Programme Director, Kenya

Job Title:                     Programme Director, Kenya

Reports to:                  Country Director

Terms:                         24-month unaccompanied fixed Term contract.

Location:                     Nairobi, Kenya

Salary:                         GB7 – (€51,861 - €57,623)

*Note: For a successful Kenyan national candidate, the terms and conditions will be as per national staff terms and conditions.

Requirements:             Significant travel to Concern programme locations within Kenya

About Concern:           Established in 1968, Concern Worldwide is an international, humanitarian, non-governmental organisation dedicated to the elimination of extreme poverty and the reduction of human suffering, primarily in fragile countries.

Our Vision is a world where all people live in peace and prosperity and are treated equally, with dignity and respect. Informed by the priorities of affected communities, we go where the needs are greatest, and work to save lives, protect and develop livelihoods, support recovery and build long-term resilience

To advance our mission and ensure high‑quality, impactful work, we are guided by our core values and a culture committed to inclusion, compassion, and humanity. Inspired by our founders and our long history of effective programming, these values reflect both who we are and how we address extreme poverty in the world’s most fragile contexts.

We are dedicated to fostering a workplace where everyone feels valued and supported to succeed and contribute to our mission.

Role Purpose: The job holder will provide leadership in the development and management of all the programmes of Concern Worldwide in Kenya, aligned with and contribute in the achievement of Concern’s Country Strategic Plan (CSP).  As a member of the Country Management Team (CMT). He/she will contribute to the management of the Country Programme with specific responsibility for programme design, development, inception, implementation, funding, targeting, quality, efficiency, and impact.

Responsibilities:

Programme Development & Implementation:

• Ensuring programmes are designed and implemented in line with Concern Worldwide policies using a results-based management approach
• Identifying new programme interventions and opportunities in accordance with the Country Strategic Plan, based on thorough contextual analysis and using “How Concern Understand Extreme Poverty” guidelines
• Ensuring programmes meet Core Humanitarian Standards of accountability and quality
• Ensuring Concern retains its capacity to respond and prepares adequately to emergencies
• Frequently visiting programme areas and providing feedback to managers and staff
• Developing effective linkages with the Government, donors, strategic networks, and partners (including local and national actors, as well as private sector actors)
• Supporting Programme Managers to produce reports in line with donor, government, and Concern Requirements
• Guiding project team to develop workplans, budgets, and procurement plans.
• Regularly assess and identify risks to the programme and develop strategies to mitigate them.
• Ensure that programme updates are provided regularly to the Regional Desk Officer and that relevant head office staff are aware of progress, challenges and technical support needs. The PD is required to report on grant potential funding opportunities and ensure that that the CMT contribute to successful applications.
• Ensure that programme and grant management are prioritised through line management structures and that efficiency and effectiveness are tracked on a weekly, monthly and quarterly basis.
• Support Programme Managers and Coordinators in undertaking analyses that facilitate the integration of market-based interventions across the Kenya programme portfolio, including both existing and developing programmes.
• Ensure that appropriate assistance delivery modalities are scoped, assessed and considered, with particular emphasis on the integration of Cash and Voucher Assistance across sectors.

Security Management:  

• Monitoring and reporting on security issues to the Security Focal Person when necessary
• Ensuring programme staff awareness and adherence to Country Security Management Plan and identifying security training needs where appropriate
• Ensure that appropriate risk mitigation and security measures are adapted to the delivery modality, with specific consideration for assistance provided through CVA.

Budget Management

• Identifying potential sources of donor funding / funding opportunities & develop funding strategies.
• Monitoring under- and overspending in each budget and advising on appropriate solutions, considering specific considerations related to budget management when CVA is used as a delivery modality.
• Coaching, mentoring, and assisting budget holders to develop accurate budgets
• Ensuring budgets and revisions are prepared and submitted on time
• Ensuring full compliance with all donors and other fiduciary regulations.
• Reporting any suspected or actual financial irregularities to the Country Director

People Management

• Ensuring sufficient human resources for programmes to meet their objectives
• Ensuring staff are adequately trained and understand the objectives for their role
• Coaching, mentoring and assisting budget holders to develop accurate budgets

Partnerships Management

• Leading the development and maintenance of strong partnerships and collaboration with key stakeholders.
• Proactively lead and adapt the programme to make use of trends and opportunities, and find solutions to emerging challenges
• Lead the development of strong partnerships with private sector actors, including financial service providers (FSPs), ensuring that they are appropriately engaged, subject to due diligence, and assessed for their capacity and potential to support programme objectives.
• Lead the identification of strong partnerships with local and national actors to support the delivery of programme objectives, and support the technical lead in assessing the sectoral capacities of the identified LNAs, including their capacity to deliver assistance through CVA (whenever possible and feasible)
• Providing strategic direction and guidance to the partners at meso and macro levels.

Networking & Representation:

• Representing Concern at relevant technical inter-agency meetings, UN, Government, and coordination meetings when requested by the Country Director
• Ensure representation, through technical staff in relevant national and subnational coordination fora related to CVA or market-based approaches.

Monitoring & Evaluation:

• Ensuring Monitoring & Evaluation plans and mechanisms are developed and rolled out
• Ensuring Programme Managers coordinate the monitoring and evaluation of all programmes (including partner programmes) within the agreed plans, budgets, time frames, and donor guidelines
• Ensuring quality control and timeliness of all deliverables as required in an accountable manner to all stakeholders.
• Foster collaboration between programme teams and the MEAL Unit to promote evidence-based programming, learning, adaptive management, and the effective use of data for strategic decision-making.

Responding to Emergencies:

• Participating and contributing, towards Concern’s emergency response, as and when necessary
• Complying with Concern’s health, safety and security guidelines during emergencies
• Ensure that adequate preparedness measures are in place to maintain timely and sufficient response capacity in the event of emergencies.
• Ensure that all relevant departments are engaged and aware of the procedures, including those specific to CVA delivery, for responding to sudden-onset emergencies.

Accountability:

• Promote and ensure compliance with the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) commitments and quality criteria
• Ensure that all staff are familiar with the principles underpinning accountability, safeguarding and Concern’s Complaints and Response Mechanism (CRM) and ensure that information about Concern’s commitments on accountability and safeguarding are disseminated among programme participants and communities
• Ensure that the CRM is functional, effectively implemented and accessible in all programmes’ locations, enabling safe reporting of both programmatic and sensitive complaints, including safeguarding concerns, ensure that complaints are welcomed, managed and responded to in a timely, fair and appropriate manner; ensure that sensitive complaints, including safeguarding concerns, are handled with utmost confidentiality and that the safety of the complainants and those affected is prioritized at all stages

Specific responsibilities for managers:

• All managers are responsible for upholding and promoting Concern’s values, demonstrating leadership on workplace equality, diversity and inclusion, and role modelling a positive safeguarding ethos.
• All managers are required to actively participate in any emergency response as and when required.

Role Holder Requirements:

• Master’s degree or equivalent, preferably in social science, development management, business management, or a related discipline.

• 8-10 years relevant experience, with at least 3 years at senior management level within a development/ humanitarian organisation/NGO.
• In-depth technical/programme knowledge at international level.
• Excellent management capability (budgets, people, resources) required.
• Previous experience of developing and overseeing programmes focusing on one or more of the following areas: market systems development and market-based approaches; climate change adaptation; nature-based solutions (NbS); and health and nutrition systems strengthening.
• Ability to engage in high level representation.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills in English

• Strong coordination and conflict resolution skills.
• Good coaching, motivational, facilitation and capacity-building skills.
• Strong leadership skills and ability to manage change effectively.

Competencies:

For GB7 – 10 Roles:

As this is a key leadership position, potential candidates are expected to demonstrate significant ability in the following areas:

 

Focusing on the most marginalised people

Communicating and influencing

Managing risk

Leading change

Making decisions

Driving performance

Leading by example

Removing barriers to delivery

Motivating and developing

 

We encourage all eligible candidates, irrespective of gender, ethnicity or origin, disability, political beliefs, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or socio-economic status to apply to become a part of the organisation. Concern is against all forms of discrimination and unequal power relations and is committed to promoting equality.

If this role sounds right for you, please apply with your CV and cover letter. We will respond to every applicant. Please be aware we may offer positions before the closing date.

If you have any concerns about our recruitment process and need particular assistance - for example if you have a disability e.g. a hearing impairment - please let us know and we will do our best to respond to your needs.

Due to the urgency of this position, applications will be shortlisted on a regular basis, and we may offer posts before the closing date.

Important information:

Concern has an organisational Code of Conduct supported by three Associated Policies: The Programme Participant Protection Policy, the Child Safeguarding Policy, and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Policy accessible here. These have been designed to ensure the highest level of protection for everyone the organization engages through its work.  
The policies set out the behaviours and responsibilities that Concern staff, and all its representatives (including consultants, contractors, sub-contractors, suppliers, partners, visitors, ambassadors and Board members) are expected to uphold. They also articulate Concern’s commitment to safeguarding and protecting adults and children from harm in all aspects of our work. We will therefore do everything possible to ensure that only those who are suitable to work or volunteer with adults and children are recruited by us for such roles. Consequently, working or volunteering with Concern may be subject to a range of vetting checks, including criminal background checking.  

In this context, all staff and representatives of Concern have a responsibility to uphold the highest standards in their work, in accordance with Concern’s core values and mission. Any candidate offered a job with Concern Worldwide will be expected to sign the Concern Staff Code of Conduct and Associated Policies as an appendix to their contract of employment. By signing the Concern Code of Conduct, candidates acknowledge that they have understood the content of both the Concern Code of Conduct and the Associated Policies and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these policies.

Your Personal Data: 

During this job application, you will provide Concern with your personal data. Concern takes its responsibilities towards this personal data very seriously and is committed to complying with all relevant data protection legislation.

For additional information please consult our web site or contact the Human Resource Division in our Head Office.

You have certain rights under data protection legislation. For more information on how to exercise those rights please visit www.concern.net/about/privacy  

 

• Salary:€51,861 - €57,623
• Based in Country:Kenya
• Job Title:Programme Director
• Contract Type:Fixed Term Full Time
• Annual Allowance:e1,500
• Benefits:See T&C's attached
• Closing Date:25 June 2026