About the Context  

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has been operating in Mali since 2013 with the coordination office in Bamako, one area office in Mopti and three field offices: Gao, Menaka and Tombouctou. In these areas of operation, NRC provides interventions in Core Competences in: Education; Protection from Violence; Information, Counselling and Legal Assistance (ICLA); Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) and Shelter.  

NRC Mali also has an Emergency Response mechanism that allows to rapidly address the multi-sectoral needs of people newly affected by displacement.  

Additionally, NRC’s operations in Mali are guided by a strategic framework; the current cycle covering 2022 to 2026 and is reviewed annually. The next cycle of country strategy will be concluded in 2026 for future years.  

One of NRC’s strategic objectives in Mali is to increase our localisation footprint through mutually reinforcing partnerships and approaches are being devised in this sense to have a significant fraction of our core competences delivered in partnership with local and national NGOs.  

Find out more about NRC https://www.nrc.no/  and Watch this short video to see NRC in action https://vimeo.com/736782633   

What we are looking for   

NRC Mali is seeking a Programme Development Manager to lead the development and implementation of the Country Office's Core Competency (CC) in Information, Counselling and Legal Assistance (ICLA) in line with NRC's identified priorities and the 2022-2026 Protection Strategy. 

As part of the development of ICLA strategy, the PDM will be responsible for the follow-up on the localisation approach of the Core Competence, ensuring strategic partnership with national NGOs, reinforcement of capacity and transfer of competences as well as implementation responsibilities.  

What you will do   

• Lead on CC Strategic Development and review the CC strategy adapting priorities, CC structure and approaches to the changing context and to identified challenges and gaps, in collaboration with other core competencies, support departments and senior management. 

• Lead on assessment design and analysis for ICLA. 

• Assess and analyse context, identify and monitor risks, constraints, opportunities, technical issues and priorities of the ICLA core competency for timely action by management. 

• Lead on the development of ICLA concept note, donor reports, proposal and budget developments. 

• Oversee the implementation of ICLA activities in the Country office, including the coordination of the project team, the follow-up on the project workplan, budget and progress towards targets. 

• Support and contribute to multi-sector donor reports (narrative and financial), proposal and budget development. 

• Support the ICLA-specific Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning activities in line with global policies and Country Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). 

• Train and capacity build ICLA staff on technical procedures applied in the Programme Cycle Management (PCM) and other ICLA-specific subjects (e.g. Housing, Land and Property rights, including Collaborative Dispute Resolution and Legal identity). 

• Support the recruitment of ICLA staff and development of their work plans and responsibilities. 

• Follow-up on the localization strategy and lead the process of working with local and national partners in the implementation of ICLA activities: execute a capacity building plan for local and national partners and ensure regular coordination, complementarity and the gradual transfer of responsibilities throughout all the phases of the project cycle. 

• Enable and guide the mainstreaming of gender, protection and environment into the ICLA strategy and programmatic interventions. 

• With the support of the Head of Programme, liaise with relevant donors and representatives. 

• Contribute to the strengthening of the position of NRC in Mali by participating in regional cluster/sectoral coordination structures and liaising with relevant authorities, UN agencies, donors, other NGOs and partners, and protection sector actors, in coordination with the ICLA Coordinators in Bamako, Gao and Tomboctou.  

Please download the detailed job description to learn more about the position JD_ICLA PDM Mali Mopti.pdf 

What you will bring   

Professional Competencies  

• Minimum 4 years of experience within human rights / legal assistance / displacement area of expertise in a humanitarian/recovery context 

• Strong understanding of relevant human rights frameworks, including refugee rights, IDP rights and humanitarian law 

• Solid knowledge of and experience applying protection principles within humanitarian responses 

• Experience from working in complex and volatile contexts 

• Documented results related to the position’s responsibilities 

• Knowledge about own leadership skills/profile  

• Professional fluency in French; advanced level in English is preferred  

Context/specific skills, knowledge and experience: 

• Advanced academic qualification in a relevant field (law, social sciences or related disciplines). 

• Knowledge of the context in Mali and the Central Sahel 

• Solid experience in managing and implementing protection / legal responses in both volatile and recovery contexts 

• High level of experience in programme management associated to legal assistance, land rights, and civil documentation 

• Strong capacity in leading proposal development 

• Documented experience working with donors and conversant with their technical frameworks, strategic priorities and reporting  

• Advanced understanding and experience on M&E processes and analysis with ability to devise and adapt tools to context 

• Experience from leading multi sector assessments and analysis 

• Ability to work closely together with other field staff and across sectors 

• High level of communication, representation, flexibility, and negotiation skills  

2. Behavioural competencies  

• Working with people 

• Handling insecure environments 

• Strategic thinking 

• Empowering and building trust 

• Initiate action and change 

• Analyzing 

What we offer   

• Duty station: Mopti, Mali  

• Contract: 12 months   

• Salary/benefits: grade 9 on NRC’s salary scale   

• NRC is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to diversity without distinction to age, gender, religion, ethnicity, nationality, and physical ability.   

• We think outside the box, encourage ideas, and give responsibility to all employees at all levels. You will have many opportunities to be heard and take the initiative.   

• Find out more about the benefits of working for NRC https://www.nrc.no/career/what-we-offer/      

Kindly send any questions about the application process to: cwa.recruitment@nrc.no. Applications sent via email will not be accepted. Please check your application status on your NRC application profile.