Since 2020, COOPI Cooperazione Internazionale has established the East Africa Regional office based in Nairobi with the purpose to monitor and support 5 country missions within the region: Kenya, Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan and Malawi. The East Africa regional office is part of the wider decentralization process that took place in COOPI since few years. This decentralization process is aimed to ensure the closer HQ presence and to build stronger relationships with potential partners and donors.

Summary

The Regional Program Manager has responsibility at regional level, under the supervision and in cooperation with the Regional Coordinator, for the monitoring of active programmes in the countries of the Region. The Regional Program Manager is also responsible for regional positioning and monitoring of institutional and private donors, including the planning and implementation of new projects and partnerships, as well as the search for new opportunities and funds.

Main responsibilities

• Responsible for the monitoring of programmes active in the East Africa region and related to the mentioned countries (Sudan, Somalia Ethiopia)
• In collaboration with the Heads of Mission (Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia) the role ensures the correct implementation of the programmes and the validation of the reports according to the timing foreseen by the internal regulations and the donors
• Supports national coordination offices in adopting the P-MEAL COOPI system, ensuring its implementation and functionality within the country. Actively utilizes the COOPI online tool for internal project monitoring to monitor project progress with country programme teams
• Participates actively in the monitoring of new project proposals, in cooperation with programme roles at national coordination level and at headquarters
• Provides technical support to Project Coordination and Country Coordination, identifying strategic and operational needs and proposing solutions to identified needs to ensure their implementation
• Contributes to research and writing of proposals for private funding (foundations or others) for the co-financing of projects
• Develops regional partnerships aimed at improving the quality of COOPI’s work in the region and presenting proposals to funders
• Searches for analytical documents, data and studies carried out in the region, by national and international agencies and other NGOs, in order to update the list of current events on a regular basis
• Identifies needs, using the information collected, in cooperation with the national coordinators, not already met by humanitarian interventions in order to present new actions
• Facilitates the exchange of necessary documents and support projects between the different COOPI country offices and headquarters
• Participates in regional coordination platforms relevant to the organization

Requirements

Essentials

• University degree (postgraduate degree required)
• A minimum of 5 years’ working experience in writing, implementing and coordinating humanitarian projects with international NGOs
• Demonstrable experience in coordinating teams in the humanitarian and development sector
• Experience with donors (ECHO, UNICEF, FAO, OCHA, WFP, AICS, European Union, UNHCR, UNDP etc.)
• Strong familiarity with the humanitarian cluster system
• In-depth knowledge of humanitarian standards (ex. Sphere standard)
• Excellent report writing skills
• Proficiency in English language
• Advanced IT skills
• Strong managerial and organizational skills
• Proactive attitude in planning and coordination with multiple actors, institutions, donors and coordination tables
• Goal-oriented and problem-solving attitude
• Good leadership skills aimed at managing and motivating multidisciplinary and multi-ethnic work teams
• Positive attitude in managing complex situations under stress
• Diplomatic skills

Plus

• Previous experience in COOPI
• Knowledge of Italian
• Previous experience in the region is an asset