PROJECT MANAGER -SHE SOARS

  • Full-time

Company Description

CARE is an international NGO with local staff and community partners in 100 countries. We create local solutions to poverty and inequality and we seek dignity for everyone every day and during times of crisis.  These solutions have a broad range, from disaster response to food and nutrition to education and work for women and girls to healthy mothers and children. CARE puts women and girls at the center of everything we do because when they have equal access to resources, they lift their families and communities out of poverty. Our staff live where they work, which makes us effective at understanding the challenges they face. We’ve been doing this for 75 years, since World War II. It started with the world’s first CARE Package® of food for the post-war hungry in Europe. Our work today is as important as ever, we believe that poverty and inequality are historic injustices that we can end within a generation, for good. If you share our core beliefs: poverty is an injustice; poverty is solvable; and together, we have the power to end it, join us, and Fight with CARE.​

About the Project

CARE International in Kenya is implementing the SHE SOARS program (Sexual and reproductive Health & Economic empowerment Supporting Out of school Adolescent girls’ Rights and Skills)  that seeks to

· build and integrate health system strengthening interventions,

· deepen a transformative community engagement on challenging harmful gender and social norms, and

· capacity building of civil society actors to engage in long-term and sustainable SRHR policy advocacy to improve the health system for all women and girls while addressing the unique service delivery, risks and protection needs of out of school adolescent girls.

The program will implement a Youth Savings and Loans Association (YSLA)+ model, which builds on the YSLA approach with the addition of mobile phone technology to support information access, flexible access to financial literacy curriculum and access to support financial transactions increasing participation of young people in financial inclusion as a pathway to better economic and health outcomes.

 

Job Description

We seek to recruit a Project Manager responsible for the comprehensive management of the SHE SOARS project, including all aspects of human resource management, activity coordination, results reporting, budget oversight and program quality. To steer the project’s strategies for working on SRHR and livelihoods development in collaboration with selected partner from 4 counties of delivery in Kenya.

Tasks and responsibilities

R 1: Technical leadership Coordination for all successful project delivery, innovations, learning and generation of evidence for outcomes and impact (50%)

1.1. Provide management oversight to the project, which includes and not limited to; supporting the project delivery structures including ; steering committee, Technical working groups and advisory committee to develop an operational strategy and consolidate the design of the various interventions into the project.

1.2. Effectively distribute work among staff by ensuring that the staffing plan takes on board considerations for effective duty allocations and that team work is maintained at all times.

1.3. Lead in the preparation of the Project Monitoring Folder (PMF) (Approved proposal, approved work plan, signed contract, approved budget, staffing plan, procurement plan and update program and financial expense reports) detailed implementation plans, procurement plans, prepare budget tracking and expenditure tools and review them at least monthly and jointly quarterly in liaison with the partners

1.4. Organize in consultation with the project steering committee, partner inception and planning forums, to facilitate coordination, collaboration and effective delivery of all components of the project.

1.5. Ensure communication flow is known by all partners and that timely communication for project concerns are shared with project governance structures , supervisor and other levels of management while ensuring that all official processes for external communication are adhered to.

1.6. Establish good working relationship and coordinate with Project stakeholders to facilitate smooth project implementation, nurture support for key program components and successful growth of this program.

1.7. Supporting in the identification of partnerships within the SHHR and overall health sector and other related actors to better collaborate towards shared goals and elevate the voice of adolescents on SRHR matters.

1.8. Oversee and facilitate the networking, liaising and collaboration activities necessary to provide technical support to implementing partners in SRHR health system strengthening, service delivery, advocacy and organizational capacity building and partnership collaboration.

R 2: Contract and Budget management and Compliance (20%)

2.1 Oversee the grants and partnership management implementation, enforcement and compliance to all contractual requirements of the program.

 2.2 Ensure full awareness of donor contractual clauses and develop checklist for clauses that are transferable and ensure these are implemented as conditions in the partners grant agreement.

2.3 Ensure time bound conditions are reflected by date and a tracking list generated for tracking compliance to conditions and timelines, working with partners as appropriate to ensure conditions are met.

2.4 Ensuring partners’ capacity assessments are done and where need be, improvement plans are inbuilt into partner contracts.

2.5 Ensuring that partners are fully aware of the interpretations of the contract clauses as per the contracts signed with CARE to enhance compliance and minimization of risk.

2.6 Ensuring timely identification of risks and communicate these in writing to CARE’s management through the designated supervisor

2.7 Ensure partners are oriented on the operational and grants accounting manual, sub grants and partnership management and M&E plans to ensure effective compliance to terms and conditions as well as systems and processes.

2.8 Prepare, revise and in a timely manner operationalize procurement plans for the program.

2.9 Review all project financial reports submitted by finance on a monthly basis while providing timely feedback on all aspects to enhance proper and efficient utilization of project funds, explaining budget burn rates against planned activities/expenditure plans.

2.10 Prepare and manage project assets and inventory held by the CARE and partners as per donor requirements and CARE Kenya policies and regulations.

2.11 Support and coordinate preparation of the audits of partners annually in consultation with finance department and support Senior Management in planning and responding to project audit queries.

R3: Program Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting (20%).

3.1. Facilitate the collaborative development of a comprehensive M&E Plan, Detailed Project Implementation Plan and Operational Plan together with the project governing structure, the program team and implementing partner.

3.2. Support in organizing M&E strengthening workshop for implementing partners and using the results of the workshops to improve on the PMF and overall project delivery.

3.3. Support in the development of action plan for operationalizing the M&E plan for Project.

3.4. Support in mentorship of the partner M&E staff to support the development of the M&E system

3.5. Review M&E reports from partners and in accordance to contracts and develop a system for validation of information provided by partners.

3.6. Organize and oversee field visits and monitoring plans for ongoing monitoring and review of ongoing project activities; with a view to ascertain that activities are ongoing and that results and outputs shared with CARE are genuine and within approved priorities funded, which will be used to make decisions concerning revisions/adjustments to implementing partner’s contracts.

3.7. Develop management project progress update reports.

3.8. Support in the organization of partner review meetings taking into consideration performance review by various actors, in order to inform challenges and progress in program implementation.

3.9. Support in the organization of partner review and sharing sessions for CARE and partners to present project progress updates, lessons learnt and best practices to enhance performance.

R4: Staff management (10%).

 4.1. Supervise staff, while ensuring that they fully understand their responsibilities, work as a team and deliver on their tasks in a timely manner.

4.2. Ensure staffs have detailed implementation plans and these are reviewed and updated regularly with feedbacks provided on areas requiring improvements.

4.3. Guide, supervise, coach, manage, mentor, provide leadership and support to the project staff on a day to day basis to meet program tasks and responsibilities, to deliver within contractual obligations.

4.4. Support hiring of competent staff and orient them in a timely manner to implement in line with contractual obligations and CAREs policies and procedures.

4.5. Support staff to develop Individual Operating Plans for purposes of strengthening their performance and the performance of the program.

4.6. Undertake annual staff appraisal in line with JD and IOP requirements on a timely manner.

4.7. In a timely manner notify and consult the supervisor and human resource department and CAREs management on any staff concerns related to their conduct, performance, confirmation and disciplinary issues while ensuring that policies and procedures are adhered to.

R5. Linkage and networking with other collaborators.

5.1   Represent CARE in relevant community development planning meetings.

5.2 Establish and maintain a good working relationship with other CARE colleagues and project staff, Partner agencies, County government, CBOs, collaborators, other stakeholders and enhance CARE image.

5.2   Liaise with the National, County government officials, CBOs, collaborators and other stakeholders as appropriate. 

5.4   Enhance teamwork and synergy in programming and CARE’s activities.

Qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS:

1. Education: Master’s degree in the relevant field and Degree in Social Sciences, public health, Gender and development studies or other relevant discipline coupled with related professional training.

2. Experience:

a) Minimum of 5 years’ experience in results-based program management, preferably using funding from bilateral donors such as USAID, GAC, DFAT or the EU.

b) Demonstrated track record managing programming related to a combination of SRHR and financial inclusion, health systems strengthening, advocacy and organization capacity support. Experience in adolescent SRHR programming is and asset.

c) Demonstrable experience in initiating and managing effective partnerships with government, CSOs, private sector and other stakeholders.

d) Proven track record managing budgets, flow through funds, grants, and sub-contracts. Proven track record using results-based management to record and report on project impact

 e) Strong skills coaching teams to facilitate, collaborate, network and train trainers. Demonstrated ability to create an enabling environment in which groups are able to identify and work towards their own strategic goals.

f) Demonstrated ability to strengthen the operations and strategic direction of civil society organizations in the delivery of structural and policy related SRHR support for adolescent needs. Ability to coach staff and partners to develop and implement monitoring and evaluation plans

3. Competencies:

a) Strong staff and project management skills

b) Demonstrated ability to foster transparent, accountable relationships with donors and partners.

 c) Ability to foster and strengthen egalitarian partnerships amongst civil society actors

d) Demonstrated ability to come to “win-win” resolutions when faced with program quality and operations issues.Ability to troubleshoot and to negotiate positive outcomes from competing interests.

e) Capacity to troubleshoot and successfully resolve issues related to budget and grant management, staff management and competing partnership agendas.

f) Excellent inter-personal, facilitation skills and communication skills

g) Ability to build and maintain trust amongst teams and amongst diverse partners.

h) Person of professional integrity

i) Strong value for gender equality, gender justice and women’s rights.

Additional Information

WORKING CONDITIONS

Normal working conditions and position based in Nairobi. The employee will also undertake frequent field visits to project locations including remote areas and therefore has exposure to road and air travel risks and security risks.

CONTACTS/KEY RELATIONSHIPS (internal & external):

Internal: Works closely with the Director Programs, program team, CO program quality unit, M&E Coordinator and Grants and Partnership Manager, and Country Office M&E Specialist, Country Office Grants and Partnership Manager and other Program Support Units: Internal Audit, Finance, IT, Administration/ procurement, and Human Resources.

 External: Liaison with key Project Stakeholders in the country including: project partners (sub-recipients) and key strategic partners. The position also interacts with other external parties e.g. auditors, consultants. Etc..

Deadline to receive all applications will be on or before  8th October 2021, at 5.00 P.M EAT. Only short listed candidates will be contacted. Canvassing will lead to automatic disqualification.

CARE does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process. Qualified Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply. CARE has a commitment to gender, equity and diversity in our workplace and operations. CARE respects and values diversity and does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, gender identity, sexuality, ethnicity, age, disability, religion or politics. This is reflected in our recruitment decisions which are made entirely through a transparent, merit-based selection process. All CARE staffs are required to comply with the Code of Conduct, Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) and Child Protection (CP) policies.