Federation Technical Deputy Director- Technical and Programmes

RIF works to strengthen survivor-centred prevention and response systems, promote gender equality, support evidence-based programming, and facilitate cross-border collaboration on issues affecting women and girls within the Mano River Union region. Through its member organisations, the Federation delivers integrated services including medical care, psychosocial support, legal referrals, safeguarding, advocacy, research, community engagement, and systems strengthening.

RIF is committed to building strong national institutions, fostering local leadership, and ensuring that women and girls, particularly those most vulnerable and marginalized, have access to quality services, protection, justice, and opportunities to thrive in safe and inclusive communities.

For over two decades, Rainbo has pioneered survivor-centred services, advocacy, research, prevention programming, and systems strengthening through its network of Rainbo Centres, partnerships with governments, and collaboration with national, regional, and international stakeholders. For more information on Rainbo Initiative, please visit: www.rainboinitiative.org 

Reporting directly to the Executive Director, the postholder provides strategic leadership, programme quality oversight, technical direction, institutional strengthening, and coordination of the federation across Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea.

The role is responsible for driving programme excellence, strategic growth, innovation, safeguarding, learning, accountability, research, partnership development, and organisational impact. The postholder will ensure the effective implementation of the Federation Strategic Plan and support the Executive Director in positioning Rainbo Initiative as a leading regional organisation on Gender Equality, SGBV prevention and response, women’s rights, safeguarding, and survivor-centred programming.

The Federation Technical Deputy Director will serve as the principal technical advisor to the Executive Director and Board on programme quality, strategy, organisational development, research, innovation, safeguarding, and regional expansion.

1. Strategic Leadership

• Lead implementation of the Rainbo Initiative Federation Strategic Plan.
• Support the Executive Director in organisational growth, expansion, and sustainability.
• Provide technical leadership for strategic planning, annual operational planning, and organisational performance reviews.
• Lead federation-wide programme development and strategic initiatives.
• Support governance structures through technical advice and strategic guidance.
• Organisational Development

• Strengthen institutional systems, policies, standards, and programme frameworks.
• Promote innovation, learning, knowledge management, and continuous improvement.
• Lead organisational change and transformation initiatives.
• Support development of new country programmes and strategic partnerships.

• Provide strategic oversight of all programme portfolios across Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea.
• Ensure delivery of high-quality survivor-centred programmes aligned with international standards and best practice.
• Lead implementation of the Programme Quality and Accountability Framework.
• Ensure programmes remain gender-transformative, disability-inclusive, safeguarding-centred, and evidence-driven.

Technical Oversight

Provide technical leadership in:

• Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV)
• Child Protection
• Women’s Rights and Empowerment
• Survivor-Centred Programming
• Safeguarding
• Disability Inclusion
• Cross-Border Programming
• Mental Health and Psychosocial Support
• Research and Evidence Generation

Quality Assurance

• Review programme performance and impact.
• Ensure programme learning informs adaptation and improvement.
• Lead programme reviews, evaluations, and technical audits.
• Support quality assurance of donor reports and key deliverables.

• Lead federation-wide research, evidence generation, and learning initiatives.

• Promote evidence-based programming and policy influence.
• Strengthen organisational knowledge management systems.
• Oversee operational research, evaluations, studies, and publications.
• Build partnerships with universities, research institutions, and technical agencies.
• Ensure lessons learned are documented and shared internally and externally

Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning 

• Provide strategic oversight of the Federation MEAL framework.
• Ensure programme monitoring systems generate quality data for decision-making.
• Promote data use, accountability, and organisational learning.
• Strengthen digital reporting and performance management systems.
• Review organisational performance against strategic indicators.

• Lead development of high-quality proposals and concept notes.
• Support donor engagement and fundraising efforts.
• Identify strategic funding opportunities across the Federation.

Partnerships

• Develop and maintain relationships with governments, donors, UN agencies, INGOs, foundations, and civil society networks.
• Represent Rainbo Initiative in national, regional, and international forums.
• Promote South-South learning and regional collaboration.

Systems Development

• Lead initiatives to strengthen internal systems, processes, and standard operating procedures.
• Promote digital transformation and organisational efficiency initiatives, including Rainbo Connect and other management systems.
• Ensure operational systems support programme delivery and organisational growth.

• Provide strategic oversight of safeguarding across the Federation.
• Ensure safeguarding remains central to all programmes and partnerships.
• Monitor programme risks and mitigation measures.
• Support compliance with donor requirements and organisational policies.
• Oversee implementation of audit recommendations relating to programmes and safeguarding.
• Promote accountability and ethical programming.
• Monitor compliance with donor regulations, statutory obligations, organisational policies, and safeguarding standards.
• Promote organisational values, safeguarding principles, and a positive workplace culture.

• Coordinate technical collaboration between Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea.
• Lead regional learning exchanges and cross-border programming initiatives.
• Strengthen harmonisation of technical standards and programme approaches.
• Represent Rainbo Initiative Federation at regional and international events.
• Act on behalf of the Executive Director when delegated.

• Foster teamwork, collaboration, accountability, and high performance across the organisation.
• Support staff development, coaching, mentoring, and succession planning.

• Master’s Degree in Gender Studies, Public Health, Social Sciences, Development Studies, International Development, Human Rights, Law, Public Policy, or a related field.

Experience

• Minimum 7 to 10 years of progressively senior leadership experience in programme management and organisational development.
• At least 5 years in a senior management position.
• Demonstrated experience managing multi-country or regional programmes.
• Strong expertise in SGBV, safeguarding, gender equality, women’s rights, and survivor-centred programming.
• Proven track record in donor engagement, resource mobilisation, and partnership management.
• Experience working with governments, donors, UN agencies, and civil society networks.

Core Competencies

• Strategic Leadership
• Programme Quality and Technical Excellence
• Resource Mobilisation
• Research and Evidence Generation
• Safeguarding Leadership
• Organisational Development
• Federation Coordination
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Change Management
• Innovation and Learning
• Communication and Representation

• Locally Driven – We believe in the power of communities to identify lasting solutions that resonate with their unique socio-cultural context in addressing SGBV. We therefore inspire communities to dialogue and act to fight SGBV in their localities.
• Inclusion – We are dedicated to providing age-appropriate services to everyone who needs our services irrespective of age, religion, and sexuality.
• Survivors Solidarity – We stand and work together with survivors for a fairer, just and supportive society. We include survivors in our governance and programming. We connect with them and promote initiatives that promote their well-being, rights and efforts to amplify their voices to find lasting solutions for a safer society.
• Trust – We know that the people we work with trust us. We will never compromise such trust and will ensure the people we work with continue to compromise such trust and will ensure the people we work with continue to rely on the character of our employees and the organisation. We are accountable, open, and transparent with our resources and to ourselves, survivors, partners and donors for everything we do.
• Evidence-Based – We are data-driven, and we continuously seek best practices to improve our work. We pride ourselves in gathering evidence to inform and shape our intervention and to shape policies and practices.
• Network & Partnership-We reach out, collaborate, and build trusted and mutually beneficial relationships with the government, partners, donors, survivors, women’s groups, religious bodies and the community to increase our voices, investment and supportive environment for a society free of SGBV.
• Excellence – We each do our best to deliver excellent services and programming. We support our staff in their professional development.
• Respect – We respect the wishes and choices of our survivors, partners, and staff. We maintain the dignity of SGBV survivors and facilitate a stronger sense of self-esteem among our staff and survivors. We hold our values in high esteem and always maintain confidentiality in dealing with SGBV survivors.
• “LISTENER” – Rainbo Initiative empowering communities to end Gender-Based Violence. In addition to our values, we hold safeguarding at the centre of our work; we ensure that our board, staff and partners uphold safeguarding in all that they do. We strengthen our approach to safeguarding and ensure that all those we serve, especially children, young people and vulnerable adults, are safeguarded from abuse, harm and neglect.

Women and Persons with disabilities are highly encouraged to apply.