Project Coordinator- BER Phase II Field -Bale, Oromia, Ethiopia

Location: Bale Zone, Oromia
Salary:  GBP 1099 (One Thousand Nine Hundred Ninety Nine Sterling)
Deadline: Dec 16, 2022

Job Description

JOB TITLE: BER Phase II Field Project Coordinator

REPORTS TO: Programme Manager

REPORTING TO POSTHOLDER: 16

 LOCATION: Bale Zone

DURATION & HOURS: Until April 30, 2024, with 60 working days probationary period and a high probability of extension based on the availability of funds.

About Farm Africa                                                                                               

Farm Africa, founded in 1985, is an international non-governmental organization working in Ethiopia since 1988. We drive agricultural and environmental change to improve lives. Our strategy has three pillars: agricultural expertise, management and preservation of ecosystems, and the power of business to drive prosperity. We believe Africa has the power to feed itself and are helping make this happen by establishing and spreading the best farming and forestry techniques so that poor farmers and herders have more food to feed their families and supply to the market. We help smallholders who are managing their natural resources sustainably to withstand climate change challenges and shocks and ensure their families have enough food in the future as well as now. Farm Africa works in partnership with communities, government, local and international organizations, and the private sector to innovate, learn and share best practices for maximum impact of our projects.

BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT BALE PROJECT

The Bale Eco-Region is one of the three key eco-regions in Ethiopia that is critically important to determine the food security status of the local community. Bale Ecoregion is located in the Southeast of the country within three administration zones (Bale, East Bale, and West Aris). The Ecoregion comprises the Bale Mountains National Park and six high forest priority areas. Farm Africa is currently implementing the integrated landscape and multisector development project in the Bale ecoregion in partnership with SoS Sahel-Ethiopia, FZS, PHE-EC, and IWMI. The project has been operational, since, 2019 with financial support from the European Union and will be implemented until April 2024. The main focus of the BER phase-2 project is to ensure sustainable natural resources management at the wider landscape and support the livelihood of rural communities.

KEY TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

 The BER phase II field Project Coordinator (PC), will work closely with the BER Phase II Programme Manager (PM) based in Farm Africa Addis Ababa Country Office, and responsible for leading and coordinating the overall program implementation in the Bale Eco-Region.

He/she provides continuous backstopping for the targeted woredas management, planning, implementation, playing a leading role in coordination with field implementation of all partners, assisting the PM in internal and external project reporting, financial management, partner engagement, and monitoring and evaluation of the program activities, outputs, and impacts. These responsibilities involve ensuring that the field-level program activities of all partner organizations are integrated effectively and all relevant stakeholders at all levels are fully engaged.

Specific duties and responsibilities

 Project implementation

·         Ensure that the project activities are implemented and outputs are achieved as planned and within the agreed budget.

·         Manage the project within the agreed budget and apply value for money in decision-making.

·         Participate in country-level or Farm Africa program meetings with other project coordinators, as requested by the Country Director, Head of program, or PM

·         Review progress regularly, submitting quarterly internal progress review reports outlining progress, issues, and actions being taken in the standard format.

·         Undertake re-forecasts, where required, to reflect changing financial and operational context (e.g., inflation, exchange rates) and the project’s activity

·         Proactively identify any required changes to donor-agreed work plans, objectives, and/or budgets, working with the PM and Country Directors to agree and implement necessary contract revisions or renegotiations

·         Ensure the timely submission of the Donor narrative report to the program manager as per the reporting requirements indicated in the agreement.

·         Proactively identify and with the line manager any risks related to project implementation and work with partner staff to implement action plans to resolve identified risks

·         Promoting the project, including hosting visitors, speaking at workshops and conferences, and meeting donors and other officials when required.

·         Contribute to the development and implementation of Farm Africa’s strategy and drive for excellence

Finance and procurement

·         Request cash and report expenditures timely as per FA’s financial calendar;

·         Implement internal project financial controls, ensuring that financial management in the project field office follows and exceeds the basic standards contained in the Farm Africa finance procedures manual.

·         Review budget monitoring reports and provide timely explanations and corrective actions for any significant variances

·         Ensure procurement of goods and services follow the donor’s financial requirements.

·         Work with the PM to monitor financial risks, developing and implementing mitigation actions as needed

·         Ensure compliance with donor procurement and other contractual requirements

Staff management

·         In liaison with partners and the Programme Manager, lead on the recruitment of new staff to the project team.

·         Hold (at least) monthly staff meetings and send minutes and key action points to the relevant stakeholders

·         Provide leadership and motivation to all project staff building values-based team working and individual staff skills relevant to the project.

·         Regularly provide both informal and formal coaching and feedback to all project staff

·         Effectively and promptly deal with any poor performance and actively recognize and encourage strong performance

·         Actively seek feedback on own performance and effectiveness from both country leadership as well as own project staff.

·         Hold in-person supervision sessions with all line-managed staff at least once per quarter (to discuss progress against their personal development objectives and work targets) and carry out in-person annual appraisals with all line-managed staff

Partnership management

·         Facilitate regular meetings of the technical committee, set agenda, take minutes, ensure all partners are up to date and inputs are translated to project implementation;

·         Conduct joint progress review sessions with implementing partners as well as participate in internal Farm Africa learning and review sessions to assess any adjustments needed to the project implementation plans and budget allocations

·         Participate in quarterly project progress review sessions with stakeholders including an in-depth review of financial spend/burn rate; achievement against activity and output plan, and a forward look on whether the project is achieving its objectives, indicators, and beneficiaries.

·         Ensure compliance of the project to the Charities and Societies Agency’s directives.

·         Provide a formal representation of the project with respect to key signatory government parties, and ensure periodic reports are submitted to them on a timely basis.

Monitoring and learning

·         Working with Farm Africa’s PM Head of Programmes, and other stakeholders, develop and implement a project monitoring and evaluation process that meets the basic internal and donor monitoring and outcome reporting requirements.

·         Ensure the project’s log-frame and data collection plans are regularly reviewed and refreshed, and the project is collecting the breadth of indicators required at a frequency and timing in line with reporting purposes

·         Oversee baseline, mid-term, final evaluation, and other external evaluations, ensuring that learning and recommendations from those evaluations are explicitly incorporated into the project’s future implementation activity

·         Lead the project’s annual self-assessment process ensuring that necessary evidence is collected and all staff are actively inputting into the process

·         Ensure that the project is regularly (at least quarterly) conducting beneficiary surveys, collecting other data through relevant sources, developing case studies, and collating photos

·         Work closely with partner organizations to jointly monitor and contribute lessons learned, ensure dissemination, and maintain dialogue on key project findings

These essential functions are not to be interpreted as a complete statement of all duties performed. Employees will be required to perform other job-related duties as required. All work responsibilities are subject to having performance goals and/or targets established.

Job Requirements

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential

Desirable

Education, qualifications & other knowledge

MSc/degree/above in developmental studies, agriculture, natural resources management, livelihood development, rural development, landscape management, integrated watershed management, and related disciplines. Training, experience, and skills in project cycle management is a positive value to the qualification required
The practical work experience in integrated landscape and multisector approach,

participatory forest management, climate-smart agriculture, rural development, and livelihood interventions.

Practical work experience working with community-based institutions

 

 

Good understanding and firm belief in gender equality and issues in rural communities Demonstrated professional and personal attitude towards gender equality

Experience

Project Management
A minimum of 5 years of relevant NGO experience in project management. Good experiences in generating project lessons and practical understanding of the project design, planning, implementation, project monitoring, evaluation, and reporting.  
Experience in developing, implementing, and reviewing participatory planning, monitoring, and evaluation processes. Demonstrated ability to incorporate results of these activities into project design and implementation. Experience in managing M&E studies
Proven ability to work in effective communication, team building, good relationship, trust, respect, and positive thinking with staff, partners, and community members.  
Demonstrated independent and proactive attitude towards project management  
Experience in financial management, including the ability to develop, read and manage budgets; and rapidly spot potential issues and solutions  
Stakeholder & Line Management
Demonstrated leadership, line management, and team building experience – including appraisal and managing underperformance. Experience in leading teams in problem-solving
Proven experience in stimulating successful delivery of the project by all team members as well as staff development, creating open and collaborative team environments that encourage contributions of the whole team Experience in combining coaching with effective and insightful feedback on strengths, development areas, and ways to grow
Proven experience and ability in coordination, management, and negotiation with implementing partners and other stakeholders (government and donors)  
Ability to build strong relationships with stakeholders based on trust, collaboration, demonstrated commitment, and impact, deploying a wide range of influencing techniques as required  
Excellent network and excellent relationship with government partners  
Skills & abilities
Excellent written and oral communication and presentation skills with the ability to work with both Government and Private Sector stakeholders  
Excellent record of writing including briefs, project reports, communication, and dissemination materials  
Fluent in written and spoken Amharic and English Other local languages/Afaan Oromoo is a plus
Ability and willingness to travel widely and frequently to rural areas.  
Good knowledge of computer Microsoft word  including Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint  

 

Our Values

Investing in smallholder farming is the number one way to combat poverty in rural Africa. Farm Africa is a leading NGO specializing in growing agriculture, protecting the environment, and developing businesses in rural Africa.

EXPERT: Expertise and insightful evidence-based solutions are at the heart of everything Farm Africa does.

GROUNDED: Our teams and partners work closely with local communities, engaging them in every level of decision-making.

IMPACTFUL: We deliver long-lasting change for farmers, their families, and the environments they live in.

BOLD: We model innovative approaches and are not afraid to challenge strategies that are failing.

How to Apply

Those who meet the above requirements should submit their short CV (maximum of 2 pages) and a cover letter (1 page) addressing ethrecruitment@farmafrica.org with the subject BER Phase-2 Field Project Coordinator by 16 December 2022.
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.
Farm Africa is an equal opportunity employer and promotes gender equity. Canvassing will lead to automatic disqualification. Farm Africa does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process. (E.g. Application, interview, meeting, processing, training, or any other fees). Any interested internal and external staff can apply for the post.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button