Programme Manager - Afghanistan

INTERSOS is an independent humanitarian organization that assists the victims of natural disasters, armed conflicts and exclusion. Its activities are based on the principles of solidarity, justice, human dignity, equality of rights and opportunities, respect for diversity and coexistence, paying special attention to the most vulnerable people.

Terms of reference

Job Title: Programme Manager

Code: SR-28-9955

Duty station: Helmand, Herat and Nimroz (Roving)

Starting date: 01/09/2025

Contract duration: 31/01/2026

Reporting to: Field Coordinator (if not present report to Head of Programme)

Functional Supervisor: Head of Programme

Supervision of: Technical Manager - Medical

Type of Duty Station: Non-family duty station

General context of the project

Over the past few years, Afghanistan has witnessed a relative improvement in security and stability across much of the country. This has allowed humanitarian actors like INTERSOS to maintain uninterrupted access and expand services in areas that were previously hard to reach. Despite this progress, the humanitarian situation remains critical, with millions of Afghans continuing to face acute vulnerabilities due to prolonged economic hardship, natural disasters, and limited access to essential services.

In 2025, more than half of the population is in need of humanitarian assistance, with food insecurity, child malnutrition, and displacement remaining key concerns. Natural disasters, such as floods and recent earthquakes, have further compounded the needs of already struggling communities.

INTERSOS continues to operate through a community-based approach with field bases in Kabul, Kandahar, and Zabul, delivering primary healthcare, nutrition, and protection services with a focus on women, children, and persons with disabilities. The organization enjoys strong community acceptance and collaborates closely with relevant national authorities, including maintaining the full participation of female staff in all activities.

While the operational environment is largely stable and conducive, funding shortfalls and systemic barriers such as restrictions on financial flows and administrative bottlenecks continue to impact the scope and scale of humanitarian response. Sustained support is crucial to ensure the continuity of life-saving services and to address the urgent needs of Afghanistan’s most vulnerable populations.

General purpose of the position

In collaboration with the Head of Program, define and plan program objectives and priorities according to INTERSOS strategy, identifying humanitarian needs, analysing context and humanitarian issues at stake, risks and constraints and calculating human and financial needs.

Manage, in collaboration with the Field Coordinator, operations, strategic growth and strong external and internal representation to efficiently ensure the program goals and improve targeted population’s conditions and humanitarian situation. S/he is responsible for the overall development, management, planning, implementation, and monitoring of programs implemented under the area of responsibility.

The Programme Manager brings together the different projects’ components and ensures quality and timely reports to the donor.

The Programme Manager is budget holder and supervises/monitors closely the financial planning, liquidity planning and budget utilization/burn rate monitoring in compliance with INTERSOS Model and donor regulations.

Main responsibilities and tasks:

Programme development and quality:

• Deliver quality program activities reporting, including the findings in terms of impact/changes at the level of beneficiaries achieved through the projects, compliant and consistent reporting per INTERSOS and donor requirements, in close collaboration with the HQ Grants Unit
• Develop a clear understanding of INTERSOS program and country strategy among projects teams – ensure also timely input/feedback by team on strategic issues.
• Contribute with the Field Coordinator to strategic growth and program/project development.
• Ensure that program delivery matches INTERSOS and donor technical minimum standards and seek technical advice and MEAL guidance and tools.
• Ensure clear overview of actors and services in area of intervention, permitting development and implementation of partnerships and referral pathways.
• Working closely with Protection and Medical technical coordinators in order to ensure quality of service delivered and respect of Protection and Medical procedures and standards
• Comply and abide by INTERSOS policies

Programme management

• Ensures the planning, implementation and monitoring/evaluation and sets targets as included in the project description. Flag significant deviation from the program implementation plan and estimated expenditures; alert relevant staff.
• Supervise the implementation, monitoring, development and evaluation of the programs in collaboration with the project teams
• Prepare regular updates of program activities work-plan and related financial plan, ensuring timely and quality implementation in compliance with INTERSOS and donor guidelines and in line with the projects and sector-specific strategies
• In collaboration with the MEAL team develop tools to assess, analyse and evaluate the project’s impact
• Perform regular field visits to the project locations to ensure the quality of the intervention in compliance with the internal and donors' standard
• Work closely with partnership officer to oversee partnership implementation and regularly update on progress with project manager
• Guarantee close coordination and interaction with the other Program/Project Managers and technical coordinators to ensure harmonization of modalities of implementation, tools, approaches, etc.
• In collaboration with the Field Coordinator, analyse the area of responsibility humanitarian needs of the community and assessment
• In collaboration with the Technical Coordinators design and revise project proposals
• Invest in building relationships, both with the outside community and with the population that Intersos is targeting
• Provide constant update progress of the projects to the Field Coordinator and Head of Program/Program coordinator
• Represent INTERSOS in relevant working groups, and other fora (clusters, donors meetings) in the Intersos programmatic context as delegated by the Field Coordinator and Head of Program/Program coordinator. Ensure timely reporting of highlights to Head of Program, Technical Coordinators and Field Coordinator.
• In coordination with the Field Coordinator and Head of Program ensure regular update to donors representatives

Reporting

• Ensure the program’s institutional memory, keeping written records (and file them) on its development, in order to broadcast INTERSOS achievements and improve awareness
• Ensure regular internal reporting and elaborating, in coordination with Grants Unit, contractual reports according with donor rules and regulation.
• Ensure INTERSOS Project Appraisal Tool is accurate through data collection and timely submission.
• Monitor the project data collection with relevant technical referent, analysis and reporting on a timely basis to ensure correct use of the internal DB and monitoring tools.

People management

• In coordination with the HR department and relevant Managers, plan and organize the organizational charts, distribute tasks and workload among the teams, guiding their comprehension of the issues linked to the program and the mission through regular working meetings and feedback, in order to ensure an efficient deployment of the resources and the achievement of the expected goals
• Inform the field team on the instructions given by the coordination promoting fluent, smooth written and oral communication and information flow and ensuring confidentiality.
• In coordination with the HR department and relevant managers and technical coordinators, identify training needs, building the capacity, coordinate, supervise and motivate the staffs, supports ad hoc training sessions and on-the-job training, provide individual follow up and coaching, carry out end-of-mission evaluation of the team members and lead internal communication initiatives in order to facilitate people’s integration and professional development and to maximize their capabilities and commitment to INTERSOS values and project’s goals
• In coordination with the HR department is responsible for ensuring that the program staffs are trained and respect INTERSOS policies, rules and regulations

Finance and logistics

• Plan and monitor the financial expenditures ensuring the correct reporting and accounting of expenditures as per defined budget. In coordination with the Finance department supervise project financial indicators in order ensure efficiency and early detect deviations and their causes
• In coordination with the Head of Base plan and ensure overall supervision of the procurements for the program needs, monitoring the progress with relevant project manager

Required profile and experience

Education

• Advanced university degree in Social Sciences, Political Sciences, International Relations, Humanitarian and International Cooperation or related field.

Professional Experience

• Minimum 3 years of professional experience in the management of humanitarian project/program, including financial management and logistics responsibilities
• Minimum 1-year experience in the implementation of multi-sector humanitarian programming and in security context analysis

Professional Requirements

• Experience in complex emergency settings and insecure countries
• Administration, finance and budget management skills
• Essential computer literacy (word, excel and internet)
• Analytical thinking, analysis capacity and strategic program development skills
• Experience in establishing and maintaining collaborative relationships with donors and government counterparts, and with donors compliance and reporting

Languages

• Fluent English (written and spoken)

Personal Requirements

• Strong representation and negotiation skills
• Ability to ensure quick quality delivery in stressful environment
• Ability to adhere to deadlines and respect line management
• Strong interpersonal skills: communication, diplomatic skills and problem-solver
• Leadership, people management and development
• Organization and problem solving
• Commitment to INTERSOS principles

HOW TO APPLY:

Interested candidates are invited to apply following the link below:

https://www.intersos.org/field/#intersosorg-vacancies/vacancy-details/688850e6f5c1e802d1b15f38/

Please note that our application process is made of 3 quick steps: register (including your name, email, password and citizenship), sign-up and apply by attaching your CV in PDF format. Through the platform, candidates will be able to track their applications’ history with INTERSOS.

Please also mention the name, position and contact details of at least three references: two line managers and one HR referent. Family members are to be excluded.

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for the first interview.