Project Specialist 117 views0 applications

Position: Project Specialist, USAID-funded Community Resilience in Central Africa (CRCA) Activity – Central African Republic (CAR)

Reports to: CRCA Deputy Chief of Party (DCoP)/ CAR Country Director

Key Collaborators: CRCA Chief of Party, Regional Operations and Finance leadership, Program and Operations Managers (DRC and CAR), Invisible Children Conflict Analysists

Duty Station: The position is based in Obo or Zemio, CAR, with extensive travel to project sites in southeastern CAR, Bangui, and to regional events

Position Summary:

The CRCA Project Coordinator acts as the key interface between CRCA’s leadership and project field personnel to ensure an effective and efficient flow of information between the main office in Bangui and field offices on project planning, quality, reporting and implementation. In addition, the CRCA project coordinator handles special activities and information requests for the DCoP.

Key Responsibilities:

Activity Planning and Management

• Maintain a detailed familiarity with all approved project planning and compliance materials, including the project technical proposal, Cooperative Agreement terms, Implementation Plans, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Plan (MELP), Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plan (EMMP), the Performance Indicators, and Gantt chart.
• Ensure project field staff understand and comply with the commitments and expectations outlined in the above documents; immediately alert the D/CoP if discrepancies are found;
• Under D/CoP leadership, contribute to the development of Implementation Plans (IP) and corresponding programmatic annual budget design
• Based on USAID-approved implementation plans, coordinate at the office level quarterly and monthly planning, preparation, and delivery of key project processes, such as:
• Across all CRCA departments, oversee preparation of quarterly work plans
• Work with key operations support personnel to provide logistical and coordination support to selected consultants/contractors
• Work with key Early Warning System (EWS)/ Conflict Analysis personnel to ensure quality and timeliness of daily EWS reporting;
• Work with Program Managers and the project field officers to ensure effective and efficient activity planning, the timely and quality implementation of activities, and the timely delivery of quality field mission reports,

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL)

• Work with the M&E Manager to ensure that data, and qualitative and quantitative reports, are of high quality and submitted on time; contribute to lessons learned activities and processes;
• Oversee the collection and drafting of success stories;
• Oversee the ongoing collection of information on project progress and serve as the primary source of information for the D/COP and IC senior leadership.
• Establish and manage key project documents and ‘databases’ that track activity implementation details, beneficiary data, and other key project data
• In collaboration with with relevant program staff, project leadership, and HQ technical advisors, support revisions and adaptations to CRCA programmatic manuals, training modules and other similar program materials;

Personnel Management / HR

• Directly supervise the CRCA Project Managers based in Obo and Bria, CAR, the Protection Analyst, the Early Warning System Manager, and the CAR Media Assistant
• Ensure direct reports have ongoing clarity on their priorities, goals, deadlines, and other key expectations
• Provide coaching and mentorship, and ensure regular mechanisms for feedback including formal and informal performance evaluations

Reporting and Communication

• Liaise closely with the CRCA D/CoP on a daily basis to relay critical information between CRCA field personnel and the D/CoP in order to enhance the speed and quality of CRCA’s programmatic planning and delivery.
• Manage rapid requests from D/CoP including (but not limited to) project data, analysis, presentation materials, and ad hoc reports on specific issues;
• With support from field teams, maintain regular and high-quality documentation of success stories, and other assets including photos, videos, audio, and provide this content to D/COP and ICHQ communication personnel
• Support the D/CoP in the preparation of donor progress reports (quarterly and annually)
• As requested by the D/CoP, oversee or support the planning and execution of project events including workshops, trainings, and stakeholder meetings.

Local Representation

• Represent CRCA/IC at the local level with partners, donors, local and international organizations, state, and traditional authorities
• Participate locally in strategic meetings and other events, contributing towards increased visibility and understanding of CRCA at the local level
• Identify and plan for opportunities to strengthen relationships and trust between IC/CRCA and local stakeholders

Administration, Finance, and Operations Support

• Lead monthly all-staff meetings as well as management team meetings on a biweekly basis to assess progress on monthly planning and address issues
• Oversee the timely and accurate preparation of cash requests on a weekly basis, supporting the Finance Officer with liaising between different departments
• Review and approve local payments, as appropriate, ensuring alignment with project budgets, activity planning, and compliance with organizational policies and procedures and donor rules and regulations
• Ensure all activities forecasted are in line with approved budget lines
• Ensure timely delivery of field office Finance team as per deadlines and quality set by the Director of Finance
• Together with the Operations Manager, ensure timely and accurate development of office procurement plans and track its execution together with relevant Operations personnel
• Together with Operations personnel, ensure compliance related to goods management at the office level, per organizational policies and donor rules and regulations

Security Monitoring and Management Support

• Under the guidance of the D/CoP / Country Director, and together with the field Security Officer, maintain an updated understanding of security trends
• As requested by Project or Country leadership, propose rapid and adapted security decision and, upon approval, work with the Security Officer and operations personnel to ensure implementation.
• Together with the Security Officer, serve as a key source of information for Project and Country leadership regarding security dynamics in the zone
• In collaboration with the Security Officer and Country Leadership, ensure compliance with and respect for IC’s security policies and security management plans

National Subaward partner management

• With guidance from the D/CoP, and with support from relevant HQ and field-based operations staff, liaise directly with national subaward partners to discuss and prepare Statements of Work and budgets with national partners
• Ensure proper documentation is collected and maintained with subaward partners
• With guidance from the D/CoP, receive, review, and approve monthly partner reports and milestone deliverables
• Together with relevant finance personnel, track subaward partner payments
• Conduct monitoring visits and coordinate with sectorial departments to spot-check partners and identify any compliance and capacity building needs
• Coordinate capacity buildings plans for national partners, and provide ongoing guidance and support on best practices

Strategic Planning

• As requested by Country leadership, participate in country strategy meetings
• Contribute to Concept Notes and Project Proposals as requested by Country Leadership

Requirements:

1. Diploma in international affairs, international development, or similarly relevant field
2. Excellent command of French and English; strong verbal and written communication skills in both language
3. At least five (5) years of project management experience with an international NGO
4. At least three (3) years of programmatic experience in relevant technical areas including: community protection, early warning, trauma healing, livelihoods, conflict transformation, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (SGBV), community-based conservation
5. At least two (2) years of field office and personnel management experience
6. Experience managing and supporting local/national subaward partners
7. Familiarity with contributing significantly the creation of donor reports, project proposals, and developing timely responses to donor inquiries
8. Experience coordinating with NGOs, community-based organizations, and other local and national stakeholders
9. Demonstrated ability to problem solve, adhere to deadlines, and manage complex tasks under pressure
10. Ability to travel to and live in challenging environments
11. Comfort operating in conflict and post-conflict areas
12. A good command of MS Word, PowerPoint, Excel and general computing skills.
13. Preferred: Familiarity with US government rules and regulations related to program management and delivery
14. Preferred: An understanding of the conflict dynamics and operating challenges in southeastern CAR **