Job Description

Job Title: Programme Director
Reporting to: VI Executive Director
Line management responsibility: Yes
Budget responsibility: Yes
Base: Oxford UK with travel
Full time / Part time Full time (flexible hours may be negotiable)
Length of contract Permanent
Salary range: £49,626 to £57,503
*ONLY applicants with the right to live and work in the UK will be considered for this position*
Valid International Background:
Valid International (VI) specialises in the provision of expert technical support and the research, development and implementation of techniques to improve the quality, impact and accountability of any endeavour that aims to improve global health and nutrition. Our mission is to improve global health and nutrition with evidence-based, equitable, high impact solutions (see www.validinternational.org ). Historically we conceived, researched and brought into international policy the CMAM model for the management of acute malnutrition. More recently, in order to improve the impact and accountability of interventions, we have developed and are rolling out an innovative range of spatial surveying/mapping, impact assessment and market research tools called Valid Measures (see www.validmeasures.org ). Our tools utilise cost-effective spatial sampling methods that allow for the reporting of indicators at considerably finer spatial resolution than those reported by standard survey methods whilst reducing costs and sample sizes. Our bespoke software and approach allows results to be fed back far more quickly than traditional survey analysis and affords the possibility of real-time data checking and verification, thereby increasing the speed and reliability of assessment results.

Position in the Organisation:
The Director of Programmes works closely with the Director of Finance Administration and IT to form a Senior Management Team (SMT) reporting to the VI Executive Director and line manages the technical and programme staff.

Job Purpose
Responsible for the operational success of Valid International in line with its vision and strategic aims in terms of growth, partnerships and quality of operations.

Main Responsibilities of the Job:

Organisational management
1. Play a key role in developing strategic plans for the organization. This involves taking a creative approach to adapting our current methods to a wider range of development interventions, building on synergies between our programme areas and enabling the exploration of new methods and potential new services.
2. Lead the operationalisation of VI’s strategic plans and monitoring of achievements against them ensuring clear communication with staff.
3. Work with the Director of Finance Administration and IT to develop annual organizational budgets and assist in monitoring and addressing variances as necessary.
4. Ensure that the project pipeline is accurately and effectively recorded and kept up to date to ensure all opportunities are followed up efficiently and support the financial forecasting and allocation of resources.

Communication and marketing
1. Develop and execute an effective external communication and dissemination strategy for all aspects of VI’s work
2. Attend and present at public events and meetings to build partnerships and promote VI’s work.
3. Lead the effective internal communication for all areas of VI’s programme operations

Partnerships & business development
1. Take the lead in pitching, developing and maintaining strategic partnerships across the sector.
2. Play a key role in promoting VI’s services to new and existing clients.
3. Oversee the preparation and submission of high quality proposals for all new work.

Programme delivery
1. Support Programme Managers in using appropriate tools to manage each project to ensure key resources are in place for seamless, timely project delivery
2. Support Programme Managers in work planning and troubleshooting for all current contracts
3. Support Programme Managers to manage and track project expenditure to make best use of the resources available and work within agreed budgets.

Quality control and evaluation
1. Establish consistent, objective program performance standards of accountability and effectiveness and ensure that these are adhered to.
2. Lead project review and lesson learning exercises and ensure that these lead to improvements in future project outcomes.

Human resource management
1. Line manage the Programme Managers and the Research and Measures technical team, to include annual appraisals and performance reviews where necessary.
2. With Programme Managers, plan the work of the program staff with a focus on maintaining high quality project delivery within agreed budgets and investing sufficient resource to ensure a healthy project pipeline for the organisation.
3. With Programme Managers, identify personal development needs amongst the staff to improve programme delivery and enable staff to progress.
4. In consultation with the Executive Director and the Director of Finance Administration and IT, oversee the selection, hiring, coaching, and discipline of program employees.

Person Specification:

Criteria Essential / Desirable
• At least 15 years’ experience in the humanitarian and /or development sector E
• MSc or equivalent in any subject related to health, nutrition or international development E
• Internationally recognised expertise in their field with exceptional knowledge of the subject area and extensive sectoral and / or regional expertise. E
• Proven ability to develop relationships and influence at a senior level with donors, clients and other external stakeholders, particularly in the humanitarian and development sectors. E
• Demonstrable knowledge and competency in leading and reviewing the development of project proposals and budgets E
• Proven team leadership skills and ability to influence organisational culture. E
• Solid experience of and success in recruitment and line management of staff E
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills E
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to interact with a diverse range of people E
• Strong organisational and time management skills E
• A flexible, proactive approach to the role E
• Demonstrable interest in and commitment to the aims and values of international development E
• Fluency in English E
• Experience of nutrition programming D
• PhD or equivalent in any subject related to health, nutrition or international development D
• Ability to interpret nutritional data D
• Experience in addressing acute and chronic malnutrition D
• Experience of design, data collection and analysis of nutrition/health surveys and assessments D
• Experience of leading monitoring and evaluation of humanitarian / development programmes D
• Fluency in French D

Please see: http://www.validinternational.org/careers/ for full details of this position.  

Closing date for applications is Monday 5thNovember 2018 at 12.00 noon.

Please apply with CV and cover letter to: office@validinternational.org.