Programme Manager

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Description

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Under the supervision of the Fund Director, the Programme Manager (Emergency Response) will contribute to the implementation of the LIFT strategy through the management of the programmes and projects assigned to them. The primary purpose of the position will be to lead and deliver the LIFT Emergency Response Portfolio. The post holder will also be expected to lead and coordinate with other LIFT’s teams, such as the Technical Team, MEAL, Knowledge Management and Communications.

The Programme Manager (Emergency Response) will lead a team to monitor and manage LIFT partners under the Emergency Response. This team is responsible for: a) designing new programmes; b) identifying appropriate projects; c) monitoring and learning from the implementation of these projects; d) feeding lessons into programme design.

 Functional Responsibilities :

• Emergency Preparedness and Response Leadership
• Lead the design and delivery of LIFT’s emergency response programming in Myanmar, ensuring coherence with LIFT’s 2024–2028 Programme Operational Approach (POA) and its localisation, inclusion, and resilience-building goals.
• Oversee field-based rapid needs assessments during emergencies, coordinating closely with implementing partners, UN agencies, and relevant authorities to ensure evidence-driven prioritization
• Design and deploy fit-for-context emergency response packages (e.g. cash, in-kind support, early recovery inputs) with sensitivity to conflict dynamics, displacement trends, and gendered impacts
• Lead the development of emergency response strategies and standard operating procedures, ensuring timely activation and alignment with global humanitarian standards and UNOPS operational policies
• Serve as the focal point for conceptualizing, launching, and managing emergency-focused calls for proposals, including surge cost extensions or recovery bridging mechanisms
• Field Coordination, Risk Management, and Delivery Oversight
• Coordinate emergency deployments and operational support for implementing partners, ensuring agility and accountability in high-pressure or rapidly evolving contexts
• Anticipate risks to partner delivery in volatile environments and recommend mitigation or reprogramming measures to LIFT senior management and the Fund Board
• Ensure integration of Do-No-Harm principles, gender-responsive approaches, and community engagement across all emergency interventions
• Lead technical review and negotiation of emergency project proposals and budgets, ensuring strategic alignment, value for money, and context appropriateness
• Ensure full compliance with UNOPS policies and emergency delivery protocols, including safety/security, environmental safeguards, and fiduciary controls

Monitoring, Learning, and Adaptive Management :

• Ensure real-time monitoring systems are in place for emergency response activities, and that MEAL plans are designed to enable timely course correction
• In collaboration with the MEAL team, lead post-response evaluations and after-action reviews, distilling learning and best practices for institutional use
• Capture and communicate field-level insights through internal reports, case studies, or external knowledge products, contributing to LIFT’s thought leadership in emergency preparedness and response
• Develop and maintain a knowledge management system for emergency lessons learned, response models, and contextual risk updates

Capacity Strengthening and Institutional Resilience :

• Provide technical coaching to partners and LIFT staff on emergency preparedness, delivery standards, humanitarian coordination, and community engagement
• Lead targeted training and simulations to strengthen readiness of partner staff for future emergency activations, especially in high-risk zones
• Strengthen the internal architecture for LIFT’s emergency response, including surge staffing protocols, pre-vetted implementing partners, and emergency budgeting templates
• Promote local actor leadership and inclusive partnerships in all emergency programming, in line with LIFT’s commitment to localisation and GEDSI principles

External Representation and Strategic Engagement :

• Represent LIFT in emergency-related coordination platforms, sector working groups (e.g. Shelter/NFI, Food Security, Early Recovery), and inter-agency forums
• Foster strategic linkages with humanitarian and development actors to ensure complementarity, avoid duplication, and leverage synergies across response efforts
• Support the LIFT Fund Board with updates, strategic briefs, and technical inputs on emergency response contexts and investment options
• Engage with national and sub-national authorities to ensure alignment with government-led coordination and disaster management structures

 Education/Experience/Language requirements :

Education :

• An advanced university degree (e.g. Masters) in Agriculture, Rural Development, Natural Resource Management, Political or Social Sciences, or other related fields from an accredited academic institution is required.
• A first-level university degree (e.g. Bachelor’s) in the above fields with an additional two years of relevant professional experience may be accepted in lieu of a Master’s degree.

Work Experience  :

• A minimum of 5 years of progressive experience in the Myanmar context in emergency response, humanitarian work or programme management is required.
• Experience with strategic planning, results-based management and reporting, formulation and monitoring of projects/programmes, in complex contexts is required. 
• Experience in conducting crisis assessments and partner coordination is required.
• Vast knowledge of the local context (Geopolitical, Social, economic) is required. 
• Experience with LIFT thematic areas (nutrition, food security, etc.) is highly desirable.
• Experience in international organizations and/or international contexts is an advantage.
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (e.g. MS Office newer versions) is required. Experience with Google Suite is highly preferred.

Language :

• Fluency in both written and spoken English and Burmese is required.

Source : https://jobs.unops.org/Pages/ViewVacancy/VADetails.aspx?id=30303#1

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