About CORE

CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort) is a US-based INGO with over 16 years of operations in Haiti, having reached more than 2.2 million people across the country. CORE combines deep community relationships with a largely Haitian national staff team to deliver high-quality humanitarian and development programming across food security, WASH, cash and voucher assistance, cholera prevention, and community resilience.

CORE has implemented a number of projects in Haiti including recently a WFP/PAM-funded cash and voucher assistance (CVA) project (TMI ZMPP) focused on Port-au-Prince and Delmas, and US Department of State / WHA Bureau grants addressing food security and cholera prevention across the multiple departments. CORE maintains strong partnerships with both local and international humanitarian actors.

Role Summary

CORE is seeking an experienced, dynamic, and results-driven Programme Director to lead the implementation and delivery of its Haiti country programme. The Programme Director sits on the Senior Management Team (SMT) and is the principal point of accountability for programme quality, donor compliance, operational coordination, and strategic growth. The role requires an individual who can operate effectively in a complex, fragile, and fast-moving humanitarian context while simultaneously contributing to longer-term programme development.

Essential Job Duties

1. Programme Implementation & Quality

• Lead day-to-day implementation of all active projects, ensuring delivery is on scope, on time, and on budget across all grants.
• Ensure high standards of programme quality and accountability, including compliance with CORE internal policies, donor regulations, and international humanitarian standards (SPHERE, CHS).
• Translate CORE Haiti's country strategy into coherent, sequenced programmes and projects, with clear result chains and indicators.
• Oversee integrated programming across CVA, food security, WASH, and community mobilisation, ensuring synergies across projects and avoiding duplication.
• Lead rapid programme start-up and wind-down processes including staff recruitment, procurement planning, and detailed implementation planning.
• Conduct and facilitate regular field visits across operational departments to review progress, troubleshoot challenges, and maintain staff morale.

2. Budget Management & Financial Accountability

• Manage programme finances across both projects, including cash flow planning, budget forecasting, expenditure tracking, and donor financial reporting.
• Ensure optimal budget utilisation and proactive burn-rate management, escalating under- or over-spend issues to the Country Director and Finance team in a timely manner.
• Ensure financial accountability and compliance with partner requirements and key donor grant conditions.
• Provide budget holders with regular variance analysis and corrective action guidance.

3. Monitoring, Evaluation & Reporting

• Ensure robust MEAL systems are in place and functioning across all projects, including accountability to affected populations (AAP) mechanisms.
• Oversee timely and high-quality preparation of donor reports (narrative and financial).
• Provide regular programme updates and summary reports to the Country Director and CORE HQ.
• Ensure data quality, results documentation, and lessons learned are systematically captured and fed into programme adaptation and proposal development.

4. External Representation & Partnership

• Represent CORE in humanitarian coordination forums including Clusters (Food Security, WASH, Cash Working Group) and inter-agency meetings in Port-au-Prince.
• Cultivate and maintain strong working relationships with WFP/PAM, the US Embassy in Port-au-Prince, UN agencies, local and international NGO partners, local authorities, and community leaders.
• Provide strategic leadership on consortium and partnership arrangements, including joint submissions with partners.
• Support proposal assessment, development, and budgeting, in collaboration with the Programme Development and Quality function, to sustain and grow CORE Haiti's funding portfolio.
• Collaborate with the communications team on visibility products, donor reports, and external communications in line with CORE and donor branding requirements.

5. Staff Management & Capacity Building

• Directly supervise Programme Managers and Technical Team Leads across all projects.
• Provide clear objectives, regular feedback, and formal performance reviews to all direct reports.
• Lead recruitment planning for programme staff, working closely with HR, and ensure all finance, MEAL, and technical positions are adequately staffed.
• Foster a positive and inclusive team culture, supporting staff wellbeing in a high-risk operating environment.
• Build the capacity of national staff through mentoring, on-the-job coaching, and structured learning opportunities.

6. Risk, Compliance & Safeguarding

• Identify and proactively manage programme risks, including operational, financial, security, and reputational risks specific to the Haiti context.
• Ensure full compliance with CORE's policies and procedures on fraud, corruption, transparency, whistleblowing, and safeguarding.
• Liaise with the Security Manager to ensure appropriate security protocols are followed for all programme activities and field travel.
• Ensure safeguarding standards are integrated into programme design, partner agreements, and staff training.

Supervisory Responsibilities

The Programme Director maintains a functional oversight relationship with the Finance Director, Security Manager, Systems teams and works in close coordination with CORE HQ programme backstop staff.

Required Qualifications & Experience

Education

• Bachelor's degree minimum in international development, humanitarian affairs, public health, social sciences, or a related field.
• Master's degree strongly preferred.

Experience

• Minimum 7 years of progressive experience in international NGO programme management, with at least 3 years in a senior leadership role.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex, multi-donor programmes in fragile or conflict-affected states — experience in Haiti or the Caribbean is a significant advantage.
• Proven track record managing programmes funded by WFP, USAID/BHA, US Department of State, ECHO, or equivalent institutional donors.
• Hands-on experience with cash and voucher assistance (CVA/CBT) programming and/or food security and WASH programming.
• Experience managing consortium or multi-partner programme arrangements.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex budgets across multiple projects and donors simultaneously.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong understanding of the Haiti context, including the security environment, humanitarian coordination architecture, and community dynamics.
• Excellent leadership and people management skills, with a track record of building and motivating national staff teams.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; able to produce high-quality donor reports and represent the organisation externally with confidence.
• Strong financial management and budget oversight skills, including burn-rate monitoring and donor compliance.
• Solid MEAL competency, including results-based management and accountability to affected populations.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite; experience with humanitarian data management tools is an asset.
• Ability to operate effectively under pressure and adapt rapidly to changing circumstances.
• Commitment to humanitarian principles, gender equality, and CORE 's values.

Languages

• English: Professional working proficiency (required — donor reporting and HQ communication).
• French: Professional working proficiency (required — partner coordination and government liaison).
• Haitian Creole: Working proficiency (strong asset — community and national staff engagement).

Working Conditions

This is a Port-au-Prince-based role. The security situation in Haiti is highly volatile; the Programme Director must be willing to always operate within CORE’S security protocols and be prepared to adapt working arrangements into evolving conditions. Regular field travel to CORE's operational departments is required. Some international travel may be required for donor meetings, partner consultations, or HQ visits.

Equal Opportunity

CORE provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, national origin, age, disability, marital status, or any other protected characteristic. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive team that reflects the communities we serve. Haitian nationals and candidates with lived experience in Haiti are strongly encouraged to apply.

How to Apply

If you believe your qualifications meet the requirements, please submit applications in one document to the Human Resources Department to: hrstaffing@jphro.org mentioning in the subject of the email the job title "Program Director” no later than June 27,2026, at 4:00 pm.

• Updated CV (maximum 3 pages)
• Cover letter addressing how you meet the mandatory requirements and your understanding of the Haiti context (maximum 2 pages)
• A brief writing sample demonstrating analytical or reporting ability (e.g. a programme report, situation analysis, or donor narrative — maximum 5 pages)

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

CORE | Community Organized Relief Effort | core.org