Senior Program Manager 39 views

Background

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. IRC has been working in Ethiopia since 1999 and is implementing coordinated, community-managed programs aimed at improving the quality of lives and recovery of livelihood of the disaster-affected population, including host communities, through promoting individual participation, strengthening institutions, and emergency response.

Position Overview

Reporting to Hawassa Field Office  Field Coordinator, the Senior Project Manager will be responsible for overseeing the planning, executing, monitoring, reporting and quality controlling of projects in SNNPR and Sidama regions as well as some projects in Southern Oromia  implemented under Hawassa Field Office  to ensure it is completed in a timely fashion, within budget, within the required quality and in line with commitment in the donor contract.

Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Work with the relevant program leads in the Field Office (ERR, Health & Nutrition, EH, CWI, EDU, CP and ERD etc.) as well as technical leads in Addis, and ensure activity plans, recruitment plans, procurement plans, and spending plans for each  projects are in place and regularly monitored and ensuring that they are revised as needed for a timely closure of assigned grants / activities.
• Ensure all project cycle meetings are organized, coordinated and requirements are ready prior to country wide meetings. Furthermore, assure that action plans agreed on the meetings are completed timely. Effective leadership of the field level meetings will contribute for the smooth implementation of the national level meetings.
• Ensure all program leads/managers working in Hawassa Field Office projects raise PRs in a timely manner, track relevant PR’s and closely follow up to ensure timely delivery / provision.
• Track all Hawassa Field Office project related recruitments to ensure PRF along with required supporting documents and approvals are submitted in advance and that there is proactive follow up by hiring manager and Recruitment Unit.
• Facilitate field level grant management meetings and ensure Addis team receive notes and actions points within a timely manner. Ensure action points in field office are followed up.
• Ensure donor compliance on visibility and program management is adhered to in a timely manner.
• Ensure quarterly operating environment emergency assessment and analysis, as well as identify potential responses and develop concept note and share with the relevant internal stakeholders.
• Lead different multi sectorial and multi-agency assessments and surveys including humanitarian need assessments, KPC/ KAP surveys and PDM surveys in collaboration with program leads and MEAL team in Hawassa Field Office and Addis.
• Supervise the program managers under Hawassa Field office, make regular field visit and give technical support/guidance in a timely manner giving high emphasis to short term projects and ensure program quality and achievement of key program deliverables And report key findings of field visits and corrective actions taken/proposed within 5 days after field visit.
• Communicate with Field Coordinator and the concerned in Addis any programmatic challenges to seek a timely solution.

Coordination

• Support coordination of projects in SNNPR and Sidama regions with the UN clusters, humanitarian forums, working groups, and the government. Ensuring that IRC is represented in all relevant emergency forums, working groups and donor meetings.
• Ensure program mangers attend their respective cluster meetings and he/she will attend the inter-cluster meeting.
• Work closely with government and other key stakeholders in the operation area.

Monitoring

• Ensure program sectors develop indicator trackers and that they update them regularly to facilitate monitoring of all the ERR and development projects in SNNPR and Sidama regions and ease of reporting.
• Ensure the IRC Global Strategy including Outcome Evidence Framework, Indicator Selection Tool and Good and Phenomenal standards as well as other tools/strategies are integrated in the design, implementation, and monitoring of projects.
• Collaborate with the MEAL Department to conduct ongoing monitoring and feedback/accountability of response to ensure actions are timely and appropriate.
• Working with the Safe Programming Unit, ensure safeguarding system are in place for all SNNPR and Sidama regions program activities.
• Ensure Client Responsiveness systems are in place for all SNNPR and Sidama regions project activities. Lead planning and handling any external program evaluations related to ERR projects in SNNPR and Sidama regions.
• Promote a culture of respect, transparency, and accountability within IRC’s SNNPR and Sidama regions funded response activities.
• Review and share high quality and timely donor and government reports and MOUs.
• Ensure regular monitoring of budgets of different grants in collaboration with the Field Coordinator for a timely action for underspent/overspent lines.

Reporting

• Compile and share Donor and government quarterly, mid-year and annual reports to country office using the appropriate reporting template.
• Compile and share the SNNPR and Sidama regions response weekly situation report to country and field office.

Other

• Under the leadership of the Field Coordinator working closely with the Safety and Security team to support adherence with IRC’s safety and security procedures.
• Under the leadership of the Field Coordinator coordinate with relevant stakeholders, act as Hawassa Field Office focal point for support visits from country office, Global TAs and TU for projects in SNNPR and Sidama regions.
• Working closely with the Field Coordinator and operational unit leads in SNNPR and Sidama regions and Addis, ensure the SNNPR and Sidama regions  programs received the support required for the timely delivery of projects.
• Work closely with the Hawassa Field Office Field Coordinator and their support functions teams to ensure a one-agency response.

• MA/MSA or BA/ BSC in project management, hydraulic engineering, water engineering civil engineering, developmental studies, public health, economics, sociology, disaster risk management, rural development, and other relevant fields.
• 4 years relevant work experience in field of humanitarian for MA/MSA holders and 6 years for BA/BSc holders.
• Demonstrated experience in working with large, multi-sectoral grants and projects. Including monitoring procurement, activity and spending plans, indicator track and devising timely course-correction strategies when required.
• Experience in reporting, internal and external to donors and key stakeholders.
• Experience in and knowledge of the related humanitarian architecture.
• Proven ability to convene/chair high profile meetings and ability to productively interact with a wide range of organizations.
• Strong ability to communicate concisely and with impact in English.
• Consistent track record of proactively identifying and communicating potential problems and proposing solutions.
• Must be able to function effectively in a sophisticated work environment and to set appropriate priorities and deal effectively with competing priorities and pressure.
• Having local knowledge and experience as well as multiple educational background is an asset.
• Practical experience and exposure of multi sectorial emergency, development, recovery and resilient project management   are requirement.