., donors, UN agencies, NGOs, private sector) related to programme and business development.


Specific responsibilities
• Identify gaps in quality and practice, and common learning and development needs in relation to programme proposal development, PCM, Grants Management within the region’s COs and work collaboratively with L&D colleagues (regional, HO, OD/PCM Adviser) on development of learning initiatives to build skills and capacity
• Support key quality check processes, notably COs M&E data review, reconciliation of deliverables, PCM mandatory activities, CFM.
• Act as focal point and liaison with the Institutional Partnership Advisor for each country of the assigned portfolio
• Provide orientation, guidance and support on accountability and Complaints and Feedback Mechanisms according to NRC global policies and in close collaborative work with the multi-disciplinary focal points of the CFM Regional Task Force.
• Provide support and advice on Consortium partnership in ensuring the compliance on the diligence process, observing the use of NRC tools and procedures and facilitating the regional validation process required.
• Ensure COs are compliant with programmatic quality standards of accountability and archiving.
• Conduct analysis of trends in the region or sub-region to contribute to regional understanding and provide evidence for advocacy and innovative project ideas.


Critical interfaces
By interfaces, NRC means processes and projects that are interlinked with other departments/units or persons internally. Relevant interfaces for this position:
• Regional colleagues – PDSU team, Regional CC and Thematic Advisors, Regional M&E, Regional Program Director, Senior Regional Adviser (based in Oslo), Regional Finance colleagues, Risk and Compliance colleagues – collaborative working, sharing organisational learning, liaison on programme development and program support
• Head of Programme and CC Specialists in country: Discussions on strategic direction of programme, PCM, programme quality control, programme development.
• Country Office: GrantsAccountability coordinator or CFM Focal Point: provision of strategic advice and support in relation to PCM, CFM, quality, compliance
• Legal team HO : collaborate with the Legal team on reviewing the Donor contracts and/or Agreements and Consortium MoUs.
• Partnership and Policy (HO, NRC Brussels, NRC Geneva): Institutional Partnerships and Institutional Partnerships Advisers – programme proposal development and donor compliance.


Scope
Information on scope to be inserted here.
Financial responsibility:
• Supports 2-3 COs within the region with income generation through guidance and quality checks on programme proposal development, and donor reporting

Resources responsibility:
• Responsibility for information resources to support own activities of the team, including quality, monitoring and compliance information on CO practice, and regional tools, guidance and resources to support best practice and learning
Staff responsibility:
• Provide technical supervision and support to key personnel in COs – e.g. new Grants Managers
Compliance:
• Compliance and adherence to NRC policies, guidance, and procedures
• Supports the process of ensuring programme proposals are compliant with NRC’s programme priorities, PCM and donors’ requirements through monitoring and quality checks

2. Competencies
Competencies are important in order for the employee and the organisation to deliver desired results. They are relevant for all staff and are divided into the following two categories:
Professional competencies


Generic professional competencies:
• Five years of experience within the humanitarian/recovery context, of which 3 years of Manager/Advisor experience
• Specialist knowledge and expertise equivalent to an advanced university degree in a relevant field (e.g., international development, politics, social science)
• Knowledge of institutional donors’ strategies, priorities, and compliance requirements – NMFA and SIDA program based approach, ECHO, BHA, UN Donors, etc..
• Track record of successful proposal development, or similar in funding or partnerships
• Experience from working in complex and volatile contexts, with preference for previous experience in Central and West Africa
• Understanding of, and commitment to working collaboratively with technical and operational colleagues within a matrix structure, including capacity building
• Fluency in English and French, both written and verbal

Context related skills, knowledge, and experience:
• Experience working with overall strategy development and planning
• Experience of developing learning and development tools and resources to support capacity building
• Knowledge of and interest in new business opportunities, including commercial partnerships
• Experience of working with cross-country programmes and donors
• Experience of working with consortia

Behavioural competencies (max 6)
• These are personal qualities that influence how successful people are in their job. NRC’s Competency Framework states 12 behavioural competencies and the following are essential for this position:
• Planning and delivering results
• Analysing
• Strategic thinking
• Communicating with impact and respect
• Initiating action and change
• Handling insecure environments

3. Performance Management
The employee will be accountable for the responsibilities and the competencies, in accordance with the NRC Performance Management Manual. The following documents will be used for performance reviews:

• The Job Description
• The Work and Development Plan
• The Mid-term/End-of-trial Period Performance Review Template
• The End-term Performance Review Template
• The NRC Competency Framework