Programme Manager, Burundi Full Time

Interpeace is an international organization for peacebuilding, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. Its aim is to strengthen the capacities of societies to manage conflict in non-violent, non-coercive ways by assisting national actors in their efforts to develop social and political cohesion. Interpeace also strives to assist the international community (and in particular the UN) to play a more effective role in supporting peacebuilding efforts around the world through better understanding and response to the challenges of creating local capacities that enhance social and political cohesion. For more information about Interpeace, please visit www.interpeace.org

The Interpeace Regional Office for Eastern and Central Africa manages the organization’s programmes in the Somali region, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi and the Great Lakes. All these programmes are carried out in close partnership with local peacebuilding organizations.

General Position Summary:

Interpeace has been implementing a peacebuilding programme in Burundi since 2007 and it’s looking to fill the post of Programme Manager for Burundi.

The Programme Manager – Burundi is a member of the core programmatic team for Interpeace’s work in the Great Lakes Region of Central Africa. He / she will report to the Great Lakes Coordinator and will collaborate closely with the other members of the team in the overall management of the Burundi programmes: the Regional Director; the Great Lakes Coordinator; the Great Lakes Policy Lead and Rwanda Program Officer; and the Design, Monitoring and Evaluation (DM&E) officer.

The Programme Manager is responsible for working with the local partners and donors to ensure that the programmes are well planned in their content, captured throughout their delivery and strategically disseminated to donors and other key stakeholders to optimize its impact.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the general guidance and supervision of the Great Lakes Coordinator, the Programme Manager will be responsible for the following:

Programmatic Support

• Manage multiple programmes in Burundi in collaboration with the partner organisations and donors: provide strategic and programmatic guidance and operational support for field activities, specifically with respect to the political context, substantive peacebuilding content and methodology of the wo This includes, but is not limited to, collaboratively developing and nurturing a clear understanding of Interpeace’s programmes of work throughout Burundi;
• Using sound judgment and robust analysis of the constantly evolving socio-political context in Burundi and in line with the regional strategic guidance provided by the Great Lakes Coordinator and the strategic direction set and approved by the Regional Director, develop the programme strategy and work plans, for further approval, for all field components of the programmes to ensure that they are strategic and relevant to the organization;
• Monitor and oversee the implementation of work plans and revise them in collaboration with the partners and others within the Interpeace team;
• Lead the reflection and learning as a continuous and integral part of the programme with regard to programme development, methodological adaptations and generally on the topics under study and support cross-fertilization and sharing of lessons learned within Interpeace globally;
• Oversee the collection, compilation and dissemination of both contractual and strategic reporting;
• Review written documents of the Interpeace Burundi programmes and provide quality control through a mentoring approach to ensure the continuous development of capacities of the local partners;
• Develop emerging thematic competences that can be used not only for the Burundi programmes but can also be incorporated into Interpeace’s work in its other programmes;
• Provide the link between the Burundi programmes and the broader Great Lakes Interpeace team within Interpeace; working together closely with the Great Lakes team to harmonize planning and ensuring efficient use of resources in the implementation of the programme; participate in the Great Lakes programme meetings as required.

Financial Activities

This position is the budget holder for and manages all Burundi programme budgets in collaboration with the Interpeace and partner finance officers

• Lead and provide technical support to the fundraising initiatives of Interpeace and the local partners that ensure the financial sustainability of the Burundi programmes;
• Support Interpeace’s Finance Officer with the monthly financial reviews and expenditure forecast; monitor programme expenditures versus budget and available funds, ensuring that programme expenditures are within approved budgets and available funds;
• Review and approve partner’s activity reports before payments are authorized by Interpeace finance and the Regional Director.

Interpeace information about the Great Lakes Region

• Remain abreast of the political, economic and social context in Burundi through coordinated updates with the field teams and other networks developed;
• Monitor substantive developments and provide regular briefings to the Regional Director; engage in a regular exchange and analysis about context dynamics with the wider Great Lakes team;
• Maintain close liaison with team members to ensure that all Interpeace staff are regularly briefed on Burundi programme activities.

Representation and Networking

• Represent Interpeace Burundi programmes vis-à-vis international and local external stakeholders, engage the latter to improve the positioning of Burundi programmes
• Develop relationships with other funding agencies and identify opportunities for partnerships to support programme activities;
• Utilize substantive relations vis-à-vis key Burundi stakeholders, in both informing and disseminating Interpeace’s programmes of work;
• Establish new and maintain existing relations with key international actors Burundi and Nairobi, including donor relations, and strategically engage these actors as stakeholders of Interpeace’s wo

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in peace-related studies, social or political science or other relevant fields;
• At least five years of field experience in peacebuilding, political and/or developmental work;
• Knowledge of and experience in Burundi or the wider Great Lakes Region;
• Demonstrated experience in conflict resolution/peacebuilding, external relations, proposal writing, budgeting, and training;
• Strong financial oversight and management skills;
• Strong communications skills: ability to write in clear, concise manner and to communicate effectively orally in both English and French, local language knowledge in Kirundi and/or Kiswahili a bonus;
• Strong computer skills in MS Office applications;
• Good interpersonal skills; be a team player while being able to work independently and meet set deadlines;
• Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity;
• Strong commitment to supporting local peacebuilding initiatives and to the values and working principles of Interpeace;

Success Factors: :

• Excellent social and inter-cultural skills, outstanding communication skills to a variety of stakeholders from different backgrounds;
• Flexible approach to work in a changing context and ability to deliver under pressure and to tight deadlines;
• Exceptional relationship and trust building skills;
• Creative team player with a commitment to inclusiveness and consensus building;
• Exceptional skills in coordinating complex and sensitive processes and designing participatory processes;
• Balanced and calm personality with tact.

Qualified candidates are invited to submit their application, including a letter of interest explaining your suitability for the role and interest in the position and Interpeace’s work and a complete CV via email to [email protected]. The subject line of the application must read “Programme Officer – Burundi” for the candidacy to be considered.

Interpeace is an equal opportunity employer. Please note that only those candidates that are short- listed for interviews will be notified. Applications will close on September 20^th.

For more information about Interpeace, its values and working principles, please visit its website at www.interpeace.org