Program and Branch Manager

Position Title: Program and Branch Manager

Localisation: Full Time, Timeframe: October 1, 2026, Assigned Unit/Team: Programs, Line Manager: Syria Team Leader. Note: Due to work permit restrictions, position only open to Syrian nationals.

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** This Scope of Work (SoW) outlines the responsibilities of the Program Manager with the Center for Operational Analysis and Research (COAR). The Program Manager will support the establishment, maintenance, and day-to-day operations of COAR's Syria Branch by ensuring compliance with legal and financial requirements, overseeing operational logistics, and delivering project management. The position plays a key coordination role across operations, finance, logistics, and program implementation, ensuring that the branch functions efficiently and that projects are delivered in line with operational plans, budgets, and organizational procedures.

About COAR: COAR is an independent social enterprise that directly supports practitioners, policymakers, and donors by facilitating humanitarian and development interventions in complex, fragile, and high-risk environments.

Objectives: To support the establishment and effective operation of COAR's Syria Branch; To ensure that the Syria Branch remains fully compliant with all applicable legal, financial, and administrative requirements; To provide efficient logistical and operational support for COAR staff, consultants, projects, and events across Syria; To lead and coordinate the implementation of multiple concurrent projects, ensuring delivery against scope, timelines, budgets, and quality standards; To establish and maintain effective project management systems and workflows, including planning, budgeting, tracking, risk management, documentation and reporting; Under delegated authority from the Team Leader, to oversee the production of project deliverables, ensuring they meet client requirements, internal quality standards, and contractual obligations; To ensure outputs, events, final products, and publications meet client requirements, internal quality standards, and contractual obligations; To coordinate with and support multidisciplinary teams (analysts, field enumerators, IM, finance, consultants), ensuring clear tasking, accountability, and efficient collaboration; To serve as one of the primary focal points for project stakeholders, including clients, donors, and partners, ensuring clear communication and relationship management; To support project design, adaptation, and scaling, including contributing to proposals, concept notes, and strategic planning for new or renewed projects; To identify risks, constraints, and operational challenges, and proactively implement mitigation strategies to ensure continuity and delivery; To ensure compliance with donor requirements, internal policies, and operational standards across all project activities.

Responsibilities and Activities: Financial & Legal Compliance: Maintain a comprehensive and regularly updated register of all financial, legal, tax, and administrative requirements applicable to COAR's Syria Branch. Identify and coordinate with qualified accountants, auditors, legal advisors, and other professional service providers as required. Ensure timely submission of all legal, tax, registration, licensing, and reporting requirements to relevant Syrian authorities. Monitor changes in Syrian legal and regulatory requirements affecting foreign companies and advise management accordingly. Coordinate visa, residency, and work permit requirements for international staff and consultants travelling to or residing in Syria. Support financial and legal processes under the direction of the CFO and Team Leader. Maintain organized records of all official registrations, licenses, permits, contracts, tax filings, and legal documentation. Logistics & Operations: Lead the identification, establishment, and management of COAR offices and guesthouses. Manage office administration, utilities, maintenance, lease agreements, insurance, security arrangements, and related operational requirements (currently a serviced office). Identify suitable venues for workshops, meetings, and events throughout Syria and coordinate all associated logistics.

Under delegated authority from the Research Manager/Deputy, liaise with relevant authorities to ensure required operational approvals and permissions for project activities are received. Project Management: Maintain oversight of portfolio-level budgets including expenditure tracking, personnel allocations, burn rates, and anticipated variances and flag risks for mitigation to the Team Leader, CEO, and Finance. Plan, monitor, and track staff and consultant Levels of Effort (LoEs) each month, and communicate projections and changes to individual contributing consultants. Provide general operational and administrative support to the Team Leader as required. Develop, maintain, and regularly update project work plans, implementation schedules, and deliverable tracking systems (UPTS). Monitor project progress and proactively flag delays, risks, or resource constraints to concerned stakeholders in advance. Ensure project documentation is properly named, filed, version-controlled, and stored in accordance with COAR procedures. Coordinate with COAR's Design Unit to ensure timely production of project deliverables and maintain associated trackers. Through discussions with Technical and Research leads, identify capacity and resource gaps and develop solutions with leadership. Serve as one of the primary focal points for clients and stakeholders, managing communications, briefings, and relationships through engagement and documentation, including tracking client feedback for proactive course correction as needed. Identify and manage risks, adapting project plans and implementation in close coordination with Technical and Research teams in response to contextual and operational changes. Maintain strong contextual awareness of Syria, donor priorities, and response architecture to ensure project relevance and alignment with the aid landscape. Contribute to internal coordination, strategic planning, and continuous improvement of project management practices. Uphold professional standards, including integrity, confidentiality, and timely communication. Under delegated authority of Team Leader, support development of new partnership opportunities for COAR. Contribute and/or lead proposal development, in coordination with Finance, BD, HR, IT/AI, Technical, and Research Teams, to include budget preparation. Facilitate knowledge sharing and best practice exchange across projects. Coordinate with Technical and Research leadership to make collective decisions with respect to Country Strategy and day-to-day management.

Qualifications and Experience: The ideal candidate will have: Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Project Management, Finance, Operations Management, or a related field.

Expérience: 5+ years of experience in operations, logistics, project management, administration, project coordination, or similar field. Experience supporting donor-funded humanitarian or development projects. Strong understanding of the Syria context, including the domestic and international regulatory landscapes. Good command of administrative, financial, and legal compliance processes. Demonstrated experience coordinating logistics, procurement, travel, or office management.

Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines simultaneously. Excellent written and spoken Arabic, with good working proficiency in English.

Code of conduct: The Program Manager is expected to: Work in a committed manner with consistency, integrity, and discretion. Maintain strict confidentiality regarding operational, financial, legal, personnel, and project-related information. Comply with all COAR policies and procedures. Treat all individuals with professionalism, respect, and impartiality regardless of gender, nationality, ethnicity, religion, language, age, or disability. Promote ethical conduct and uphold COAR's values in all operational and project activities.

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