Deputy Programme Manager

About us

The British Government is an inclusive and diversity-friendly employer. We value difference, promote equality and challenge discrimination, enhancing our organisational capability. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We do not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, colour, ethnicity, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status or other category protected by law. We promote family-friendly flexible working opportunities, where operational and security needs allow.

Job Description

The Deputy Programme Manager has a key role in team portfolio management to deliver British Embassy’s objectives and commitments. S/he is primarily responsible for coordination, leadership and support to the programme team through working with government, other donors and civil society organisations.

Duties and Responsibilities

• The DPM takes responsibility for overall programme management of the team portfolio, delivering through a programme team of staff Project Officers, working closely with PROs, and with oversight by the Deputy Team Leader.
• Champions programme management best practice and PROF rules compliance across the team.
• Ensuring that annual reviews and project completion reviews are undertaken on time and correct documentation is saved on the system.
• Ensures compliance with British Embassy’s rules across the programme portfolio and provides advice to Advisers/PROs on how to ensure their programmes fit with these.
• Quality assures all programmes have current and up to date risk registers, delivery plans and delivery chain maps and meet Transparency requirements.
• Represents British Embassy at meetings with donors and other partners and provides backstopping support to advisers/PROs in the team.  Quality assuring and having oversight over key project documents, including MoUs, Contracts, Accountable Grant Agreements, submissions, ToRs and other project documents in partnership with other team members and the Deputy Team Leader.
• Participates in appraisal and monitoring missions, actively follows up progress reports and quality assures follow-up reporting procedures as laid out in the Project Memorandum.
• Coordinate team’s commercial requirements, issues and responses and provide feedback to DPO and as necessary escalate.
• Take the lead on ensuring commercial excellence for the team
• Ensure Value for Money (VfM) through good programme management and commercial practice.
• Ensure strong financial management of team’s portfolio.
• Overseeing effective budget forecasting and reprofiling throughout the life of the programmes;
• Provide quality advice to team members and cross British Embassy on programme, financial and system issues.
• Quality assures programme/project expenditure against commitments and forecasts are accurate and timely; adjust programme finances in line with the guidance.
• Ensure programme team is keeping up to date their Teams sites.
• Lead fulfilment of audit preparation, and ensure follow up on audits visit recommendations.
• Respond and coordinate corporate requests as required.
• Provide support and manage programme staff, and ensure that they are performing their roles to a high standard.
• Lead on induction of incoming new staff for the team.
• Ensure responsibilities in the programme team are delegated proportionately and staffs are provided with necessary coaching to carry out tasks accordingly. Ensure staffs are given adequate stretch and development opportunities.
• Encourage team working and ensure that working styles contribute to the delivering as one agenda.

Essential qualifications, skills and experience 

• Excellent project management skills.
• The ability to work effectively in a team and deliver through others.
• A proven ability to quickly get up to speed with new organisational systems and processes.
• Solid networking, communications and influencing skills.
• An ability to represent the British Embassy effectively with interlocutors such as government officials and donor representatives.
• Sound organisational skills to respond, in a timely and accurate fashion, to disparate requests for information on our programme.
• Accuracy, attention to detail and a proven ability to accurately forecast and manage expenditure.
• An understanding of how the donor structure in Ethiopia operates and how the British Embassy can have best effect this environment.
• An understanding of the importance of demonstrating value for money and results.

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience  

• Knowledge and understanding of international aid
• Able to access, critically appraise and use evidence, demonstrating skills in the following areas
• Understand a range of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies including the application of basic statistical methods
• Critically appraise* and assess the quality of published research and other potential sources of evidence.
• Interpretation, use and presentation of data and evidence in defining policy and practice
• Comprehension of key concepts from social and cultural analysis and basic understanding of the use and application of political economy analysis
• Competent in applying best practice in evaluation design, using a range of rigorous methods, and ensuring high standards of independence and quality
• Ability to design, commission and manage evaluations including rigorous impact evaluations, with appropriate technical support, in line with FCDO standards
• Familiarity with the core concepts underpinning FCDO’s approach to results

How to Apply