Humanitarian Programme Manager

Job Description

Position title:

Humanitarian Programme Manager

Department / Project / Duty Station:

International Department / Kenya, Nairobi

Project number:

Line manager:

CD Sudan

Responsible for technical line managing:

The NPA Sudan humanitarian programme team

ABOUT NORWEGIAN PEOPLE’S AID

Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) is a politically independent membership-based organisation founded in 1939 as the labour movement’s humanitarian solidarity organisation. Operating in more than 30 countries globally, NPA’s core mission is "Solidarity in Action". We work to improve people’s living conditions and build democratic, just, and safe societies. In Sudan, NPA has been operating since 2022, focusing on delivering vital humanitarian assistance through and in support of local and national actors , and strengthening locally led civil society.  

ROLE AND CONTEXT

Sudan is currently experiencing one of the world's most severe and volatile humanitarian crises.

As the Humanitarian Programme Manager, you will play a dual, pivotal role. You will lead the technical design, scale-up, and implementation of our integrated humanitarian response—focusing on Food Security and Livelihoods (FSL), multi-purpose cash assistance, and protection. Concurrently, you will lead efforts to assess the feasibility of re-establishing NPA's physical operational presence inside Sudan and exploring programming options.

This is a dynamic position requiring a strategic thinker and skilled coordinator. You will provide critical technical leadership to an established country programme team, represent NPA in high-level fora, and lead major donor proposal processes.

If you are a resilient, adaptive leader committed to localisation, partnership, and delivering high-quality humanitarian response in complex, fluid environments, we encourage you to apply.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Leadership and Programme Development

· Strategy and Design: Lead the design and development of NPA’s future humanitarian response strategies, approaches, and priority interventions in Sudan, building on existing initiatives in close consultation with partners and the programme team.

· Standards and Alignment: Ensure all programmes strictly align with humanitarian principles, organisational values, and protection and quality standards (specifically focussing on FSL, Cash, and SGBV).

· Context and Needs Analysis: Coordinate and contribute to continuous context analyses and rapid needs assessments alongside partners to inform and adapt programme priorities.

· Delivery Modalities: Explore and identify diverse operational delivery modalities, including establishing and working within consortia with both local and international actors.

· Partnership Management: Collaborate with the programme team to identify, assess, and vet current and prospective local partners for humanitarian assistance.

· Localisation and Expansion: Support the implementation of NPA’s localisation advocacy strategy in Sudan and actively explore opportunities for humanitarian programming.

· Operational Feasibility: Assess the feasibility and operational requirements for re-establishing NPA’s physical and operational presence within Sudan.

Representation and Fundraising

· Coordination and Representation: Represent NPA in key humanitarian coordination fora as delegated by the Country Director, including relevant clusters, working groups, and donor meetings.

· Strategic Relations: Build and maintain strong partnerships with existing local partners, UN agencies, NNGOs, INGOs, community-based organisations, and key donors.

· Access and Compliance: Support coordination with relevant authorities and institutional stakeholders to facilitate humanitarian access and ensure regulatory compliance.

· Business Development: Proactively identify funding opportunities and lead the development of high-quality concept notes and proposals for relevant donors.

· Mine Action Integration: Advance and develop NPA’s Mine Action portfolio in close coordination with the NPA Mine Action Consultant and Head Office technical advisers.

Team Leadership and Capacity Building

· Technical Leadership: Provide strategic and technical leadership to NPA colleagues engaged in the humanitarian response. Establish and facilitate coordination mechanisms and fora to drive the team's development.

· Capacity Development: Identify capacity gaps and initiate targeted training, mentoring, and professional development for national staff and local partners in humanitarian response.

· Team Culture: Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and resilient team culture that prioritises staff safety, well-being, and mutual support.

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEAL)

· Adaptive Programme Delivery: Establish adaptive programming frameworks and continuous learning systems driven by community feedback and evolving context dynamics.

· Quality and Accountability: Develop and implement robust systems to monitor programme quality, impact, and accountability to affected populations.

· Quality Assurance: Oversee quality control for all institutional donor reports, applications, and external deliverables.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

· Education: Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in humanitarian affairs, international development, social sciences, or a related field.

· Professional Experience: A minimum of 7 years of experience in humanitarian response, including senior leadership roles in complex, highly politicised, and fluid emergency contexts.

· Programme Management: Proven experience in programme design, strategic planning, and operational coordination in conflict-affected settings.

· Humanitarian Architecture: Strong understanding of, and direct experience with, the international humanitarian architecture, including cluster coordination mechanisms and institutional donor engagement.

· Methodology & Delivery: Demonstrated experience in Project Cycle Management (PCM) within complex environments, specifically managed via local partners and utilising Area-Based Coordination approaches.

· Soft Skills: Excellent interpersonal, communication, and negotiation skills, with a proven ability to build relationships across diverse stakeholder groups.

· Languages: Fluency in written and spoken English is required.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

· Remote and Locally Led Response: Proven experience in remote management of humanitarian programmes through partners, with a strong commitment to promoting and protecting locally led humanitarian action.

· Sector Expertise: Specific operational experience in NPA’s core sectors of humanitarian intervention, including Food Security and Livelihoods (FSL), Protection (including SGBV), and Conflict Preparedness and Protection (CPP) / Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE).

· Safety and Duty of Care: Solid experience in health, safety, and security management, with a strong understanding of Duty of Care (DoC) and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) principles.

· Fundraising and Proposal Development: A track record of developing innovative, successful proposals to secure humanitarian funding in complex environments, alongside the ability to collaborate with and mentor an established country programme team.

· Geographical Experience: Previous experience working within the humanitarian sector in Sudan.

· Language Skills: Proficiency in Arabic.

PERSONAL COMPETENCIES

· Interpersonal and Cultural Acumen: High emotional intelligence, cultural sensitivity, and strong networking skills to build trust across diverse teams and partner organisations.

· Resilience and Adaptability: Proven ability to work under pressure, adapt quickly to rapidly changing environments, and maintain operational momentum in highly complex, protracted crises.

· Initiative and Collaboration: Highly proactive and collaborative, with a demonstrated ability to take the initiative while remaining deeply respectful of local context and dynamics.

· Analytical and Problem-Solving Skills: Strong analytical capabilities to navigate complex operational challenges and develop creative, principled solutions.

· Ethical Commitment: An unwavering personal commitment to humanitarian principles, protection standards, and ethical practice.

· Well-being and Emotional Regulation: High levels of patience, the ability to manage emotions constructively under stress, and a commitment to supporting both personal mental health and the psychosocial well-being of colleagues.

ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

Code of Conduct and Organisational Values: The Humanitarian Programme Manager must strictly abide by the policies, safeguarding frameworks, and personal Code of Conduct established by Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA). The postholder is expected to represent the organisation in a loyal, responsible, and highly professional manner at all times.

About the Recruitment Process

We work continuously for more diversity and inclusion throughout Norwegian People's Aid. We encourage all qualified candidates to apply.  

Please note, that only applications submitted through our career site will be considered. Applications and resumes sent via e-mail will not be reviewed.

We kindly ask you to carefully read NPA’s Code of Conduct, Safeguarding Policy and Anti-Corruption Policy, before you submit your application. If you are the selected candidate for this position, you will be asked to complete and sign a Safeguarding self-declaration as well as our Code of Conduct. All policies related to ethics can be found on our website.

We look forward to hearing from you!