Program Manager

Over the past few years, Afghanistan has witnessed a relative improvement in security and stability across much of the country. This has allowed humanitarian actors like INTERSOS to maintain uninterrupted access and expand services in areas that were previously hard to reach. Despite this progress, the humanitarian situation remains critical, with millions of Afghans continuing to face acute vulnerabilities due to prolonged economic hardship, natural disasters, and limited access to essential services.

In 2025, more than half of the population is in need of humanitarian assistance, with food insecurity, child malnutrition, and displacement remaining key concerns. Natural disasters, such as floods and recent earthquakes, have further compounded the needs of already struggling communities.

INTERSOS continues to operate through a community-based approach with field bases in Kabul, Kandahar, and Zabul, delivering primary healthcare, nutrition, and protection services with a focus on women, children, and persons with disabilities. The organization enjoys strong community acceptance and collaborates closely with relevant national authorities, including maintaining the full participation of female staff in all activities.

While the operational environment is largely stable and conducive, funding shortfalls and systemic barriers such as restrictions on financial flows and administrative bottlenecks continue to impact the scope and scale of humanitarian response. Sustained support is crucial to ensure the continuity of life-saving services and to address the urgent needs of Afghanistan’s most vulnerable populations.

In collaboration with the Head of Program, define and plan program objectives and priorities in line with INTERSOS strategy, identifying humanitarian needs; analyzing the context and the humanitarian issues at stake; assessing risks and constraints; and calculating human and financial needs. 

Manage, in collaboration with the Field Coordinator, operations, strategic growth, and strong external and internal representation to efficiently ensure the program goals and improve the targeted population’s conditions and humanitarian situation. S/he is responsible for the overall development, management, planning, implementation, and monitoring of programs implemented under the area of responsibility.

The Program Manager brings together components from different projects and ensures the timely, high-quality delivery of reports to the donor.

The Program Manager is the budget holder and closely supervises and monitors financial planning, liquidity planning, and budget utilization/burn rate in compliance with the INTERSOS Model and donor regulations.

Tasks

Program development and quality:

• Deliver quality program activities reporting, including the findings in terms of impact/changes at the level of beneficiaries achieved through the projects, compliant and consistent reporting per INTERSOS and donor requirements, in close collaboration with the HQ Grants Unit
• Develop a clear understanding of the INTERSOS program and country strategy among project teams, ensuring also timely input/feedback by the team on strategic issues.
• Contribute with the Field Coordinator to strategic growth and program/project development.
• Ensure that program delivery matches INTERSOS and donor technical minimum standards and seek technical advice, MEAL guidance, and tools.
• Ensure a clear overview of actors and services in the area of intervention, permitting the development and implementation of partnerships and referral pathways.
• Working closely with Protection and Medical technical coordinators in order to ensure quality of service delivered and respect of Protection and Medical procedures and standards
• Comply and abide by INTERSOS policies

Program management

• Ensures the planning, implementation, and monitoring/evaluation, and sets targets as included in the project description. Flag significant deviation from the program implementation plan and estimated expenditures; alert relevant staff.
• Supervise the implementation, monitoring, development, and evaluation of the programs in collaboration with the project teams
• Prepare regular updates of program activities work-plan and related financial plan, ensuring timely and quality implementation in compliance with INTERSOS and donor guidelines and in line with the projects and sector-specific strategies
• In collaboration with the MEAL team, develop tools to assess, analyze, and evaluate the project’s impact
• Perform regular field visits to the project locations to ensure the quality of the intervention in compliance with the internal and donors' standards
• Work closely with the partnership officer to oversee partnership implementation and regularly update on progress with the project manager
• Guarantee close coordination and interaction with the other Program/Project Managers and technical coordinators to ensure harmonization of modalities of implementation, tools, approaches, etc.
• In collaboration with the Field Coordinator, analyze the area of responsibility, the humanitarian needs of the community, and the assessment 
• In collaboration with the Technical Coordinators design and revise project proposals
• Invest in building relationships, both with the outside community and with the population that Intersos is targeting
• Provide constant update progress of the projects to the Field Coordinator and Head of Program/Program coordinator
• Represent INTERSOS in relevant working groups, and other fora (clusters, donors meetings) in the Intersos programmatic context as delegated by the Field Coordinator and Head of Program/Program coordinator. Ensure timely reporting of highlights to the Head of Program, Technical Coordinators, and Field Coordinator.   
• In coordination with the Field Coordinator and Head of Program, ensure regular updates to donor representatives

Reporting

• Ensure the program’s institutional memory, keeping written records (and filing them) on its development, in order to broadcast INTERSOS achievements and improve awareness
• Ensure regular internal reporting and elaboration, in coordination with the Grants Unit, contractual reports according to donor rules and regulations.
• Ensure the INTERSOS Project Appraisal Tool is accurate through data collection and timely submission.  
• Monitor the project data collection with the relevant technical referent, analysis, and reporting on a timely basis to ensure correct use of the internal DB and monitoring tools.

People management

• In coordination with the HR department and relevant Managers, plan and organize the organizational charts, distribute tasks and workload among the teams, guiding their comprehension of the issues linked to the program and the mission through regular working meetings and feedback, in order to ensure an efficient deployment of the resources and the achievement of the expected goals
• Inform the field team on the instructions given by the coordination, promoting fluent, smooth written and oral communication and information flow, and ensuring confidentiality.
• In coordination with the HR department and relevant managers and technical coordinators, identify training needs, building the capacity, coordinate, supervise and motivate the staffs, supports ad hoc training sessions and on-the-job training, provide individual follow up and coaching, carry out end-of-mission evaluation of the team members and lead internal communication initiatives in order to facilitate people’s integration and professional development and to maximize their capabilities and commitment to INTERSOS values and project’s goals
• In coordination with the HR department, is responsible for ensuring that the program staff are trained and respect INTERSOS policies, rules, and regulations

Finance and logistics

• Plan and monitor the financial expenditures, ensuring the correct reporting and accounting of expenditures as per the defined budget. In coordination with the Finance department, supervise project financial indicators in order to ensure efficiency and early detect deviations and their causes
• In coordination with the Head of support services plan, ensure overall supervision of the procurements for the program needs, monitoring the progress with the relevant project manager

Education

• University’s degree in management, human rights, social studies, or any related field, a Master’s degree is preferable.

• Ideally, at least 5 years of professional experience, preferably in the NGO and humanitarian sector.

Professional experience

• Minimum 5 years of professional experience in the management of a humanitarian program, including financial management and logistics responsibilities 
• Essential 2 years’ experience as a medical referent in humanitarian contexts

Professional requirements

• Excellent understanding of project cycle management (formal training/certification in PCM would be an advantage).
• Demonstrated problem-solving ability.
• Working knowledge of donor requirements and compliance issues.
• Good working knowledge of MS Office or equivalent.
• Ability to work independently.
• Demonstrated leadership and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrated experience in staff management.
• Readiness to commit and adhere to the values, mission, and vision of INTERSOS.

Personal requirements

• Strong representation and negotiation skills
• Ability to ensure quick quality delivery in a stressful environment 
• Ability to adhere to deadlines and respect line management
• Strong interpersonal skills: communication, diplomatic skills, and problem-solving
• Leadership, people management, and development
• Organization and problem-solving
• Commitment to INTERSOS principles

Languages 

• Proficiency in English (written and spoken)
• Fluency in Pashto (is a requirement)

Respected Applicants, please visit the link below and fill in the required information.

https://forms.gle/EcF1HbsXm7bZvT2TA

Please note that only shortlisted applicants will be contacted and called for a test/Interview.

Qualified People with Physical Disabilities and Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply