Senior Program Officer

Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe (Jordan)

Mission Objective

Protestant Agency for Diakonie and Development (Evangelisches Werk fur Diakonie und Entwicklung- EWDE) Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe (DKH) - with Headquarter in Berlin - Germany, is the humanitarian aid organization of the protestant church in Germany. We provide assistance irrespective of religion, skin color and nationality to people who have become victims of natural disasters, war and displacement and who lack the resources to cope with the crisis situation on their own. We also provide support in response to forgotten disasters that receive little public attention. We empower our partners. Together, we invest in preparedness, response, and resilience. We take localization and partnership to the next level by committing and aiming for equitable and long-term partnerships, by shifting power to our partners and communities through transfer of decision-making and funding opportunities, and by amplifying the voices of local partners and communities.

DKH s Regional Hub Asia, based in Amman, Jordan, provides comprehensive program support to DKH Programs and local partners in the region. The Asia Hub has six units: [1]Middle East Program (MEP) Unit, [2] Yemen Unit, [3] Pakistan and Afghanistan, [4] Finance and Administration Unit, [5] Program Support Unit and [6] Bread for the World (BftW) Dialogue Office under the Asia Hub.

Complying with DKH s mission and in the face of the ongoing humanitarian crises in the Middle East (ME), the ME Crisis Strategy for 2024-2026 embodies a steadfast commitment to fostering dignity, resilience, sustainability, and equal partnerships. The Middle East Program currently implements programs in T rkiye, Syria, Lebanon, oPT, and Iraq. Programmatically, we focus on markets and livelihoods, protection, food security, DRR and climate change impact mitigation, and emergency response.

This Senior Program Officer is instrumental to the application of DKH s global strategy and the ME Crisis Strategy by maintaining accountability and compliance with DKH s policies and guidelines and donors (private and institutional). Particularly, the holder of this position is responsible for ensuring compliant and accountable high-quality program development, program implementation, reporting, and MEAL. The position is also contributing heavily to the progress and evolution of the portfolio of Palestine, specifically in West Bank.

The position will be based in the Middle East Program office, in Amman.

Duties And Responsibilities

• Purpose (Analyze)
  • Analyze existing projects using proper conceptual models and policy frameworks to enhance their compliance with the CHS principles, gender sensitivity approaches, donors regulations throughout project cycle management and MEAL.
  • Boost DKH and partner s visibility as humanitarian sector leaders in the ME and Germany, strengthening DKH s position with existing and potential donors in Palestine.
  • Promote and enhance our partnership/s in Palestine, showcasing the added value of DKH and its partners in the region.
• Engagement (Acquire)
  • Report, assist, and collaborate with the Country Program Coordinator of Palestine to ensure a healthy and growing portfolio implementing accountable and sustainable programming. Acquire the policies and procedures of institutional donors and apply them throughout the related PCM. Support on project kick-off, implementation, reporting, MEAL, and close out, and recommend capacity-building initiatives for the partners in Palestine based on capacity gaps identification.
  • Collaborate with the Program Officers and the Program Finance Officers in Amman and the Liaison Managers in Berlin on issues related to projects management and administration, donor relations and compliance. Moreover, the Senior Program Officer works closely with the Technical Advisors to facilitate properly coordinated project management.
  • Build and maintain collaborative networks with partners to enhance project quality, strategic engagement and compliance to meet donor and DKH requirements and to ensure maximum adherence to technical and MEAL best practices. Guide partners in developing high-quality proposals, reports, and MEAL activities and promote DKH's localization agenda and partners' achievements in Palestine, fostering long-term, strategic partnerships. Engage in Partnership Assessment and Due Diligence exercise.
  • Collaborate with the MEP and Asia Hub staff on region-related team activities, capacity-building initiatives, and other engagements. Engage in the regular meetings including writing the MoM of the ME meetings.
  • Engage actively in close coordination with the CPC with the institutional donors to ensure sustained mutual communication and accountability.
  • Assist the Communication & Visibility Department in collecting visibility materials (projects and programs achievements, human interest stories, and other portfolio-related news) ensuring proper informed consent.
  • Advise partners on quality and compliance across the PCM, ensuring alignment with DKH and third-party donor regulations and requirements. Guide partners in the development of high-quality narrative and financial reports, and manage reporting schedule.
  • Engage in sector meetings on behalf of DKH (UN clusters, Act Alliance) upon CPC s request, communicating DKHs positions, projects, activities and aspirations.
• Delivery (Understand THE PROJECT CYCLE)
  • PCM with partners: Assist the production of produce timely concept notes, proposals and needs assessments for DKH or back-donor funding. Facilitate cooperation agreement generation, processing and signatures upon approval and proper documentation filling. Conduct and report on MEAL activities to support proper implementation. Assess partner performance and report quality throughout the PCM of all projects in Palestine.
  • ME Program Strategy Application: Contribute to the development of annual country contextual analysis, plans, and other relevant documents. Identify relevant applications of the ME Program Strategy within the projects and programs implemented in Palestine.