National Project Manager at Search For Common Ground’s International

Position Summary

• We are looking for a National Project Manager (NPM) who will lead the implementation of strategic national level projects where necessary and provide technical support to relevant projects especially Search’s Early/Early Response projects in Nigeria. Based in Abuja, with frequent travel to other field offices, the position will be responsible for all aspects of programmatic, financial and administrative coordination of selected projects with reporting line to respective Head of office of the region.
• The NPM is the direct supervisor of the team of Project coordinators and Support Services staff. The NPM will provide routine support and guidance to respective project teams on project cycle management, budgeting, proposal development and operational functions, including finance, logistics and procurement. In addition, the National Manager provides oversight to ensure the successful implementation of all selected projects and constantly monitors the context to ensure programming is relevant and responsive to priority needs.
• In this capacity, the NPM is also responsible for representing Search externally at the National level, including with local authorities, other agencies as well as with donors. The NPM ensures a strong line of communication between Search’s project offices and Abuja Country Office in Abuja.
• The position will report to the Country Director in each region, and work closely with the Head of Offices.

Key Responsibilities
Planning:

• Provide technical as well as strategic management of Search for Common Ground’s work on the projects;
• Ensure proper planning of the project, including developing and updating yearly, quarterly and monthly costed work plans and implementation strategies in line with project design and expected deliverables;
• Ensure adequate and prompt delivery of activities as per the work plans;
• Facilitate project launches, quarterly project review and project close-out workshops;
• Lead and facilitate higher level project activities;

Reporting:

• Ensure activity and other reports and related project deliverables are produced on time by team members;
• Ensure donor reports and donor deliverables are produced on time and are of high quality,

Quality-insurance:

• Ensure quality of activities implemented, identifying external technical support if need be;
• Ensure effective monitoring and evaluation of project activities for planning purposes
• Drive compliance process with donor and Search for Common Ground Nigeria operational policies
• Coordinate research and documentation activities in line with project objectives
• Support fund raising efforts for effective resource leveraging at all levels.
• Oversee team meetings, sharing of information, context analysis, and strategy development
• Ensure close monitoring of the political, social and security environment in project target reaa and lead project adaptation reflection meetings if need be

Coordination and Representation:

• Represent SFCG at the area levels with partners, donors, local and international organizations, and government authorities and ensure SFCG activities are visible. In accordance with SFCG advocacy policy, advocate for common ground solutions to various conflict situations in the region;
• Represent SFCG in strategic meetings, conferences, forums and other public events and contribute towards consolidating and raising the profile of SFCG;
• Develop and strengthen relationships with local organizations and networks and establish national and regional strategic relations and alliances with partners and civil society working in common cause with SFCG objectives; and
• Promote SFCG's organizational identity and capacity to all stakeholders and partners in the project areas and ensure SFCG remains relevant to the changing needs of the people who most need it.  

Team management and Human Resources:

• Provide leadership, supervision and oversight to program staff and partners charged with implementing the program;
• Participate fully in the hiring  and performance management of team member
• Manage an operational team to supervise project’s activities implementation in the target area in compliance with local laws and organizational policies and procedures, including the management and evaluation of a diverse staff.
• Ensures compliance with Search Operations Manual policies and procedures.
• Provide Coaching and Counselling advice to project staff when necessary and lead initiatives to develop staff capacity.
• Supervise work-planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting activities
• Develop technical content/TOR for engagement of consultants for mission critical assignments

Financial planning, management and compliance:

• Oversees the management of project budgets, ensuring timely grant reporting and compliance with contract and donor guidelines in coordination with Head of Offices, Admin and Procurement Manager and the Director of Finance and Administration.
• Ensure effective budget implementation and compliance with the overall finance policies as  required by grant or contract agreements;
• Ensure that adequate internal control mechanisms are in place and deplored for the specific project
• Plan and forecast grant expenditure, budget versus expenditure analysis, procurement and staffing to ensure compliance with the project contract and budget
• Reviews activity budget, approves fund requests, and reviews and approves expense retirements

Monitoring and evaluation:

• Coordinate production of project reports –monthly, quarterly and annual
• Ensure that the monitoring and evaluation plan developed by the DMEL team is implemented by the team;
• Coordinate closely with DMEL manager in the management of the DME officer
• Coordinate closely with the DMEL manager in the implementation of the monitoring and evaluation activities
• Coordinate dissemination of project information and materials appropriately and regularly.

Note: As job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, the position holder may be required to undertake other duties that are broadly in line with the above key duties.

Qualifications
Education:

• Minimum Master's degree in Social Sciences/Development Studies, Conflict Management, Strategic/Programme Management, Management Studies or other related discipline
• Additional extensive training in at least one of the areas of SFCG thematic work- Peacebuilding, conflict transformation and resolution;

Experience:

• 7-10  years of experience working in program management.
• Experience in both peacebuilding, development and humanitarian contexts
• Experience living and working in unstable environments; roaming from one project states to another is considered an advantage
• Experience working in one of the following sectors: Conflict Resolution, Peacebuilding, Resilience, Protection, Governance and Livelihood
• Experience in Media programming and communications in projects is an added advantage
• Experience of coordinating activities across multiple locations
• Experience with different donors i.e. GERMAN, USAID, DFID, FRENCH, UNDP, UNHCR, WFP, UNICEF
• Experience of staff management of both expats and national staff in challenging environments

Skills Required:

• Demonstrated ability of raising the profile of an organization, strategically networking with government agencies, donors and other international agencies, and using the media as appropriate;
• Demonstrated ability to undertake high-level representation and advocacy;
• Excellent coordination, communication and networking skills;
• Strong report writing, fundraising and proposal writing skills; Willingness to regularly travel on short notice around the country
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and oral.
• Strong leadership skills – ability to motivate and manage a diverse team in a complex environment.
• Excellent cross-cultural communication and working skills, enjoys a multicultural work environment;
• Ability to work under stringent deadlines with acute attention to detail.
• Selfâ€starter with the ability to manage time effectively.
• Good working knowledge of IT tools (related software, phone, fax, email, the internet) and computer applications (e.g. MS Office and Excel).