Programme Manager (Risk & Direct Cash Delivery)

The Programme Manager (Risk and Direct Cash Delivery) leads UNICEF South Sudan's cash-based assistance portfolio, providing strategic leadership and operational oversight. The role involves managing risk, coordinating cash delivery operations, building capacity, and ensuring compliance with standards in a complex humanitarian context.

Responsibilities

• Establish a strong risk management and monitoring framework for cash-based assistance.
• Oversee cash team operations, including HOPE data systems, technical support, payments, and monitoring.
• Coordinate daily team activities and align priorities with programme and operations needs.
• Lead capacity building and institutionalize tools, SOPs, and standards for large-scale cash delivery.
• Coordinate with partners (IPs, FSPs, TPM) to ensure quality, risk management, and updated procedures and security measures.
• Supervise technical coordination mechanisms and advise the CMT on project adjustments.
• Provide strategic guidance to ensure coordination across data management, grievances, finance, and partnerships.
• Collaborate with Health and Social Policy teams on technical and operational design of cash modalities.
• Serve as secretariat for the cash delivery task force at the country office level.
• Lead Cash Task Force meetings to ensure coordination and timely decision-making.
• Act as focal point for cash modalities, ensuring harmonization across sections.
• Coordinate with field offices to ensure compliance with operational and technical standards, including travel.
• Align programme sections with direct delivery teams to ensure effective service delivery.
• Support design and scale-up of new cash-based interventions across sectors.
• Update management on risk exposure and flag issues for rapid decision-making.
• Provide strategic and technical support to ensure compliance with UNICEF standards.
• Review and approve systems to ensure data integrity and adherence to best practices.
• Approve cash-related inputs for senior management briefings and donor reports.
• Represent the office in UN/inter-agency platforms, especially the Cash Working Group (CWG).
• Support inter-agency coordination, harmonization, and joint analysis of cash operations.
• Advocate for harmonized transfer values and Minimum Expenditure Basket (MEB) prioritizing children’s needs.
• Liaise with the global cash-based assistance hub as focal point.

Requirements

• Master or equivalent (Advanced University Degree) in Social Sciences, International Relations, Public Policy, Public Administration, Social Development, Development Planning, or other relevant disciplines.
• A Bachelor or equivalent (First Level University Degree) in a relevant area combined with 2 additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.
• At least 8 years of relevant work experience of progressively responsible international professional experience in humanitarian or development contexts is required.
• Hands-on experience in the use of cash transfer modalities in humanitarian context is required.
• Operational experience in programme planning, implementing, reporting, and monitoring involving the use of cash-based modalities in humanitarian and/or high-risk contexts is required.
• Demonstrated experience in managing cash-related technical and operational risks in humanitarian and/or high-risk contexts.
• Skills in risk management, operational monitoring, stakeholder coordination, risk mitigation, capacity building, leadership.
• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is desirable.
• Experience working with UNICEF in implementing cash programming is desirable.
• Experience with another UN agency implementing cash programming is an asset.
• Experience collaborating across multiple technical and operational functions, working with diverse subject-matter experts and cross-sectoral teams is an asset.
• Relevant experience at country level, particularly in development, fragile settings and humanitarian contexts.

Skills

• Cash Transfer Methodologies
• Programme Planning
• Programme Implementation
• Programme Reporting
• Programme Monitoring
• Risk Management
• Operational Monitoring
• Stakeholder Coordination
• Risk Mitigation
• Capacity Building
• Leadership
• Cash-based programming
• Humanitarian Experience
• Development Context Experience
• High-Risk Context Experience
• Cross-sector Collaboration
• UNICEF Cash Programming
• International Humanitarian Experience

Languages

English