Background

Hivos is a human rights and social justice organisation driven by humanist values. We were founded in 1968, at the height of the global wave of social and political mobilisations in the 1960s that laid the foundation for new progressive civil society movements worldwide.

Hivos strengthens and resources organisations and movements with the potential to improve a broad range of human, civil, and political rights. In particular, if they are directly at risk of being targeted or have the potential to spark popular mobilisation for a transformative progressive agenda. We work in partnerships with others in the Americas, Africa, Europe, and Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA).

Vision

We envision a just world in which everyone, regardless of their identity, background or circumstances, lives in dignity and freedom and can build a fair and sustainable future for themselves, their communities, and the wider society.

Mission

Our mission is to defend and expand the civil and political rights that enable individuals, marginalised communities, their movements, and their organisations to claim and realise equality and justice.

Our DNA

Hivos has guts and dares to tackle sensitive issues. The way we question existing power structures and their effects on society is different and innovative. We are not afraid to confront the powers that be in the quest for new solutions. And we critically review how we achieve the mission and goals we have set.

Purpose of role

The Portfolio Manager EU/SWANA is a newly created strategic, cross-cutting role responsible for overseeing the coherence, design, and performance of an assigned project portfolio in line with Hivos’ strategy. The role leads and strengthens program and project design, contributes to idea generation and proposal development, steers portfolio-level planning and reporting, leads project managers, and drives quality, compliance, accountability and continuous improvement across assigned countries and initiatives.

Primary responsibilities

The job holder will have the following key responsibilities:

Ensure strategic coherence and alignment across the project portfolio.
Project design ensuring thematically solid propositions in line with Hivos’ strategy
Generate interesting ideas for proposal development in line with Hivos’s strategy.
Provide strategic advice for developing new programs and projects.
Analyse and provide strategic recommendations on the political, social, and economic context of countries in the assigned project portfolio.
Provide overall oversight to ensure program teams implement against approved budgets, workplans and timelines, and support in resolving challenges as arises.
Contribute to overseeing the implementation of improvement processes resulting from audits of the assigned project portfolio and provide support for consolidating good practices.
Responsible for designing, implementing, and evaluating advocacy strategies.
Initiate, facilitate, and manage or co-manage relevant and impactful advocacy activities and events.
Review project reports and presentations, summarising progress and insights.
Develop workstream and project plans aligned with frameworks.
Support risk, issue, and dependency tracking and mitigation.
Coordinate stakeholder engagement activities.
Supervise closeout processes of the assigned project portfolio.
Support the development of funding proposals.
Analyse project data and prepare insights reports.
Support process improvement initiatives and horizon scanning.
Supervise local and regional project managers, allocate work, and contribute to appraisals.
Identify, report and mitigate noncompliance with organisational and donor policies.

Profile

The following offers an aspirational view of our ideal candidate profile. Hivos is an equal opportunity employer dedicated to hiring and supporting a diverse workforce. Women and minority candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. We are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment and look for future team members who share that same value.

Experience

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
At least 8 years of experience in project/program management/coordination in the development sector.
Substantial experience supervising people or processes.
Experience working in a non-profit institution is mandatory.
Similar work experience in the SWANA region is a strong advantage.

Skills and qualifications

Grant making and overseeing donor-funded projects.
Project planning, reporting, and prioritisation.
Support and coordinate requirements, gathering and change management processes.
Developing effective advocacy strategies.
Data analysis and insight generation.
Stakeholder engagement and expectation management.
Fluent in English. Second language of Dutch, and/or Arabic are a strong advantage. French is a plus.
Strategic thinking and ability to create, identify and make use of advocacy opportunities, and link results and lessons to wider program outcomes
Ability to manage resistance and handle issues effectively.
Tech-savvy with modern project tools.
Strong organizational and problem-solving abilities.
Able to multi-task and handle high pressure workload in security-sensitive contexts.
Strong verbal and written communication & presentation skills.

Terms of employment
If you are selected for the final stage of the selection process, please note that professional references and a certificate of conduct (VOG) will be requested due to our Safeguarding Policy. Exceptions will only be made if there is a local legislation prohibition or when the candidate is unable to obtain such a certificate due to activities on LGTBIQ+ and Human Rights. We may check social media, unless applicants state they do not wish us to do so.

Working conditions and travel

Hybrid office arrangement in all duty stations.
Some international travel is expected (approximately 30%).

To apply for the post

To apply for this role, please submit a copy of your CV/resume and a cover letter outlining your interest in the role and how you fulfil the requirements set out in the job announcement. Please ensure you send your CV and Cover letter in the following format: full_name_CV_org_name_role and full_name_role_CL.

If you have any questions about the role or organisation and would like an informal chat ahead of submitting a formal application, please reach out to Shoshana at shoshana@upsallinternational.com. Please note: to ensure the security of your application and to ensure that your data complies with GDPR, applications via email will not be accepted.

· The deadline for applications is Monday 25^th May 9:00 am CET ·

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Upsall International actively promotes equality, diversity, and inclusion. In recruiting candidates, we seek candidates with the proven skills required, irrespective of race, gender, religion or belief, age, disability, or sexual orientation.