The Ugandan Jobline

Job Title: Project Manager – LEARN

Organisation: Plan International

Duty Station:  Uganda

Reports to: Program Area Manager – East Central

About US:

Founded 75 years ago, Plan International is one of the oldest and largest children’s development organizations in the world. We work in 50 developing countries across Africa, Asia and the Americas to promote child rights and lift millions of children out of poverty. Plan’s vision is of a world in which all children realize their full potential in societies that respect people’s rights and dignity. Plan is independent, with no religious, political or governmental affiliations.

Job Summary: The Project Manager will be responsible and ultimately accountable for the project’s strategic direction, quality programming and delivery of results, financial management and compliance, team leadership, coordination and collaboration with other projects, stakeholder and partner relations. S/he will demonstrate excellent project management and problem-solving skills, a very high degree of maturity, flexibility, organization and communication skills, and strategic thinking to meet the demands of a dynamic and sometimes unpredictable operating environment while ensuring Plan International’s systems and policies are adhered to, especially gender transformative programming and child and youth safeguarding. The Project Manager will work closely with the Country Program Team based in Kampala and will provide effective and quality leadership to the projects’ implementation teams based in the field. The Project Manager will directly manage day to day project delivery in West Nile Programme Area and will manage two Project Officers responsible for project delivery in Northern and East Central Programme Areas.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Project Delivery

• Understands the project management cycle and utilizes tools (including detailed implementation plans) effectively to implement and achieve project results, and comply with donor requirements, government, and partnership agreements.
• Achieves project results, and monitors appropriate benchmarks, targets and performance indicators.
• Coordinates technical programme inputs to support a high quality of implementation ensuring that programmatic strategies are of high quality, based on best practices and in line with programme quality standards.
• Articulates any changes in project activities, clearly and produce clear documents justifying changes, analysis of change impact, and budget impact.
• Systematically reviews risks and challenges to quality implementation and compliance and develop clear and timely mitigation strategies including resources required.
• Develops and implements a clear plan to strengthen programme quality and compliance in the project delivery.
• Produces well-documented, accurate, and quality narrative/financial reports in line with reporting requirements.
• Supports efficient knowledge management that helps learning, sharing, scaling up, and innovation.
• Supports the Business Development department and the Technical Advisors in developing proposals that build on the initial achievements of the project and innovative approaches.
• Promotes full integration of the project with other initiatives implemented in the same locations in close coordination with Programme Area Managers and other Project Managers.
• Ensures a gender marker for the project is developed and reviewed on a quarterly basis
• Manage project risks, ensuring they are effectively tracked and reported. Manage audit process and follow up audit action list.

Staff Management

• This position supervises two staff (Project Officers) based in Northern and East Central PAs. The PM will also ensure effective collaboration with Community Development Facilitators and Programme Area Coordinators in the implementation areas
• In consultation with the Technical Advisors recruits, interviews and selects staff and/or volunteers with appropriate skills for the project activities.
• Manages project staff and/or volunteers according to the established policies and practices of the organization.
• Ensures that all project personnel receive an appropriate orientation to the organisation and the project.
• Initiates and manages the process of contracting qualified consultants to work on the project as appropriate.

Advocacy, Influencing and Visibility

• Represents Plan International at district and national level to implement the advocacy activities as stated in the project.
• Supports with technical documentation of evidence from the project and writes stories of change when required.
• Ensures close technical and operational collaboration and coordination with Government, CSOs, Private sector actors and Key LEARN Networks
• Ensures that the project is fully aligned with the Advocacy Strategy.

Problem Solving and Challenges:

• Builds and sustains smooth working relationships with project partners and other key stakeholders.
• Ensures compliance to donor requirements and ensuring quality and timely project outputs and communications
• Flags challenges with senior management and propose next steps and solutions, document lessons learned

 Sponsorship Commitments Responsibilities

• Designs and supports implementation of programmes that are aligned with the Sponsorship Commitments, ensuring that the interventions benefit Sponsored Children.

Child Protection and Gender Equality & Inclusion

• Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion are fully embedded in accordance with the principles and requirements of the policy including relevant Implementation Standards and Guidelines as applicable to their area of responsibility. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring staff and associates are aware of and understand their responsibilities under these policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), their relevance to their area of work, and that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• The ideal candidate must hold a Master’s degree in Social Sciences, Education, or its equivalent, with professional training on Adolescent Sexual Health programming.
• At least five years of managerial or technical advisory experience in the design, implementation and evaluation of ECD programmes, including donor compliance.
• At least three years prior experience of managing partnerships as well as implementing donor projects
• Knowledge of key donor requirements.
• Knowledge of environment and current effective practices of ECD, Education and youth skills development and Civil Society Strengthening in Uganda.
• Knowledge and experience of working with private public partnerships (PPP)
• Conversant with government systems and structures especially Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development and Ministry of Education and Sports, district local governments, and other line ministries, institutions, departments, and implementing agencies. Should be familiar with Ministry of Education and Sports planning and policy formulation, implementation, budgeting, accountability mechanisms, Monitoring and evaluation processes, etc.
• Excellent coordination and organization skills. Able to work in a matrix environment and keep track of multiple priorities and adhere to deadlines
• Demonstrated skills and experience in report writing, donor compliance and budget management.
• Ability to Identify and synthesis best practices and lessons learned to promote knowledge management and sustainability.
• Knowledge and application of research methodologies
• Appreciation of gender issues in ECD, Education and youth skills programming.
• Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines and work cooperatively with partners
• Ability to work in hard to reach hard to stay areas and familiar with programming for vulnerable children especially young girls and boys.
• Promotes high performance among project staff and provides vision and direction.
• Establishes effective partnerships with external stakeholders
• Excellent communication (verbal and written) and interpersonal skills, with ability to work with people from diverse cultures
• Strong computer skills and knowledge of Microsoft software including MS Word processing, Power point presentation, Excel spreadsheets, e-mail and web-based research.
• Demonstrated experience in managing, mentoring and coaching staff.
• Communicate Effectively: Speak, listen and write in a clear, thorough and timely manner using appropriate and effective communication tools and techniques. Strong verbal communication skills, including networking, negotiating ability and influencing others.
• Creativity/Innovation: Develop new and unique ways to improve operations of the organization and to create new opportunities.
• Lead: Positively influence others to achieve results that are in the best interest of the organization.
• Make Decisions: Assess situations to determine the importance, urgency and risks, and make clear decisions which are timely and in the best interests of the organization.
• Organize: Set priorities, develop a work schedule, monitor progress towards goals, and track details/data/information/activities.
• Plan: Determine strategies to move the organization forward, set goals, create and implement actions plans, and evaluate the process and results.
• Solve Problems: Assess problem situations to identify causes, gather and process relevant information, generate possible solutions, and make recommendations and/or resolve the problem.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work with people from diverse cultures, ability to lead and motivate people to work in teams
• Good understanding and ability to use participatory approaches for involvement of stakeholders and creating program ownership.
• Excellent skills of working with children, facilitating child participation and gender equality.
• Open to feedback and willing to try new approaches for programme communications
• Understands Plan’s needs and behaves strategically
• Ability to work with minimum supervision
• Demonstrate behaviors that embrace Child-centeredness, Community participation and partnership
• Promotes creativity, innovation and learning
• Willing to travel throughout Uganda
• Supports learning and sharing and knowledge management

How to Apply:

All candidates should apply online at the link below.

Click Here

Deadline: 18th April 2022

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