Netherlands: Programme Manager - Child Labour Minerals

Duty Station: The Hague, The Netherlands

Contract Type: Full time (36 hours per week), One year fixed contract with possibility of extension, subject to availability of funds.

Reports to: Head of Programme - WFCL programme

Staff Reporting to this post: None

Budget Responsibilities: Yes, Mica programme

Starting Date: as soon as possible

Deadline of Applications: 21st of February 2024 - end of day

Job Level: 11

Salary Range: Between € 4000 and € 5200 gross per month based on a full time (36 hours per week) contract. Based on the Netherlands rates and depending on level of experience.

Permits required: Candidates are required to have the right work and residence permits in the country where the role is advertised.

Terre des Hommes: 

Terre des Hommes Netherlands is part of the International Federation of Terre des Hommes organisations, a strategic partnership of member organisations sharing the same brand name and core values for joint lobby and advocacy around children’s rights. Terre des Hommes Netherlands (TdH NL) protects children by preventing and stopping child exploitation, and by empowering children to make their voices count. Our work is grounded in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and seeks to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Under our new Global Strategy (2023 - 2030), TdH NL is redefining and refining our role as a child rights organisation, with the strategic ambition that “by 2030, Terre des Hommes Netherlands is a catalyst for systemic change to stop child exploitation. We do this by empowering children and their communities, connecting them with those who have power to enact change, and utilising our knowledge and expertise to co-create sustainable, evidence-based solutions.”

TdH Netherlands is led by a two-headed Executive Team: the Executive Director and the CEO.

The values of TdH Netherlands are: Responsible, Bold, Human-Centred and Playful.

The organisation's core principles are:

1. Children at the Centre,
2. Intersectionality and Power Awareness,
3. Safety and Wellbeing,
4. Sustainability, and
5. Meaningful and Strategic Partnerships.

In line with our new strategy, TdH NL is in the process of establishing three thematic programmes under which our portfolio of humanitarian and development projects and programmes will be managed. These are: 1. Worst Forms of Child Labour, 2. Sexual Exploitation of Children, and 3. Humanitarian Action. Our programmatic work is supported by two cross-programmatic units: Programme Development and Quality (PDQ), and Research, Expertise and Influencing (REI). Aligned to our new strategy, and based on many years of experience as a child rights organisation, we aim to consolidate our expertise and programme management, informed by research, to bring about sustainable and systemic change in the lives of children, and to hold duty bearers accountable.

The focus of TdH NL regarding humanitarian action is on child protection in emergencies (CPiE), with a particular focus on the protection of children from exploitation.

The Mica/Minerals Programme: 

TdH NL’s Mica/minerals programme aims to contribute to the elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour (WFCL). The current primary focus is the mica sector (in India and Madagascar) with the vision of programme development around raw materials and minerals, especially critical or strategic minerals. The Mica programme currently consists of three projects in Madagascar and two projects in India as well as global level lobby & advocacy and private sector engagement activities, including the membership in the multi-stakeholder Responsible Mica Initiative (RMI) and advocacy in the Netherlands, the EU and globally. In relation to a possible expansion of the programme to include critical minerals, it is necessary to first identify through research where the gaps and opportunities lie.

Position Summary: 

TdH NL is looking for a Programme Manager - Child Labour, Minerals (PM-M) to be based in The Hague, The Netherlands, to support the Worst Forms of Child Labour programme activities, advocacy and policy work of TdH NL.

The Programme Manager (PM-M) is responsible for the strategic design and management of the Mica Programme and for contributing to the development of the Minerals Programme, in alignment with TdH NL’s thematic Programme on WFCL/Child Labour and the Listen Up! strategy. This includes providing thought leadership on its strategic direction, planning and (re)design of the programme’s evidence-based intervention model, fundraising and programme development, lobby and advocacy, and private sector engagement.

The Programme Manager - Child Labour, Minerals (PM-M) will:

• Provide strategic direction to ensure overall alignment with the Mica programme and Thematic Programme frameworks.
• As part of the WFCL programme, provide technical support and input to the overall objectives of the WFCL programme.
• Coordinate with relevant teams including Regional and Country Offices to ensure the quality and timely submission of reports to donors and provide the final revision.
• Link local and global advocacy research and advocacy/campaign efforts.
• Give final approval of annual plans and reports.
• Attend and represent the organisation at events and engage in lobbying and advocacy efforts.

Position in the Organisation: 

The PM-M is part of the thematic Programme WFCL team and is hierarchically managed by the Head of Programme (HoP) WFCL. They work in very close collaboration with the HoP WFCL for content development of future programmes, as well as the India and Madagascar country office staff and Regional Directors and the Programme and EU advocacy officer in Brussels. They also regularly collaborate with staff from the Research, Expertise & Influencing team, with the Communications team for external communications and campaigns, as well as with the Programme Development & Quality and Resource Mobilisation Teams to further develop the programme and raise funds.

Since the WFCL programme is in the process of being newly created, this position will be reviewed from the perspective of the overall functional needs of the team. An assessment of these needs is anticipated within 4 to 6 months. Therefore the position requires flexibility and adaptability from the position holder and their contribution to the thinking about and determining the optimal team functions and composition.

Core Responsibilities: 

Programme Design and Development: 

• Harmonising the current mica projects within a common mica programme framework in line with the WFCL thematic programme;
• Reviewing the mica programme Theory of Change, results framework and intervention models, and updating them in light of the TdH NL strategy and WFCL thematic programme ToC;
• Supporting the identification of funding and strategic partners and liaising projects with partners for campaigning and research purposes.

Programme Management and Delivery: 

• Ensuring on time, on scope and on budget programme implementation by giving strategic direction to the India and Madagascar project portfolio;
• Delivering on the global level activities included in the programme;
• Facilitating good practice identification, sharing and learning among the relevant teams;
• Conducting monitoring, evaluation, learning and reporting: validating the generated data for strategic decision making on a programme level and providing regular updates and reports for internal and external stakeholders;
• Designing and steering the Global Research and Learning and the Lobby & Advocacy agendas of the Mica/Minerals Programme with the ultimate objective of influencing systemic change to eradicate WFCL in the Mica/Mineral supply chains in light of geopolitical trends, shifting power dynamics, adapting to, developing and evolving legal human rights,due diligence developments, and global good practices;
• Engaging with the private sector by leading direct and collective private sector engagement; managing relations with current private sector partners (including Mercedes Benz and the Responsible Mica Initiative); building new private sector partnerships; and supporting the Private Sector Engagement (PSE) team in holding the private sector accountable through direct engagement, research, campaigns, and collaboration with the Communications and Fundraising teams.

Networking, Fundraising and Representation: 

• In close collaboration with the WFCL HoP, cultivate and maintain strategic relationships with key duty bearers and stakeholders such as NL governmental bodies, EU regional bodies (in coordination with the EU advocacy project officer), UN agencies, donors, the TDHIF, other (I)NGOs as well as the private sector;
• Identifying new funding sources and working closely with the Resource Mobilisation and country teams to develop quality proposals that contribute to a focused and evidence based mica/minerals programme;
• Representing TdH NL at relevant conferences, events and meetings to position TdH NL as an expert on WFCL, identify new trends and developments in (addressing) WFCL in mica/minerals mining, and increase visibility of the Mica/Minerals program and the overall organisation;
• Ensuring effective internal and external communication of the mica programme’s results, global trends and developments and, in close collaboration with the communications and fundraising teams, engaging with the media, key duty bearers, consumers, and TdH institutional, private and major donors and other relevant stakeholders.

Core Knowledge & Competencies: 

• Strong technical background in designing/researching prevention and response interventions to address child labour;
• Solid track record in programme management delivering quality programs and technical support to implementing teams;
• A strong understanding of social sustainability issues, especially child labour, in Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM), mineral value chains, and the impacts in the affected communities and families;
• Substantial experience in creating and implementing advocacy and influencing strategies, particularly within the Dutch advocacy arena and connecting local/regional influencing agendas;
• Experience in partnership building, including private sector engagement, and proven ability to create and maintain working relationships with other relevant organisations and alliances;
• Good understanding of child safeguarding and of inclusion of intersectionality aspects in all steps of the project cycle.

Additionally, we seek:

• Ability to lead, train and inspire other staff and partners in their respective tasks in a professional, respectful and supportive manner;
• Experience in evidence-based programmatic work geared towards systemic change - a key component of our new strategic approach;
• Strong team spirit and collaboration skills demonstrated by the ability to work in a networked organisation, and promote collaborative initiatives across teams and beyond formal reporting lines;
• Excellent oral and written communication skills to be able to convey a representation of the organisation effectively and accurately to a variety of audiences as well as draft and proofread written documents;
• Excellent listening and observation skills, including the ability to establish trust, provide support, foster respect and engage effectively with a wide range of stakeholders;
• An innovative, positive and forward-thinking approach to all aspects of work guided by an outstanding strategic vision;
• Substantial experience working in southern countries and with southern counterparts;
• The highest personal and professional integrity along with an optimistic outlook;
• Ability to work with minimal supervision;
• Flexibility to adjust to changing circumstances while maintaining focus on the long term vision;
• Ability to effectively solve problems.

Education & Experience: 

• Master’s degree in relevant fields of study such as Sustainable Development, International Development, Social Work, Child/Human Rights or a combination of academic training and experience to an equivalent level;
• Minimum of 7 years experience in programme management and advocacy;
• Experience in child labour preferable in minerals/mica supply chains;
• Field experience preferably in Africa and/or Asia;
• Proven experience in advocacy and influencing in the Netherlands;
• Good command of English, Dutch and French.

Our Commitment to Diversity, Integrity and Child Safeguarding: 

We are not looking for just one type of person - we want to recruit people who can add fresh perspectives, innovative ideas and challenge our thinking. We are especially interested in people whose lived experiences help us to see things we might otherwise miss, and enable us to do better work with and for children. Whether or not you meet 100% of the criteria, we want to hear from you, because we know that different voices, ideas, perspectives and knowledge, working together will enable us to better the lives of children around the world.

TdH NL is committed to ensuring diversity and gender equality within our organisation. We continue to learn about intersectional considerations and power distribution within our organisation and our work. We are dedicated to preventing and eradicating any type of misconduct including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, any other type of misuse of power, lack of integrity or financial misconduct.

Note: We place a high priority on ensuring that only those who share and demonstrate our values are recruited to work for us, this includes a commitment to diversity and inclusion at all levels of our work. All offers of employment will therefore be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which include a valid criminal record check, terrorism finance checks, and/or integrity screenings/references relating to misconduct and disciplinary actions in prior employment.

TdH NL is particularly committed to keeping children and vulnerable individuals safe, and has zero tolerance on (child) abuse. Every TdH NL employee is bound by the TdH NL Code of Conduct that describes the expected behaviour by staff, in particular with regards to Safeguarding children and (young) adults in our programmes. Child safeguarding measures are part of our selection and recruitment process. By submitting your application you accept that TdH NL will conduct such pre-employment screening for successful candidates. TdH NL participates in the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme.

How to Apply: 

Interested? Apply here!

If you have any questions about this vacancy, kindly send us an email at vacature@tdh.nl.