Closing date: 12 Jan 2020
Program Manager - Roving
Contract length: one year, renewable
Hours: full-time, with a generous time-off-in-lieu policy
Location: Roving, with deployments; home-based when not deployed
Travel: travel to and in countries of deployment, up to 75% of time
Reporting to: Crisis Response Program Manager
Deadline for applications: 12 January 2020
The role
The roving Program Manager deploys in response to need, chiefly in new or escalating humanitarian emergencies or to provide management support to existing country programs. He or she is responsible for conducting an initial assessment of language support needs, designing a program of language support in liaison with (potential) partners and donors in country, and leading the set-up, staffing, and first-phase implementation of activities. The roving Program Manager will raise awareness of language as a factor of exclusion and its importance for ensuring the reach, impact and accountability of humanitarian action.The postholder will also contribute to proposal writing and fundraising, financial and people management, and innovative and scalable research and learning. In periods between deployments, he or she will provide support to country or global programs and work with the global team to develop, standards, guidance and tools for wider program use.
Background
In an emergency, TWB provides language support to facilitate vital two-way communication between the people affected and humanitarian responders. TWB is on the ground providing innovative language support to humanitarian responses in Bangladesh, DRC and Nigeria. This new role of roving Program Manager will enable us to scale up that support by responding rapidly to new and escalating emergencies, and to specific requests from partner organizations.
Responsibilities
Design, implementation, and monitoring of program activities
Conduct or coordinate initial assessments of language support needs, gathering data to inform programming decisions and advocate for language to be included in partners’ and donors’ plans
Lead on designing a program of language support on that basis, in collaboration with the Crisis Response Program Manager and in liaison with partners
Work with a small team to implement program activities
Develop and maintain an excellent understanding of the language issues affecting the humanitarian response in each context of deployment
Develop mutually beneficial partnerships/projects with humanitarian agencies to pilot/research/implement language interventions to improve humanitarian services
Coordinate the daily management, and ensure timely high-quality delivery and monitoring of all activities agreed with partners and donors. This will include liaising with the i specialized global teams (Language Services, Communications, Tech, Crisis Response, etc…) for the activities under the Program Manager’s direct responsibility.
Fundraising, financial and human resources management
Write project proposals, identify funding opportunities and network with partners and donors with a view to submitting funding proposals
Seek opportunities to expand the depth and breadth of the project in response to need
Monitor and manage delegated budget lines in compliance with TWB and donor requirements
Develop initial security plans and manage staff security
Recruit, induct and manage team members
Maintain open and professional relationships with the internal TWB team, TWB volunteers, partner agencies and donors
Contribute to a positive, innovative and supportive work environment
Humanitarian liaison and coordination
Lead TWB’s advocacy on language in country, and proactively contribute to global advocacy and communication efforts, in close collaboration with the Senior Advocacy Officer and Crisis Response Program Manager
Liaise with and support partners to ensure language is factored into activities and donor funding plans
Actively participate in sector working group meetings and initiatives
Reporting and knowledge management
Provide TWB’s contribution to relevant sector updates and other required reports
Document project activities
Ensure TWB complies with donor reporting requirements, including preparing financial and narrative reports
Contribute other written materials that support TWB needs (brochures, summary project information, etc.)
Leverage TWB approaches and innovations for new projects under development
Perform other duties as assigned
Qualifications
The roving Program Manager should be a creative self-starter with a strong sense of initiative, experienced in humanitarian response management and enthusiastic about the importance of increasing access to knowledge through language. The right candidate is an energetic team player who agrees with TWB´s basic beliefs and values and who can work virtually with team members based throughout the world.
Higher education degree in one of the following fields: social sciences or other relevant international development field
Minimum five years’ experience of humanitarian project management, implementation and design
Experience of proposal writing, including conceptualizing and technical writing
Experience of financial, budget and grant management
Knowledge and understanding of the role of language in humanitarian response
Ability to work independently, flexibly and with remote teams
Experience of managing security in insecure environments
Experience with/knowledge of one or more international donor organizations
Excellent communication, interpersonal and representational skills
Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and French, working knowledge of Arabic or Spanish a plus.
Proficiency in other languages relevant for humanitarian response a plus
Experience in conducting research, analyzing data and writing up findings a plus
Ability to coordinate people and processes
Willingness and ability to deploy at short notice and be deployed for up to 75% of time
About Translators without Borders
Translators without Borders believes that everyone has the right to give and receive information in a language and format they understand. We work with nonprofit partners and a global community of language professionals to build local language translation capacity, and raise awareness of language barriers. Originally founded in 1993 in France (as Traducteurs sans Frontières), TWB translates millions of words of lifesaving and life-changing information a year.
Core Values
Translators without Borders employees and volunteers are made of people who believe passionately about the value of this work and take personal responsibility for achieving the mission. Translators without Borders’ mission and organizational spirit embody the core values established in its strategic framework:
Excellence: As the leading voice for communicating humanitarian information in the right language, Translators without Borders is a leader in the translation industry and in the non-profit sector.
Integrity: Translators without Borders believes that every person, whether it is the people who we serve, our volunteers or our staff, has value, deserves respect and has inherent dignity.
Empowerment: Translators without Borders believes in using language to empower people around the world to control their own development and destiny.
Innovation: Translators without Borders recognizes and celebrates the power of innovation to address humanitarian and crisis issues around the world.
Sustainability: Translators without Borders recognizes that meeting our mission necessitates establishment and maintenance of a solid financial and organizational infrastructure.
Tolerance: Our staff and volunteers are highly knowledgeable and skilled; value each other, our partner and our recipients; create a supportive work environment; and, conduct themselves professionally at all times.
Translators without Borders is an equal-opportunity employer, committed to diversity and inclusion, and encourages qualified candidates of all genders and from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organization.
How to apply: