Head of Programme

The Danish Refugee Council assists refugees and internally displaced persons across the globe: we provide emergency aid, fight for their rights, and strengthen their opportunity for a brighter future. We work in conflict-affected areas, along the displacement routes, and in the countries where refugees settle. In cooperation with local communities, we strive for responsible and sustainable solutions. We work toward successful integration and – whenever possible – for the fulfilment of the wish to return home.

The Danish Refugee Council was founded in Denmark in 1956, and has since grown to become an international humanitarian organization with more than 7,000 staff and 8,000 volunteers. Our vision is a dignified life for all displaced.

All of our efforts are based on our value compass: humanity, respect, independence and neutrality, participation.

Overall purpose of the role: The Head of Programme reports to and works closely with the Country Director to provide strategic programme direction for DRC’s Jordan/Iraq response in a manner that is accountable to the communities we work with. The Head of Programme is responsible for ensuring high-quality, integrated, evidence-based and conflict-sensitive programming across Jordan and Iraq, with a strong focus on strategic partnerships with local actors, strengthening local systems and inclusion of displacement-affected populations, including refugees, internally displaced persons, returnees, and other vulnerable groups.

The Head of Programme contributes to the quality assurance of programme implementation across the full project cycle, from context analysis, needs assessments and programme design to implementation, monitoring, learning, reporting and adaptation. The role ensures that DRC’s programmes respond to immediate protection and humanitarian needs while also supporting longer-term recovery, resilience and durable solutions where feasible.

The Head of Programme is a key senior management position in the DRC country set-up, responsible for strategic programme development, programme quality, technical coherence, cross-cutting information management, sound assessment design, monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning, and the integration of evidence and learning into high-quality grant proposals and donor reports. The role plays a central part in strategy development and implementation, ensuring that policies, systems, partnerships and people work in a coordinated manner to deliver a coherent and comprehensive country programme across Jordan and Iraq.

About the job

The individual will report directly to the Country Director . Your main duties and responsibilities will be:

Strategy & programme development

• Maintain in-depth and up-to-date analysis of the humanitarian, protection, displacement, political, socio-economic and donor contexts in Jordan and Iraq, including trends, gaps, risks, challenges and opportunities.
• Lead and contribute to country-level strategic planning, annual strategy reviews and programme development processes, ensuring alignment with DRC’s global and regional strategic priorities and the evolving needs of displacement-affected populations.
• Lead the development, review and monitoring of the country programme strategy, ensuring that it is evidence-based, grounded in DRC’s core competencies, informed by protection analysis, and shaped through meaningful consultation with programme teams, area offices, partners and communities.
• Foster synergies between programme sectors and promote integrated programming across protection, economic recovery, and humanitarian disarmament and peacebuilding in Jordan and Iraq, implemented in collaboration with local partners.
• Ensure strong protection analysis and protection mainstreaming across all humanitarian and recovery initiatives, with adherence to relevant international standards, including Sphere standards and other applicable technical standards.
• Promote the systematic integration of gender equality, disability and social inclusion, age, gender and diversity considerations, conflict sensitivity, safeguarding and accountability to affected populations across all programmes.
• Facilitate needs assessments, protection analysis, rapid response planning and emergency preparedness, ensuring that recommendations are translated into timely and relevant programming when a response is required.
• Ensure DRC is well positioned in relevant durable solutions, refugee response, IDP response, return, reintegration, resilience and localization architecture in Jordan and Iraq, including relevant coordination fora.
• Represent and advocate for DRC’s programme priorities with authorities, donors, UN agencies, clusters, working groups, NGOs, civil society actors and other humanitarian and development stakeholders.

Program Implementation & Quality

• Provide oversight, guidance and leadership to all aspects of programme development and implementation, ensuring timely delivery, compliance, quality and adaptation based on monitoring data, community feedback and contextual analysis.
• Ensure effective and transparent budget follow-up, planning and use of financial resources in compliance with DRC policies, donor regulations and agreed priorities.
• Develop and maintain close and productive working relationships with area offices and field teams in Jordan and Iraq to ensure that programmes are implemented effectively, safely, coherently and in line with DRC and donor requirements.
• Ensure that grant kick-off, review and close-out meetings take place systematically and that key risks, implementation challenges, compliance issues and corrective actions are clearly documented and followed up.
• Ensure regular programme review processes are in place, including review of achievements against work plans, budgets, indicators, risk registers and donor commitments.
• Stay abreast of donor priorities, policies, procedures, rules and regulations, and ensure these are understood and applied by relevant programme and support teams.
• Promote operational and programmatic coherence across Jordan and Iraq while ensuring that programming remains context-specific and responsive to the distinct needs, risks and opportunities in each country.
• Ensure that programme implementation is conflict-sensitive, inclusive, safe and responsive to community priorities and feedback.

Business Development & Grant Management

• Ensure up-to-date donor mapping and pursue funding opportunities across DRC’s core competencies in Jordan and Iraq, in close coordination with the Country Director, programme managers, technical coordinators, grants team, area offices and regional colleagues.
• Lead and coordinate the design of high-quality, evidence-based and contextually relevant programme concepts and proposals.
• Ensure that proposal development processes are inclusive, realistic, technically sound and based on strong needs analysis, protection analysis, community feedback, partner engagement and learning from implementation.
• Review and provide quality assurance for concept notes, proposals, budgets, logframes, reports and other donor submissions before submission to HQ and external donors.
• Ensure that donor reports are accurate, analytical, timely and reflective of programme achievements, challenges, learning and adaptation.
• Support strategic donor engagement and positioning, including through the development of programme briefs, donor updates, capacity statements and evidence products.
• Identify opportunities for longer-term, multi-year and integrated programming that bridges humanitarian response, recovery, resilience and durable solutions.

Programme Staff Management and Capacity Building

• Effectively manage and provide strategic leadership to the programme team, including relevant technical coordinators, programme development and quality staff, MEAL staff, grants staff, partnership staff and other programme functions as applicable.
• Support the ongoing development of programme team composition and structure to ensure that it is fit for purpose, responsive to country office priorities and aligned with available resources.
• Develop and review job descriptions, terms of reference and scopes of work for programme staff and technical consultants as required.
• Support recruitment, onboarding, orientation and performance management of programme staff, with attention to national staff development and inclusive leadership.
• Strengthen staff capacity through coaching, mentoring, training and regular technical guidance, with a focus on programme quality, protection mainstreaming, GEDSI, MEAL, donor compliance, proposal development and adaptive programme management.
• Promote a collaborative, respectful and accountable working culture across programme teams in Jordan and Iraq.
• Conduct annual performance reviews and support the professional development of direct reports.
• Ensure that programme staff understand and uphold DRC’s values, Code of Conduct, safeguarding standards and commitment to prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.

Donor Liaison, Partnerships and Representation

• Represent DRC’s programmes to current and potential donors, UN agencies, government counterparts, coordination bodies, NGOs, civil society organizations and other relevant stakeholders.
• Cultivate and maintain key relationships that enhance DRC’s visibility, credibility and positioning in Jordan and Iraq.
• Support strategic engagement with national and local authorities, in coordination with the Country Director and relevant senior staff, ensuring that DRC’s engagement is principled, constructive and context-sensitive.
• Undertake regular travel to field locations to support programme quality, staff capacity, representation, partner engagement and identification of strategic opportunities.
• Review and oversee implementation of the country office partnership and localization approach, ensuring that partnerships are principled, equitable, complementary and aligned with DRC’s localization commitments.
• Identify and support engagement with relevant local NGOs, civil society organizations, community-based organizations and other partners whose expertise complements DRC’s programme priorities.
• Promote partner capacity strengthening, joint learning, risk sharing and meaningful participation of local actors in programme design, implementation and learning.
• Ensure that DRC contributes constructively to relevant coordination platforms, including sectoral working groups, inter-agency fora and durable solutions mechanisms.

Other

• In close collaboration with the Senior Management Team, lead by example to ensure continual progress towards DRC’s Age, Gender and Diversity policy and minimum standards.
• Promote compliance with DRC’s Code of Conduct and zero-tolerance approach to sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.
• Contribute to risk management, access analysis, safeguarding, duty of care and safe programme implementation across Jordan and Iraq.
• Perform any other duties as requested by the Country Director.

About you

To be successful in this role we expect that you possess the following:

• University degree in political science, international development, economics or other relevant fields (Master’s degree preferred).
• At least 5 years' experience in relevant field.
• At least 2 years' experience with people management
• Proven experience in effectively coordinating with National Governments, International and National NGO partners, UN and other stakeholders.
• Experience working and coordinating with a variety of donors including SDC, ECHO, DANIDA, UN agencies, EU, GIZ, etc.
• Demonstrated commitment to apply an age, gender and diversity (AGD) and Conflict Sensitive approach to programming.
• Proven experience in managing integrated programs, capacity building, proposal development, budget development, program implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
• Experience in managing program operations, including at country senior management level.
• Proven leadership skills and a competence in people management.
• Full professional proficiency in English and Arabic

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’ five core competencies:

Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process. 

Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback. 

Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation. 

Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly. 

Demonstrating integrity: You act in line with DRC’s vision and values. 

Application process

All applicants must upload a cover letter and an updated CV (no longer than four pages) in English. A pplications sent by email will not be considered.

Location: Amman, with frequent travels

Closing date for applications: Vis telefonnummer

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. DRC reserves the right of conducting tests and interviews before the closing date, and can close the advertisement earlier in case of finding a suitable candidate.

If you have questions or are facing problems with the online application process, please visit drc.ngo/jobsupport .

For further information about the Danish Refugee Council, please consult our website drc.ngo .