Program Manager Assistant at Solidarites International

Location: Ngala, (Borno State) with movements inside the state

Probationary Period: 1 month

Delocalized Status & Benefits: Applicable

Contract Duration: 3 months, subject to renewal upon available donor funding.

Mission/Objectives: Program Manager Assistant

The Program Manager Assistant is in charge of supporting the WASH Program Manager towards the good implementation, achievement and reporting of the objectives defined in the proposals;

He / She guarantees the proper coordination mechanisms are in place inside the operational teams (water supply, water quality, sanitation, public health, hygiene promotion), in Borno state, and in cooperation with the WASH Program Manager.

Main Task :

• Project relevance, quality and design
• Contribute to establishing operational assessment and evaluations activities;
• Contribute to define SOLIDARITES INTERNATIONAL’s local strategy and contribute to the annual programming by proposing new activities, especially activities targeting vulnerable people and IDPs in Borno State;
• Responsible to propose and guarantee quality approach mechanism are in place for the programs to ensure transparency accountability of SI activities;
• Support the writing of technical annexes and chapters (including the logical framework) for the proposals;
• Support the implementation of the activities in compliance with the annual operational strategy and SOLIDARITES INTERNATIONAL’s technical requirements;
• Participate in evaluating the relevance of the activities carried out, as well as the effectiveness of the interventions and their appropriateness with respect to contextual development and the population’s needs;
• Propose to the WASH Program Manager adjustments to the programs, if necessary;
• Participate in building the teams abilities with respect to techniques or new methodologies;
• Implementation and operational monitoring
• Support the Community Mobilizer, Water and Sanitation Officer in planning their operational activities;
• Meet the deadlines and adhere to predefined quality specifications;
• Support the WASH Program Manager in ensuring the project management, monitoring and evaluation tools are in each operational department;
• Propose quality criteria and monitoring indicators for programs;
• Anticipate any issues linked with carrying out the activities and help to resolve any problems related to the activities;
• Suggest any adjustments to be made to the activity depending on contextual and indicator developments;
• Institutional Knowledge Building - IKB
• Use the IKB tools proposed by SOLIDARITES INTERNATIONAL ;
• Participate in the centralization, validation, and distribution of procedures, guidelines and tools linked to the WASH activities;
• Build up on SOLIDARITES INTERNATIONAL (and stakeholders) intervention methods and techniques;
• To ensure that project files are complete, regularly updated, and saved on the mission external hard drive;
• Define the prerequisites for opened WASH positions together with the WASH Program Manager;
• Greet and brief the new staff working on the program;
• In collaboration with the WASH Program Manager, set up technical trainings depending on the operational needs and identified training requirements;
• Lead working groups and thematic meetings with the support of Program Manager;
• Evaluate and assess the performance of colleagues under his / her  direct supervision on a regular basis;
• Ensure adherence to SI security regulations and reinforce them with his /her team.
• Reporting/ Communication / representation
• Pass upward to the WASH Program Manager / Coordination team any information on the security situation or on any event that could impact SOLIDARITES INTERNATIONAL activities and safety of the teams;
• Support the drafting of activities reports and amendments (including any annexes relating to specific activities) for the financial donors, local authorities and for internal purposes (weekly and monthly reports) by compiling all the operational data before sending them to the WASH Program Manager;
• Ensure that all reports required by the WASH Program Manager are delivered on time and in the correct format.
• In his / her assignment area, might be appointed to represent SOLIDARITES INTERNATIONAL at meeting or forums concerning the activities;
• In collaboration with the WASH Program Manager, and administrative department, support the preparation of administrative documents (MoU, handover, etc.) to be jointly signed with government authorities, communities or partner’s;

Personal abilities :

• Professional experience: 1 year of experience in similar position (NGO/Private or Public sector)  
• Languages: English, (Haussa, Kanuri a plus)
• Personal qualities: reliable, honest, very good organization, resistance to stress, good interpersonal skills (communication), team player, capacity to delegate and to manage, initiative and autonomy, capacity of prioritsation of tasks

Technical competences :

• Training: Bsc./HND Water and Sanitation or Environmental or Water Resources Development or in one of the Civil Engineering disciplines of Water Supply and/or Hydrology, hydrogeology or Sanitation/Hygiene Engineering. Relevant experience on deep borehole drilling and development will be highly appreciated
• Project related skills : good knowledge of the project cycle, project implementation, project follow-up.
• Microsoft Office ( Excel and Word skills), GIS and drawing software (autocad).
• Management related skills