Strategic Programme Manager

About the role 

Background:

Crown Agents has been appointed as the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s (FCDO) provider to deliver their programme entitled ‘Support to Civil Society’ in Ukraine.  The project is a flexible, adaptive and scalable tool to enable the FCDO to scale up its funding to Ukrainian civil society in order to ensure an enduring voice for the Ukrainian people and support the resilience of CSOs through what could be a protracted conflict.  The overarching objective is to improve the capacity, capabilities and resilience of Ukrainian CSOs.

The project will enhance the resilience and capacity of Ukrainian CSOs so that they can survive through to a post-war environment and later thrive to take part in the rebuilding of an independent and democratic Ukraine.

The project is based on working together with CSO through the following granting mechanisms:

1. Emergency grants for small value/short duration grants that meet critical support gaps essential for the operation of a CSO or commencement and continuity of life-saving activities.
2. Resilience grants to request capacity development, commodity, and psycho-social support for CSOs working on participatory governance, transparency, and accountability
3. Programme grants to support CSOs working with marginalised and excluded groups in the early recovery and reconstruction space with a strong focus on building relationships with local authorities.

Timelines:

The project will be delivered across three phases:

• Inception Phase: June 2022 – Sept 2022
• Implementation Phase: Sept 2022 – Dec 2023
• Exit Phase: Jan 2024 – Mar 2024

Consortium:

Crown Agents are the leading a consortium including;

• Peacebuilding and research experts International Alert who will leverage their expertise and previous work grant making to civil society in Ukraine to contribute to partnerships, capacity building, conflict and GESI analysis.

The role:  Under the direction of the Team Leader, the Strategic Programme Manager will:

• Work closely with the project team based in Ukraine to coordinate their work
• Ensure each project team member complete a workplan and updates it regularly
• Work with the team’s technical advisors and Team Leader to ensure the project is aligned with its strategic objectives
• Flag to the Team Leader any issues with delivery from the project team and/or foresee challenges that might impact the delivery of the project
• Identify gaps and needs of team members and propose solutions to the Team Leader to improve project delivery
• Support the Team Leader in coordination of donor meetings, events, and communication
• When necessary, take part in donor or partner meetings and liaise with national/local authorities
• When needed, contribute to project deliverables such as quarterly and annual reports, workplans, assessments etc…
• Any other duties as directed by the Team Leader 

About you 

Essential Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in, management, administration, or similar
• Minimum of 5 years professional experience
• Understanding of civil society landscape in Ukraine
• Experience working and coordinating teams, assigning roles and responsibilities
• Ability to think strategically about the project and propose ideas to the Team Leader
• Fluency in Ukrainian and English
• Excellent client relationship skills

Desirable Requirements:

• Prior experience working with CSOs, donors, and demanding projects
• Experience working with national partners
• Experience working on FCDO-funded programmes 

About us 

You’ll be working with Crown Agents which is a high impact social enterprise passionate about transforming the future for millions of people. Since our creation in 1833 we have worked across the globe to improve public services and drive economic growth. Our expertise is finding new solutions to difficult problems for clients in the areas of health, governance, economic growth, humanitarian action and supply chain services. We work with and train leaders at local, national and international level to achieve lasting change drawing on our insight and experience.

Crown Agents is committed to diversity and will promote diversity for all candidates at all times as well as a business culture that reflects that belief. Crown Agents will treat everyone equally irrespective of race, religion, colour, sex, age, national origin, disability or sexual orientation, and places an obligation upon all staff to respect and act in accordance with the policy. Crown Agents shall not discriminate unlawfully when deciding which candidates are selected for interview, or in any terms of employment, and will ensure that each candidate is assessed only in accordance with their merits, qualifications and abilities to perform the role. Crown Agents is committed to being an organisation enhanced by diversity and encourages applications from anyone who shares our values and commitment to improving the lives of communities affected by poverty or conflict. 

About what's on offer 

Crown Agents offer a competitive salary and benefits package.