Project Director at Save the Children

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

Technical assistance and capacity building

• Provide programmatic and strategic leadership, setting priorities in designing and managing the implementation of the project’s activities in collaboration with the technical and operational staff
• Provide overall operational and technical guidance and leadership for implementation of activities
• Working with the operational and technical staff across the partners, ensuring shared, harmonised, and integrated technical learning approaches across the partners
• Review and analyse data for performance monitoring and utilize the data to take corrective actions.
• Provide leadership in ensuring the project is implemented on budget, on time and with quality, and runs in an agile manner

Oversight and Management Project Operations

Responsible for overall coordination, line management and support of the Project, and ensure that:

• Project has an up-to-date work plan, in line with the approved annual Detailed Implementation Plan (DIP) and phased budget.
• Project receives adequate support from Country office support functions (supply chain, HR, Admin, Awards and Finance) to deliver high quality programme. Also ensure gaps are identified, prioritized, and communicated to the stakeholders effectively.
• Project has standardized systems, policies and procedures in place, well understood by all staff and implemented accordingly in the project.
• Project teams receive appropriate and timely support from technical advisers and programme quality teams for program design and strategy, MEAL, advocacy and planning as well as the support functions (Finance, Supply Chain and Human Resources & Admin teams).
• Project holds monthly award progress review meetings and update actions /issues are addressed.
• Principles of child safeguarding and ‘do no harm’ and inclusivity are embedded in all project planning, implementation and reporting and that staff receive regular, up to date training on it.
• Ensure transparency in targeting beneficiaries, delivery of services and participation of beneficiaries and partners in planning and monitoring of process is reflected in programme delivery.

Oversight of Grants and Finance Management:

• In close coordination with Award and Finance team, ensure that all programs progress in accordance with grant agreements, are completed within time, budget, and quality.
• Ensure compliance with all grant provisions and timely fulfilment of all project programmatic reporting requirements including donor reports and internal reports such as pipeline analyses and monthly reports.
• Oversee the development and successful implementation of work plans linked to indicators and budget for the project; 
• Oversee timely expenditure of approved budgets, avoiding under both spending and overspending on grant line items, and implementing plans for expenditure modification.
• Coordinate activities and prepare results reports, resource request and pipeline analyses

Representation and advocacy

• Serve as main focal person for all engagement with LEGO
• Chairs the Programme Steering Committee
• Represent the project in relevant internal and external fora including donor meetings (as appropriate)
• Lead stakeholder engagement with national and county Governments and foster strong relationships and collaboration of other key stakeholder groups e.g ministries, regional bodies, humanitarian organizations, development agencies, teacher unions, the Teacher Service Commission, and local community-based groups.

People management, mentoring and development

• To have overall management responsibility for the consortium team in the project, and manage and track all terms of sub agreements with consortium partners. 
• Ensure the recruitment, training, and promotion of staff as appropriate; ensure availability of and support appropriate professional development opportunities for staff in the project
• Incorporate staff development strategies and Performance Management Systems into team building process.

Assessment, monitoring, evaluation, and documentation

• Facilitate the annual work planning process in close collaboration the government teams and the project staff
• Ensure technical and administrative compliance with donor requirements
• Oversee narrative and financial reports for donor(s), ensuring these are of a high quality and submitted for review in a timely manner.
• Monitor program outputs and results and work closely with the Monitoring, Evaluation and Research team to ensure that results are documented and reported accurately and in a timely manner
• Work closely with the Monitoring, Evaluation and Research team and take a lead in ensuring that all the project’s components have robust monitoring plans, baselines, reviews and evaluations in line with the project design and donor guidelines
• Facilitate appropriate documentation and dissemination of learnings, analyses, and good practices documentations in the project internally and externally to donors, governments, consortium partners and other key actors.

BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice)

Accountability:

• Holds self-accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values.
• Holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities - giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.

Ambition:

• Sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same.
• Widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others.
• Future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale.

Collaboration:

• Builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters.
• Values diversity sees it as a source of competitive strength.

• Approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.

Creativity:

• Develops and encourages new and innovative solutions.
• Willing to take disciplined risks.

Integrity:

• Honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity.

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

Essential

• Bachelor’s / post graudate degree or Ph.D in education, public administration, development studies or any relevant qualification
• Recommend a minimum of 10 years of relevant technical experience in education, teacher professional development, refugee education, and primary/junior secondary education in Kenya including working with the Ministry of Education, Teacher Service Commission, and a strong understanding of Kenya’s Competency Based Curriculm, gender and inclusion, play based learning, WASH, humanitarian response, and MHPSS/SEL.
• Recommend a minimum of 10 years of expertise managing large and complex grants (ideally LEGO), managing multiple partners, and working in consortia
• Excellent experience in external representation with donors, local/national governments, communities, and partners
• Experience of solving complex issues through analysis, adapting and innovating where necessary, and defining a clear way forward and ensuring buy in
• Ability to extensively travel for project monitoring and provide on-site technical support to field teams 
• Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills including influencing, negotiation and coaching
• Highly developed cultural and political awareness and ability to work well in an international and matrix management environment with people from diverse backgrounds and cultures
• Strong results orientation, with the ability to challenge existing mindsets
• Ability to present complex information in a succinct and compelling manner
• Fluency in English, both verbal and written, required
• Understanding of Save the Children’s vision and mission and a commitment to its objectives and values