program quality and resources Development director

Background

World Vision is a Christian relief, development and advocacy organization working to improve the quality of life of people, especially children who are marginalized and living in poverty. World Vision helps all who are in need, regardless of their religion, race, ethnicity or gender. As a child-focused organization, WVI Vietnam's work focuses on children, ensuring they are protected and their basic needs are met. World Vision International in Vietnam (WVI Vietnam) has been funded by 13 support countries in Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Australia. Funding of WVI Vietnam consists of sponsorship program funding (70%) and Private Non-Sponsorship (PNS)/grants (30%). WVI Vietnam employs about 430 staff, of which 93% are Vietnamese nationals.

WVI Vietnam is operating in 4 zones: North 1 (Dien Bien, Ha Noi, Hai Phong), North 2 (Thanh Hoa, Hung Yen, Quang Ninh), Central (Quang Nam, Quang Tri, and Da Nang), and South (Quang Ngai, Ho Chi Minh, DakNong). WVI Vietnam's Area Program (AP) usually focuses on one administrative district of a province which populated by ethnic minority people with high rates of poverty. A uniqueness of WVI Vietnam's Development Program Approach (DPA) is that AP team members are based at the district level where the AP is located, which enables them to work closely with government partners and communities on a daily basis. Besides the APs, WVI Vietnam is also implementing different Special and Grant Projects to meet the specific needs of vulnerable children in both AP and non-AP areas.

Purpose of Position

The purpose of this position is to provide strategic leadership, management and coordination of WVI Vietnam in grants acquisition and compliance, as well as in implementing quality programmes, advocacy and emergency responses that deliver sustainable impact in the lives of the most vulnerable children, and measuring and communicating impact at scale.
This role will ensure the quality of program assessment, design, monitoring, evaluation, accountability, learning and impact in line with World Vision's program quality principles and standards, donor guidelines, and industry best practices to advance the delivery of high-quality programming to the poor and vulnerable communities in Vietnam.
This will be achieved through leading a high performing team to effectively capture, utilise and communicate evidence of impact across all programs, ensuring compliance with donor requirement...

Key Responsibilities

1. PROGRAM QUALITY (20%)

• Provide strategic leadership to WVI Vietnam technical programs to ensure that there is a due understanding of vulnerability issues within the Vietnam context, new strategies and programs to address identified needs and gaps among most vulnerable children.
• Ensure implementation of programming quality standards and associated Technical Programmes across WVI Vietnam.
• Ensure enhanced capacity of WVV staff in the Development Programme Approach (DPA) in line with the WV Programme Quality standards and that relevant Programme Management approaches, including DPA as well as systems and tools are applied across all WVI Vietnam programmes.
• Ensure adequate DME competencies and processes in place and continuous strengthening of WVI Vietnam Monitoring Systems.
• Coordinate and Support implementation and effective use of key global initiatives including Horizon 3.0, Our Impact, Our Story (OIOS) Strategy to enhance WVI Vietnam M&E systems.
• Ensure that LEAP 3 implementation plans are developed and implemented.
• Ensure a functional Strategy Support Team and effective use of Technical Service Organization (TSO)
• Coordinate development and scale up of innovative methods in Programme Effectiveness that contribute towards achieving Our Promise 2030.
• Establish and strengthen linkages Micro Finance Program and networks with the Region and other relevant WV communities of practice and experts, leading institutions, governments and other organizations.
• Ensure monitoring systems and processes are in place to systematically measure progress across all Area Programs and grants in line with WVI standards
• Ensure high quality data and reports that demonstrate evidence of impact.
• Partner with relevant institutions to produce research and quality reports to advance achievement of WVI Vietnam's strategy.

2. TECHNICAL SERVICES, ADVOCACY AND FAITH AND DEVELOPMENT (20%)

• Provide technical leadership to the staff, but also with Government Counterparts and other partners to ensure high quality, evidence‐based approaches and effective implementation.
• Plan aspects of program implementation related to technical coordination and ensure quality implementation, reporting, and learning.
• Ensure Technical Programs are meeting quality assurance standards including seeking cooperation for joint advocacy opportunities and providing inputs into national Technical Working Groups related to the sectors WVI Vietnam is implemented.
• Provide leadership in WVV advocacy efforts across all sectors, including planning and budgeting for advocacy and Advocacy Strategic Measures reporting.
• Enhance integration of relevant faith and development approaches into WVV's Technical Programs.
• Ensure quality of contextualization, influence and impact in the implementation of the Core Project Models in Viet Nam context.
• Strengthen the focus of Technical Programs on the most vulnerable children and Registered Children.
• Ensure technical advice, assistance with assessment, design and redesign, and sectoral interventions across WVV APs and grant projects, with a view to scale up while enhancing integration and replication.
• Enhance Child Participation across all project / program stages;
• Enhance knowledge Management practices including the use of Horizon system for program decisions
• Lead technical staff in documenting promising practices for sharing and replication

3. RESOURCE ACQUISITION (20%)

• Lead the development/update of the Grant Acquisition Business Planning in alignment with WVI Vietnam's strategy. Ensure it has clear measurable short, medium and long-term strategies and targets.
• Enhance WV's visibility and engagement with donors and other strategic stakeholders; ensuring appropriate representation of WVI Vietnam at strategic fora's that could lead to resource acquisition and enhanced programming collaboration.
• Lead the Grants Acquisition team during the end to end grant development processes.
• Lead and identify new funding opportunities and provide strategic direction for business planning to pursue non-traditional funding sources, identifying emerging or untapped donors.
• Lead the creation, cultivation and growing relations with donors and partners by developing and implementing a donor engagement plan
• Identify key relationships that WVI Vietnam needs to build/strengthen to pre-position and elevate WV's profile with bilateral, multilateral and private sector donors, local governments and partners.
• Participate in hosting high profile donors and partners with a view to deepening their understanding of WVI programmes.
• Build close collaboration with divisional teams, (People & Culture, Finance, Communications and Operations) to support the grant development process.
• Identify capacity gaps in grants acquisition and management and other factors leading to poor win rates and grants implementation and work with SLT to address them.
• Provide advice on decisions regarding key areas for future programs and projects to WVV.
• Enhance capacity of the Grants team to ensure quality designs and proposals are developed that meet the needs of the community and are aligned to the national strategy and the donor interests.

4. GRANTS COMPLIANCE AND MANAGEMENT (10%)

• Provide leadership to the Grants team in enhancing the capacity of WVV staff in management of grants through various training opportunities and coaching
• Provide guidance to Grant Project teams and Operations in addressing donor concerns in grant implementation
• Periodically facilitate and conduct grants monitoring visits to projects and coach staff in grants management as needed
• Act as focal person for strategic links with donors and Support Offices on non-sponsorship funding and contract issues.
• In collaboration with the Operations and Finance, ensure a successful end-to-end grants process, from 'start-up', to ensure a smooth transition from acquisition to implementation, to the 'close-out' to ensure donor satisfaction and opportunities to scale up, (donor requirements, communication with donor, reports, evaluation, financial audits, etc.)
• Actively support the development of evidence-based monitoring, evaluation, and documentation to support future grant development opportunities.
• Effectively manage and monitor the progress of the Grants/PNS
• Provide quality assurance of GRANT implementation and report reports which adhere to donor requirements.

5. HUMANITARIAN EMERGENCY AFFAIRS AND DISASTER RISK REDUCTION (10%)
• Strengthen Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) capacity for WV Vietnam
• Enhance the capacity of WVV in Disaster Management
• Build the capacity of WVV in cash programming for emergency responses
• Participate in Disaster Declaration Group meetings where needed
• Review situation reports and other emergency related plans and reports where needed
• Provide leadership in the acquisition of emergency response funding

6. STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP (10%)

• Provide advice to the National Director on strategic issues and policies;
• Further work towards a common vision and direction with focus on our Core values, and Mission in an environment of fairness, flexibility, and with an intention of motivation/counselling;
• Provide strategic leadership to WVI Vietnam to ensure and advance programme quality across all Area Programs and projects
• Advise WVI Vietnam's Technical and Operations teams in strengthening programme quality and evidence of impact.
• Provide spiritual leadership to the Program Quality and Resource Development (PQRD) staff
• Participate in corporate staff spiritual formation initiatives
• Nurture a cohesive, focused and effective team.
• Ensure all staff annual plans and individual performance indicators are achieved.
• Conduct staff performance reviews of direct reports and ensure individual learning plans are achieved.
• Develop annual business plan and ensuring that individual and team activities are within approved plan and budget.
• Actively promote staff care practices & policies within the PQRD team and with other Senior Leadership Team (SLT) Members.
• Contribute and support activities that enrich staff spiritual formation.

7. SECURITY and others (10%)

• Manage directly the safety and security within the team based on guidance from National Director (ND) and established WVV guidelines, through security assessment, planning and management.
• Update regularly the risk registers for the designated function/department to Software Riskonnect.
• Identify and mitigate the risks that could impact the achievement of goals of the designated function/department.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the manager to contribute to the team performance

Knowledge & Skill

1. Required Education, training, license, registration, and certification
• Master degree in any of the following fields: education, public health, community development, social works, strategic management, business administration or related field.

2. Preferred Knowledge and Qualifications

• Conceptual understanding of and commitment to development work, especially World Vision Organization's core values child-focused, community-based development concepts, approaches and processes.
• Good knowledge and understanding of key aspects of development work; including Child Protection, Livelihoods, Health and Nutrition, Education, economic development, Health and Nutrition, food security, cross-cutting themes (e.g. gender, environment, disability), and integration of advocacy and disaster management in development programming.
• Knowledge of donor requirements and funding sources such as: Australian DFAT, New Zealand MFAT, Japanese MOFA/JICA, Korea's KOICA, EU, USAID, ADB and other bilateral and multilateral donors.
• Ability to provide strategic leadership, advice and develop high quality proposal and project design. High level of negotiation and persuasion skills in seeking funding commitments and gaining design approval from donors.
• Demonstrated leadership skills including coaching/mentoring. Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to facilitate and empower self-directed autonomous teams.
• High level of diplomacy skills with a strong focus on meetings and relationship building with partner NGOs, local government, multilateral organizations, donors.
• Clear Christian values commitment and spiritual maturity, while understanding the context of working in a restricted environment.
• Proven capacity to design and facilitate learning events.
• Ability to think critically and reflect.

Experience

Required Professional Experience

• Minimum 8 years of experience in relief, development work as well as in development and management bi-lateral grants and other government grant compliance experience within World Vision in Asian context.
• Experience measuring impact using monitoring, evaluation and research skills; and building capacity of others in these skills
• Experience with government relations, and networking with international agencies.
• Experience in managing donor contacts and relations