Job ID
46118
Job Title
Senior Project Officer
To work for
Norwegian People's Aid
Country
Syria
City
Damascus
Field of Work
Humanitarian/Disasters
Job Type
Full time
Military service
Not Specified
Minimum Education Level
Bachelor/ License Degree
Responsibilities
General description:
The Senior Program Officer will manage relationships with a portfolio of civil society and humanitarian partners under the direction of the Program Manager. The role includes coordination, capacity building, mapping of actors, program monitoring, and participation in external coordination mechanisms. The SPO must bring an excellent understanding of Syria’s civil society ecosystem, including the regulatory environment, fragmentation, funding limitations, and coordination gaps that local CSOs face. He/she will use this knowledge to provide strategic guidance to NPA’s partners, identify new entry points for engagement, and support the development of practical and politically informed programming approaches. The SPO will also contribute to identifying practical linkages between civil society and NPA’s mine action work, helping align humanitarian, development, and recovery efforts into a cohesive, cross-sectoral approach. The SPO will coordinate closely with other departments and unit managers (e.g., Finance, MEAL, Mine Action etc.) to ensure that programming is strategically aligned, operationally feasible, and fully compliant with internal and donor requirements.
Partnership Management & Coordination
Serve as a focal point for NPA’s local partners operating in the Central, Southern, and Coastal regions.
Provide technical and operational guidance to ensure the timely and inclusive implementation of partner activities.
Conduct regular field monitoring visits (subject to access and security).
Review and validate partner reports, budgets, and activity updates.
Coordinate with NPA technical teams (Finance, MEAL, etc.) to ensure integrated support to partners.
Civil Society Mapping & Outreach
Lead mapping and profiling of civil society actors, coalitions, and networks working across humanitarian and development sectors.
Maintain an updated database of potential partners and grassroots organizations for future engagement.
Proactively engage with marginalized and emerging CSO actors to promote inclusivity and diversity.
Representation & External Coordination
Represent NPA in technical working groups, cluster coordination platforms in Damascus and other areas, as required.
Strengthen linkages between NPA’s partners and coordination bodies to amplify local voices.
Document and share key meeting outcomes and recommendations with the Program Manager and relevant departments.
Cross-Sectoral Integration & Strategy
Play a key role in identifying and recommending how civil society, humanitarian, and development programming can be better integrated with mine action operations.
Facilitate collaboration between mine action teams and civil society partners to establish referral pathways, joint planning, and community engagement mechanisms.
Contribute to the design of integrated program models that combine explosive hazard reduction with recovery, peacebuilding, and service delivery.
Program Support & Development
Support the Program Manager with donor-facing deliverables, including proposal writing, reporting, and budget inputs.
Contribute to needs assessments, concept notes, and program design discussions.
Facilitate partner capacity building on implementation, compliance, and accountability.
Collaborate with MEAL to ensure that partner results are tracked and reported through inclusive and data-driven systems.
Liaise with relevant unit managers to ensure effective cross-departmental collaboration and smooth delivery of integrated programming components
The Senior Program Officer will manage relationships with a portfolio of civil society and humanitarian partners under the direction of the Program Manager. The role includes coordination, capacity building, mapping of actors, program monitoring, and participation in external coordination mechanisms. The SPO must bring an excellent understanding of Syria’s civil society ecosystem, including the regulatory environment, fragmentation, funding limitations, and coordination gaps that local CSOs face. He/she will use this knowledge to provide strategic guidance to NPA’s partners, identify new entry points for engagement, and support the development of practical and politically informed programming approaches. The SPO will also contribute to identifying practical linkages between civil society and NPA’s mine action work, helping align humanitarian, development, and recovery efforts into a cohesive, cross-sectoral approach. The SPO will coordinate closely with other departments and unit managers (e.g., Finance, MEAL, Mine Action etc.) to ensure that programming is strategically aligned, operationally feasible, and fully compliant with internal and donor requirements.
Partnership Management & Coordination
Serve as a focal point for NPA’s local partners operating in the Central, Southern, and Coastal regions.
Provide technical and operational guidance to ensure the timely and inclusive implementation of partner activities.
Conduct regular field monitoring visits (subject to access and security).
Review and validate partner reports, budgets, and activity updates.
Coordinate with NPA technical teams (Finance, MEAL, etc.) to ensure integrated support to partners.
Civil Society Mapping & Outreach
Lead mapping and profiling of civil society actors, coalitions, and networks working across humanitarian and development sectors.
Maintain an updated database of potential partners and grassroots organizations for future engagement.
Proactively engage with marginalized and emerging CSO actors to promote inclusivity and diversity.
Representation & External Coordination
Represent NPA in technical working groups, cluster coordination platforms in Damascus and other areas, as required.
Strengthen linkages between NPA’s partners and coordination bodies to amplify local voices.
Document and share key meeting outcomes and recommendations with the Program Manager and relevant departments.
Cross-Sectoral Integration & Strategy
Play a key role in identifying and recommending how civil society, humanitarian, and development programming can be better integrated with mine action operations.
Facilitate collaboration between mine action teams and civil society partners to establish referral pathways, joint planning, and community engagement mechanisms.
Contribute to the design of integrated program models that combine explosive hazard reduction with recovery, peacebuilding, and service delivery.
Program Support & Development
Support the Program Manager with donor-facing deliverables, including proposal writing, reporting, and budget inputs.
Contribute to needs assessments, concept notes, and program design discussions.
Facilitate partner capacity building on implementation, compliance, and accountability.
Collaborate with MEAL to ensure that partner results are tracked and reported through inclusive and data-driven systems.
Liaise with relevant unit managers to ensure effective cross-departmental collaboration and smooth delivery of integrated programming components
Qualifications
Must have:
Minimum 3-4 years of progressive experience in humanitarian, civil society, or development programming.
Proven experience working with local CSO/NGO partners in complex or restricted-access environments.
Familiarity with mine action, protection, peacebuilding, or early recovery programming is highly desirable.
Deep understanding of Syrian civil society dynamics and contextual access challenges.
Experience with donor reporting, proposal writing, and coordination is an asset.
Fluency in Arabic and English (spoken and written) is essential.
Education: Bachelor’s degree in Development Studies, Political Science, Social Sciences, or a relevant field (Master’s degree preferred).
Minimum 3-4 years of progressive experience in humanitarian, civil society, or development programming.
Proven experience working with local CSO/NGO partners in complex or restricted-access environments.
Familiarity with mine action, protection, peacebuilding, or early recovery programming is highly desirable.
Deep understanding of Syrian civil society dynamics and contextual access challenges.
Experience with donor reporting, proposal writing, and coordination is an asset.
Fluency in Arabic and English (spoken and written) is essential.
Education: Bachelor’s degree in Development Studies, Political Science, Social Sciences, or a relevant field (Master’s degree preferred).
Specific Vacancy Requirements
The Senior Program Officer is to abide by the policies and personal code of conduct set by the NPA and represent the organization loyally and responsibly.
NPA is committed to equality of opportunity and encourages applications from all qualified candidates regardless of sex, age, disability, or ethnicity.
Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
we will be reviewing CVs and interviewing candidates in advance of the closing date. For this reason, interested candidates are asked to submit their applications as soon as possible
NPA is committed to equality of opportunity and encourages applications from all qualified candidates regardless of sex, age, disability, or ethnicity.
Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
we will be reviewing CVs and interviewing candidates in advance of the closing date. For this reason, interested candidates are asked to submit their applications as soon as possible
Salary and Benefits
Information will be shared during interviews with shortlisted candidates.
About us
The Norwegian People's Aid (NPA) vision is Solidarity in Action. We are a politically independent membership-based organization working in Norway and in more than 30 countries around the world, founded in 1939 as the labor movement's humanitarian solidarity organization
Required employees number
1
Posted On
Dec 29, 2025
Expiry Date
Jan 28, 2026
Photo
Required
CV Language
English
