Technical Programme Manager (TPM)- Programme Evaluation and Assessment, Research and Learning (PEARL) Unit at FACT Foundation

About the role

Under the management of the Director of PEARL, the TPM will oversee all FACT’s PEARL-related programme activities. The TPM will lead the PEARL unit team to achieve program excellence and ensure the highest impact while ensuring compliance with FACT’s guidelines and standards. As PEARL Unit lead, she/he will contribute to developing and implementing FACT’s PEARL strategy and promotes organisational vision and core values across the PEARL portfolio.

Responsibilities

Responsible for managing FACT’s PEARL programme portfolio, ensuring delivery of high-quality projects and interventions that meets the needs of the communities we serve. Key responsibilities:

Strategy development & implementation 

• Develop and oversee the implementation of a PEARL strategy for the organisation, and take a lead role in identifying strategic opportunities for strengthening FACT’s work in the country and the region. 
• In particular, consolidate and strengthen ongoing programming and operations and ensure PEARL activities are relevant and have a measurable impact.
• Follow up on opportunities for PEARL’s programme development and strengthening of interventions. 
• Identify funding opportunities to consolidate, strengthen and/or expand PEARL programmes.
• Finally, Oversee project proposal conceptualization within the framework of the PEARL strategy

Research planning and implementation:

• Ensure that all research/assessment is planned in line with relevant project and programme objectives and with PEARL strategy while ensuring that they comply with FACT and other relevant guidelines.
• For each research/assessment, review ToRs before they are sent to senior management for validation and ensure that ToRs are understood and used by assessment staff and stakeholders, and updated as required. 
• Keep track of progress and delays throughout the research cycle. Ensure that delays or identified challenges for specific assessments are reported to senior management in a timely manner.
• Ensure relevant stakeholders and partners are engaged in assessment design and planning.
• Ensure data collection is conducted according to guidelines and ensure that data is revised and cleaned and that all revisions are recorded.
• Oversee analysis of collected data as per ToRs and ensure that meaningful techniques are used to analyze the data collected.

Project management 

• Ensure timely organization of project kick-off, review/update, and end-of-project meetings.
• Monitor output achievement, and cash burn rates and ensure time completion of projects through review of budgets, project factsheet, and project reports.
• Ensure that contractual obligations are met in terms of deliverables as well as narrative and financial reporting requirements, in close coordination with senior management and finance departments.
• Ensure contractual monitoring and evaluation indicators are identified and tracked in a timely manner. 
• Provide ad-hoc support to project implementation through troubleshooting and eliminating blocking points.
• Anticipate financial risks and gaps in funding and control project budgets to avoid under/overspending and ensure accurate and timely financial reporting
• Ensure proper asset management and ensure proper IT systems, data back-up, and protection from malware.
• Support the preparation of external audits in close collaboration with senior management and the finance team.
• Ensure regular coordination with Finance and other FLAT departments at all stages of development and implementation of the Unit’s projects, including participation in project kick-off and lessons learned meetings, support to drafting of monthly internal updates (budgets, allocation tables, etc.), and support to drafting of donor reports or amendment requests.
• Ensure compliance of all unit staff to FACT FLAT and security procedures.
• Ensure that all Unit staff are aware and fully abide by FACT’s regulations in terms of administration, logistics, and security.
• Regularly links with FACT administration and finance to plan movement, travel, and in relation to the Unit’s staff.

Knowledge Sharing and Learning Process

• Ensure the development and application of a M&E system/plan for each program, in line with PEARL’s M&E guidelines.
• Ensure learning and knowledge are shared across the team. Lead internal and external program evaluations as necessary and ensure the execution of baseline, periodic, and final evaluations as necessary. 
• Ensure learning by the PEARL team from relevant best practices internally and externally both nationally and globally and make learning available for other programs. organize a program review workshop and document lessons learned at the end of each program.

Team Management and Leadership

• Ensure that staff within his/her unit understand and are able to perform their roles and responsibilities. 
• Ensure that all staff within Unit have clear and regularly updated TORs, workplans and Key Performance Indicators against which their performance will be appraised.
• Promote team building, productivity and staff welfare.
• Mentor and support the Unit team to build capacities, and improve efficiency and performance.
• Ensure regular updates with senior management about staff potential, career management, training opportunities, contractual issues, and difficulties faced with or expressed by field-based staff. 
• Ensure communication and linkage with coordination is made immediately in case of HR problems by project unit members.
• Ensure all staff in the unit receive an appropriate introduction and training upon arrival/hiring.
• Ensure that all staff in the unit receive regular training on FACT’s code of conduct and policies.
• In support of the senior management, contribute to transparent and timely identification and recruitment of staff working in the Unit.
• In coordination with senior management and HR, proactively adapt the staffing structure for the Unit to needs and funding. 
• Develop and update Unit organogram and staff recruitment plan, in line with the needs of unit strategy and existing budgetary and programme requirements.

External Engagement

• Develop and implement stakeholder engagement strategies and plans and prepare stakeholder engagement reports and feedback mechanisms
• Establish, maintain, and improve active and regular working relationships with coordination platforms (clusters, sectors, working groups, NGO forums, etc.), UN agencies, donors, NGOs, consortia, academia, etc.
• Ensure that FACT and its programs are well understood by key aid stakeholders and that potential partnership options have been explored when relevant.
• Identify potential opportunities and develop donor relationships, as relevant, and maintain a positive perception of FACT by external partners, donors, and coordination platforms.

Requirement

• 8 years of proven experience working in NGO, Academia, or Software companies within the  research, monitoring and evaluation, or a similar function
• Excellent academic qualifications, including at least a Master’s degree in a relevant discipline (Statistics, Mathematics, Computer science, Political Science, Science, Engineering, Social Research, Economics, Development Studies, or similar)
• Excellent communication and drafting skills are required for effective report writing 
• Experience with external engagement (donors, partners, and other key stakeholders) required;
• Knowledge of data collection and analysis tools like Kobo, Nvivo, R, SPSS, Power BI, etc
• Strong time management skills
• Good communication skills along with the ability to effectively collaborate with cross-functional teams
• Comfortable multi-tasking and supporting multiple products
• Intermediate to advanced working knowledge of Figma, and Microsoft Office desktop applications, including Excel, Word, Access, PowerPoint, and Google Suite apps.