Consortium Manager – Uganda 274 views2 applications

About us:

ACTED is an independent international, private, non-partisan and non-profit organization that operates according to principles of strict neutrality, political and religious impartiality, and non-discrimination.

ACTED was created in 1993 to support populations affected by the conflict in Afghanistan. Based in Paris, France, ACTED now operates in 38 countries worldwide. ACTED sectors of intervention include emergency relief, food security, health promotion, economic development, education & training, microfinance, local governance & institutional support, and cultural promotion. For more information, please visit our website at www.acted.org

ACTED Uganda is looking for a curious, self-driven and highly proactive person to fill the position of Consortium Manager based in Kampala, Uganda.

Job Purpose:

In close cooperation with consortium partners, the Consortium Manager ensures that the consortium’s project implementation according to the approved proposal and in accordance with the rules and regulations of the donor. The Consortium Manager facilitates close and effective coordination and collaboration between consortium partners, ensures high quality documentation of the project activities and ensures that project results are achieved.

Chain of Command

Under the authority of:

• Country Director (or Deputy Country Director Field Operations and Area Coordinator/Base Manager if any)

Line Management:

• Project Manager (if any)
• Project Officers (if any)

Working Relations

Internal Relations:

• Technical Coordinator(s)
• FLATS Teams
• PD Department
• AMEU Department

External Relations:

• Consortium partners
• Donor(s) related to the project
• National and local authorities
• National and international partners (including working groups and coordination bodies)
• National and international media (upon approval from CD)

Objective

1. To represent and position the consortium towards external stakeholders ensuring the mission, vision and interests of the consortium and its members are protected;
2. To facilitate coordination and communication among consortium partners and ensure the consortium partnership operates in an effective manner;
3. To ensure the project is implemented in a timely and professional manner, according to objectives, goals and indicators, in line with donor requirements and based on beneficiary needs.

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Representation

a) Protect and promote the vision, mission and interests of consortium partners towards external stakeholders;

b) Represent the consortium toward the donor(s) and government authorities and therefore communicate with the donor(s) and government authorities;

c) Where relevant, expand the donor portfolio of the consortium by tracking funding opportunities

d) Attend government, UN, NGO and donor meetings and present ongoing consortium activities;

e) Ensure the visibility of the consortium amongst humanitarian, donor and government actors throughout the project;

f) Effectively manage coordination with other actors (UN, NGOs) intervening in a similar sector;

g) Ensure the continuum of consortium PR activities, including formal presentations, engaging media for coverage on success stories, updating project-specific and regional fact sheets, and documenting publications featuring the consortium in the media;

h) Oversee the consortium’s communication activities including media visits, photographer’s mission, videos, etc.;

i) Lead the drafting and dissemination of position papers, statements, reports and releases on the consortium’s engagements and humanitarian advocacy.

2. Internal Coordination

a) Effectively manage partnerships between the different parties of the consortium to ensure smooth collaboration;

b) Ensure regular and open/transparent communication between consortium partners;

c) Regularly communicate with consortium Country Directors on project activities;

d) Convene and chair regular (e.g. monthly, quarterly) consortium steering committee meetings to discuss programme and financial issues, disseminate minutes and follow up on action points;

e) Carry out weekly catch ups with consortium key focal points.

f) Support the development and maintenance of a coherent consortium strategy across all partners;

g) Promote harmonization of approaches and methodologies across all consortium partners by developing and monitoring use of common tools, as well as creating opportunities for experience sharing and learning;

h) Coordinate the development of all technical tools related to the consortium’s project (ToRs for consultants and evaluators, ad hoc reports, capitalization reports…);

3. Project Cycle Management

3.1. Project Planning

a) Define project implementation modalities and methodologies (including, but not limited to technical specifications, identification and registration of beneficiaries, distribution and sensitization);

b) Organize project kick-off and close-out meetings;

c) Together with the Project Managers of consortium partners, plan the various stages of project implementation and set direction by prioritizing and organizing activities and resources to achieve project objectives.

3.2. Project Implementation Follow-up

a) Oversee and monitor the work of consortium and local implementing partners, ensuring that technical quality and standards are considered and respected during project implementation;

b) Support the Project Managers of each partner to implement all aspects of the project;

c) Conduct regular follow-up of work plans, identify and address any delays in a timely and effective manner;

d) Monitor output achievement, cash burn rates and ensure a timely completion of the project.

3.3. Project Quality Control

a) Conduct periodic field visits to validate progress reports, identify problems and issues to address during Consortium Management Team meetings and make recommendations for improvement;

b) Ensure the project progress is effectively monitored through regular data collection analysis of indicators and activities and documented with proper sources of verification;

c) Advise consortium Project Managers/Officers to adapt implementation of the project according to monitoring and evaluation findings;

d) Advise on and assist with project reviews conducted by internal and external monitoring and evaluation team;

e) Coordinate and put in place a program capitalization system in collaboration with each focal point from each consortium partner.

3.4. Grant Management

a) Ensure that contractual obligations are met in terms of project deliverables;

b) Ensure the activities are implemented according to the approved donor and partnership agreement;

c) Ensure that donor rules and procedures are understood and respected by all parties, sharing information and conducting training if required on proposed systems and processes for consortium management;

d) Develop a reporting schedule that is agreed by all consortium members;

e) Ensure external reporting for all the consortium members according to donor and ACTED requirements is respected by all according to agreed deadlines;

f) Collect and consolidate narrative reports from consortium members for donor reporting;

g) Prepare documentation for any project modifications, including budget revisions, amendments or extensions. Ensure such changes are made in close consultation with the consortium partners;

h) Together with the Country Finance Manager, manage and negotiate any budget changes in accordance with donor and ACTED HQ criteria.

4. Protection mainstreaming

• Promoting of and adhering to Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse policy and guidelines (for site residents, ACTED staff, partner agencies, casual laborers etc).

Key Performance Indicators

• Number of technical documents (consortium strategy, advocacy paper, project methodologies and approaches, capitalization documents) produced
• Number of internal and/or external articles/news/videos, etc. published about the consortium during the past 6/12 months
• Regular coordination meetings conducted among consortium partners
• Project completed on time without the need for an NCE
• % of contractual performance indicators achieved
• Positive monitoring and evaluation reports (internal and external)
• Project records and documents (beneficiary lists, donation certificates, attendance sheets, payment sheets) available for all project activities
• Number of donors supporting the consortium and % change as compared to previous year [only where relevant]
• % annual budget increase/decrease of the consortium budget as compared to previous year [only where relevant]

Experience & Qualifications:

• A Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture/Environmental Studies or related areas
• A postgraduate qualification in programme management or similar
• At least 7 years’ experience of programme and/or consortium management with progressive levels of responsibility
• At least 2 years’ experience of delivering agriculture or environment-related programming
• Strong understanding of MWE-CCD, MAIIF, NALIRRI and DLGs with respect to the promotion of agricultural best practice and climate change mitigation
• Strong understanding of climate change issues in Uganda
• Robust IT skills, including use of excel and word
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to develop high quality written documentation
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to influence at senior policy level
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to coordinate complex activities between multiple stakeholders

Salary & Benefits

• Gross salary 7m-9m
• Health insurance plus 2 dependents
• GPA insurance

Candidates must have the right to work in Uganda.