Takween’s mission focuses on innovative and concrete solutions that have been researched, tested and implemented to meet the needs of communities and their specific built environments to achieve inclusive urban spaces that will thrive for generations to come.  With this mission, Takween aims to improve the quality for inhabitants living in cities across Egypt and the Middle East.

Takween Integrated Community Development is seeking an experienced Program Director to lead two of the VISIT-Esna Project's main components:

Firstly, an economic development component focusing on engaging with the Private Sector and building the capacity of local MSMEs to develop high-yield tourism products and services from the local community at selected sites. This component aims to increase economic benefits to the local community from tourism development activities through improved employment opportunities and better revenue retention.

Secondly, it is to work with the different partners to establish and promote Esna's brand image based on- and accentuates the city's multilayered, diverse, and unique cultural heritage assets. The aim here is to change the perception of the tourism industry regarding the diverse cultural heritage assets and tourism offerings in Esna and offer a unique Visitor Experience resulting in an increased number of visitors and tourism revenues captured by the local community.

Under the direct supervision of the Chief of Party, the Program Director is expected to provide leadership and guidance to the Visit-Esna efforts in evidence-based programming aligned with the project's objectives and follows USAID regulations.

• The primary function of the Program Director is to support the Chief of Party in providing technical oversight to all activities related to economic development and tourism promotion;

• As part of the senior leadership team, the Program Director also plays an active role in planning, designing, implementation, supervision, expansion/development, and administration of overall activities in collaboration with the senior leadership team, in addition to program development and reporting responsibilities;

• The Program Director is expected to be based in Esna/Luxor to support the field team;

Program Management / Technical Responsibilities

• Initiating and setting goals for programs according to the strategic objectives of the organization;

• Planning the programs from start to completion involving deadlines, milestones, and processes;

• Devise evaluation strategies to monitor performance and determine the need for improvements;

• Supervise all relevant program and project managers to provide feedback and resolve complex problems;

• Discover ways to enhance the efficiency and productivity of procedures and people;

• Apply change, risk, and resource management principles when needed;

• Review reports prepared by managers to determine progress and issues;

• Ensure program operations and activities adhere to legal guidelines and internal policies;

• Keep senior management informed with detailed and accurate reports or presentations;

• Identify and communicate with potential project partners to implement activities and programs leading to the fulfillment of the project objectives;

Administrative and Financial Management

• Review consultants' contracts, requests for payments, and claims --in compliance with Takween and the client's policies and procedures—to ensure the proper management of consultants' contracts and the timely implementation of the planned activities;

• Supervise the archiving of the projects' data (reports, documents, etc.) to ensure the proper maintenance and accessibility of the projects' archives;

• Work with the Chief of Party, Logistics Coordinator, and Finance Admin Director to ensure the coordination of timely delivery of program supplies and expenses are within budget;

Human Resources Management

• Guide the selection, recruitment, and training of program staff;

• Technically supervise, orient, monitor, and evaluate program staff;

• Oversee and evaluate the performance of subordinate staff and manage their workloads to ensure their motivation, their effective performance, and the proper implementation of the company's HR policies;

• Determine training needs for program staff and facilitate the participation of these staff in necessary training in order to build capacity and increase job responsibilities;

Communication and Reporting

• Track and report to the Chief of Party progress of technical activities through production and tracking of time schedules to: i) monitor technical progress vs. approved time schedules and budgets, ii) analyze the results based on the facts achieved, iii) forecast future technical achievements, and iv) carry out necessary adjustments and rescheduling to meet the project's scheduled objectives and deadlines;

• Supervise the preparation and timely submission of technical progress and final reports and collection of Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) data required by the project management and the different project stakeholders to ensure the accuracy, quality, and timeliness of the required reports and materials;

• Maintain regular communication with the Chief of Party, other Senior Management Team members, field-level senior staff, and other project stakeholders to ensure project activities and objectives are achieved;

Assistance to Higher Management Levels

• Assist the Chief of Party in the preparation of MEL reports, site visits, projects presentations, and any related communication materials required for the good communication of the projects objectives, policies, activities, and achievements to higher management and different stakeholders;

• Assist the Chief of Party in achieving the objectives of the project through dissemination and awareness activities, engaging the project stakeholders;

• Assess and control risk, forecast potential opportunities and threats facing the implementation of the project activities, and provide the Chief of Party with the necessary advice to ensure that proper actions and preventive measures are timely taken;