Ireland: Programme Officer – Occupied Palestinian Territory & Israel

Description of the unit / department:Trócaire's International Department consists of a number of units based in Ireland and regional and country offices throughout Africa, Asia & the Middle East and Latin America. This position will be based in Maynooth, Ireland, as part of the Asia & Middle East region.

Background to the Role: Trócaire has been working with local partners in Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territory (I/OPT) since 2002. The country programme aims to challenge the climate of impunity that exists, and focuses on supporting local Israeli and Palestinian human rights organisations, as well as humanitarian assistance when required.

Reporting to: Head of Region, Asia & Middle East

Managing: (Individuals/Team) 2 team members (1 Part-time programme consultant, 1 Graduate)

Contract Type: Fixed term

Contract Duration: 1 year (with possibility of extension)

Location: Maynooth with frequent travel to the region (2-3 months per year)

Purpose of the Role Ensuring the effective delivery of a strong coherent Country Strategy Plan for occupied Palestinian territory & Israel. This role involves oversight, management and implementation of Human Rights and Humanitarian programmes.

A strong emphasis on lobbying key stakeholders in Ireland and Europe on the need to protect civilians in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and creating a just peace based on international law.

The post holder with the Head of Region and the Asia Institutional Funding Officer, will play a key role in ensuring and maintaining a healthy funding base for programmes in OPT-I.

Key Duties & Responsibilities ****Programme Development and Management:****

· Manage and deepen the current portfolio of thematic programmes on Governance & Human Rights and Humanitarian Response, which contributes to a clear strategic country vision in line with Trócaire’s new Strategic Plan 2016-2021. Ensure that Trócaire in OPT-I has an identified niche and that our added value contributes to our partners’ work.

· Ensure that all programmes effectively mainstream gender throughout the programme cycle.

· Ensure there is constant and open communication between other units and teams, in particular the Programme team and Strategic Impact Unit.

· Identify learning priorities within programmes and facilitate the sharing of this learning with partners, across programmes, and externally as appropriate.

****Specific to Programme Implementation and M&E:****

· Ensure that programmes are being implemented within a clear M&E framework that includes regular monitoring visits to the field.

· Deliver high quality Annual Programme Reviews that provide clear evidence of progress on an annual basis and that can be used for programme management, internal reporting and reporting to donors.

· Ensure that all programmes are evaluated according to Trócaire’s evaluation policy and that learning from evaluations is incorporated into new programme design.

****Human Resource Management****

· Line manage team members, ensuring that all are clear on the change to which they are contributing and on their roles and responsibilities.

· Support, mentor and coach the team members as part of their professional development and to help them to be highly effective in their work.

****Financial and Admin Management****

· Develop annual country budgets and identify possible funding opportunities.

· Support the development, implementation and review of an OPT-I Institutional Funding Strategy for Trócaire.

· Ensure regular visits to all programme partners to review systems and financial management and to provide support to partners in line with Trócaire’s Partner Governance and Finance Policy.

****Partner Relationships and Support****

· Ensure that the Partnership Policy guides Trócaire’s engagement with partners in OPT-I.

· Ensure that all necessary capacity assessments are carried out and analysed prior to entering into any new partnerships.

· Liaise with other Caritas/CIDSE/other like-minded agencies, in order to avoid any duplication, reduce transaction costs for partners and collaborate on capacity building, programming or advocacy initiatives.

****Risk management & Security****

· Take responsibility for Risk Management at a programme level; analyse and respond to risk at project and programme levels and that programme level risks are captured and managed as part of a country risk management strategy.

· With support from the Global Security Coordinator, ensure the Country Security Plan is up-to-date and relevant, including safety and mitigation procedures.

****Policy, Advocacy and Communications****

· Oversee the implementation of the Advocacy Strategy on OPT/I and coordinate the cross-organisational working group that implements the strategy.

· Support campaigns, church and other public engagement functions in the implementation of the Advocacy Strategy and ensure other departments and offices in Ireland are aware of Trócaire’s work in and position on OPT/I.

· Maintain strong links with Trócaire’s communications unit and assist in briefing the media and feeding back to the public on Trócaire’s work.

· Develop appropriate advocacy positions for Trócaire, and/or wider networks such as Caritas or CIDSE.

· Conduct lobbying meetings with officials from the Irish government and with other relevant stakeholders, as appropriate.

· Represent Trócaire at relevant fora as required e.g. donor meetings, Caritas Internationalis meetings, public functions etc.

· Support partner visits to Ireland in order to provide a platform for their advocacy positions and to reach a public audience in Ireland.

****Other Duties and Responsibilities****

· Fulfil other reasonable duties and responsibilities, as requested by the Head of Region.

The ideal candidate will have:

Qualification· Third level qualification in Development, Humanitarian or related field of study.

· Post-graduate qualification in a relevant area, or significant experience beyond that outlined below.

Experience·

At least three years of demonstrable experience in the management and delivery of impactful human rights programmes, preferably in the Middle East;

· In-depth understanding of programming in a partnership model, working in a partnership-based NGO;

· High level of familiarity with I/OPT – context and issues

· Sound and up to date knowledge of development concepts, methodologies and techniques, including results based management, rights based approach and participatory methodologies;

· Experience of policy analysis, advocacy and public campaigning

Skills· Ability to motivate staff to align behind a shared vision and objectives;

· Demonstrated ability to think strategically and to develop and implement a clear country level strategy in the context of organisational strategy;

· Excellent interpersonal and relationship management skills and demonstrated ability in using these with internal and external stakeholders (partners, Church, donors, government etc.);

· Strong research and advocacy skills;

· Highly organised, with excellent planning, prioritisation and problem-solving skills;

· Excellent verbal and written communications skills

Qualities· Understanding of, and empathy with, the role of the Catholic Church in development

· A strong commitment to the work of justice and an empathy with the ethos and work of Trócaire.

Other· Ability and willingness to travel within Ireland, EU and internationally.

· Arabic / Hebrew language skills

Interested applicants can apply via the Trócaire website - http://trocaire.org/about/jobs

Closing date for applications is Friday 27th November 2015

Trócaire is an equal opportunities employer