The Organization for Humanitarian Assistance (OHA) is a non-profit, non-governmental, and non-political organization based in Afghanistan, founded on January 12, 1994. As a cooperative partner of the United Nations and various international organizations, OHA focuses on implementing developmental and humanitarian projects primarily in the southern region of Afghanistan.

OHA is dedicated to advancing sustainable development goals (SDGs) while upholding key humanitarian principles, including participation, transparency, and accountability. Its mission is to alleviate suffering, raise awareness, and empower individuals to achieve self-employment and self-sufficiency at the village, district, and city levels. This approach aims to enhance both rural and urban economies and livelihoods through collaboration with donors and local communities.

The organization operates in several key areas, including:

• Irrigation: Developing canals, culverts, bridges, and flood protection systems.
• Education: Establishing schools, promoting literacy, and conducting awareness campaigns.
• Road Infrastructure: Constructing and enhancing road networks.
• Capacity Building: Providing management training and vocational education.
• Drinking Water: Drilling wells and expanding water supply systems.
• Health Systems: Building healthcare infrastructure.
• Humanitarian Assistance: Offering support during both natural and man-made disasters.

Through these initiatives, OHA works to foster community resilience and improve the overall quality of life for individuals across Afghanistan.

1. Job Purpose

The Programs Manager is responsible for providing strategic leadership, technical oversight, and operational management of all OHA programs. The position ensures high-quality program design, effective implementation, donor compliance, and achievement of organizational objectives in line with OHA’s mission, strategic plan, and donor requirements. The Program Manager plays a key role in program development, coordination, representation, and capacity strengthening across all program sectors.

2. Key Responsibilities

A. Strategic Program Leadership

• Provide overall leadership and direction to all OHA programs to ensure coherence, quality, and alignment with OHA’s strategic objectives.
• Lead the development, review, and implementation of OHA’s program strategy and annual operational plans.
• Ensure integration of cross-cutting issues, including gender, protection, accountability to affected populations (AAP), safeguarding, and inclusion across all programs.
• Support senior management in organizational decision-making related to program priorities and resource allocation.

B. Program Design and Development

• Lead or oversee needs assessments, context analyses, and feasibility studies to inform program design.
• Provide technical guidance in proposal development, including logframes, budgets, risk analysis, and implementation plans.
• Ensure proposals are compliant with donor requirements and aligned with OHA policies and strategies.
• Coordinate closely with Finance, Procurement, HR, and M&E departments during proposal development.

C. Program Implementation and Quality Assurance

• Oversee implementation of all projects to ensure timely, efficient, and effective delivery of planned activities.
• Ensure programs meet quality standards, technical guidelines, and donor compliance requirements.
• Monitor program progress against approved work plans, indicators, and budgets; initiate corrective actions when needed.
• Promote adaptive management and learning to respond to contextual changes and emerging needs.

D. Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL)

• Provide strategic oversight to the MEAL function to ensure robust monitoring systems are in place.
• Ensure accurate, timely, and high-quality program reporting (internal and donor).
• Promote use of data and evidence for decision-making, program improvement, and learning.
• Support evaluations, reviews, and learning initiatives across programs.

E. Donor Relations and Reporting

• Act as a focal point for donor engagement related to program implementation.
• Ensure timely submission of high-quality narrative reports in coordination with relevant departments.
• Support donor visits, audits, and compliance reviews.
• Maintain positive relationships with donors and partners through transparent communication.

F. Team Management and Capacity Building

• Provide line management and technical supervision to Program Managers and senior program staff.
• Support recruitment, onboarding, performance management, and professional development of program teams.
• Build the capacity of program staff in project management, donor compliance, reporting, and quality programming.
• Promote a collaborative, accountable, and results-oriented team culture.

G. Coordination, Representation, and Partnerships

• Represent OHA in coordination forums, clusters, and working groups as assigned.
• Strengthen partnerships with government authorities, UN agencies, NGOs, and community stakeholders.
• Ensure effective coordination between programs and support departments.

H. Risk Management and Compliance

• Identify programmatic risks and ensure mitigation measures are in place.
• Ensure compliance with OHA policies, donor regulations, safeguarding, PSEA, and code of conduct.
• Contribute to organizational risk management and security planning related to program activities.

I. Proposal Development and Donor Submissions

• Lead the development of donor proposals, concept notes, expressions of interest (EOIs), and grant applications in coordination with program, finance, MEAL, HR, and logistics teams.
• Analyze donor calls for proposals and translate requirements into clear proposal development plans and timelines.
• Draft high-quality narrative sections, including problem statements, objectives, logical frameworks, implementation approaches, sustainability, risk analysis, gender, safeguarding, PSEA, and protection mainstreaming components.
• Coordinate internal inputs from technical leads, field teams, finance, and operations to ensure accuracy, coherence, and feasibility of proposals.
• Work closely with finance and operations teams to ensure narrative and budget alignment.
• Support the preparation of cost notes, budget narratives, and compliance matrices.

Education

• Master’s degree in Development Studies, International Relations, Public Administration, Project Management, or a related field.
  (A Bachelor’s degree with extensive relevant experience may be considered.)

Experience

• Minimum of 8–10 years of progressive experience in program management with NGOs, and INGOs, preferably in humanitarian and development contexts.
• At least 5 years in a senior management or leadership role overseeing multiple projects or sectors.
• Proven experience in donor-funded project management (e.g., UN agencies, EU, USAID, DFID/FCDO).
• Extensive experience in writing proposals and creating budgets.
• Strong experience working in complex or fragile contexts; Afghanistan experience is a strong advantage.

4. Required Skills and Competencies

• Strong leadership, strategic thinking, and decision-making skills.
• Excellent program planning, coordination, and organizational skills.
• Proven ability to manage large, diverse teams and multiple projects simultaneously.
• Strong analytical, report writing, and communication skills in English (Pashto/Dari languages are an asset).
• Sound knowledge of donor compliance, proposal development, and reporting.
• High level of integrity, professionalism, and commitment to humanitarian principles.
• Proficiency in MS Office and project management tools.

5. Core Values and Safeguarding

• Commitment to OHA’s mission, values, and humanitarian principles.
• Zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse, fraud, and corruption.
• Adherence to safeguarding, PSEA, and child protection policies.

To apply for this position, please use OHA's online recruitment system. You can access the application by clicking the link below or by copying the link into a new tab and following the provided instructions to complete your application.

Link: http://69.197.177.211/Vacancy/VacancyList_Description?_id=12