Project Manager – Ewa, Afar

Internal/External

Re – Advertisement

IR/INT/EXT/VN/060.23
August 11, 2023

Post title:                        Project Manager

Report to:                       Head of Programmes

Duty Station:                 Afar Regional State, Ewa

Salary:                             As per the organizations scale

Required:                       One

Duration                         One year with possible extension

Introduction:

Islamic Relief is an international relief and development charity founded in 1984 with its headquarters in Birmingham, UK. As well as responding to disasters and emergencies, Islamic Relief promotes sustainable economic and social development by working with local communities – regardless of race, religion or gender. The office officially started operation in Ethiopia in 2004. Islamic Relief Ethiopia (IRE) is operational in the Somali Regional State with a base office in Jigjiga, Hargelle, Elkere, Bare, GG and Dekasuftu, Afar Regional State; Ewa, Awra and Gulina; Oromia regional State, West Harergeye, Chiro and Meayso Woredas and an additional operational office in Addis Ababa. For more information please visit our website: http://www.islamic-relief.org/work-with-us

Job Overview/Summary

Reporting to the Head of Programmes, the Project manager will be responsible to lead the planning, executing, coordinating, monitoring, and controlling of the Afar Livelihood Restoration and Reconstruction Project to conflict affected Communities in Zone Four (Zakat Project) in Afar regional state to ensure IRE’s interventions are completed in a timely fashion, within budget and in line with commitments in donor contracts and government MoUs as well as IRE internal policies and procedures. The Project Manager will also represent IRE at the level of regional states, ensuring attendance and active participation at cluster meetings, coordinating relationship and image building efforts in the region (in consultation with IRE’s Afar Area Coordinator) with the regional and local government and other stakeholders, managing, leading and coordinating IRE’s sub office at Ewa. The Project Manager will also support the Afar Area Coordinator to ensure timely signing of government MoUs, inputs and updates for cluster meetings, diagnostic studies, needs assessment and concept note and proposal design and development.

To effectively and efficiently coordinate and manage its project in Afar Zone 4, IRE requires to attract and retain qualified, experienced and highly committed Project Manager who have demonstrable knowledge, expertise and local area experience and experience in project management preferably in the area of Humanitarian and Development Projects related to Food Security and Livelihood (FSL) incl. Agriculture, WASH and Irrigation Projects.

Roles and Responsibilities

Project Management (Activities and Resources – Human and Finance)

§  Lead the overall management, implementation and reporting of Zakat project in Afar Zone 4.

§  Provide leadership in project set-up/ initiation, including development and adoption of precise implementation tools – DIPs, PPs, CPs, DPs, and PMPs etc.

§  Provide managerial and technical leadership during Zakat project implementation with an aim of timely, effectively and efficiently implementation of the project in the four target woredas in zone 4.

§  Work with the field implementation team and partners to ensure Zakat project is implemented in a sustainable way and achieving the envisaged change.

§  Provide regular technical support, backstopping, and supervision during Zakat project delivery processes.

§  Support Zakat project reviews – drawing key recommendations, lessons, best practices, technical advances etc.

§  Work closely with IRE Country Office Management and Country Office Head of Programmes and Programme Coordinators to strengthen and deliver high quality response towards Zakat project goals.

§  Working with relevant project team in the zone or Ewa sub office and ensure activity plans, implementation and coordination are in place and regularly monitored.

§  Facilitate and provide capacity building support and training, coaching and skills development for the project team based at the sub office.

§  Track all project related recruitments to ensure required supporting documents and approvals are submitted in advance and that there is proactive follow up.

§  Facilitate field level grant (budget) management meetings and ensure Addis Ababa IRE team receive notes and action points within a timely manner. Ensure action points in sub office are followed up.

§  Undertake financial forecast, monitoring and controlling of Zakat project.

§  Ensure donor compliance on visibility and project management is adhered to in a quality and timely manner.

§  Ensure the management of Human Resources in accordance with the IR guidelines and the legal requirements in the country.

§  Lead and motivate project, finance and admin personnel under his/her supervision.

§  Ensure project staff adhere to all IR and donor mandated safety and security regulations, policies and practices; ensure adherence to those regulations and take corrective actions as required.

§  Perform other relevant duties as may be requested by the IRE, Head of Programmes and/ or Country Director.

Coordination and Partnership

§  Jointly work with procurement unit to generate/update precise project procurement plans at inception and follow its (plan) implementation.

§  Work with procurement unit and committee to support and provide required technical support during procurement processes of project activities, supplies and interventions.

§  Work with finance unit on project budgets planning, budget monitoring/ controls, risk mapping, and reporting, Audits (internal & external), related financial accounting.

§  Ensure coordination and integrated team efforts in the delivery of Zakat project interventions in Afar Zone 4.

§  In collaboration with the Afar Area Coordinator ensure IRE is represented at regional and sub-regional level cluster meetings (ATF, WASH, Cash, Health and Nutrition, Education, etc.).

§  Conduct stakeholder mapping and analysis and ensure requirements are fulfilled including representation at needs assessments at regional and local levels, attendance at regional key stakeholders meetings.

§  Support IRE’s fundraising efforts through conducting diagnostic studies, needs and context assessment and analysis, concept note and full proposal development.

§  Represent IR with partners in government and other stakeholders in Afar especially Zone 4 on matters related to Zakat project.

Monitoring and Reporting

§  Ensure that Zakat project is implemented, monitored and evaluated and effectively handed over to the relevant government sector bureaus and offices and respective communities on completion.

§  Ensure field project team develop performance indicator trackers and that they update them regularly to facilitate monitoring of Zakat project in Zone 4 or Afar region and ease of reporting.

§  Collaborate with the PDQA department to conduct ongoing monitoring and feedback/ accountability of response to ensure actions are timely and appropriate.

§  Review and share high quality and timely donor and government reports.

§  Compile and share weekly/ monthly/ quarterly reports to country office using appropriate reporting templates.

§  Produce quarterly and annual financial and narrative donor reports to a high standard in collaboration with budget holders and finance team at field and country office level.

§  Asses, analyze and report humanitarian situation in the sub office to the Country Office Humanitarian/ Emergency Coordinator or to Head of Programmes (HoP).

§  Review progress through project field visits, data analysis, project budget utilization status and forward planning.

§  Compile and share general weekly/ monthly/ quarterly project update to Head of Programmes and/or CO Budget Holders / Sector Programme Coordinators.

Logistics, Security and Office Management

§  Ensure the management of human resources in accordance with the IR guidelines and the legal requirements in the country.

§  Lead and motivate programme, finance and operations support/ admin personnel under his/ her supervision.

§  Overseeing the logistics on the field level ensuring the proper set up/ running of base premises (office/ guest house), the functioning of supply chain including procurement planning, purchasing of goods and services, their transport and storage, the organization, planning and maintenance of fleet and equipment, and the functioning of the means of communication appropriate for the respective implementation in the sub office.

§  The Project Manager is responsible for the field security management and ensures the safety and security of staff, premises, materials and assets of IRE.

§  The Project Manager monitors the political, economic, social, legal, environmental and technological environment in the area, assesses and analyses the risks, monitors and reports the security situation and develops security procedure relevant to the context.

Personal Specification

Formal Education/Qualification

§  Master’s degree from a recognized university in either Disaster Risk Management, Development Studies, Rural Development, Agriculture or Public Health or another related field of studies; or first degree with a combination of strong work experience in similar settings (environment and sectors)

Work Experience

§  A minimum of ten years’ professional project management experience and coordination of area offices

§  Demonstrated practical experience in integrated FSL and Agriculture, WASH and Irrigation, and Health, Education, Protection, Peace Building and Conflict Resolution project management including in far-flung, hard to reach and underserved areas.

Skills and Competences

§  Excellent practical team management ability to work independently as required

§  Excellent written and oral communication skills

§  Willingness to stay in remote and places where services and infrastructure are poor

§  Experience in reporting, internal and external to donors and key stakeholders

§  Proven knowledge of and experience with donor funding environment and good financial and project management skills

§  Commitment to high ethical standards

§  Good written and spoken English and the ability to produce high quality written reports

§  Diplomacy, tact and negotiating skills

• Good interpersonal, influencing and communication skills
• Sensitivity to cultural differences, and the ability to work in a wide variety of cultural contexts

§  Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications

Technical Lead (preferable)

§  Proven skills in integrated development, resilience building, recovery and reconstruction, and humanitarian emergency response planning, and management and capacity building.

§  Experiences and skills in one or more of FSL, Agriculture, Health and Nutrition, WASH, Education, Protection, Conflict Resolution and Peace Building or all of them.

§  Knowledge and experience of the local culture and contexts of the region and zones of area offices s/he is assigned to.

Safeguarding and Equal Opportunity

Islamic Relief and Islamic Relief staff considers the welfare and protection of children, young people and people at risk to be paramount to the organization. And must adhere the principle of ‘do no harm and leave no one behind.’ It is critical we do not expose communities or staff we work with to the risk of harm through our interventions.  With a zero-tolerance approach Islamic Relief have a number of related policies which also describe standards in behavior expected from the organization, its staff and representatives towards each other and those we serve. Islamic Relief is committed to responding swiftly, appropriately and constructively to any and all information children, young people and people at risk have disclosed.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks, which can include criminal records and terrorism finance checks. We participate in the Inter Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme and will request information from job applicants’ previous employers about any findings of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and child abuse during employment, or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment before signing the contract agreement.

Islamic Relief believes everyone has the right to be safe, respected and valued regardless of who they are or their circumstances, and an equal employment opportunity to all candidates and qualified applicants, we do not discriminate on the base of age, sex, race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, disability status and diversity.