GFFO Senior Project Coordinator
Niamey
- Organization: IRC - International Rescue Committee
- Location: Niamey
- Grade: Mid level - Mid level
-
Occupational Groups:
- Project and Programme Management
- Managerial positions
- Closing Date:
IRC's vision is for individuals, households & communities to be resilient, self-reliant & able to thrive in a changing context. In Niger, IRC is present in the regions of Tillabéri, Agadez & Diffa w/ projects in: Environmental Health (EH) & Non-Food Items (NFI), including Emergency - Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM), Protection (SGBV, child protection , protection monitoring & integration of protection), education, nutrition, health & livelihoods.
In Mali, IRC has been present since 2012 in response to armed conflict & political instability in the north of the country that have forced hundreds of thousands of Malians to flee south, further worsening the living conditions & livelihoods of the most vulnerable households. IRC is present in the Northern, Central & Southern regions & implements programs that promote community participation in the areas of health nutrition, education, water, hygiene & sanitation, protection, education as well as recovery & economic development, governance & emergency response.
In Burkina Faso, IRC launched its first phase of emergency response programming in the city of Djibo in April 2019, w/ mainly WASH activities. Then, IRC acquired funding from various donors to cover humanitarian assistance to people affected by the crisis in: Sahel, North, Boucle du Mouhoun, Hauts Bassins, Centre-Nord & Centre. The sectors covered so far are health including environmental health, child protection, women's empowerment & economic recovery.
The project is implemented in Burkina Faso (Gourma, East region), Mali (Tenenkou, Mopti region) & Niger (Abala, Tillabéri region). Aims to ensure vulnerable communities meet their basic food security & nutritional needs through emergency food assistance, improved screening & treatment of malnutrition & emergency support to vulnerable households whose livelihoods have been severely affected by climate shocks, conflict & displacement. In addition, the project will aim at ensuring boys, girls & women are safe in their communities & receive support when they experience harm.
Job overview:
The Senior Project coordinator (SpC) will work closely w/ country project teams & the steering committee to oversee & coordinate all aspects of the project, including leading strategic planning & decision-making, managing the activities of sub awardees. Serve as a key liaison w/ local & international implementing partners, the governments of Mali, Burkina Faso & Niger, & other stakeholders. Establish & maintain an integrated vision between the different actors while ensuring adherence to all project objectives, performance requirements & donor regulations.
Responsibilities:
Under the supervision of the Country Director, the SpC will contribute to ensuring the effective implementation of project activities, partnership management & due diligence of consortium partners & build strong & sustainable partnerships. Work w/ Deputy Director Programs & coordinate w/ the program coordinators the day-to-day management of the project as well as the life cycle of the sub-allocations in accordance w/ the IRC Partnership of Excellence for Equality & Results system (the "PEER system" or "PEERS"). Work closely w/ the Project MEAL Coordinator & the Project Finance Analyst.
Quality of the program / implementation
• Coordinating the project in the 3 countries
• Leads & supervises project planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation & reporting
• Liaises rw/ field coordinators/project managers to provide project updates, discuss emerging challenges & collaborate on the design of new programs or modifications to existing programs regularly
• Consistently & proactively monitor/evaluate the safety & security of the team; promptly report concerns/incidents to the personnel management team & liaise w/ community leaders & other external parties, to maintain/improve the security environment of IRC programs
Budget management
• Participate in internal Budget vs Actual meetings & meetings w/ partners to ensure that the grant is on track & that all under/overspending are handled w/ adequate planning
• Work w/ finance & grants teams to revise & adjust budget as necessary
• Work w/ the grants department to ensure that the project is implemented in accordance w/ donor guidelines & that reporting requirements are met
• Ensure that narrative & financial reports are prepared & shared by country programs & their partners.
• Collect & compile program narrative reports across country programs & ensure timely submission to program coordinators for review
• W/ the finance department, ensure the timely review of partners' financial reports, in accordance w/ the provisions of their partnership agreements, in coordination w / the review of programmatic reports
Monitoring, evaluation, quality assurance & reporting
• Maintain an effective monitoring, evaluation & learning system, & collaborate w/ the Project MEAL coordinator throughout
• Responsible for all internal & external programmatic reports, incl donor reports.
• Coordinate evaluations & reviews of programs, ensure documentation of lessons learned for reporting & program preparation
• Ensure that IRC & international humanitarian action quality standards are met throughout the project management cycle
• Ensure that gender,protection & environmental impact issues are mainstreamed in all programs under direct responsibility
Coordination of partnerships & subcontracts
• Ensure that Consortium partners follow the IRC PEERS which defines effective & responsive processes, delineates clear roles & responsibilities, & articulates the IRC's strategic approach to partnerships
• Mobilize, train & provide ongoing technical support to technical focal points of consortia & program teams on working w/ partners
• Review partners' program implementation & assess possible improvements based on lessons learned, best practices, etc
• Encourage overall program cohesion through coordination & information sharing w/ & among partners.
• Strengthen relationships for other partnerships (eg, w/ government entities)
• Management of partnerships & subcontracts
• Review changes to sub-allocation agreements, if any, & follow IRC's internal review process for all sub-allocation documents
• Work effectively w/ supply chain & finance partner teams to ensure underfunding mechanisms are PEERS compliant
• Coordinate the start-up of partnerships/sub-awards. Including preparing & facilitating partnership/sub-award opening meetings in accordance w/ IRC's PEERS, in coordination w/ support functions & program teams, to ensure projects start w/ clear expectations from all parties
• Coordinate quality monitoring of the implementation of partnerships/sub -awards. Such as: preparing & chairing partnership/sublease review meetings according to the schedule determined during the pre-award assessment; reviewing partners' performance against the program, work plans & budget forecasts, as well as reviewing partners' compliance w/ procurement, human resources management, financial management & other requirements outlined in the partnership agreements & its specific terms & conditions, in accordance w/ the IRC PEERS
• Prepare & chair partnership/subward closing meetings, as required & oversee the overall closure of partnerships/subward, in accordance w/ IRC's PEERS. Such as, integrating reflection, lessons learned & future planning; preparing closing letters for underfunding & ensuring that all requirements of the underfunding agreement have been met
• Lead, organize & participate in the planning, organization & participation in technical & financial monitoring visits of partnerships/sub-awardees to assess partners' performance & compliance w / their partnership agreement, donor regulations & overall program plans, in accordance w/ IRC PEERS. Includes coordinating contributions prior to monthly grant review meetings to ensure that IRC's commitments to the donor are met & working closely w/ program managers & finance teams to ensure that partnership monitoring schedules are rigorously adhered to,& that supporting documentation is prepared for review
• Support the planning & organization of donor monitoring visits, & participates as required, in accordance w/ agreed schedule
• Work w/ M&E & program coordinators to provide advice on strengthening monitoring & evaluation w/ partners & design tools & create systems to effectively monitor progress against partners' capacity building plans
• In close collaboration w/ supply chain units, maintain accurate records of program assets; incl managing the program asset register, leading the asset disposal process when necessary, monitoring assets during regular partner monitoring visits in accordance w/ IRC PEERS & donor regulations on asset management
• Other duties assigned by the supervisor
• Based in Niamey w/ travel throughout the country. The security situation in Niger continues to be volatile. This is a non-accompanied position.
• Reporting to Country Director
Requirements:
• Graduate degree from an accredited university in international development or a related field is encouraged
• 7 years of experience in managing multisector projects funded by institutional donors; familiarity w/ German donors preferred
• 7 years of experience in program administration, grant management &/or project management in an international NGO or similar organization
• Experience managing large-scale, multi-million-dollar, complex, multi-country & multi- partner projects.
• Programming experience in West Africa
• Ability to follow multi-country teams & work remotely
• Knowledge & expertise in consortium management & in the use of project management methodologies & tools, resources & change management techniques
• Autonomous, able to set priorities independently & solve problems w/ minimal guidance.
• Demonstrated ability to work successfully in a volatile environment, w/in & across departments/functions & to develop good relationships w/ staff locally
• Experience working in conflict & crisis situations & knowledge of humanitarian programs
• Demonstrated ability to manage budgeting, monitoring & planning of complex projects
• Knowledge of development or nutrition, food security & climate change; the regional context, w/ experience working in Niger, Mali & Burkina Faso preferred
• Strong communication skills & fluency in written & oral French & English required
• Experience w/ GFFO preferred
WOMEN, MINORITIES, PEOPLE LIVING WITH DISABILITIES AND LOCAL APPLICANTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY.
#li-6 Minimum Qualifications:Commitment to Gender, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: The IRC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful, and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. The IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of the IRC persons in any work setting. We aim to increase the representation of women, people that are from country and communities we serve, and people who identify as races and ethnicities that are under-represented in global power structures.
Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.