Programme Support Officer

Programme Support Officer – Asia & the Middle East

Starting Salary: £31,872 – £34,811 – FTE (including London Weighting)

Contract: Permanent

Location: UK – Hybrid working with a minimum of 40% of your time in the London Office or Home Contract

Hours: Part-time – 21 Hours

Job Profile

The Asia and Middle East Programme Support Officer will support the delivery of programmes and projects within CAFOD’s Asia & Middle East (AME) region, contributing to effective programme cycle management. A significant part of the role will support the Afghanistan programme in an integrated development and emergency response programme. The remaining parts will support programmes across the region depending on the specific needs of the programmes. These programmes include Bangladesh, Cambodia, Middle East regional programme, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka.

Partnership is central to CAFOD’s way of working and the post holder will support the nurturing of effective relationships with partners across the AME team and cross-organisationally. The role has some cross-organisational functions linked to work with CAFOD’s emergency, programme quality, fundraising, finance, media and communications, policy and advocacy functions.

The role reports to the Country Programmes Representative for Bangladesh, Cambodia and Myanmar but may be task-managed for specific pieces of work by other relevant team members. The post holder will provide support to managers and Programme Officers in the AME team and will liaise closely with other support staff within the AME team.

Key Responsibilities

Support the delivery of programmes and projects

Appraise project proposals from partner organisations and review their ability to manage and implement the proposed work in agreement with the relevant manager/officer.
In agreement with the relevant manager or Programme Officer work with partners on monitoring and reporting to review progress against outcomes and indicators.
Support the preparation of funding applications and reports for external funders, in liaison with the programme team and the relevant Programme Development & Funding Officer.

Administration of programmes in line with Project Cycle Management (PCM)

• Correspond with partners concerning the processing of grants and CAFOD’s PCM system.
• Maintain up-to-date records on the WebPromise database, including registering projects/programmes, and generating approvals.
• Support the programme team by assisting in organising visitors to CAFOD and CAFOD staff visits to programmes in AME.
• Support the AME team with the preparation and submission of grant approval documents.

Contribute to the financial management and accountability of programmes

• Prepare and monitor budgets relating to both CAFOD and partner-led expenditure, in conjunction with the relevant manager.
• Support key processes such as procurement or internal/external audits and ensure accurate records are kept according to CAFOD policies and procedures.
• Assist the team in annual budgeting, monitoring expenditures including team costs and calculating variances.

Support the effective representation of programmes and projects

• Liaise and communicate with other teams within CAFOD to respond to organisational needs, including providing support and information for those working on communications, media, policy, campaigns etc.
• In coordination with the relevant manager or Programme Officer support the team’s efforts to nurture and sustain relationships and effective communications with relevant stakeholders, including networks, local government, national networks and other agencies working in/on Asia and the Middle East.

This list of duties and responsibilities is by no means exhaustive, and the post holder may be required to undertake other relevant and appropriate duties as required. This job description is subject to regular review and appropriate modification.

What We’re Looking For:

The successful candidate will have an understanding or experience of development and/or emergency programming, preferably within an Asia or Middle East context.

Strong working relationships and the ability to work within and across diverse teams are paramount, alongside excellent communication skills and the ability to communicate effectively remotely and across different communities and cultures.

Additional criteria for the role includes:

• Knowledge and some experience in budget planning, monitoring and financial reporting.
• Understanding of the Programme Management Cycle including programme monitoring, evaluation, and learning.
• Understanding of safeguarding within development and emergency contexts.
• Proficient in data management and usage, including the use of complex databases and programme cycle management systems and tools.
• Experience supporting the preparation of programme or project proposals and institutional donor reports would be an advantage.

Why Choose CAFOD?

At CAFOD we value our employees and are committed to offering a healthy work–life balance and promoting the well-being of our employees.

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer great benefits, some of which are below.

• 34 days holiday – pro-rate (20 days annual leave, 8 bank holidays and 6 closure days)
• Additional 10 days annual leave purchase scheme
• Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan.
• Enhanced Maternity, paternity and adoption pay.
• Enhanced Sick pay.
• Employee Assistance Programme.

We offer all our employees learning and development opportunities, we provide training, coaching and mentoring to support your development in various aspects of our work.

CAFOD is committed to being an anti-racist organisation and we are keen to increase the diversity of our communications team. We are particularly keen to seek out applications from people of Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic backgrounds.

There’s room for everyone: Catholics and non-Catholics; people of all faiths and none. We employ people in all corners of the world, of all ages and ethnicities. The result? A friendly and open-minded organisation

Safeguarding for Children and Vulnerable Adults

CAFOD recognises the personal dignity and rights of children and vulnerable adults, towards whom it has a special responsibility and a duty of care and respect.  CAFOD, and all its staff and volunteers, undertake to do all in our power to create a safe environment for children, young people and vulnerable adults and to prevent their physical, sexual or emotional abuse.  CAFOD is committed to acting at all times in the best interests of children and vulnerable adults, seeing these interests as paramount.  Any candidate offered a job with CAFOD will be expected to adhere to CAFOD’s Safeguarding policy and sign CAFOD’s Code of Behaviour as an appendix to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents. This post does not involve contact with children, young people and vulnerable adults or has responsibility for people who overall will do.

CAFOD is committed to equity, diversity and inclusion and ensuring opportunity for all. We welcome candidates of all faiths and none. We would welcome applications from those with lived experience of ethnic and cultural diversity, physical disability, age diversity, neurodiversity, and/or under-privileged socio-economic backgrounds across different parts of the UK.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references, and appropriate screening checks can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. CAFOD also participates in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme. In line with this Scheme, we will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms his/her understanding of these recruitment procedures.