Location Program Manager (LPM) – Livingstone

SOS Children’s Villages Zambia is a child focused organization and an affiliate of the SOS Children Villages International. It is non-governmental, non-political, non-denominational, and non-racial. Its overall mission is to build families for children in need, help them shape their own futures and share in the development of their communities. To realise the mission of the organisation, SOS Children’s Villages is recruiting for the under listed position.

SOS Children’s Villages holds strict child and youth safeguarding principles and has a zero-tolerance policy for conducts of sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse in the workplace and other places where the organization’s activities are rendered. Recruitment decisions will give due emphasis to assessing candidates value congruence and thorough background checks and police clearance reference check processes

Role objective

This position reports to the National Program Manager and works closely with the National Program team, and other national office departmental Heads. The Location Program Manager (LPM) provides overall leadership and management of the program location, coordinates planning and budgeting at the location in line with the SOS Children’s Villages strategic direction, leads monitoring and evaluation of programme activities/quality assurance, manages overall financial operations including budgets, authorization and approval of expenditures as per the given threshold, build and manage positive relations with the community and/or local authorities, develop appropriate partnerships and networks, supports and participates in the organization’s strategies for fundraising and resource mobilization in cash and in-kind, maintains close working relationship with the National Program Manager as well as program teams and function heads, coordinates human resource planning, management and development. Moreover, the position shall provide overall leadership for the location in both managerial and programme aspects, playing a key role in influencing quality and effectiveness of programmes. This role harmonizes the programmes at the location (i.e. Alternative Care, family strengthening programmes) to achieve the highest level of quality in service delivery. The job incumbent shall lead and supervise co-workers of the various areas of work within the programmes and administrative functions.

Key Competencies

Strategic Planning

• Able to develop and communicate a comprehensive SOS Children’s Villages strategy based on an in-depth understanding of the Overall strategy and programming.

Planning and Coordination

• Able to provide strategic leadership within the Location and develop project plan(s) and interventions.
• Able to provide inputs in strategic development of other departmental areas such as Grants and Fund Development and assist other project managers in the development of focus area papers and project plan(s).
• Ability to coordinate well with technical and operational staff, consultants, Government and donors.
• Build and maintain extensive stakeholder networks across the location that provide insight into the state of the industry and its critical development needs and provide intervention opportunities.
• Ability to act in an advisory role to the SOS CV team in matters relating to the location.

Negotiation

• Able to manage external stakeholder relationships.
• Ability to resolve conflict.
• Can negotiate effectively to deliver value for money.

Compliance

• Ability to follow SOS Children’s Villages implementing procedures and overall compliance.
• Understands and applies the principles of contracting/bidding, safeguarding, evaluation and selection, legal frameworks, deliverables, timeframes, payment and closing out.

Writing and editing

• Ability to draft project plans, intervention approval requests, contracts, selection memos, and any other supporting documents required.
• Attention to detail.

Administration

• Ability to monitor and keep track of all program progress and contractual deadlines.
• Uses process thinking and applies processes appropriately.
• Ability to assist the National Office team in contractual and operational procedures.

Qualifications and Personal Attributes

• Full Grade 12 School Certificate.
• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Social Science, Project Management, Public Administration, Community Development or any equivalent qualification. An advanced qualification in Project Management or master’s degree in either of the above will be an added advantage.
• Minimum of five years’ experience in a similar position.
• Knowledge and experience of donor funding guidelines.
• Demonstrated Project Management experience and successful implementation achievements.
• Excellent knowledge of relevant MS Office packages necessary for day-to-day works.
• Good numeracy and attention to detail with an ability to work within tight deadlines.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and an ability to work effectively with dynamic and diverse staff and management across all levels, both internally and externally.
• Ability to think creatively and independently.

Key Responsibilities

Programme Development and Management

• Leads the development and implementation of the SOS Children’s Village Program in line with the SOS Children’s Villages Programme Policy and related international and national SOS policies, strategies, quality standards, and guidelines.
• Leads the implementation of the programme management cycle including the Children’s Village Program planning process as part of member association annual and strategic planning to ensure that interventions are relevant to the local context, respond to the needs of the target group, and contribute to the development of sustainable social support systems.
• Coordinates and ensures cooperation between all areas of work within the Children’s Village Program (specialised as well as general support work).
• Ensures efficiency through best use/sharing of resources across different programme units.
• Regularly reports on Children’s Village program activities and progress towards targets to National Program Manager and relevant National Office functions.
• Ensures that the Children’s Village program is supportive to the brand of the SOS Children’s Villages Organisation.

HR Management/Organisational Development and Administration

• Establishes appropriate staffing patterns and ensures full staffing of the Location.
• Leads managing co-workers in the location, i.e. those involved in specialised work with different forms of families and in general support work.
• Ensures the effective implementation of the HR Cycle in the Children’s Village program following national legal requirements.
• Sets up and leads an effective Children’s Village program management team.
• Contributes to defining Children’s Village program related processes between the Children’s Village program and the National Office.
• Facilitates cooperation and information flow between National Office staff and their counterparts in the location according to the national annual plan, job descriptions, and agreed procedures.
• Manage all administrative processes and supervise responsible personnel in undertaking the same.
• Ensures that budgeting of maintenance costs (construction, repairs, renovation) for SOS property is carried out by the leader of the programme the facility belongs. Technical work like execution, supervision, and procurement are carried out by competent staff. The LPM is overall accountable for good facility maintenance in the Children’s Village program.
• Manage staff performance, coaching and mentoring of staff.

Financial Management

• Builds accountability in the programme by ensuring implementation of simple and effective financial and administrative procedures, in accordance with defined policies, guidelines and standards.
• Leads the budgeting process in the location(s).
• Monitors budget expenditures and conducts financial management (in cooperation with the responsible person for finance) and content controlling of the programme, in order to ensure that funds are properly used.
• Continually looks for ways to provide quality services in a cost-effective manner.

Quality Management, Monitoring and Evaluation

• Is overall responsible for quality management in the Children’s Village program and ensures the implementation of national and international quality standards with guidance and monitoring from function staff in the National Office.
• Monitors the implementation of recommendations from national and international quality audits and evaluations.

Partnership Building, Advocacy and Corporation with External Stakeholders

• Negotiates and concludes agreements and contracts with state authorities and other organisations with a power of attorney given by the National Director.
• Leads and coordinates cooperation, partnership building, and networking efforts of the Children’s Village program with local and national authorities and other external stakeholders.
• Represents together with managing Children’s Village program staff the organisation at relevant local networks, forums, platforms, campaigns, working groups and advocates on behalf of the organisation for the promotion of child rights, especially related to children from the target group.

Fund Development and Public Relations

• Promotes the organisation in the public and identifies potential income sources in cooperation with the Fund Development & Communications function in the National Office and/or NPM.
• Strives for the highest possible level of programme self-financing with a focus on government subsidies and public funding within the frame of targets agreed during the strategic planning process.

Child Safeguarding

• Responsible for organizing and driving the Child Protection Policy implementation and child safeguarding actions at programme level including sharing information about the current status of the Child Protection Policy implementation with the national CS focal person.

Gender Mainstreaming

• Responsible for driving and promoting the Gender Equality Policy and ensuring that gender equality and inclusion is mainstreamed in all the programs.
• Provide support for gender capacity building and implementation at location level in conjunction with Gender and advocacy Officer.