Program Manager, ECHO

JOB VACANCY

Position: Program Manager, ECHO

Location: Juba

Reports to: Deputy Country Director, Programs

Duration: July-September 2026 with possible extension

Direct Reports : N/A

Vacancy Number : RI-SSD-HR-2026.06-JB005

About RI: Relief International is a leading nonprofit organization working in 20 countries to relieve poverty, ensure well-being and advance dignity. We specialize in fragile settings, responding to natural disasters, humanitarian crises and chronic poverty. Relief International combines humanitarian and development approaches to provide immediate services while laying the groundwork for long-term impact. Our signature approach, which we call the RI Way, emphasizes local participation, an integration of services, strategic partnerships, and a focus on civic skills. In this way, we empower communities to find, design and implement the solutions that work best for them.

Position Summary:

Reporting to the Deputy Country Director, Programs, the Program Manager (PM) will provide day to day overall technical and management leadership to the RI’s Health, Nutrition, Protection, and WASH program in Nasir & Longechuk. This involves the management of all the aspects of the projects, which includes but is not limited to the program cycle management, program human resources management, budget management, program monitoring, reporting, representation and networking. The position will require a representational role with incumbent having strong writing and reporting skills, community engagement and project management. The PM will actively participate in the program design and development, and key internal and external coordination meetings as required by the program department. The role will work in close collaboration with the Health and Nutrition Advisor, Grants Manager, and the support departments.

Key Responsibilities and Duties:

Program Management

Provide overall management, leadership, and implementation oversight for ECHO-funded projects implemented in Longechuk and Nasir Counties, Upper Nile State, South Sudan.

Under the supervision of the Deputy Country Director, Programs, provide technical, programmatic, and operational support to ensure timely and quality implementation of all ECHO-funded interventions.

Ensure all project activities are implemented in accordance with approved ECHO proposals, budgets, Detailed Implementation Plans (DIPs), procurement plans, and donor regulations.

Lead project planning, implementation, monitoring, and adaptation processes to ensure achievement of project objectives, outcomes, and impact for crisis-affected populations.

Monitor project expenditures against approved budgets and spending plans, proactively identifying risks related to under- or over-spending and recommending corrective actions.

Conduct field monitoring visits to Longechuk and Nasir project locations to assess implementation progress, identify bottlenecks, and support timely decision-making, security pending.

Ensure project implementation remains on track through regular review of indicators, targets, work plans, and spending forecasts, developing corrective action plans where required.

Coordinate closely with Operations, Logistics, Procurement, Finance, HR, and Security teams to facilitate efficient project delivery and compliance.

Raise and track procurement requests in line with approved procurement plans and implementation schedules, ensuring timely acquisition of program supplies and services.

Ensure compliance with ECHO visibility, communication, reporting, and documentation requirements throughout the project lifecycle.

Actively participate in project kick-off meetings, budget versus actual (BVA) reviews, grant review meetings, and project close-out processes.

Lead the preparation and timely submission of high-quality donor reports, situation updates, internal reports, and other project documentation in coordination with technical leads and MEAL teams.

Support emergency preparedness, contingency planning, rapid assessments, and emergency response activities as required.

Program Quality Assurance

Ensure all project interventions are implemented in accordance with humanitarian principles, ECHO guidelines, Sphere Standards, Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS), and organizational policies.

Work closely with the MEAL team to establish robust monitoring systems and ensure timely collection, analysis, utilization, and reporting of project data.

Conduct regular program quality reviews and field monitoring visits to verify progress, quality standards, accountability mechanisms, and beneficiary satisfaction.

Ensure accountability to affected populations (AAP), community feedback mechanisms, and safeguarding measures are effectively implemented and monitored.

Promote evidence-based programming through analysis of monitoring data, lessons learned, and beneficiary feedback.

Support identification, assessment, and response to disease outbreaks, population movements, climatic shocks, and other humanitarian emergencies affecting project areas.

Ensure project documentation, beneficiary records, assessments, and reports are maintained according to donor and organizational standards.

Facilitate learning, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement among project teams.

People Management

Support workforce planning, recruitment, onboarding, and capacity development of project teams.

Foster a positive, inclusive, and accountable team culture that promotes collaboration, respect, innovation, and high performance.

Develop staff capacity through mentoring, training, coaching, and on-the-job learning opportunities.

Ensure clear communication of roles, responsibilities, performance expectations, and project priorities.

Conduct regular performance reviews and provide constructive feedback to support professional growth and accountability.

Promote staff safety, well-being, and adherence to organizational policies and security protocols.

Coordination, Representation, and Program Development

Represent the organization in humanitarian coordination forums, cluster meetings, technical working groups, and local coordination platforms in Upper Nile State.

Maintain effective working relationships with ECHO representatives, local authorities, UN agencies, NGOs, community leaders, and other stakeholders.

Support humanitarian access negotiations and stakeholder engagement to facilitate safe and principled program implementation.

Contribute to needs assessments, situation analyses, program design, proposal development, and donor engagement initiatives.

Identify opportunities for program expansion, integration, and resource mobilization in line with organizational strategy and humanitarian needs.

Promote visibility of project achievements and lessons learned through quality reporting, presentations, and coordination mechanisms.

Qualifications and Experience

Bachelor or Master's Degree in Public Health, International Development, Humanitarian Assistance, Project Management, Social Sciences, or a related field.

Minimum of 5–7 years of progressively responsible experience managing humanitarian and emergency response programs in complex and insecure environments.

Demonstrated experience managing ECHO-funded projects and ensuring compliance with ECHO regulations, reporting requirements, and contractual obligations.

Strong experience in integrated humanitarian programming, including Health, Nutrition, WASH, and Emergency Response.

Proven skills in project cycle management, budget management, donor compliance, monitoring and evaluation, and report writing.

Excellent analytical, planning, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.

Demonstrated ability to work effectively with government authorities, donors, humanitarian partners, and local communities.

Sound knowledge of Sphere Standards, CHS, humanitarian principles, protection mainstreaming, s