WfWI invests in women in 17 conflict-affected countries around the world as they rebuild their lives. We invest where inequality is the greatest by helping women who are forgotten— the women survivors of war and conflict. We help them learn the skills they need to rebuild their families and communities, and to transform their lives. The women in our direct delivery programs engage in community cohorts who learn to save, build businesses, understand their rights, improve their health, and participate towards transformation for themselves, their families, and communities. For 30 years, WfWI has used an integrated approach to innovate; we are a learning organization that listens to data, our country teams, and women themselves to constantly evolve and improve the way we work. 

Since 2002, we have operated in five provinces of Afghanistan. Participants of our program receive vocational training for jobs like animal husbandry, tailoring and knitting, participating in savings and self-help groups, and learn to invest in their businesses as they receive stipends. Through this curriculum, they prepare to earn an income and invest in savings. They are trained by our team to embrace and defend their rights, support decision-making in their households, and create social change in their communities.

WfWI also supports local organizations to gain access to resources and capacity-strengthening that improves their ability to respond to their organization and their community’s self-identified priorities. Globally, WfWI advocates to ensure that equitable participation, voice, and leadership are central to the long-term changes we’re driving. Through listening to women survivors of war and conflict, we build the evidence base to engage decision-makers in a transformative effort to sustain an enabling environment.

Purpose of the Role

The Senior Program Manager is responsible for the successful implementation Afghanistan program development and implementation. Our Afghanistan programs are focused on social and economic empowerment and livelihoods programming, with partnerships in health, capacity-strengthening, and  other complementary programming.

This Senior Program Manager leads the country office program team, coordinating closely with Afghanistan regional office management and program teams, MERL teams, Kabul main office, and global supporter countries. The Senior Program Manager leads the Programs and MERL teams from start to end, including but not limited to ensuring sufficient human resources, staff wellbeing, and staff learning and development, appropriate targeting, planning, and implementation of community and participant identification, program monitoring, evaluation, adaptation, and learning, safeguarding system management, community and other stakeholder engagement planning, technical support coordination, and strategic reviews and planning. The Senior Program Manager is also responsible for identifying and advancing new opportunities and new program innovations within WFWI’s mandate, coordinating with external partners, and representing internally and externally. The Program Senior Manager is a key member of the Afghanistan Country Office Senior Management Team.

Engagement

Team Management

• Lead the recruitment, orientation and management of program staff and consultants, working closely with the People, Culture, and Capabilities department to proactively identify and fill human resourcing needs.
• Manage team with maturity and kindness, through participatory processes, and in accordance with Women for Women International’s performance management framework.
• From recruitment to staff and performance management, maintain principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging front and center.
• Support team to set and monitor performance objectives, support annual performance development plans, annual and mid-year performance appraisals, and regular check-up meetings regarding progress throughout the year.
• Coordinate review and approval of all program team timesheets, leave requests, and manage other administrative functions.
• Conduct regular program and MERL team meetings, while maintaining ongoing engagement and consistent troubleshooting and oversight.
• Oversee program team performance, including workplanning and scheduling.
• Manage staff development, wellbeing, and safeguarding in close coordination with the People, Culture and Capability Department.

Program Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting

• Coordinate projects by planning, executing, and monitoring activity implementation and reporting in accordance with the terms and conditions of the respective program agreements.
• Provide leadership and direction to guide program implementation towards achieving maximum coverage and impact while ensuring the highest standard of program quality in line with Program Guidelines and Framework, and other project documents.
• In close coordination with key staff, in particular the Finance Senior Manager, Planning and Partnerships Specialist, the Country Director, and designated Global Support Center staff, develop and review annual operational and performance plans to ensure the timely execution long-term and short-term priorities and activities.
• Together with the Planning and Partnerships Specialist, coordinate, lead, and report out on quarterly review workshops, leading and in coordination with the MERL team.
• Proactively identify, facilitate, and oversee MERL processes in close coordination with the MERL Manager.
• Coordinate and manage relations with project staff, technical experts, consultants, implementing partners, government officials and other stakeholders.
• Coordinate resolution or escalate any implementation issues or program/context risks to appropriate parties.

Advocacy, Coordination, and Communications

• Advise, support, and take forward constructive stakeholder engagements, including with the government, partners, private sector, multilateral agencies, and others.
• Support Advocacy Manager and advocacy team, in country and globally, in identification of Advocacy areas of leverage and implementation of Advocacy activities.
• Support Communications Manager and communications team, in country and globally, in communications ideation, planning, and implementation.
• Support the Country Director to manage external project stakeholder relations, often serving as WfWI’s focal point.
• Ensure internal and external processing of WfWI learning, towards advocacy, visibility, improved program quality, and towards program expansion.

Delivery

Program Management

• Lead on the planning, design and delivery of WFWI’s Afghanistan programs.
• Monitor and propel quality control and impact, ensuring all programs are carried out in accordance with the mission and goals of WfWI and the terms and conditions of relevant grants.
• Develop and maintain good working relationships with other collaborating agencies, partner organizations and community leaders in order to develop partnerships and referral relationships.
• Oversee the design, delivery and impact of staff development activities; ensure training is effectively and efficiently administered as per agreed guidelines to ensure effective coordination of training sessions and provide relevant support and guidance to the trainers.
• Lead on planning and conducting community assessment processes of the new operational locations of the CO/sub offices as per program guidelines and support the selection and enrolment of new participants.
• Ensure regular program activities are carried out in an efficient and timely manner including the delivery of program stipend to women participants and letter exchanges between women participants and international sponsors.
• Develop new and innovative strategies, tools, guidelines and materials, as needed, to implement and monitor the Stronger Women program.
• Work in collaboration with program directors at GSC level to ensure that women empowerment program components in Afghanistan are aligned with WfWI’s global strategic and programmatic plans.
• Prepare timely and accurate monthly, quarterly reports and any other program reports and data required for external reporting including with the local authorities.
• Ensure procurement plans are prepared in coordination with Finance and Logistics Department so that program supplies and services are available for program delivery in a timely manner.
• Participate in external meetings with donors' other agencies when needed; represent the WfWI Afghanistan program in key briefings where possible. 
• Provide technical support and guidance to local grantees and sub-grantees, as appropriate.
• Ensure compliance with donor requirements and with all WfWI internal rules and procedures.

Strategy, Business Development and Partnerships

• Play a leadership role in the Country Office strategy development/ strategy revisions processes.
• Prepare operational plans and program annual budgets for the program department in Afghanistan office and keep team members informed of all changes in program strategy, policy, guidelines and expectations.
• Play a key role in Country Office business development and fundraising plans.
• Attend donor meetings and cultivate relationships with potential donors.
• Play a key coordination and technical role in the design of concept notes and proposals.
• Identify, develop strategic partnerships with L/INGOs, government departments, UN agencies, private sector, private businesses, and advocacy and coordination groups.
• Identify, develop, and expand relationships with key partners relevant to WFWI’s work in Afghanistan.

Budget Management

• Manage efficient planning and use of program budgets; ensuring responsible planning, review, and participation of relevant parties in program budget management.
• Review monthly spending plan and budget vs. actual reports to track actual expenditures against projected budget and address changes needed, also responsible to ensure timely and cost-efficient spending according to available unrestricted or grant budgets and continuously updated projections.
• With the Finance Senior Manager, Planning and Partnerships Specialist, and other SMT, develop regular financial projections and spending forecasts that are adapted to the ongoing needs and trends of a dynamic program in a challenging operational context.
• Provide required documentation to the Finance department as needed.
• Participate in new proposal budget development and annual operational budget planning.

Other Responsibilities

Other Duties within competencies and expertise as agreed with Country Director.

The duties, responsibilities and activities of this job description may change, or new ones may be assigned at any time.

All WfWI staff and contractors/consultants are required to adhere to WfWI’s Code of Conduct, Safeguarding, Anti-Fraud and Corruption, and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) policies, and to WfWI’s:

Leadership Principles                                 Organizational Values

Decisive                                                                       Empowerment

Accountable                                                                Integrity            

Courageous                                                                 Respect

Adaptable                                                                   Resilience         

Inclusive

Qualifications and Skills

Please note that this is a female-only recruitment, and only female candidates will be considered.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or relevant equivalent. In exceptional cases, extensive leadership or management experience may be accepted in lieu of a Master’s Degree.
• Proven capacity to execute projects and manage service delivery, ensuring alignment to standards through results-based management.
• Strong background in MERL processes.
• Team-player able to foster participatory processes, while demonstrating strong decision-making and accountable practices.
• Minimum 7 years of experience in large, complex, community-based social programs in a challenging, environment, preferably within INGOs sector with at least 5 years of managerial experience.
• Demonstrated understanding of social and contextual constraints and gender dynamics facing women from rural poor communities in relevant fields.
• Demonstrable understanding of and experience in gender issues, women’s economic and livelihoods opportunities and commitment to addressing inequalities in all key areas of responsibility.
• Program Management experience with strong planning, facilitation and report writing skills.
• Proven ability to define problems, establish facts, analyze situations, suggest solutions and make decisions within areas of responsibility.
• Excellent written and verbal English, Dari and Pashtu skills.
• Experience in networking and building relationships with local and international networks, working groups and clusters.
• Strong organizational and planning skills.
• Good computer skills (Word, Excel, Outlook and email applications)
• Demonstrated leadership skills and ability to manage a large, complex, diverse team of people through an inclusive and empowering management style.
• Ability to have flexible work schedule which may include early mornings, evenings and weekends. May be required to occasionally work beyond normally scheduled hours.
• Willingness to travel around the country as required.
• Commitment to and respect for Women for Women International’s mission and value

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