Senior Programme Manager

UNOPS; Damascus (MD); On-site; USD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

UN-Habitat Syria Country Programme seeks a Senior Programme Manager to lead the National Housing Support Programme, coordinating donors, government counterparts and UN partners.

The role requires steering budgets, staffing, procurement, and risk management across three workstreams: enabling environment, neighbourhood rehabilitation and area-based recovery, with a focus on policy alignment and sustainable housing recovery.

Qualifications

• Education: An advanced university degree in architecture, urban planning, housing, engineering, public policy or international development with at least 7 years of experience is required.
• Work experience: progressively responsible programme/project management in housing, urban recovery or urban development; manage large, donor-funded programmes.
• Skills: Budget management, compliance, project management, quality assurance, risk management, stakeholder engagement, strategic planning, urban regeneration, project resource management.
• Languages: English required; Arabic and German desired.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and management for the Syria National Housing Support Programme.
• Oversee resources including budgets, staffing, procurement, contracts, monitoring and risk management.
• Lead and supervise programme staff, consultants and technical partners; act as liaison with donors and government counterparts.
• Ensure coordination, quality assurance, compliance, reporting and accountability across the programme.
• Support development, resource mobilization and design of future programme phases; inform housing policy and broader recovery efforts.

Skills

Budget management

Compliance management

Project management

Quality assurance

Risk management

Stakeholder engagement

Strategic planning

Urban regeneration

Project resource management

Education

Advanced university degree in a relevant field

First-level university degree with 9+ years' progressive experience

Job description

Organizational context: UN-Habitat's Syria Country Programme focuses on urban resilience and recovery, supporting local authorities and communities in data collection, priority identification, and project implementation for housing, infrastructure, and services. The programme aims to transition from fragmented assistance to a scalable, government-led national housing recovery initiative, working across multiple offices in Syria.

Job purpose: The Senior Programme Manager will lead UN-Habitat's implementation of the Syria National Housing Support Programme, a critical initiative addressing the country's extensive housing crisis. This role involves partnering with Syrian government entities and the German government (BMZ and KfW) to combine immediate housing rehabilitation with systemic improvements. The programme is structured around three key workstreams: strengthening the enabling environment, neighborhood-based housing rehabilitation for vulnerable households, and associated infrastructure and area-based recovery, aiming to scale up housing recovery efforts effectively.

Responsibilities: Provide strategic leadership and comprehensive management for the National Housing Support Programme, ensuring effective planning, implementation, and delivery. Oversee all programme resources, including budgets, staffing, procurement, contracts, monitoring, and risk management. Lead and supervise the programme team, consultants, and technical partners. Act as the primary liaison for donors, government counterparts, UN partners, and other stakeholders. Ensure high standards of programme coordination, quality assurance, compliance, reporting, and accountability. Support strategic programme development, resource mobilization, and the design of future programme phases. Ensure programme insights inform national housing policy and broader recovery efforts. Uphold compliance with UN rules, donor requirements, environmental and social safeguards, conflict sensitivity, gender equality, and do-no-harm principles.

Education: An advanced university degree in a relevant field (e.g., architecture, urban planning, housing, engineering, public policy, international development, project/programme management) with at least 7 years of experience is required. Alternatively, a first-level university degree with at least 9 years of progressively responsible experience will be considered.

Work experience: Requires progressively responsible experience in programme or project management, housing, urban recovery, or urban development. Proven experience managing large, complex, multi-year, donor-funded programmes is essential. Desirable experience includes managing multidisciplinary teams, substantial budgets, procurement, consultants, infrastructure contracts, and working with government ministries, development banks, and bilateral donors.

Skills: Budget Management, Compliance Management, Project Management, Quality Assurance, Risk Management, Stakeholder Engagement, Strategic Planning, Urban Regeneration, Project Resource Management.

Required languages: English

Desired languages: Arabic, German