Danida Market Development Partnerships (DMDP) Programme Manager at Micro Enterprises Support Programme Trust (MESPT)

Job Purpose

The Programme Manager will provide technical, managerial and leadership oversight to the DMDP project and ensure successful implementation of the programme. Specific tasks include;

• Lead and manage all aspects of the programme i.e., planning, implementation, quality, and accountability, monitoring and evaluation.
• Work in close liaison and ensure effective communication with the County Government and consortium partners i.e., ORANA and WANDA Agricultural Group to coordinate coherent and consistent delivery of the programme objectives
• Provide technical input for the implementation of the programme including in the preparation of work plans, strategies, training materials, guides and manuals and value chain integration;
• In liaison with the Programme Team, ensure effective integration of Green and Responsible Business Conduct in the programme

Key Responsibilities

Project Management

• Ensure project phase in, phase out and sustainability planning is in place. Ensure yearly budget, detailed implementation plan, and operational strategy are in place and approved in line with the Development Engagement Document (DED) and donor requirements
• Ensure annual Project budget utilization is achieved by 100%
• In liaison with the MEAL Manager, facilitate Baseline survey, project reviews and evaluation according to the schedule
• Ensure high quality coordination is maintained at county, regional and national levels
• Provide Project stakeholders with comprehensive documentation and each stakeholder clarified on duty bound activity
• Conduct regular meetings among Project teams including implementing partners on work progress and further analysis on needs for change to donor requests through open and constant channels of communications with donors
• Operationalize implementing partner agreements, review meetings, and follow-up on agreed items with all key stakeholders
• Provide leadership through institutionalization of line management, mentorship, coaching and appropriate staff development.
• Develop and implement appropriate tools for progress monitoring to ensure desired quality and impact is achieved.
• Ensure issues coming up during project implementation are appropriately resolved
• Communicate significant issues in a timely manner to the line supervisor
• Ensure the programme has sufficient systems in place to meet programme management standards and comply with donor regulations and good practice

Staff Performance Management

• Coordinate the overall performance of the team, by managing the preparation of individual annual work objectives and targets & facilitate biannual and annual performance reviews and appraisals
• Use performance management to ensure high quality programme output.
• Participate in programme staff recruitment process.
• Ensure proper succession planning for the programme team.
• Ensure all MESPT safety and security guidelines are followed and that all safety or security incidents are recorded and reported as soon as they happen
• Facilitate effective teamwork, coordination, and work planning

Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning

• In liaison with the MEAL Manager, facilitate the development of the programme’s MEAL plan and ensure that effective mechanisms are in place to monitor activities and outputs and assessments for programme quality and impact.
• Liaise and coordinate with the MEAL Manager to standardize MEAL requirements, including formats and procedures in the programme.
• In liaison with the MEAL Manager, facilitate baselines, midterm and final evaluations for the programme and assist with other assessments, including rapid or in-depth sectoral assessments, in new or existing project areas as needed
• Conduct regular MEAL field visits to collect data with the help of partners, assess the application of MEAL tools.
• Ensure programme implementation is within the best practice constraints of time, scope, and budget.
• Facilitate operational research for contextual understanding, identifying opportunities, vulnerabilities, capacities, and resources.
• Work to ensure that lessons learned, and best practices are incorporated into new program design
• Communicate learnings and analysis of monitoring data to ensure that management is able to make informed decisions on a timely basis to scale up and face operational challenges
• Track planned evaluations and ensure that evaluation reports are obtained and shared to facilitate learning,
• Provide documentation on case studies and success stories

Partnership and Networking

• Establish good working relationship with the consortium partners to ensure the realization of the project results
• Promote MESPT’s profile and enhance visibility through collaboration, networking and disseminating good practices to relevant stakeholders
• Develop strategic relationships and partnership with key stakeholders at National and County Level
• Interact, build, and nurture effective working relationships with relevant NGOs, United Nations Agencies, and Civil Society Organizations in order to foster coordination, collaboration, and partnership
• Establish adequate referral linkage of project target groups with the appropriate service providers, policy makers and other stakeholders
• Ensure efficient systems are in place to qualitatively impact the relationships with donors, beneficiaries, and other stakeholders

Financial Management/Policy adherence

• Ensure 100% compliance to contract requirements, financial management policy, procurement, HR, monitoring and reporting, and facilitate training where necessary.
• Ensure and monitor the allocation of resources in the most efficient and cost-effective way while aiming for the highest quality of implementation
• Manage the programme budget in close collaboration with the Head of Programmes and the Head of Finance and undertake monthly budget variance analysis
• Ensure efficient use and management of project resources.

Documentation and Reporting

• Ensure timely preparation and submission of monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, annual, and other program and financial reports as appropriate
• Ensure high quality reports to illustrate MESPT’s impact and assessment findings are produced, including evidence of good practice and replicable models, and that they are communicated at appropriate events to facilitate

Knowledge, Experience and Skills

• Should have at least 8 years of progressive working experience in the implementation of agri-business projects using Value Chain development and Market systems approach
• Experience in managing multi-year donor-funded programmes
• An understanding of project cycle management approaches and tools – including participatory capacity assessment and planning, project appraisal, monitoring and evaluation and partners’ capacity building,
• Experience in community-based programming
• Experience in working with Micro Small and Medium Enterprises
• Experience in designing strategies and approaches for enhancing agricultural production, food safety, Access to Market, Green Technologies and engaging youth and women
• Familiarity and experience with DANIDA regulations
• Experience in networking among development partners and government departments
• Ability to work in partnership with county governments and the private sector: capable of ensuring best practice and dealing with performance issues
• Ability and resilience to cope with multiple internal and external demands
• High level skills and experience in capacity building and report writing
• Excellent communication, interpersonal and team building skills

Qualifications/Other Requirements:

• Minimum of bachelor’s degree in Agriculture, Agribusiness, Agricultural Economics, or related field.
• A Master’s Degree in Agribusiness/Agricultural Economics, Strategic/Project Management, Development Studies, or other relevant fields will be an added advantage.
• A post graduate qualification in project management.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications especially with MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint & Outlook.