About the Job

The Head of Programmes (HoP) reports directly to the Executive Director in the Netherlands and is a full member of the KFM International Management Team. For day-to-day office matters (e.g. office attendance, staff events, workspace arrangements, sick leave notifications), the Head of Programs follows the reasonable instructions of the Country Director in South Africa. Together with the Country Director and the Executive Director, the Head of Programmes forms part of the senior leadership of Kinderfonds MAMAS.

We work closely with our 33 MAMA Partners — the community-based organisations that together form the MAMAS Alliance. In this role you will lead the collaboration with all community-based partners to strengthen their institutional capacity, workforce effectiveness, and programme quality - and coordinate advocacy across the MAMAS Alliance network. You will also engage and manage relationships with strategic partners such as fellow grant-makers and knowledge institutes. Internally you will work closely with the Finance team, monitoring & evaluation and marketing & communications and the programme teams. Kinderfonds MAMAS implements four programmes with partners: Capacity Strengthening, Power Girls, Boys Matter and Refugee and Undocumented Migrants (RUMS) programme. The Programme Leads report directly to the HoP.

Key Responsibilities
1. Strategic Leadership and Management Team Contribution

The HoP plays a pivotal role within the KFM Management Team, contributing to the strategic direction and organisational health and culture of the whole organisation, not only the programmes function.

2. Programme Oversight: Capacity Strengthening programme for Partners (Primary Focus)

Oversee the development and implementation of the Capacity Strengthening programme and provide strategic guidance to ensure high-quality, consistent programme delivery working closely with country director

Oversee management of the programme team and ensure the programme has a clear annual plan, realistic targets, strong MEL systems, and appropriate safeguarding mechanisms in place.

Oversee the programme teams responsible for developing capacity strengthening objectives and plans with partners and implementing them

3. Programme Oversight: RUMS, Power Girls, and Boys Matter

Provide strategic oversight, management support, and quality assurance to the Programme Leads of RUMS, Power Girls, and Boys Matter.

Ensure each programme has a clear annual plan, realistic targets, strong MEL systems, and appropriate safeguarding mechanisms in place.

Support Programme Leads to develop their teams, solve implementation challenges, and maintain high standards of service delivery.

4. Grant Management and Donor Reporting-Accountable

Provide strategic oversight, management support to the Grants Manager to ensure timely, accurate, and high-quality donor reporting across all programmes.

Hold overall accountability for the programme's budget, ensuring responsible allocation of resources across the full programme portfolio.

Oversee the development of programme budgets and ensure expenditure is aligned with approved plans and donor requirements.

5. Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning

Work closely with the MEL and Learning Lead to ensure that robust data collection, reporting, analysis, and learning systems are embedded across all programme areas.

Champion a culture of evidence, learning, reflection, and continuous improvement across KFM’s programme portfolio.

Ensure that programme data, evaluation findings, and learning insights are used to inform real-time decision-making and adaptive management.

6. People Leadership

Line-manage, coach, and develop direct reports, fostering a high-performance, collaborative, and values-driven team culture.

Conduct regular performance reviews, set clear expectations, and support professional development.

Promote staff wellbeing and reflective practice within the programmes team.

Requirements
Qualifications:

A postgraduate qualification (Master’s level and above) in organisational capacity building, development studies, community development or a related field.

Additional qualifications or training in monitoring and evaluation or project management are essential.

Experience — Essential

At least 8–10 years of progressive experience in the NGO or development sector, with a minimum of 4 years in a senior programme management role.

Demonstrated expertise in organisational capacity building and institutional strengthening with NGOs or community-based organisations, ideally in the South African context.

Strong hands-on experience in monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL), including designing frameworks, managing baseline and evaluation processes, and using data for adaptive management.

Proven track record of managing multiple programmes simultaneously with strong results.

Experience managing and developing a team of programme staff, including providing supervision, coaching, and performance management.

Experience managing donor grants and compliance requirements, including reporting to institutional funders.

Experience working with vulnerable children, youth, and communities in South Africa, with a strong understanding of child protection and safeguarding principles.

Skills and Competencies

Strategic thinker with the ability to translate vision into practical, well-managed programmes.

Excellent people leadership skills. Able to inspire, support, and hold a diverse team accountable.

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to use data to drive decisions.

Outstanding written and verbal communication skills in English; ability to write compelling reports, proposals, and strategic documents.

High level of organisational skill and ability to manage complexity, competing priorities, and multiple workstreams.

Strong relationship-building skills with partners, donors, and communities.

Proficiency in Google workspace; familiarity with data management or MEL platforms is an advantage.

Willingness to travel nationally to visit partner organisations across South Africa’s nine provinces.

Values and Personal Attributes

Deep commitment to children’s rights and the wellbeing of vulnerable children and youth.

Belief in community-led development and the importance of local knowledge and ownership.

High integrity, accountability, and transparency in all professional conduct.

Collaborative and generous in working style — builds others up rather than working in silos.

Adaptive, resilient, and able to work effectively in a complex, resource-constrained environment.

Culturally sensitive and comfortable working across diverse communities and organisational contexts.

Please send your resume/CV