Brilliance Executive Management Consultancy Limited (BEMCONSULT) has been engaged by Joint Country Programme (JCP) to assist in the identification and recruitment of qualified, highly motivated and competent Head of Programmes to join their team in Zambia. In this dynamic role, under the NCA Country Director, the Head of Programmes will have the opportunity to oversee and further develop the national program team of 10 people, provide sound leadership, as well as build the capacity of local partners. The NCA programs in Zambia are Climate-Smart Economic Empowerment, Gender Justice, and Fighting Inequality. NCA is working in cooperation with 18 Zambian faith-based and secular organizations to implement our 2020-2024 strategic plan.

Organisation Background
Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) and Danish Church Aid (DCA) have been working together with strong partnerships in Zambia since as early as 2003. During this time, they have been working closely with a range of faith-based and secular partners within two overall strategic priorities, Gender Justice and Economic Justice. Through a joint office and country program, NCA and DCA work together to empower rights-holders, especially women and youth. Through strong networks and alliances within Zambian civil society, they uphold and protect people’s dignity and promote their active participation in the development of their country. The Joint Country Program (JCP) Zambia is a fully merged country programme where funding, technical advice, lobby & advocacy, communication, the administration is shared and coordinated. NCA is the lead agency. Their current programs focus on Gender Justice (including gender-based violence), Climate-Smart Economic Empowerment and Fighting Inequality.

Job Purpose

The Head of Programmes will be part of NCA’s senior management team and will have overall responsibility for leading the development and integration of all thematic activities. Coordinate and cooperate with partners to maintain the unique performance of NCA and the program department.

Summary of Key Responsibilities;

• Provide leadership to ensure efficient and effective implementation of NCA Zambia’s programme activities, in line with NCA programme policies, standards and strategies.
• Oversee the development of funding proposals, concepts and budgets.
• Ensure the effective and professional management of donor grants and support the development of high-quality proposals.
• Closely liaise with, assist and support the NCA Country Director, the Senior Management Team, national staff, relevant Head Office Colleagues in Oslo and Copenhagen to ensure high-quality Project Cycle Management.
• Support development and implementation of NCA Zambia Country Strategy and promote networking and collaboration among stakeholders.
• Coordinate joint monitoring of partner organizations with support from the finance and Operations Team, and NCA’s Head Office, and conduct site visits to ongoing projects to monitor the implementation of programmes according to plans and donor requirements/calendars.
• Ensure timely, transparent and clear coordination and communication between the JCP and partners, donors, and other relevant stakeholders, including government at national, provincial and district level.
• Ensure high quality in planning and reporting documents, especially the country strategy & annual programme plans, and high-quality donor periodic, annual, and multi-year results reports.
• Provide on-the-job technical advice, capacity building and accompaniment of NCA staff and partners.
• Contribute to M&E systems, and in particular digitalization processes for quality data collection.

Required Skills and Competencies

• Excellent communication and writing skills
• Ability to quickly build rapport as well as motivate both individuals and groups
• Structured, targeted and result-oriented
• The person employed must be loyal to Norwegian Church Aid´s Christian values
• Excellent networking skills

Qualifications and Experience

• Master’s Degree in Development Studies or Equivalent
• Over 7 years experience in Project Planning, Implementation, Monitoring, Follow-up of Projects
• Over 7 years of experience from Managing and/or Monitoring Big Multi-Donor Projects
• Working and/or contextual knowledge of Zambia.
• Have experience with and understanding the connection between Faith, Civil Society, and Development
• Experience working with multi-cultural and multi-national teams
• Experience working with different donors, in particular NORAD, DANIDA, EUROPEAN UNION, and SIDA.
• A high level of fluency in English, written and oral, is a requirement
• Ability to communicate across all areas of the organization, internally and externally.
• Must be flexible enough and can easily adapt and thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic, and challenging environment.
• Must be fluent in Major Zambian Languages (i.e. Bemba, Nyanja, Tonga or Silozi)