Programme Manager - FFP at Save The Children

Job Id: 200001RE
Location: Maiduguri, Borno

Child Safeguarding - Level 3

• Level 3 - The responsibilities of this post may require the post holder to have regular contact with children and young people. In the overseas context, all posts are considered to be level 3.
• As part of these responsibilities, the post holder will support the establishment of child safeguarding systems, promote a culture of keeping children safe, and ensure that potential harm to children (by our own staff and/or as a result of how we do our work) is identified and addressed on an ongoing basis. The post holder should report and respond to interventions as determined by position related responsibilities identified in the Child Safeguarding Policy.

Introduction

• Save the Children is seeking a Project Manager for a USAID/FFP funded EFSP program in North-East Nigeria, based in Maiduguri. The primary purpose of the position is to provide technical support and day-to-day management of the program under the supervision of the Project Director and the Program Operations Manager (POM).
• The Project Manager will be part of Save the Children’s Humanitarian Response Team in Northeast Nigeria and will provide leadership to the day-to-day implementation of the project activities including work plan development, managing budget, monitoring activities at the field level, providing regular internal update reports and preparation of donor reports. The post holder plays a leading role in ensuring beneficiary selection processes follow SOPs, and will contribute to the review of technical documents.
• The program is aimed at providing support to internally displaced and host community households in Borno State. In order to facilitate access to food for vulnerable displaced and host community households lacking access to agricultural lands, or with otherwise constrained income-earning opportunities and reduced market access, while at the same time supporting existing food vendors. SC will target households with unconditional food voucher transfers, protection and nutrition support.
• The Project Manager (PM) will be based in Maiduguri and work under the supervision of the Program Operations Manager (POM) to provide technical and operational guidance, support monitoring and evaluation, and ensure the quality of the project. He/she will also ensure effective financial and operational management of the project.

Key Roles
The Project Manager will work closely with the Sector Leads, POM, the Project Director and the project team (including FSL Coordinators, FSL Officers, FSL Assistants, Nutrition Coordinator, Nutrition Officers and Nutrition assistants for the delivery on key roles and responsibilities. Among the major roles are:

• Administer the development and successful implementation of work plans and oversee the creation of reports and other deliverables to FFP in a timely and accurate manner.
• Oversee and support implementation through a local partner, including the supervision of proper targeting, identification, registration, and monitoring of beneficiary lists to prevent overlap with other humanitarian programs in the intervention zone.
• Quality technical leadership and advice to the local partner around the design, implementation and monitoring of project work at State, LGAs and community levels.
• Coordinate closely with other humanitarian actors and UN agencies that are implementing similar programs (food vouchers and food distributions) for better mapping of coverage and to ensure program activities are in line with national and humanitarian food security priorities.
• Ensure that efficient systems are in place to support all aspects of project activity, including financial and grant management, project monitoring and evaluation, and sub-grant management, and that they support the effective use of project resources in compliance with FFP regulations.
• Work closely with the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) team to develop appropriate monitoring and evaluation plans and to capture learning opportunities around the effectiveness of voucher-based programming, and in particular, the use of e-vouchers.
• Ensure regular monitoring of the market prices are conducted and generation of monthly market assessment reports are done on time.
• Work with the logistics team in the identification and selection of vendors to participate in program activities
• Ensure that all vendors working on the program are abreast with and respect all SCI rules/regulations pertaining to the program as well as respect the rights and privileges of beneficiaries.
• Maintain close contact with the service providers facilitating the food assistance program and ensuring timely replenishment of beneficiary accounts as well as tracking beneficiary transactions.
• Ensure compliance with all grant, FFP and government provisions, and timely fulfilment of all project programmatic reporting requirements.
• Oversee timely expenditure of approved budgets, avoiding both under spending and overspending on grant line items.
• Ensure that nutrition programming is adequately integrated with food assistance and promote the integration of FFP programming with other SC sectors for better impact.
• Provide technical and management leadership for the implementation of Income Generating Activities and Micro-gardening.

Donor reports are prepared and submitted timely to the POM and the Project Director.

Other Roles
Representation and Leadership:

• Represent Save the Children in humanitarian coordination fora within the State as and when required.
• Maintain good working relationships with officials and other humanitarian actors, particularly those within the relevant government agencies (State Emergency Management Agency), NGOs and UN agencies.
• Represent SC and maintain good working relationships among the international and local NGO community, among community leadership structures and community-based organizations, and with visiting donor teams and other key contacts. Keep abreast of NGO, government, and donor initiatives relevant to SC’s work.
• Maintain focus on SC program principles.
• Encourage teamwork, openness, and honesty among State staff and between SC and its partners.

Monitoring and Evaluation:

• Where security permits, the PM will make regular visits to field sites, to monitor and oversee project implementation and offer advice.
• Support program assessments, evaluations and other reviews required in the program.
• Contribute to situation/response analysis and development of food security and livelihoods strategy documents and sector response plans ensuring integration with other sectors.
• Coordinate with the MEAL team the timely development of periodic evidence-based project impact reports, captured through Post Distribution Monitoring and ensuring that lessons learnt and best practices are factored into project implementation.
• Contribute to the development and deployment of project-specific assessment/survey tools and templates;
• Ensure that Complaint Feedback Response Mechanisms are in place and functional;

Personnel and Administration:

• See that all staff, volunteers, vendors are aware of and understand SC policies and procedures; take appropriate disciplinary measures as needed.
• Work in collaboration with the Sector Leads in conducting staff performance evaluations, identify staff skills development needs and assist to meet these needs, provide management support to staff as needed, and maintain office policy of respect and communication between supervisors and subordinates. Sector Leads will consult with the PM in conducting staff performance evaluation.
• Promote accountability, communicating expectations and providing constructive feedback through regular performance reviews.

Ensure all administrative procedures are followed, such as those regarding vehicle use and procurement; ensure logistics/administrative staff provide sufficient and timely support to programs and programmatic staff, and that data collection processes are standardized and applied by all field staff.

Core Behaviours
Understanding humanitarian contexts and application of humanitarian principles

• Demonstrates strategic leadership in disaster coordination mechanisms and interagency cooperation
• Applies humanitarian principles to complex situations to generate both short and long-term organisational and sector-wide strategies

Achieving results effectively:

• Leads strategically on accountability initiatives, ensuring accountability processes are in place and achieving results
• Builds consensus and ownership around difficult decisions and/or complex courses of action
• Maintains focus on strategic issues and overall organisational and sector-wide impact

Maintaining and developing collaborative relationships:

• Quickly builds and leads high performing teams
• Applies distributed leadership amongst a team
• Shares success whilst being accountable for difficult outcomes

Operating safely and securely:

• Monitors security risks and ensures organisational protocols are consistently followed by staff
• Takes appropriate action and provides appropriate direction and support to team members in the event of a critical incident
• Reduces vulnerability by complying with safety and security protocols set by the organisation

Managing yourself in a pressured and changing environment:

• Ensures that the wider team remains positive and focused on the objectives and goals in a rapidly changing environment
• Able to proactively build & maintain levels of resilience in others
• Adapts leadership approach to the situation
• Communicates humanitarian values and motivates others towards them
• Maintains simultaneously a broad strategic perspective and awareness of the detail of a situation
• Demonstrates personal integrity by using one’s position responsibly and fairly

Leadership: Action; Thinking; Self; Inspiring; Developing Others:

• Removes obstacles to ensure strategic objectives are met
• Aligns ideas and solutions to strategic imperatives
• Uses global networks to influence strategy or action
• Demonstrates managerial courage by a willingness to confront difficult situations, take potentially unpopular decisions and communicate clearly to create consensus notwithstanding the difference
• Creates a team environment where team members feel able to contribute, champion or challenge decisions
• Continual efforts at self-improvement in evidence
• Creates and communicates a compelling vision which inspires others
• Ensures processes are in place across the team to strengthen the capacity of staff and partners in line with individual and organisational objectives

Qualifications And Experience
Essential:

• Education: MA / MSc level (or equivalent field experience) in Agriculture, Rural Development, Development Studies, Sociology, Economics, Humanitarian/Development Studies, International Relations, or related fields of study.
• Significant experience working in FSL programming, including direct experience in implementing cash transfer programmes, working with displaced communities, experience in monitoring and market analysis.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience working in FSL programmes in a humanitarian or development context including working on diverse humanitarian contexts or complex emergency situation;
• Extensive experience of working within a senior management role within a complex country programme in an emergency response or fragile state
• Previous experience of managing programme teams in large-scale first phase emergency response is essential
• Experience of M&E and beneficiary accountability systems in large complex programmes
• Experience of developing and negotiating successful partnerships with institutional donors
• Proven ability to influence change at an operational and strategic level
• Politically and culturally sensitive with qualities of patience, tact and diplomacy
• A high level of written and spoken English
• The capacity and willingness to be extremely flexible and accommodating in difficult and sometimes insecure working circumstances.
• Commitment to the aims and principles of SC. In particular, a good understanding of the SC mandate and child focus and an ability to ensure this continues to underpin our programming;

Desirable:

• Knowledge of local languages;
• Experience or knowledge of working and living in relevant regions/contexts
• Specific experience of designing and managing USAID funded projects;