Program Manager (Bilingual FR/EN)

Founded in 1979, Action Against Hunger is a global humanitarian organization that takes decisive action against the causes and effects of hunger.

Our mission is to save the lives of severely malnourished children while helping communities become self-sufficient. Recognized as a world leader in the fight against malnutrition, Action Against Hunger has pursued its vision of a world without hunger for almost four decades, combating hunger in emergency situations of conflict, natural disaster, and chronic food insecurity. With more than 8,000 staff in nearly 50 countries, our programs in nutrition, food security, livelihoods, water, sanitation, and hygiene, reach more than 20 million people each year.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Action Against Hunger is looking for a Program Manager to manage a portfolio of development projects funded by Global Affairs Canada. These projects focus on improving the health and nutrition status of local populations, promoting gender equality, and empowering women and girls.

• Candidates for this position must be Canadian citizens and/or have the legal right to work in Canada.
• Full bilingualism (oral and written) in French and English is a requirement for this position.
• This position can be based in Toronto, Ottawa or Montreal

SPECIFIC ACCOUNTABILITIES

Under the direct supervision of the Associate Director, Institutional Partnerships of Action Against Hunger Canada and in close collaboration with the Action Against Hunger international network, the Program Manager will be responsible for:

Project Management and Coordination

• Ensure consistency and coherence in overall project planning and coordinate the preparation of annual work plans.
• Provide guidance to Action Against Hunger country offices for the preparation of Project Implementation Plans during the launch phase of a project.
• Support the establishment of monitoring frameworks for the projects and ensure that GAC modalities on Monitoring & Evaluation are understood and integrated into project implementation plans.
• Review all project narrative and financial reporting prior to submission for quality control purposes.
• Lead on the preparation and facilitation of international-level project governance committee meetings.
• Maintain regular contact with the Action Against Hunger network regarding project progress, local context and challenges faced.
• Conduct occasional field monitoring visits to assess project implementation progress and to identify key challenges and lessons learned.
• Ensure that a system of information management is maintained for the project and that all project documentation is organized and accessible for all project stakeholders.

Project Compliance and Administration

• Dialogue directly with GAC representatives on specific management of the contribution agreements and provide guidance to program teams on donor regulations.
• Monitor donor regulations and produce and/or update donor profile and process documents as required.
• Ensure the application and development of internal monitoring tools for grant management in collaboration with other Action Against Hunger Canada staff working on donor relations and compliance.
• Provide capacity building to Action Against Hunger field teams, other international headquarters and local partners on GAC compliance rules and expectations for development programming and support the establishment of internal management mechanisms and processes.

Representation and Communication

• Pro-actively develop and manage individual project relationships with GAC including maintaining a dialogue on project implementation approaches, progress and challenges.
• Coordinate responses to GAC on technical questions that arise during the life of the project.
• Participate in various discussions and events with GAC, other development stakeholders and the general public in Canada to provide information and exchange experiences with regards to the projects.
• Coordinate with Action Against Hunger network and communications department to produce communications strategies and materials specific to the projects.

General

• Attend planning sessions, team meetings and annual performance reviews as required.
• Pro-active exchange and collaboration with Action Against Hunger Canada team members and the International Network.
• Ensure an on-going process of personal professional development and learning.
• Other duties as assigned, including support for project and proposal development for related programming

Requirements

SPECIFIC CONDITIONS

Staff work a five-day, 37.5-hour work week. However, the different tasks involved may sometime require irregular working hours. This position requires periodic international travel to project sites.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Master’s degree in relevant discipline in a field related to social sciences, development or public health and/or equivalent experience gained.
• Minimum of 5 years working with an international organization in a project management or leadership position. Demonstrable project management skills, including budgetary management and oversight.
• Full oral and written bilingualism (French and English)

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Field level experience of working in emergency and/or development settings and a solid understanding of humanitarian principles and current global sectorial issues.
• Direct experience in the management of institutional donor funding agreements and the application of compliance rules
• Experience in managing projects funded by Global Affairs Canada, and understanding of this donor’s rules and expectations for development programming.
• Experience in developing and maintaining relationships with institutional donor agency representatives.
• Experience in representation of international organizations within multi-stakeholder coordination mechanisms.
• Demonstrated understanding of the creation of an enabling environment for gender equality and PSEA prevention in the workplace and in programming.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills including demonstration of cultural awareness, diplomacy and tact.
• Training and facilitation skills.
• Ability to work independently and under tight deadlines, and to multi-task.
• Patience, positive attitude and strong interpersonal and coordination skills.
• Strong organiZational and planning skills.
• Excellent knowledge of MS Office Applications.

DESIRABLE

• Previous experience in a similar position.
• Knowledge and/or direct experience in health and nutrition-related programming.
• Previous working experience in West Africa.
• Experience in the development of communication tools and materials relating to international development programming.
• Spanish language skills

Action Against Hunger Canada is committed to promoting the well being of people around the world and focuses its efforts on saving the lives through the elimination of hunger. Action Against Hunger Canada has a zero-tolerance policy for any behavior violating our code of conduct, including workplace violence, harassment and sexual harassment, any form of exploitation and abuse, corruption, fraud and any behavior lacking integrity. Action Against Hunger actively recruits new team members who demonstrate a commitment to our organizational values and principals.

We actively welcome applications from: women, Aboriginal persons, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities, persons of minority sexual orientation or gender identity, visible minorities and others who may contribute to our organizational diversity and who share our values. If you are invited to continue the selection process, please notify us as soon as possible of any particular adaptive measures you might require.

All employment offers with Action Against Hunger Canada are conditional upon the receipt of satisfactory references and the signing our code of conduct and Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Policy. Certain positions may be subject to appropriate screening checks.

Benefits

We offer a generous benefits package

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