DIRECTOR, PROGRAM QUALITY AND DEVELOPMENT

JOB SUMMARY: The Director, Program Quality and Development reports to the Country Director and provides strategic leadership to strengthen program quality, resource mobilization, donor diversification, private sector engagement, and CARE Sudan’s locally led strategy and agenda. The role supports the Country Director in positioning CARE Sudan for sustainable growth through diversified funding, high-quality program development, and strategic partnerships with institutional, private sector, national, and local actors. The position ensures that CARE Sudan’s portfolio is evidence-based, innovative, compliant, and responsive to the priorities of crisis-affected communities, while advancing localization, equitable partnership, and power-shifting approaches that strengthen the leadership, agency, and institutional capacity of national and local actors. RESPONSIBILITIES: Strategic Leadership for Program Quality, Technical Excellence, and Learning Lead and strengthen high-quality program design, monitoring, evaluation, learning, and adaptation across CARE Sudan’s portfolio. Ensure programs are evidence-based, context-responsive, compliant, and aligned with CARE’s mission, country strategy, technical standards, and commitments to gender equality, resilience, and locally led development. Promote accountability, continuous improvement, and the use of data, learning, and partner feedback to strengthen program quality and inform future design. Ensure compliance with CARE's Program Quality (PQ) standards throughout the project cycle, from design and start-up through implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and close-out. Lead the development, rollout, and periodic review of CARE Sudan's country program strategy, ensuring program quality, business development, and partnership priorities are fully aligned with and advance strategic objectives. Lead regular impact reviews across CARE Sudan's portfolio, using evidence and data to identify performance gaps and course-correct programming in a timely manner. Lead Resource Mobilization, Donor Diversification, and New Business Development Work with the Country Director in identifying, pursuing, and securing new funding opportunities to sustain and grow CARE Sudan’s portfolio. Lead donor intelligence, prepositioning, pipeline development, and engagement with bilateral, multilateral, foundation, philanthropic, and non-traditional donors. Oversee the development of high-quality concept notes, proposals, expressions of interest, and technical submissions that align with donor priorities, CARE’s strategic objectives, and country program needs. Conduct after-action reviews of business development processes, including won and lost bids, to capture lessons learned and strengthen future proposal quality and win rates. Support CARE Sudan's visibility and profile-raising efforts, including communications, donor-facing events, and knowledge products, to attract new and diversified donor interest. Drive Private Sector Engagement and Strategic Partnerships Lead CARE Sudan’s private sector engagement agenda as a core pillar of business development, innovation, and long-term sustainability. Identify, cultivate, and structure strategic deals and partnerships with private sector actors, private foundations, and other external stakeholders, drawing on specialist consultant support where necessary to generate funding, technical collaboration, innovation, and shared value opportunities. Position CARE Sudan as a partner of choice for high-impact, scalable, and locally grounded partnerships. Advance CARE’s Locally Led Strategy, Localization, and Equitable Partnership Agenda Champion the integration of CARE’s locally led strategy across program design, business development, partnership architecture, and implementation. Promote localization and power-shifting approaches that strengthen the leadership, voice, agency, and decision-making role of national and local actors, including women-led groups, civil society organizations, and community-based institutions. Support partnership and funding models that expand direct support to local actors, strengthen local systems, and advance sustainable local ownership and leadership. Ensure Compliance, Risk Management, and Cross-Functional Leadership Oversee compliance with donor regulations, internal policies, safeguarding commitments, and quality assurance standards across the program cycle. Identify and mitigate risks related to program design, delivery, partnerships, and award management. Supervise and mentor relevant staff and foster strong collaboration across program, partnerships, finance, operations, and technical teams to ensure integrated planning and effective execution. LI#ST1