Programme Officer – British Embassy

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 Category  

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Programme Roles)

Job Subcategory  

Programme / Project Delivery

Job Description (Roles and Responsibilities)

Application deadline:	28 July 2022
Grade:	Executive Officer (EO)
Type of Position:	Full-time, Fixed term, with possibility of renewal
Working hours per week	38.5
Region	Africa
Country/Territory	Sudan
Location (City)	Khartoum
Type of Post	British Embassy
Number of vacancies	1
Salary	USD 17,949 annually
Start Date	1 September 2022

Main purpose of job:

British Embassy Khartoum is looking to recruit capable, motivated, and experienced individual to join the team to lead and support delivery of our development and humanitarian programmes. This is a fantastic opportunity to ensure our programmes deliver results for Sudanese people through excellence in programme, financial, risk and commercial management. The post requires the ability to build trusted and influential relationships with suppliers and partners to deliver effectively. In all cases, the role will include managing the programme cycle, risk, finances, engaging with implementing partners, driving forward implementation, and ensuring programmatic compliance. The postholder will be working closely with a range of delivery partners including multilaterals, international and Sudanese NGOs, and private sector suppliers.

Roles and responsibilities:

The Programme Officer, will support the management of FCDO programmes, develop good understanding of the FCDO Programme Operating Framework. Will need also to demonstrate commitment to working collaboratively, transparently and accountably with colleagues in the team and across the office. We are looking for someone with a pro-active attitude, willingness to work responsively across several issues simultaneously, learn quickly and work with a diverse range of partners.

The FCDO has a strong learning and development offer for staff, including on-the-job, online, virtual and in-person training but you will need to actively invest in your own learning & development to get up to speed on the requirements of the job.

Key responsibilities include:

1. Lead programme management for the projects you are responsible for. As a Programme Officer you will be responsible for the day-to-day management of a particular project, proactively driving delivery whilst ensuring compliance with UK Government rules. You will put in place robust systems for managing this within the team, including maintaining a clear and comprehensive delivery plan, keeping information on the Aid Management Platform up to date, and organising regular programme meetings. Depending on the stage of the programme, you may be involved in programme design or mobilisation including procurement processes to secure implementing partners.
2. Delivering robust financial management of programmes to ensure spending limits are adhered to, variances are minimised and value for money is achieved. You will proactively manage accurate financial forecasting over the year and profiling for outer years, ensure timely payment of invoices, and robust scrutiny and follow up of financial reports and annual audited statements. You will work closely with partners to understand risks to spend, explain UK requirements and challenge poor financial performance.
3. Proactively managing risk (including fiduciary risk) of programmes. You will engage constructively with partners and the FCDO Programme Responsible Owner to ensure we identify the key risks to programme delivery, discuss these regularly and respond promptly and effectively to mitigate risks, including escalating these to senior management when required. You will conduct due diligence assessments when required to review partners’ systems, identify areas for improvement and then ensure these are addressed. By maintaining an up-to-date delivery chain map, you will ensure we have clarity on exactly where UK aid funds are going, and the key risks in the delivery chain. You will ensure the UK’s zero tolerance approach to fraud and corruption is effectively implemented for your programme.  
4. Establishing and maintaining strong relationships with our implementing partners to ensure our programmes deliver the intended results and that we maximise our impact. You will be required to have a strong understanding of the requirements of partners set out in our contracts or grant agreements and use these to manage and incentivise strong performance from partners, as well as compliance with UK rules and standards.
5. Supporting the effective monitoring of programme. You will work with the Senior Responsible Owner and Programme Responsible Owner to ensure there is a robust monitoring, evaluation and learning strategy and that this is implemented effectively. This will include organising and participating in field visits, ensuring the results framework is kept up to date, reviewing and discussing routine reporting from partners, and participating in Annual Reviews and Programme Completion Reviews.
6. Strengthening programme management capacity in your team and the wider British Embassy Khartoum. This will involve participating in cross-office forums like the Portfolio Delivery Board, sharing lesson learning across the office, and contributing ideas on how to improve programme delivery.
7. Support wider team and / or cross office priorities as required. This may include supporting the Senior Programme Manager / Team Leader on management of the team portfolio. You will have the opportunity to support cross office working including participating in policy discussions, assisting with communications briefings, Parliamentary Questions, Ministerial visits and corporate returns. You will be encouraged to participate in cross-office forums like the Learning & Development Committee or the Diversity & Inclusion Committee.

Essential qualifications, skills and experience  

Essential technical competences:

• Managing the programme cycle
• Managing risks and issues
• Financial management

Essential experience:

•  Experience of managing projects / programmes with a focus on delivering results.
• Proven financial management capabilities.
• Proven experience of challenging stakeholders on a range of issues and holding them to account.
• Ability to take initiative and manage own workload.
• Experience of working at pace under the pressure of tight deadlines.
• Strong organisational skills, flexibility and capability to work on a broad range of topics simultaneously.
• Strong IT capability including MS Excel and Word.

Desirable qualifications, skills and experience  

Desirable technical competences:

• Commercial acumen
• Monitoring, learning and adapting
• Engages others

Desirable  experience:  

·       Experience of working in the International Development or Humanitarian sector

Required behaviours  

Making Effective Decisions, Delivering at Pace, Working Together

Other benefits and conditions of employment  

The British Embassy Khartoum is committed to a supportive and creative learning and development agenda, situated within the wider People Plan for 2022. We care about our staff and their aspirations, and want to help develop them.

The successful candidate will have access to a wide range of learning and development opportunities and to large number of training course offered through FCDO e-learning and opportunities for on-the-job learning and mentoring. There are also a large number of corporate agendas which the job holder may like to engage with – from wellbeing to the country-based staff association.

This is a full time role and we have core working hours but the BE Khartoum is committed to flexible working. Staff can apply for flexible working arrangements to be agreed with their Line Manager.

Additional information  

• Please complete the application form in full as the information provided is used during screening.
• Please check your application carefully before you submit, as no changes can be made once submitted.
• The British Embassy will never request any payment or fees to apply for a position.
• The current legacy DFID Terms and Conditions of Employment will apply to all internal locally employed staff on promotion and new entrants subject to local employment labour law.
• Candidates may need to apply for a valid certificate of good conduct when applying and should be no older than 6 months.
• All candidates must be legally able to work and reside in the country of the vacancy with the correct visa/work permit status or demonstrate eligibility to obtain the relevant permit.
• The responsibility lies on the successful candidate to:

• The British Embassy does not sponsor visas/work permits except where it may be local practice to do so.
• Employees who are not liable to pay local income tax on their Mission salary may have their salaries reduced by the equivalent local income tax amount.

• Information about the Civil Service Success Profiles can be found on this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles
• Reference checking and security clearances will be conducted on successful candidates.
• Please log into your profile on the application system on a regular basis to review the status of your application.