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Job Title:   Program Manager – Baana  

Organisation: Save the Children International

Duty Station: Wakiso, Uganda

About US:

Save the Children International is an international relief organization that was established in the United Kingdom in 1919 to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic opportunities, as well as providing emergency aid in natural disasters, war, and other conflicts.

Job Summary:  The Program Manager Baana is responsible and accountable for effective and efficient planning, implementation and overall management of the Baana program.  Baana is an integrated Basic Education, School Health Nutrition, Early Childhood Development, Child protection and Livelihood program implemented in Wakiso district with a strong focus on Community Mobilization.  The Program Manager will provide strategic and operational leadership to planning and implementation of the project, manage performance of the project and project team. S/he will ensure adherence to overall technical and programmatic quality in implementation, compliance with donor rules and regulations, and the timely and quality submission of all deliverables, including annual work plans, performance monitoring plans, reports as required.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Program Planning

• Ensure quality submission of the program operations Annual Plan with the respective phased Budget aligned with the DIP, attachments (RIPT, PIT, SIP), and a Procurement Plan before the CO set deadline.
• Develop and share a monthly Baana project work plan.
• Attend and execute/follow through actions as results from planning, review and reflection meetings with the STWG/member office representative or CO organized.
• Develop timely and quality monthly, quarterly and annual work plans shared with Regional Program Manager.
• Monitor Baana activities to ensure quality, timeliness and adherence to both CO and international Save the Children policies and procedures.
• Ensure that Sponsored children in addition to all other children are on a monthly basis are planned for and targeted to benefit from the Sponsorship Program interventions.
• Ensure the timely reviews and adjustments for the project operational and implementation plans and budgets as may be required from time to time.
• Develop concepts for possible funding as need may arise.

Program implementation and management

• Ensure that all project activities are based on and are in line with the approved Sponsorship annual plan, phased budget, DIP, procurement plan.
• Effectively manage day to day implementation of the project activities to align with and meet the MEAL requirements, CO KPIs, essential standards and policies.
• Ensure that Sponsored children in addition to all other children are on a monthly basis targeted and planned for to benefit from the project interventions.
• Conduct regular project review meetings with the relevant partners and stakeholders to enhance information sharing and improve efficiency and effectiveness of program implementation and operations.
• Maintain high standard of transparency and accountability in the course of project implementation while ensuring integrity and timeliness of activities implementation in meeting objectives and compliance with Save the Children policies.
• Ensure that interventions are effectively documented with before, during intervention and after intervention evidences.
• Ensure there is an effective mechanism for tracking resources, inputs and knowledge offered to the community is not misappropriated rather meets the intended outcomes.
• Ensure clear quarterly accountability of all inputs/resources given out or offered to the community.
• Risk management – Monitor and address or report any risks to management.

Budgeting and Financial Management Responsible for the program financial and budgetary management. This responsibility includes;

• Development of quality and timely program phased budget aligned with the DIP (repeated for emphasis).
• Responsible for monitoring and initiating necessary revision of program budgets and ensuring that funds are used optimally and accounted for in accordance with the approved fund summary.
• Undertaking monthly budget monitoring in order to ensure accuracy of financial reports, manage budget variances, explain variances and propose measures for managing the variances.
• On quarterly basis, review of all program budgets to ensure that budgets are revised and rephrase timely and spent within Sponsorship budgets and expenditure guidelines and any exception budget adjustments are timely requested for.
• Ensure that all financial policies and regulations relating to cash flow management, expenditure controls, cash management, accounting information, advances management as put in place for the management and control of funds are followed by the staff and partners in implementing the different program activities.
• Support staff in making decisions regarding budget allocations and utilizations and alerting management to any financial mismanagement which may arise in the course of program implementation.
• Responsible and accountable for the preparation of timely and high-quality progress and end of project narrative and financial reports which are in accordance to the Sponsorship reporting schedule and formats.
• Review all project financial reports ensuring that Sponsorship guidelines have been followed and high standard met, prior to submission to the Regional Program Manager.
• Organize and facilitate quarterly reflection and progress review meetings to address key performance issues from the reports.
• Financial management – Ensure excellent financial management and accountability in line with SCI policy guidelines.

Program Reporting

• Responsible for the preparation of timely and high-quality monthly progress and end of fiscal year narrative and quantitative reports which are in accordance with the Sponsorship reporting schedule and formats/guidelines.
• Ensure that issues raised in the reports are comprehensively addressed in a timely manner
• Preparation of the end of phase reports and manage the transfers of project deliverables such as documents, files, equipment and materials.
• On a monthly basis Identify potential risks and threats to the project and alert management on the same for action.
• Ensure that an update progress report is shared with the district officials on need to know basis.
• Provision of regular operations and implementation updates on progress and challenges to allow for timely interventions and corrective actions by management.

Team Management and Administration:

• Ensure that staff leave is well planned for and managed by coming up with an agreed upon leave schedule and is upheld.
• Ensure that program operations are well planned for and staff responsibilities well stipulated by developing and sharing monthly and quarterly clear work plans.
• Ensure that staff and local stakeholders within the impact area understand Save the Children vision, mission, core values, theory of change and related working principles and approaches
• Effective staff performance management, using SCI tools (D2P) and system (HRIS).
• Ensure team members comply with Save the Children policies and procedures with specific respect to (Child) Safeguarding, Code of Conduct, Zero Tolerance Policies, and other relevant policies.
• Encourage the culture and practice of learning, creativity and innovation amongst the staff.
• Maintain good team communication, engender good team dynamics and take remedial actions when problems occur.
• Ensure that new team members and visitors are adequately oriented on programs implementation, stakeholder relations and security situations.
• Asset management – manage assets in the programs in line with assets and other policy and set guidelines.

MEAL

• Effectively manage program design and study processes which include assessments, baseline and evaluation studies, putting place a functional M&E framework and systems.
• Ensure that the Sponsorship program adheres to and 100% meets quality bench marks.
• Collecting and managing complaints and feedback in close coordination with MEAL team and Program Officers
• Ensure regular monitoring of program results, documentation of program, case studies, lessons learnt, significant changes and best practices and coordinating learning and reflection meetings/sessions
• Ensure an effective Sponsorship program monitoring and evaluation systems is in place

Child Safeguarding

• Work with Child Safeguarding Focal persons to ensure all direct reports are trained in CS
• Closely review documents and agreements to ensure all partners, contractors, visitors, volunteers etc comply with CS and code of conduct standards
• Ensure compliance to child Safeguarding policy in all activities
• Coordinate with line manager on identified CS issues while ensuring that all issues are reported in timely manner or as required by policy and local procedures
• Support staff and community structures in ensuring appropriate allegation and case management structures in the IA are functional.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:  To be a strong supporter and advocate for children in this role you will need to have:

• A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Education, Social Sciences, or related discipline.
• Preferred certificate in Project Cycle Management.
• Six years of working experience in managing development programs.
• Experience of working with local partners and District Local Government in Sponsorship, Health, Education, HIV/AIDS or Child Protection program delivery.
• Demonstrable financial, planning and budget management skills a MUST. Highly developed cultural awareness and ability to work well in an international environment with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
• Demonstrated knowledge of international and local policies and frameworks relating to their thematic area is a must.
• Thorough understanding of SCI working principles and approaches of Child Participation, Child Rights Programming, Partnership, Child Safeguarding, Zero Tolerance, Monitoring and Evaluation, Program Integration etc.
• Ability to intervene with crisis management or troubleshooting as necessary.
• Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills including influencing, negotiation and coaching
• Excellent time management and planning capacity.
• Excellent planning, coordination and reporting skills, with the ability to organize a substantial workload comprised of complex, diverse tasks and responsibilities.
• Commitment to Save the Children values.

How to Apply:

All candidates who wish to join Save the Children should apply online at the link below.

Click Here

Deadline: 19^th December 2023

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