View Vacancy - Programme Officer (02/24 JUB)
Main purpose of job:
The Programme Officer will be a key member of the Humanitarian and Livelihoods Team (HLT) and will support the delivery of the Embassy’s humanitarian and development objectives; meet lifesaving needs, provide protection, build resilience, strengthen the enabling environment and working towards transition from humanitarian assistance to sustainable development in South Sudan.
The current HLT portfolio consists of one large-scale £787m multi-year Humanitarian Assistance and Resilience in South Sudan Programme (HARRIS) which will be closing and April 2024. A £300m 4 -ear successor programme South Sudan Humanitarian Assistance and Resilience Programme (SSHARP) is currently going through approval processes and is expected to start in April 2024. Implementing partners will be a mixture of UN agencies, NGOs and the private sector.
The post holder will support effective programme management of HLT's portfolio in accordance with FCDO's Programme Operating Framework (PrOF). The Post holder will be expected to support a Deputy Programme Manager to manage 2-3 implementing partners, as well as the Senior Responsible Owner and Programme Responsible Owner on overall portfolio management. Financial and Information Management, managing risks and issues; and managing implementing partners agreements will be key aspects of the job.
Key roles and responsibilities:
Project delivery
- Ensuring programme delivery is compliant with the PrOF rules.
- Regularly updating programme management tools with accuracy (eg. delivery plans, risk registers and programme information on FCDO systems).
- Support monitoring and evaluation processes, including annual reviews, programme closure reports and reviewing partners progress reports.
- Draft and issue agreements and amendments to implementing partners with support from the Deputy Programme Manager.
- Maintain strong information management in line with HLT’s record keeping policies.
- Support the programme manager and wider team on partner due diligence assessments and FCDO asset management, including disposal and annual spot checks.
Financial management
- Review invoices and process payments to implementing partners promptly, ensuring documentation is accurate and in line with FCDO’s purchase to pay policies and that payments are linked to agreed project milestones and/or reporting obligations.
- Accurately budget and forecast partner finances on FCDO’s financial management system HERA on a monthly basis.
- Review partners progress reports to ensure the programme achieves value for money.
- Review implementing partners annual audited (or certified) statements escalating concerns/issues to Deputy Programme Manager.
Risk Management
- Work with implementing partners, the wider Embassy and FCDO HQ to manage and close fraud and safeguarding against sexual abuse, exploitation and harassment cases in a timely manner.
- Support the Deputy Programme Manager to monitor implementing partners programme risk management approaches and processes.
Cross-cutting support
- Work closely and effectively with the programme managers, advisers, the Programme Responsible Owner and Senior Responsible Owner on HLT programmes. Maintain strong relationships with staff across the Embassy and share lessons learned.
- Ability to respond quickly to a changing context in South Sudan and prioritise competing tasks without impacting programme compliance with the ProF.
- Adjust and maintain resilience when there is a high turnover of UK staff and maintain strong communication during these processes.
- Support HLT on logistics for meetings, room bookings and field visits including drafting note of meetings.
- Minimum of five years’ experience in programme administrative support roles and ability to transfer these skills to FCDO programme management systems and processes.
- Experience in effective financial management; managing programme risks and issues; and the programme/project cycle.
- Strong attention to detail to ensure programme documentation is accurate and compliant.
- Strong oral and written communication skills.
- Proficient in the use of relevant IT skills (i.e. email, word and Excel)
Language requirements:
Language: English
Level of language required: Excellent/fluent
- A university degree in the relevant areas (eg. development studies, social work or programme management or finance).
- Experience of supporting or managing humanitarian and development programmes.
Learning and development opportunities:
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has a range of L&D opportunities to help develop the right candidate in the role and provide wider learning of FCDO. The successful candidate will have opportunities to build their skills by on-the job experience, learning sessions delivered through FCDO’s centre for delivery and potentially programme management accreditation if the candidate meets the criteria.
South Sudan is the world’s youngest country and third most fragile state. It has regressed on key stability and development indicators since independence in 2011.
We have a significant interest in promoting stability in South Sudan as members of the Troika, guarantors of the Peace Process, and using our aid and diplomacy efforts to improve the accountability between the state and its citizens, save lives and build resilience. A stable South Sudan will rely less on humanitarian assistance and allow more UK aid spending to be directed towards development.
Through our work in partnership with the UN and others on South Sudan, we help to shape international responses to protracted humanitarian crises, intractable conflicts and supporting countries in transition. South Sudan is a priority country for PSVI and is a focus country in the UK’s Gender National Action Plan.
UK Objectives
We want to see a South Sudan that is more stable, with reduced levels of conflict throughout the country and reductions in food insecurity and poverty, and increased resilience to shocks and stresses. We want to see the Government of South Sudan use more of its own resources (including oil revenues) to deliver essential services to its people.
British Embassy Juba (BEJ)
BEJ is a mid-sized post with around 80 staff. We draw on the expertise, mandates and advice of East Africa Department including the Sudan and South Sudan Envoy, regional posts (Nairobi and Kampala in particular) and missions in New York, Washington and Geneva.
To deliver BEJ objectives in South Sudan, our political, development and humanitarian experts develop joint analysis and policy and deliver jointly on objectives across the full range of BEJ priorities. The deeply entwined political, humanitarian and development challenges require us to fully exploit our diplomatic and development expertise in both strategy and delivery.
We are organised into 5 teams:
- Delivery Excellence (DelEx) – responsible for providing strategic oversight, coordination, quality assurance and compliance across BEJ programming, influencing and policy work to support delivery and monitoring of the Country Plan
- Essential Services Team (EST) – responsible for delivering policy and programming aimed at improving provision of essential services, with a focus on Girls Education and ending preventable deaths.
- Humanitarian and Livelihoods Team (HLT) – Focussed on delivering lifesaving humanitarian assistance and resilience building work, influencing the in-country humanitarian architecture and leading on BEJ’s climate resilience activity.
- Building Stability and Open Societies (BSOS) - responsible for political, economic, conflict and social development advice and analysis as well as peacebuilding, governance and GBV programming.
- Corporate Services Team (CST) – responsible for running the platform, non-programme finance, transport, security, IT, protocol and estates.
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- Please complete the application form in full as the information provided is used during screening.
- Please check your application carefully before you submit, as no changes can be made once submitted.
- The British Embassy will never request any payment or fees to apply for a position.
- Employees recruited locally by the British Embassy are subject to Terms and Conditions of Service according to local employment law.
- All candidates must be legally able to work and reside in the country of the vacancy with the correct visa/work permit status or demonstrate eligibility to obtain the relevant permit.
- The responsibility lies on the successful candidate to:
- Obtain the relevant permit
Pay the fees for the permit
Make arrangements to relocate
Meet the costs to relocation - The British Embassy does not sponsor visas/work permits except where it may be local practice to do so.
- Employees who are not liable to pay local income tax on their Mission salary may have their salaries reduced by the equivalent local income tax amount.
- Information about the Civil Service Success Profiles can be found on this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles
- Reference checking and security clearances will be conducted on successful candidates.
- Appointable candidates who were unsuccessful may be placed on a ‘reserve list’. If during the reserve period of 12 months the same or a largely similar role becomes available, that role may be offered to the second or subsequent candidate.
This opportunity is closed to applications.
