SOS Children’s Villages is a global humanitarian and development organization working in over 130 countries to meet the needs and protect the rights of orphaned, abandoned, and vulnerable children. In Sudan, we have been delivering vital programs in child protection, education, WASH, and emergency response for decades.
As humanitarian needs escalate in Sudan due to protracted conflict and displacement, SOS CV Sudan is scaling up its emergency interventions. We are seeking a committed, experienced, and strategic Humanitarian Portfolio Manager to set a humanitarian response unit and set strategic steps to lead our national humanitarian portfolio and ensure a rapid, coordinated, and high-quality response to emergencies across the country.

Purpose of the Position
The Head of Humanitarian & Programme Operations provides strategic leadership and management of SOS Children's Villages Sudan's humanitarian and programme portfolio, ensuring high-quality, timely, accountable, and compliant programme implementation. The role leads the expansion of the humanitarian portfolio while strengthening programme quality, operational coordination, emergency preparedness, resource mobilization, and partnership development in line with the National Strategy and SOS Federation priorities.
Key Responsibilities
1. Strategic Leadership
• Lead the implementation of the national humanitarian and programme strategy.
• Advise the National Director on programme priorities, humanitarian trends, and operational risks.
• Drive organizational readiness for humanitarian scale-up and emergency response.
• Contribute to strategic planning and annual operational planning.
2. Humanitarian Leadership
• Lead SOS Sudan's humanitarian portfolio across all sectors and geographic locations.
• Ensure quality emergency preparedness, response, recovery, and resilience programming.
• Coordinate humanitarian interventions in accordance with humanitarian principles and international standards.
• Represent SOS Sudan in humanitarian coordination mechanisms, clusters, and technical working groups.
3. Programme Quality
• Ensure programmes are implemented according to approved proposals, donor agreements, and organizational standards.
• Promote Results-Based Management (RBM), quality assurance, learning, and adaptive programming.
• Strengthen Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) systems.
• Ensure integration of safeguarding, gender equality, disability inclusion, protection, and accountability to affected populations across programmes.
4. Programme Operations
• Oversee implementation progress across all humanitarian and development programmes.
• Monitor programme performance, budgets, risks, and implementation milestones.
• Ensure effective coordination between programmes and support functions including Finance, HR, Logistics, ICT, Procurement, and Security.
• Resolve operational bottlenecks affecting programme delivery.
5. Resource Mobilization and Business Development
• Lead development of high-quality concept notes and funding proposals.
• Identify new funding opportunities with institutional donors, UN agencies, foundations, and private partners.
• Strengthen donor engagement and strategic partnerships.
• Support grant negotiations and start-up processes.
6. Partnership and External Representation
• Develop strategic partnerships with government institutions, UN agencies, NGOs, donors, and academic institutions.
• Represent SOS Sudan in national humanitarian and development forums.
• Promote localization and partnership approaches.
7. Security and Risk Management
• Ensure programme implementation complies with organizational security policies.
• Integrate security risk assessments into programme planning.
• Support business continuity and emergency preparedness.
• Work closely with the Security Coordinator on field access and operational risk mitigation.
8. Compliance and Accountability
• Ensure compliance with donor regulations, SOS policies, safeguarding standards, procurement procedures, and financial requirements.
• Monitor implementation of audit recommendations.
• Strengthen internal controls and risk management systems.
9. Leadership and People Management
• Lead, coach, and mentor programme staff.
• Foster collaboration, innovation, accountability, and continuous learning.
• Identify capacity-building needs and support staff development.

Supervises
• Humanitarian Programme Managers
• Programme Coordinators
• MEAL/M&E staff (technical oversight)
• Humanitarian Technical Advisors (where applicable)
• Field Heads of Programme/Project Managers (technical oversight)
• Emergency Response Teams (during emergencies

Key Working Relationships
Internal
• National Director
• Leadership Management Team
• Finance Department
• HR Department
• ICT
• Procurement & Logistics
• Security Coordinator
• Programme and Project Teams
• Regional and International Technical Advisors
External
• Government ministries
• Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC)
• UN Agencies
• Donors
• International and National NGOs
• Clusters and Working Groups
• Academic and Research Institutions
 

Qualifications
• Master's degree in Humanitarian Assistance, International Development, Public Administration, Social Sciences, Project Management, or a related field.
• A bachelor's degree with extensive relevant experience may be considered.
Experience
• Minimum 10 years of progressively responsible experience in humanitarian and development programming.
• At least 5 years in senior programme management or leadership roles.
• Proven experience managing large multi-sector donor-funded programmes.
• Demonstrated experience in proposal development and resource mobilization.
• Experience in emergency response and humanitarian coordination.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams.
Competencies
• Strategic leadership
• Programme and portfolio management
• Humanitarian coordination
• Results orientation
• Financial and grant management
• Partnership building
• Negotiation and influencing
• Risk management
• Decision-making
• People leadership
• Excellent communication skills
Languages
• Fluency in Arabic and English (written and spoken).
 

Equal Opportunity and Child Safeguarding Commitment

SOS Children’s Villages Sudan is an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. Qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply.

SOS Children’s Villages Sudan is also committed to creating and maintaining a safe environment for children and young people. All applicants will be subject to rigorous child safeguarding and background screening procedures as part of the recruitment process.