Head of Programmes for Moldova

Country Programme: PIN Moldova

Contract Length: 2 years with possible extension

Base: Moldova

Starting date: ASAP

Line Manager: Country Director

Application deadline: March 22, 2026

People in Need (PIN) is the largest non-profit organization in Central and Eastern Europe, operating in the field of humanitarian and development aid, support for human rights, and social inclusion. At present, more than 2400 employees work in our Humanitarian and Development section in 23 countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. 

About the Moldovan Programme of People in Need:

People in Need (PIN) has been operating in Moldova since 2003, delivering development and humanitarian assistance across social protection and inclusion, civil society empowerment, agriculture and economic development. Following the escalation of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, PIN significantly scaled up emergency programming, including protection, cash assistance, education, winterization, and livelihoods support for refugees and host communities.

PIN Moldova currently manages a large and diverse portfolio of emergency and development projects implemented nationwide and funded by a range of institutional donors, while increasingly shifting toward long-term development assistance, particularly in the context of Moldova’s EU integration and the need to support local CSOs and line ministries in meeting EU accession commitments.

About the role:

Head of Programme (HoP) supervises the entire development as well as emergency programme portfolio, in line with PIN strategic pillars and on the basis of the overall Country Strategy, including formulation of new proposals and continuous quality improvement of programmatic work. S/he manages all the programme teams (approximately 25 staff in-country) and closely collaborates mainly with deputy Head of Programmes, Programme and Project Managers on quality implementation and capacity development. Together with Country Director, Head of Systems and Operations and Head of MEAL, HoP is part of Senior Management Team (SMT) and actively participates in strategic guidance and decisions relevant to PIN Moldova Country Programme. HoP (next to Country Director) represents PIN to donors and partners, ensuring that PIN is recognized for its field experience and models of action. Internally, HoP contributes to a positive working environment for all the staff and ensures that Safeguarding principles are well integrated into programming.

Main Duties & Responsibilities:

• Contributes to development and promotes of an organizational culture that reflects PIN’s values, promotes accountability and high performance, encourages a team culture of learning, creativity and innovation, and frees up people to deliver outstanding results for the affected population;  
• Leads and empowers program teams to grow in their full potential, becoming more independent, embracing their own agendas and taking full responsibilities and ownership over their given tasks and portfolios;
• Assist the Country Director in the management of the Country Programme within SMT
• Lead the programme side of development and humanitarian activities/interventions and the roll-out of the Country Strategy, including its periodic adjustment and the co-design of the new Country Strategy for 2026-2030; Participates/Contributes in senior management meetings and strategic decision making.

Programme Management

• Ensure effective operational management of PIN’s programmes through line management of Project/Programme Managers;
• Ensure that programmes and projects are implemented to a high standard of quality, in line with PIN’s quality standards, internal procedures, and donor requirements, while promoting a culture of quality assurance, continuous improvement, and accountability across programme teams.
• Ensure timely and high-quality reporting to donors and HQ (regular updates to project progress both from budget spending and indicators perspective - project drawings, ITT and workplans are regularly updated); reviews and validates external reporting prepared by program & MEAL teams);
• Supports program teams in communication and coordination of activities with Czech partners and activities taking place in the Czech Republic;
• Make sure that project developed meets high standards in terms of design, implementation and – in cooperation with Head of MEAL – M&E processes through, proper Project Cycle Management;
• Support preparation of programme budgets collaboratively with programme and finance staff (ensure financial aspects of program management is understood and followed by respective PMs);
• Track programme status through internally developed systems (Power BI), and regular (project) review meetings;
• Promote (lead) – in cooperation with HoSO – on coordination between programs and operations: regular documented team/project meetings for planning and progress monitoring purposes (reviewing workplans, procurement plans, financial drawings, progress on indicators);
• Provides programmatic contributions towards internal and external program/project assessments and evaluations and ensure together with Head of MEAL, the execution of baseline, periodic, and final evaluations as necessary in coordination with PMs/POs, TAs and any other relevant staff;
• Together with the HQ desk ensure that technical staff (both Technical Advisors and Program Managers) provide input into proposals and proactively and regularly communicate planned requirements for program design and implementation;
• Promotes participation and accountability towards beneficiaries, local authorities, local partners and  donors.

Projects/Program Design

• Take a lead role in developing program strategies and annual plans ensuring coordination of all technical input to country strategy, proposals and reports;
• Actively support and contribute to the development of new project proposals, within existing PIN programs and in line with PIN country strategy and PIN Relief and Development Department strategy; 
• Network among donors and key stakeholders to actively seek funding opportunities, help increase the quality of proposals, understand donor priorities and ensure coordination;
• Ensure the design and development of development and emergency programs of a high quality that contribute to the PIN global and country strategies and plans.

Human Resources & Capacity Development

• Lead the recruitment of key programme staff as line manager, and validate other recruitments of programme staff with due respect of high-quality standards and fair and unbiased procedures;
• Ensure team collaborative work and exchange of experience across the Programme structure; directly facilitate team work among line-managed staff and units, and recommend and ensure that team work and integrated approaches are streamlined in different levels and with other unit;
• Together with CD and RD, ensures that current and future human resource needs are identified and correspondingly budgeted reflecting the current and forecasted scope of the country programme;
• Coaching, mentoring and other developmental opportunities, including participation to the development of capacity building plans for national staff in the programme department.

Learning and Information Sharing

• Contribute to sharing of experiences, lessons learned, and good practice across sites and from other PIN country programs and promotion of learning from relevant best practices internally and externally;
• Ensure that all official program documentation is properly stored and available for the future;
• Sets time for one’s own capacity building, including people management skills.

Representation & External Relations

• Support the Country Director to ensure that PIN is well represented and visible in the donor community, among key stakeholders and partners, and within coordination fora, delegating as appropriate to programme staff;
• Help establish, maintain, and improve active and regular working relationships with central and local government authorities, donors, partner agencies including major institutional donors, local and international NGO, and other actors of the local civil society;
• Supervise program staff attending and participating in cluster/fora/platforms, focusing on clusters/areas where PIN has comparative advantage (strategic priority) and thus also consequently to empower national staff to represent PIN in more specific technical fields.

Main requirements:

Experience

• Minimum 5 years of professional experience in development and/or humanitarian programming, with demonstrated involvement in programme and project implementation in Eastern Partnership or comparable contexts.
• At least 2 years of experience in senior or middle management roles, such as Programme Manager, Portfolio Manager, or similar positions with responsibility for overseeing and supporting project teams.
• Solid experience in humanitarian and development sectors relevant to PIN Moldova’s portfolio, such as civil society support, inclusive governance, protection, social inclusion, cash, livelihoods, education, agriculture, , , or climate resilience programming.
• Proven experience managing and coordinating multi-partner or consortium-based initiatives.
• Experience engaging and collaborating with high-level governmental stakeholders, including representatives of central and local government institutions, and representing programmes in institutional and policy dialogue.
• Experience supporting Project Managers across the full Project Cycle Management, including planning, implementation, monitoring, reporting, and project closure.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to guide, support, and coordinate Programme Managers and Project Managers and engage effectively with donors, partners, and internal teams.
• Good contextual understanding of the Moldovan operating environment, including humanitarian needs, development challenges, and coordination mechanisms.
• Strong programme planning and coordination skills, ensuring coherence between project objectives, donor requirements, workplans, and budgets.
• Proven ability to operate effectively in complex, high-pressure, and evolving environments, including emergency and politically sensitive contexts.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, enabling timely identification of implementation risks and support to practical, solutions-oriented responses.
• High commitment to quality programming, accountability, and continuous improvement, including the use of monitoring data to inform decision-making.
• Demonstrated commitment to safeguarding, protection mainstreaming, and accountability to affected populations, in line with PIN policies and humanitarian principles.

We offer:

• Working environment in a well-established humanitarian organization in a challenging context;
• Salary & Benefits: Salary based on PIN’s salary scale and HR policies; expected salary range between 3000 - 3450 EUR super gross (based on experience).
• Additional allowances include:

• • Monthly Subsistence Allowance of 1440 EUR;
  • Accommodation provided by PIN/Monthly Housing Allowance of up to 750 EUR;

• Time off and Rest:

• • 25 days of holiday annually;
  • 10 sick days

• Travel benefits:

• • Reimbursement of travel expenses with travel to the country of residence once every 6 months of work;
  • Reimbursement of costs of visas and vaccinations; assistance with the visa application procedure;
  • Reimbursement for the medical check-up before and after the deployment;
  • Travel health insurance covering medical care, incl. the repatriation;

• Health and Well-being:
• • 24/7 Medical Support available online;
  • Free psychological consultations available online;
• Professional Development: Free access to e-learning platforms and PIN Learning Hub; PIN’s global Induction Training, and tailored capacity-building opportunities;
• This positions is unaccompanied.

How to apply:

If you are interested in this position, send us your CV and short cover letter via our application form.
Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis. Candidates will be assessed as applications are received, and the recruitment process may be closed before the stated deadline if a suitable candidate is identified.

People in Need is committed to preventing any type of unwanted behaviour at work including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, lack of integrity and financial misconduct and committed to promoting the welfare of children and adults with whom People in Need involves. People in Need expects all staff to perform job duties and responsibilities in accordance with People in Need code of conduct and key policies (available at: https://www.peopleinneed.net/key-policies-4142gp). People in Need Staff will undertake the appropriate level of training.
All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks.
We are committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organization and encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.