Program Development & Quality Assurance (PDQA) Director at Action Against Hunger Tanzania

Program Development & Quality Assurance (PDQA) Director at Action Against Hunger August 2024

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, United Republic of
Description
Action
Against Hunger-USA is part of the Action Against Hunger International
network, which provides humanitarian relief in over 50 countries
worldwide in the sectors of nutrition, health, water/sanitation, food
security & Livelihood and protection. Action Against Hunger-USA, an
independent NGO, currently manages operations in 8 countries: Ethiopia,
Somalia, South Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia & Haiti.
Action Against Hunger-USA has over $110 million in programs, and
approximately 2500 staff based in the various country offices,
headquarters in Washington DC and Operational Centre in Nairobi.
Additional growth is anticipated.

About the Country Program in Tanzania
Action
Against Hunger has been operational in Tanzania since 2015 responding
to both chronic and acute needs through a multi-sectoral strategy where
Nutrition, Health, Food Security and Livelihoods, WASH and Protection,
Gender and psychosocial support are integrated to have a meaningful
impact on people’s resilience.

I. Summary of position
Action
Against Hunger in Tanzania seeks a dynamic and results-oriented Program
Development and Quality Director to lead the development of the Country
Strategy, spearhead program design, secure funding, and champion
Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) practices. Through collaborative
leadership and capacity building, S/he will ensure efficient program
design, strong partnerships, and adherence to global standards,
ultimately contributing to a lasting reduction in child hunger in
Tanzania.

This role will be responsible for driving collaboration
across various teams to ensure the strategy’s success. S/he will
develop annual plans, report on results, and oversee the delivery of
high-quality, evidence-based programs that align with Action Against
Hunger’s 2021-2025 International Strategic Plan (ISP). As a senior
leader, the Program Development and Quality Director will play a crucial
role in capacity building, coaching and mentorship. S/he will coach
technical heads of departments to maintain program quality in line with
global standards and key performance indicators.

Besides, s/he
will represent Action Against Hunger in meetings with government
officials, donors, partners, and other stakeholders. S/he will also play
a key part in securing funding and ensuring project design aligns with
the Country Strategy. Working in collaboration with the Business
Development Unit and the respective department heads, s/he will
spearhead the design of high-quality programs.

Purpose: The
Program Development and Quality Director spearheads the development of
impactful programs that address child hunger and undernutrition in
Tanzania. This role champions towards ending hunger and translates ACF’s
mission and vision into a strategic Country Plan aligned with
Tanzania’s specific needs.

Engagement: The Program
Development and Quality Director cultivates a collaborative environment
that fosters innovation and high performance. This involves building
capacity through mentorship and knowledge sharing, while forging
strategic partnerships with government agencies, donors, and other
stakeholders. A strong emphasis is placed on advocacy for child rights
and influencing policy to create sustainable, locally driven solutions.

Delivery:
In close collaboration with program leadership, the Director ensures
the effective and efficient delivery of high-quality programs through
meticulous design, robust monitoring, evaluation, and continuous
improvement processes. This includes securing sustainable funding,
implementing innovative approaches, and effectively communicating
program impact to stakeholders. The goal is to contribute to a lasting
reduction in child hunger and undernutrition through ACF’s
interventions.

1. Strategic Program Leadership and Alignment:

• Lead
  the development of the Tanzania Country Strategy Plan (CSP), ensuring
  alignment with Action Against Hunger’s ISP3 goals and global SDG
  objectives.
• Foster synergy and cross-functional collaboration
  between program departments (Nutrition & Health, FSL, WASH, MEARL,
  Advocacy, Gender & Protection) for Multi-sectoral program design to
  ensure effective communication and knowledge sharing to optimize
  resource utilization and drive program impact.
• Oversee the
  identification of needs and gaps in fighting hunger and undernutrition
  across Tanzania, informing strategic program direction.
• Develop innovative and evidence-based program concepts that address priority needs in Tanzania.
• Develop
  program strategies that integrate Nutrition, health, WASH, and FSL,
  gender protection, social protection components to improve nutrition
  outcomes.
• Secure leadership buy-in for the Country Strategy Plan
  and secure resources for program implementation and work with senior
  management to set clear program objectives and targets.
• Align program activities with regional nutrition priorities and international best practices.
• Lead
  the development of clear program Monitoring, Evaluation,
  Accountability, Research and Learning (MEARL) frameworks that contribute
  timely internal project evaluations and evidence generation for
  learning
• Identify and assess potential risks to program
  implementation and develop mitigation strategies to ensure program
  sustainability and resilience.
• Develop and implement a strategic
  framework that optimizes project portfolio alignment with
  organizational objectives, ensuring resource allocation and risk
  management are balanced.
• Develop and implement a comprehensive
  project management competency development framework to enhance skills
  across the organization and identify opportunities for program expansion
  and diversification to reach more communities in need.

2. Enhance program effectiveness and impact through robust quality assurance, monitoring, evaluation, research and learning.

• Establish
  a robust Earned Value Management (EVM) system to measure project
  performance, enabling proactive decision-making and continuous
  improvement through Model for Improvement, Lean Six Sigma, and Theory of
  Change etc. to drive program excellence.
• Standardize MEARL
  system assessment framework aligned with Action Against Hunger’s global
  strategy, incorporating quality improvement methodologies and project
  models
• Embed risk management and contingency planning into the
  project lifecycle, building organizational capacity to withstand and
  adapt to challenges.
• Lead the development/updating of the hunger
  and undernutrition Situation Analysis, including analysis of country
  context and considering hunger hotspots, IPC, SMART+ and gender issues,
  ensuring participation and buy-in from all relevant staff, partners and
  other stakeholders as necessary.
• Develop/update and drive
  forward the Country Strategy Plan (CSP) with senior management and the
  country office team, ensuring alignment with the global strategy with
  fight against hunger and undernutrition at the core of all programming
  and advocacy work; and support the delivery of the CSP strategic pivots.
• Provide
  leadership on monitoring of progress against the CSP, and completion of
  accurate, on-time Country Annual Report of outcomes and impact for
  children, aligned with the Global Results Framework.
• Facilitate
  the development and pursuit of thematic and cross-cutting strategic
  priorities in line with the CSP, including localization, disability,
  rolling out Nutrition centric- Humanitarian development Peace nexus,
  SBCC, gender and protection mainstreaming, social protection programing,
  refugee and IDPs needs programing to guide current and future ACF
  programming and advocacy work, including Humanitarian Strategies.
• Support
  ownership and commitment to the CSP by all staff and departments
  through clear communication, regular feedback on progress and engagement
  of all functions in updates.
• Lead the development of a
  comprehensive program quality assurance and accountability framework in
  collaboration with HEARO and HQ advisors and harmonize a system for
  capturing and addressing beneficiary feedback and complaints through
  implementing harmonized Accountability to Affected community (AAP) at
  country level.
• Promote the use of data-driven decision-making to
  improve program effectiveness as well as identify areas for improvement
  and best practices to scale up.
• Advocate for and invest in
  continuous learning and capacity building for program staff on quality
  improvement approaches/models and methodologies in line with the
  national guidelines.
• Spearhead quarterly project review meetings
  for the country program and conduct in house evaluation to document
  best practices. In close collaboration with heads of department,
  conduct regular field visits to assess program implementation and
  provide technical guidance in line with Action Against Hunger,
  government policies and donor guidelines.
• Design, pilot and
  implement digital data collection tools, including mobile devices for
  field staff, to streamline monitoring, evaluation, and reporting
  processes aligned with Project management tools (PMI) DHIS2, PIMS
  systems.
• Establish a centralized database for storing program
  data, integrate data visualization tools, conduct regular assessments,
  explore mobile applications for community engagement, and develop
  digital platforms for training and capacity-building activities. In
  close collaboration with MEARL team both at country and regional level,
  integrate digital tools into the reporting process to enhance data
  accuracy and efficiency.

3. Building and manage High-Performing Program Team:

• Provide strategic leadership and direction for the PDQ team and head of
  departments, setting clear goals, objectives, and performance
  expectations.
• Foster a culture of innovation and experimentation within the program team.
• Represent ACF at meetings with government officials, donors, and other key stakeholders’ networks.
• Lead
  the team for the development and execution of a strategic portfolio
  management office to optimize resource allocation and balance risk
  across projects.
• Establish standardized Work Breakdown
  Structures (WBS) templates and guidelines for teams’ efficient project
  planning and execution.
• Lead, mentor, and coach a team of
  technical HODs in Nutrition & Health, FSL, WASH, MEARL, Advocacy,
  Gender & Protection, and Knowledge Management & Capacity
  Building to develop clear sectoral plan and consolidate country AOP in
  line with regional and HQ annual operational plan (AOP)
• Recruit,
  retain, and develop a highly skilled and motivated program team with
  expertise in child rights and nutrition sensitive programming.Establish a
  culture of continuous learning and professional development within the
  program team and maintain robust quality assurance systems to ensure
  program adherence to standards and best practices to strengthen a
  culture of continuous improvement through data-driven decision-making
  and capacity building.Empower program staff to lead program design,
  implementation, and evaluation activities.
• Foster a collaborative and results-oriented work environment within the program department.
• Ensure adherence to Action Against Hunger’s child safeguarding policies and procedures within the program team.
• Conduct regular performance reviews and provide constructive feedback to program staff.
• Lead change management initiatives to ensure successful adoption of new project management tools, processes, and technologies.

4. Resource Mobilization and Sustainable Partnerships:

• Develop a comprehensive resource mobilization strategy and BD work plan to secure funding for the Country Strategy.
• Engage
  in donor/business intelligence and prepositioning with major donors,
  consortia and alliances. Ensure that the Country Office has up-to-date
  knowledge of donor strategies and frameworks, funding mechanisms
• Conduct regular program reviews, compliance and audits to identify areas for improvement to ensure data quality assurance.
• Lead the development of high-quality proposals aligned with donor priorities and child rights principles.
• Build and manage strong relationships with government entities, donors, and partners.
• Advocate for increased investment in child rights programming in Tanzania through strategic communication and engagement.
• Secure funding for innovative and sustainable program initiatives that address critical needs.
• Play a leading role in designing compelling and competitive concept notes and proposals, including:
• Alignment
  with our ACF-US strategy and ACF’s Theory of Change – innovating,
  building on and generating evidence, identifying strategic ways of
  partnering; supporting broader change in policy and practice
• Engaging
  with technical experts as needed to ensure high quality, evidence-based
  designs that draw on needs assessments, learning from past programs and
  ACF’s vision, principles and mission to save the lives of children and
  their families from hunger and undernutrition with multisectoral
  programing and child safeguarding principles.
• Ensuring partners
  are identified, facilitate partnership brokering, and are appropriately
  engaged in program design and proposal development as well as promote a
  system strengthening approach as the overarching framework, that
  supports working in collaboration and partnership with governments and
  local partners and working towards impact, scale and sustainability
• Ensuring
  proposal designs and their budgets include robust MEARL plans that are
  aligned with our Results Framework, incorporate Common Approaches as
  relevant, and build in critical learning questions.
• Ensuring the project budget will enable the project to be delivered as designed.
• Incorporating child and community participation into design, as relevant.
• Manage
  the country Business Development (BD) team and ensure technical HODs
  budget ownership from proposals development to approval of alignment
  with grant requirements and compliance.
• Collaborate with field teams and Business development teams to ensure timely reporting to secure continued funding.
• Identify funding opportunities and develop concept notes both solicited and unsolicited and proposals for program expansion.
• Ensure timely and accurate reporting to donors on program progress and impact.
• Engage with potential donors, government and partners to build sustainable funding relationships.

4. Knowledge Management, Capacity Building, and Learning:

• Implement
  knowledge management systems (e.g., MSC etc.) to capture, document, and
  share best practices, lessons learned, and program outcomes and utilize
  outcome harvesting and learning reviews to promote organizational
  learning and adaptation.
• Invest in staff development through
  targeted training on QI methodologies (e.g., Lean Six Sigma, Model for
  Improvement, Kaizen, Bottleneck analysis etc.) and data analysis using
  data science tools to foster a culture of continuous learning and
  improvement by empowering staff to identify and implement solutions.
  Promote knowledge sharing on CQI and best practices within the program
  team and across departments.
• Develop and implement training programs to enhance the capacity of program staff in child rights programming.
• Identify
  training needs for BD team, head of department, field program staff and
  collaborate with HR to create professional development opportunities.
• Share
  best practices and lessons learned on program quality with Action
  Against Hunger regional office and globally and foster a culture of
  learning, innovation and continuous improvement within the program
  department and adaptation to changing contexts.
• Capture,
  document, and disseminate lessons learned from program interventions
  both internally and externally through key platforms e.g. government
  meetings, donor forums, among others.
• Contribute to Action Against Hunger’s global knowledge base on child rights programming.
• Conduct research and analysis to inform future program strategies and interventions.

• 5.
  Leading Emergency Response and preparedness in collaboration with the
  government and partners: Develop and implement comprehensive emergency
  preparedness and response plans for disasters, public health
  emergencies, and nutrition crises.
• Lead rapid response teams to
  effectively manage and mitigate the impact of emergencies, ensuring
  timely and appropriate assistance to affected populations.
• Coordinate
  with relevant stakeholders, including government agencies, UN agencies,
  and other humanitarian organizations, to optimize emergency response
  efforts.
• Ensure the integration of sectoral interventions within
  emergency response plans of the cluster to address the specific needs
  of vulnerable populations.
• Advocate for increased investment in
  emergency preparedness and response capacity to enhance the
  organization’s ability to respond effectively to crises.
• Develop
  and implement anticipatory action for early warning systems to enable
  timely detection and response to potential emergencies.
• Ensure adequate staffing, equipment, and resources are in place to support effective emergency response operations.
• Conduct regular emergency response simulations and training exercises to build staff capacity and improve operational readiness.
• Monitor
  and evaluate the effectiveness of emergency response activities to
  identify areas for improvement and inform future planning.
• Develop
  strategies for post-emergency recovery and rehabilitation, focusing on
  building community resilience and long-term development.

6.
Lead strategic efforts to enhance program impact through advocacy,
gender mainstreaming, visibility, and sustainability by strengthening
policy influence and partnerships.

• Map
  key technical engagements and participate in discussions in high level
  working groups to represent the Tanzania country office, and the voice
  of community, in strategy design and policy development.
• Coordinate
  action research and analysis to identify key policy gaps and
  opportunities for advocacy related to fighting hunger and undernutrition
  in Tanzania.
• Develop clear policy asks and advocacy messages aligned with Action Against Hunger’s global and regional priorities.
• Advocate
  for integrating child-safeguarding principles throughout the Country
  Strategy Plan and collaborate with local partners to ensure culturally
  appropriate and sustainable program designs.
• Engage with
  government officials, policymakers, and parliamentarians to raise
  awareness of critical child rights issues, nutrition sensitive
  programming and advocate for policy reforms.
• Partner with other NGOs, SUN, clusters and local civil society organizations to strengthen collective advocacy efforts.
• Monitor policy developments and mobilize action in response to relevant legislation or policy proposals.
• Advocate
  for increased government investment in fighting against hunger and
  malnutrition including social protection programs and essential services
  for children in Tanzania.
• Secure sustainable funding to support
  Action Against Hunger’s long-term actions towards fighting against
  hunger and undernutrition programming in Tanzania
• Participate in regional policy dialogues and advocacy campaigns to promote nutrition-sensitive programming.

II. Supervisory Responsibilities
Human resources management and coaching of the technical and program teams