IUCN Job Vacancy : Regional Programmes Coordinator

• Company: Reputable Company
• Location: Nairobi, Nairobi County, Kenya
• State: Nairobi
• Job type: Full-Time
• Job category: NGO Jobs in Kenya

Job Vacancy: Regional Programmes Coordinator

Vacancy #: 1577
 

Unit: Eastern and Southern Africa Region
 

Organization: International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
 

Location: Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office, Nairobi, Kenya
 

Reporting to: Regional Director – Eastern and Southern Africa

Job Description: Reporting to the Regional Director for IUCN Eastern and Southern Africa Region (IUCN ESARO), the Regional Programme Coordinator (RPC) is a member of the senior management team.

She/he will be responsible for the strategic development, steering and monitoring of the IUCN ESARO Programme, which consists of programmes and projects that are implemented in close partnership with IUCN members, Commissions and partners and are linked with global thematic programmes based at IUCN Headquarters in Switzerland and elsewhere. The RPC will represent the IUCN ESARO programme at the highest levels and will be responsible for ensuring successful programme delivery, outcomes and impact. She/he will establish excellent senior level relationships across the various sectors including governments and donors in the region.
Job Description

1. Overall Planning and Management of ESARO

• Coordinate IUCN’s ESARO work plan in close collaboration with IUCN’s Members, Commissions and Partners in the region.
• Coordinate and lead on the preparation of the Inter-sessional 4-year plans, situation analysis and business plans as needed.
• Ensure coordination and linkage between IUCN Secretariat component programmes (global thematic programmes and regional programmes).
• Ensure that standards for individual and programme performance are put in place and used.
• Manage the monthly and annual reporting process in a manner that meets IUCN’s reporting requirements.
• Ensure that human capacity and financial resources match programme needs in liaison with the Regional Director, Regional Technical Coordinators, Regional HR and Finance Managers.
• Implement an integrated training programme at regional level in programme planning and project cycle management, monitoring and evaluation and reporting.
• Provide regular update to the Regional Director on changes and trends related to IUCN ESARO’s work plan.
• Participate in the senior regional meetings preparing the reports related to projects portfolio and ESARO’s work plan monitoring.

2. Managing the project portfolio

• Provide overall strategic guidance and technical leadership ensuring effective development and maintenance of the region’s project portfolio and pipeline, including project formulation, submission to donors, implementation, monitoring and delivery of high quality technical reports and products.
• Supervise the overall financial management and viability of the project portfolio, manage and report on funds used in project activities as per IUCN rules and regulations and maximize opportunities for developing long-term relations with donors.
• Assist Finance in regular monitoring of the thematic programme’s budgets and advise programme managers and the Regional Director on progress and problems associated with programme and budget delivery.
• Maintain the Regional Consolidated project pipeline (ABC List) and oversee that project information in the IUCN project portal is updated.
• Ensure the implementation of a regular planning cycle, the use of a common set of methods and tools and standards for planning in ESARO, and
• Monitor the quality of planning activities and planning skills at all levels and ensure that a monitoring and feedback process is in place.

3. Coordination of Thematic Units

• Provide overall substantive and strategic guidance and operational management of the IUCN ESARO thematic Units and country offices. This includes planning, approval, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and reporting.
• Provide technical advice to countries of the ESARO Region to support project implementation and coordination of all project activities within these programmes with the international donor community.
• Coordinate with Global Thematic Programmes towards a unified regional strategy to ensure smooth programme implementation.
• Develop, implement and review annual work programmes and project activities that contribute to the emergence of a strategic IUCN programme at the regional level, in association with relevant IUCN members, commissions and partners.
• Coach, support and line-manage Technical Co-ordinators, Programme Managers, and consultants in the management of all projects, in accordance with the relevant procedures and in order to achieve anticipated outputs and outcomes.
• Develop a high-performance culture and provide high quality leadership and support to programme managers, project teams to deliver the IUCN ESARO programme strategy.
• Ensure timely preparation and submission of the required progress reports to donors and any other required progress reports.
• Provide leadership in feeding the results of project/programme activities into ESAROs communication activities, and respond to requests about the programme.
• Represent IUCN in relevant fora (international conventions, policy forums, national and international meetings etc.), at the request of the Regional Director, giving appropriate and high quality technical representation of the programme.
• Undertaking other tasks at the request of the Regional Director to ensure the effective implementation of the programme, and
• Develop new initiatives and responses to emerging issues.

4. Resource Mobilisation

• Build, prioritize and manage a pipeline of prospective development partners and donors.
• Help shape the broader strategy for engaging partners at scale as effort matures
• Design and supervise implementation of team processes and tools that support donor engagement.
• Support and enable programme team in the design of potential program interventions and coordinate closely with respective donors.
• Lead the development of project proposals that fit in the overall ESARO work plan priorities for submission to donors.
• Ensure strong grants management to create trust and engagement with the donor for accessing future resources and increased credibility

5. Capacity Building

• Oversee the coordination of capacity building initiatives in programme and project management aspects in accordance with the needs of the programme and project staff specifically in areas of project planning, needs assessments, monitoring and evaluation, programme and project reviews, budget formulation and reviews, etc.

Requirements

• Postgraduate/advanced degree in a subject related to conservation and sustainable development, e.g. environmental economics, biology, environmental sciences.
• At least 10 -12years of work experience in an international environment, preferably in countries covered by the IUCN ESARO region
• Extensive background in project design, development, management and monitoring, with at least 15 years’ experience in managing successful multinational conservation and/or sustainable development programmes in an international environment.
• High level of knowledge about international and Eastern and Southern Africa technical and political issues; related to biodiversity, nature conservation and sustainable development.
• Extensive knowledge in strategic planning, conservation policy, project/programme cycle management, performance management and monitoring and evaluation.
• Proven capacity for fundraising through bilateral or multilateral partners.
• Proven abilities for developing, resourcing and leading large budget, multiple projects spanning numerous technical specialties.
• Excellent technical and report writing skills
• Adheres to IUCN ESARO core values of Transparency, Inclusiveness, Professionalism and Accountability;
• Computer literacy in relation to office applications (word processing, spreadsheets, powerpoint) use of internet and online communication tools;
• A deep sense of self-awareness as evidenced by the ability to articulate one’s own strengths, weaknesses and one’s impact on others.
• Good analytical skills and a demonstrated ability to think strategically.
• Leadership abilities and experience, maturity and management skills characterized by:

1. A deep sense of self-awareness as evidenced by the ability to articulate one’s own strengths, weaknesses and one’s impact on others.
2. Unimpeachable integrity as evidenced by behavior, communication style and way of handling ambiguous or difficult situations.
3. Demonstrated ability to manage and lead the work of the Secretariat with diverse skills, personalities, and backgrounds.
4. Proven ability to effectively delegate, empower and motivate staff and others.
5. Experience developing teams and individuals and effectively leading improvement and change.
6. Clear commitment to fostering a culture of high performance and accountability, demonstrated in the ability to manage by results, differentiate performance and assertively give feedback and take decisive action when necessary.
7. Demonstrated ability to both plan and take action, keeping the staff focused on priorities.
8. Demonstrated experience in the selection, coaching and appraisal of staff.
9. Demonstrated experience building teams diverse in gender, nationality and background to achieve business results. This commitment to diversity and inclusion should be exemplified through staffing decisions (recruitment, promotion, recognition, etc.) and the ability to model behaviors that promote a more inclusive organizational culture.

• Senior management experience characterized by:

1. Demonstrated experience and achievements in organizational, financial and personnel management, and in decision-making.
2. Proven experience in maintaining and nurturing expert networks with demonstrated ability to handle politically and culturally sensitive issues.
3. Maintain a positive work environment that facilitates collaboration and information sharing and is conducive to attracting, retaining, and motivating diverse talent;
4. Demonstrated ability to establish relationships and influence peer agencies, local governments and community leaders to work effectively towards a common and agreed upon result.

• Professional competencies characterized by:

1. Good understanding of world affairs and experience with the workings of Multilateral Environmental Agreements and governmental and non-governmental institutions.
2. Good analytical skills and a demonstrated ability to think strategically.
3. Ability and commitment to act in accordance with the core values of integrity, respect for diversity and professionalism as spelled out in IUCN’s Code of Conduct and Professional Ethics.

• Sound judgment and decision making characterized by:

1. Experience in identifying key issues in a complex situation, and consulting, gathering, and analyzing relevant information before proposing and implementing decisive actions or recommendations.
2. Well-organized and logical in thought and action.
3. Ability to foresee and manage risk.

• Willingness to travel

How to Apply

Applicants are requested to apply online through the HR Management System HERE. Applicants will be asked to create an account and submit their profile information. Applications will not be accepted after the closing date. The vacancy closes at midnight, Swiss time (GMT+1 / GMT+2 during Daylight Saving Time, DST). Please note that only selected applicants will be personally contacted for interviews. Other job opportunities are published in the IUCN website: http://www.iucn.org/involved/jobs/

POSITION IS OPEN TO ALL QUALIFIED INDIVIDUALS. WOMEN CANDIDATES ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO APPLY. About IUCN: IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges. IUCN works on biodiversity, energy, human livelihoods and greening the world economy by supporting scientific research, managing field projects all over the world, and bringing governments, NGOs, the UN and companies together to develop policy, laws and best practice. IUCN is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organization, with more than 1,200 government and NGO members and almost 11,000 volunteer experts in some 160 countries. IUCN’s work is supported by over 1,000 staff in 45 offices and hundreds of partners in public, NGO and private sectors around the world.