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Job Title:  Project Manager – LEARN

Organisation: Plan International

Duty Station: Uganda

Reports to: Country HR&OD Manager

About US:

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organization that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We believe in the power and potential of every child. But this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And its girls who are most affected. Working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children. We have been building powerful partnerships for children for more than 80 years, and are now active in more than 75 countries.

About LEARN Project:

Plan International Uganda will be implementing a LEARN project aligned to its new Country Strategy 2023-2027 using Sponsorship funding in East Central, Northern and West Nile Programe Areas. The LEARN project will cover three impact areas including: Early Childhood Development (ECD), Inclusive Quality Primary Education (IQE), and skills development for Adolescents and Young people in and out of School (SOYEE). A key strategy across each of these components will be to influence interventions in favour of comprehensive gender-responsive policies and strengthened social protection and sector-specific policies. Core components that will be covered under LEARN program will include: Early Learning, Teaching and Learning, Out of School Children, School Governance, School Environment (SGBV & WASH), Curriculum and Learning, Peace building & Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change, Life-Vocational and Entrepreneurship skills, Gender responsive parenting, and preparation of young people to be drivers of Change. The LEARN sponsorship project will be integrated with the sponsorship funded DECIDE activities.

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
• Work in close 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.

Sponsorship Commitments Responsibilities

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

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• The applicant 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.

How to Apply:

All suitably qualified and interested applicants apply online at the link below

Click Here

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