Consortium Program Manager (Ethiopia, Somaliland and South Sudan)

Who we are

SOS Children’s Villages in Ethiopia is an International Non-governmental organization and a member of SOS Children’s Villages International Federation. We started our humanitarian work in Ethiopia with the opening of our first Village in Mekelle, Northern part of Ethiopia in 1974. Since then, we have expanded our programs to different regions where there are significant needs for intervention and where we believe we can work in partnership with all relevant actors to bring sustainable positive outcomes for children’s and young people. 

 Today, we have grown significantly to meet the persistent challenges that confront Ethiopian children who have lost parental care and those that are at risk of losing their parental care. Working in close collaboration with international donors, local government and community-based organizations across eight program locations; we aspire that every child grows up with love, respect and security.

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 Our Commitment to Safeguarding  

 At SOS Children's Villages, safeguarding isn't just a policy, it's a foundational value embedded in everything we do. We are unwavering in our commitment to protecting the children, young people, adults, and communities we serve, as well as our workforce and resources.

We cultivate an environment of trust and accountability where every voice is heard and respected. All successful candidates will be expected to champion our holistic safeguarding principles, actively upholding our Child & Youth Safeguarding Policy, Code of Conduct, and regulations against sexual misconduct, fraud, and corruption.

 By joining our team, you commit to integrating these vital standards into your work, ensuring the highest levels of safety, ethics, and integrity in every action and partnership.

 Together, we create a world where everyone feels safe, respected, and protected

 Join Our Mission:

 We are looking for We are looking for Consortium Program Manager  who is responsible for providing strategic Program management, coordination and oversight support for the multi-country Joint Response Program implemented across Ethiopia, Somaliland and South Sudan, in collaboration with the respective country teams and consortium partners. in addition to consortium‑wide leadership, the Manager directly coordinates Ethiopia’s activities. This includes planning and supervising implementation, ensuring achievement of country‑specific targets, validating financial and donor compliance, and representing SOS CVE Ethiopia in national and sub‑national child protection platforms. The Manager oversees Ethiopia’s project staff, strengthens collaboration with government and community structures, and ensures safeguarding, accountability, and learning are fully integrated into all interventions.

 Key Responsibilities

 Our Ideal Candidate?

 Let's find out if we're a match. The next step in our process depends on how your background closely align with the below criteria’s. 

Strategic Program Leadership and Management

• Provide strategic Program management leadership and coordinate implementation of the Joint Response Program across Ethiopia, Somaliland and South Sudan under the overall direction of the Deputy National Director.
• Lead and facilitate consolidated Program planning, implementation strategies, annual workplans, implementation milestones, risk mitigation plans and operational frameworks across the consortium.
• Promote coherent and harmonized approaches among participating country teams and consortium partners while allowing appropriate adaptation to country-specific humanitarian and operational contexts.
• Monitor progress against approved Program objectives, results, indicators, targets, milestones and implementation plans and facilitate timely corrective action where performance is off track.
• Lead and facilitate regular Consortium Program review processes and ensure that agreed actions are documented, assigned and followed up.
• Promote adaptive management and evidence-based decision-making in response to changes in context, implementation performance, risks and emerging needs.
• Ensure integration of cross-cutting priorities, including safeguarding, protection, gender equality and social inclusion, disability inclusion, accountability to affected populations, conflict sensitivity, localization and environmental sustainability.
• Facilitate effective coordination between Program, technical, finance, MEAL, operations and other relevant functions to support integrated Program delivery.
• Support effective management of Program transitions, amendments, extensions, closures and other major Program milestones.

Consortium Coordination and Partnership Management

• Serve as the primary day-to-day Program coordination interface among SOS CVE, consortium partners, country teams, relevant SOS Children’s Villages entities and other Program stakeholders.
• Facilitate effective coordination among consortium members and promote mutual accountability, transparency, collaboration and collective ownership of Program results.
• Facilitate the functioning of consortium governance structures, including Steering Committees, Operational Support Committees, Technical Working Groups and other agreed coordination mechanisms.
• Facilitate joint planning, Program reviews, technical exchanges, problem-solving and consensus building among consortium members.
• Coordinate the development, harmonization and application of agreed Program tools, approaches, standards, procedures and reporting mechanisms.
• Monitor partner implementation against agreed roles, responsibilities, deliverables and timelines and facilitate resolution of performance issues.
• Support partnership arrangements, partner performance reviews, capacity strengthening and appropriate follow-up of agreed actions.
• Promote innovation, cross-country learning and effective collaboration among consortium members.
• Respect the contractual and organizational accountability of each partner and escalate significant performance, contractual or partnership issues through the appropriate governance mechanisms.

Country Program Coordination and Implementation Oversight

• Coordinate Program implementation with the respective country teams and consortium partners to ensure delivery of agreed activities, targets, milestones and results.
• Provide functional Program guidance and coordination while respecting established line-management, organizational and contractual arrangements.
• Consolidate and review Program plans, progress updates, performance data, financial information, risks and key implementation issues from the respective country teams and partners.
• Monitor overall Program performance against agreed targets, milestones, expenditure and Program quality requirements and facilitate corrective action where necessary.
• Facilitate regular Program review meetings with relevant country teams, consortium partners and technical/functional teams.
• Coordinate with Finance, MEAL, HR, Supply Chain, safeguarding and other relevant functions to facilitate appropriate technical, operational and compliance support.
• Facilitate timely resolution of implementation challenges and escalate matters exceeding delegated authority.
• Ensure country-level implementation remains aligned with the overall consortium strategy while allowing appropriate adaptation to local humanitarian and operational realities.
• Coordinate consolidation of Program information for consortium and donor reporting.
• Ethiopia-Specific Program Coordination and Representation
• • Coordinate implementation through the National Office and Programme Location structures, ensuring consistency with consortium‑wide strategies while adapting to local realities and national frameworks.
  • Promote harmonized program approaches, tools, and standards, validate financial reports, monitor administrative and personnel costs, and ensure compliance with donor audit requirements and budget guidelines.
  • Monitor personnel costs, admin, procurement, and external services to ensure they remain within donor guidelines
  • Oversee Ethiopia’s activity progress and achievement of national targets, ensuring results are reported against donor indicators and integrated into consortium‑wide monitoring, evaluation, and learning systems.

Donor Relationship Management, Communication and Reporting

• Serve as the primary day-to-day Program contact for the donor for the Joint Response Program.
• Maintain a professional, transparent and constructive relationship with the donor.
• Manage regular communication with the donor concerning Program progress, achievements, challenges, risks, contextual developments, opportunities and emerging issues.
• Coordinate responses to donor requests and enquiries by working with country teams, consortium partners, Finance, MEAL and other relevant functions.
• Coordinate preparation and timely submission of Program reports, financial information, forecasts, progress updates, risk updates, revised plans and other donor deliverables.
• Ensuring information communicated to the donor is accurate, consistent with approved Program plans and budgets, and aligned with consortium and organizational positions.
• Coordinate donor meetings, Program review meetings, field visits, monitoring missions and other donor engagements.
• Maintain an overview of donor commitments, reporting requirements, decisions, action points and agreed follow-up.
• Ensure donor feedback, requirements and decisions are communicated to relevant country teams and consortium partners and appropriately incorporated into Program management.
• Proactively communicate significant implementation delays, risks, contextual changes and proposed mitigation measures to the donor in consultation with the Deputy National Director and relevant governance structures.
• Coordinate development of Program adaptations, budget revisions, no-cost extensions, amendments and other changes requiring donor consideration or approval.
• Ensure appropriate internal approval is obtained before commitments are made to the donor on matters exceeding delegated authority.
• Maintain appropriate records of key donor communications, commitments, decisions and agreed actions.
• Represent the consortium in donor discussions within the authority delegated to the position.

Program Quality, MEAL, Accountability and Learning

• Provide strategic oversight and coordination of Program quality and MEAL processes across the consortium.
• Ensure harmonized monitoring approaches, indicators, reporting mechanisms and data requirements are appropriately applied.
• Monitor Program performance and facilitate timely identification and response to underperformance.
• Promote systematic use of Program data, evidence and learning for decision-making and adaptive programming.
• Facilitate joint monitoring, reviews, evaluations, assessments and learning processes where appropriate.
• Promote effective feedback and complaints mechanisms and accountability to affected populations.
• Facilitate cross-country learning, communities of practice, technical exchanges and documentation of good practices.
• Support development of case studies, learning briefs, evidence products and other knowledge products.
• Ensure lessons learned are translated into practical Program improvements.

Financial and Grant Oversight

• Provide Program-level oversight of financial performance in collaboration with Finance, country teams and consortium partners.
• Monitor expenditure against approved budgets, identify significant variances and facilitate timely corrective action.
• Review Program financial forecasts, budget utilization and resource requirements with responsible Finance colleagues.
• Support preparation and review of budget revisions, reallocations and financial projections in accordance with donor and organizational requirements.
• Promote value for money, appropriate resource utilization and financial accountability across the Program.
• Coordinate with Finance to ensure Program and financial information presented to management and donors is consistent and accurate.
• Monitor compliance with donor financial requirements and consortium financial arrangements.
• Support audit readiness and follow-up of audit or donor financial review findings.
• Ensure financial risks affecting Program implementation are identified, discussed and appropriately escalated.

 Risk Management, Compliance and Operational Coordination

• Maintain an overview of strategic, Program, operational, financial, safeguarding, security and contextual risks affecting the consortium Program.
• Facilitate regular identification, assessment, monitoring and mitigation of Program risks.
• Ensure significant risks are appropriately documented, escalated and followed up.
• Monitor compliance with consortium agreements, donor requirements, organizational policies and applicable national and humanitarian standards.
• Coordinate with relevant functions, country teams and partners to address compliance gaps and operational bottlenecks.
• Support contingency planning and adaptive Program management in response to changing humanitarian and operational conditions.
• Ensure significant safeguarding, protection, fraud, security or other critical incidents are promptly escalated through established mechanisms.
• Promote accountability, transparency, ethical conduct and responsible resource management throughout Program implementation.

Stakeholder Engagement, Representation and Advocacy

• Represent the Joint Response Program in relevant donor, government, humanitarian, protection and technical coordination forums within the delegated authority of the position.
• Maintain effective working relationships with relevant government institutions, UN agencies, NGOs, CSOs, donors and other humanitarian stakeholders.
• Facilitate engagement with relevant child protection and other technical coordination platforms.
• Promote constructive government-CSO collaboration and appropriate localization approaches.
• Support consortium visibility, credibility and strategic positioning while respecting donor and consortium communication requirements.
• Facilitate advocacy based on Program evidence, humanitarian priorities and identified needs.
• Ensure stakeholder commitments and emerging coordination issues are communicated to relevant country teams, partners and management.

People Management and Capacity Strengthening

• Provide direct line management to staff formally assigned to the position in the approved staffing structure.
• Provide functional Program coordination and guidance to relevant country teams without replacing their established line managers.
• Promote effective teamwork, collaboration, accountability and professional conduct across the consortium.
• Identify capacity-strengthening needs and facilitate appropriate technical support, coaching, mentoring and learning opportunities.
• Clarify Program roles, responsibilities, deliverables and coordination arrangements among relevant staff and consortium partners.
• Promote an inclusive, respectful and safeguarding-focused working environment.
• Support performance management of directly supervised staff in accordance with SOS CVE policies and procedures.

 Safeguarding, Protection and Ethical Leadership

• Promote a safe, respectful and inclusive Program environment for children, young people, affected populations, staff, partners and other stakeholders.
• Ensure safeguarding, protection and ethical considerations are integrated into Program planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting.
• Promote the best interests of children and young people and ensure Program interventions uphold relevant child protection principles.
• Ensure safeguarding requirements are appropriately reflected in Program implementation, partnerships, monitoring and capacity strengthening.
• Promote awareness and compliance with SOS Children’s Villages safeguarding policies, Code of Conduct, child protection standards and relevant donor requirements.
• Facilitate appropriate reporting and escalation of safeguarding concerns, allegations and incidents through established organizational mechanisms.
• Promote prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, fraud, corruption and other forms of misconduct.
• Ensure safeguarding and accountability risks are considered in Program risk management and decision-making.
• Perform other roles as assigned by immediate supervisor and management.