Project Manager at Solidaridad Eastern & Central Africa Expertise Centre (SECAEC)

Position in the organisation

• The Project Manager reports to the Country Manager or the Head of Programmes. The Project Manager coordinates people and processes to ensure that Solidaridad’s assigned project is delivered on time and produces the desired results within the scope and allocated resource envelope. S/he will also be expected to work closely with the national and regional programming team, as well as the regional innovation team.

Result areas

Project Planning;

• Review the project proposal, budget, targets, key performance indicators and ensure that the planning is realistic (Measurable, Reportable & Verifiable), both in terms of budget and implementation.
• Develop detailed work plans and budget in coordination with the respective partners as required
• Assist project partners to develop their plans in line with the required project objectives and deliverables.
• Support the project team by providing longer-term vision, strategic direction and appropriate planning aligned with Solidaridad’s regional and global network business plan.

Project Implementation;

• Work with the concerned staff and partners to ensure effective implementation of the project.
• Review the project plans annually to ensure that they are realistic, both in terms of budget and in terms of overall project plan.
• Regularly review & track the project progress against milestones and take corrective action where required, raising issues with the concerned personnel as needed timely and professionally.

Project Management;

• Promote and maintain effective partnerships with the partners and beneficiaries.
• Guide and lead the project team to achieve specific goals, objectives, and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of the project.
• Ensure that work is appropriately delegated and staff members are empowered to carry out tasks independently where appropriate matching their skills and capacity.
• Ensure efficient project management procedures are implemented to enable monitoring of projects and accurate reporting of progress.
• Ensure strict adherence to Solidaridad’s ethics, and policy and pro-actively encourage transparency and openness in all activities.
• Ensure procurement and contracts are prepared and issued to Solidaridad’s standards and procedures/ in-country legal frameworks/partners’ requirements and are managed effectively.
• Manage financial resources of selected tasks and components while coordinating with the Regional Project Finance Manager regarding budget control and financial procedures.
• Support collection and accurate reporting of impact data related to the project as guided by the PMEL Manager.

Networking with Government and non-Government Organizations, and Private Sectors;

• Build strong relationships with the government authorities and arrange field visits and regular progress review meetings where necessary.
• Learn good practices from other organizations and reflect these in the project.
• Represent Solidaridad, building and maintaining relationships and partnerships with relevant service providers, government, national and international development partners, local stakeholders and communities, private sector, and funder Partners representatives for effective implementation of projects.
• Contribute to public communication while supporting a strong and positive Solidaridad brand that is visible and recognizable while working closely with the Country Manager and the Regional Communications Officer.

Project Monitoring and Reporting;

• Pay regular field visits to intervention areas to observe progress, with a focus on ensuring ‘quality’ outputs.
• Prepare project progress reports (Monthly and Quarterly) based on a structured M&E framework including a review of the financial report and providing necessary feedback.
• Ensure quality monitoring data collection from the field and timely reporting.

Staff Management;

• Supervise, coach, and provide mentorship to the project staff.
• Assist in the recruitment of project staff (as and when required)
• Manage the performance of the project staff.
• Develop plans for capacity-building of the project team to enable the team to be more self-standing in the future.
• Support effective communications and joint working within the team and with other teams across the organization.

Fundraising;

• Identify and discuss with the Country Manager and Regional BD Manager any potential future funding opportunities which present themselves in-country and provide advice on their suitability and potential alignment with the Solidaridad strategic direction.
• Initiate and participate in developing funding proposals

Other Ad-hoc Tasks

• Be cognizant of the wider implications of the project, working effectively with other Solidaridad functions in the country and sometimes at the Regional level: Finance, Quality team, the Innovation team as appropriate.

Knowledge and Experience

• Relevant academic level education; Master’s degree in a relevant field (Agriculture, rural development, Social Science, Management, Business Administration, international development, Project Management, etc.).
• At least five (5) years of experience in managing projects funded by international agencies or development partners.
• At least three (3) years of experience in a management position with international organizations.
• Demonstrate experience in agricultural value chains preferably maize, cotton, tea, livestock, leather, cotton, and textiles.
• An understanding of the policy environment, issues, and stakeholders in the agriculture and/or agribusiness sector in East and Central Africa.
• Experience setting up new projects and programs.
• Record of accomplishment of delivering project goals within deadlines and budgets across public and private sectors and with NGOs.
• Demonstrable record of accomplishment of effectively building and sustaining key external and internal relationships at community, utility, and governmental levels to realize project goals.
• Leading and managing project teams of stakeholders including staff.

Specific Job Requirements

• Ability to work independently and lead a diverse multi-disciplinary team; stakeholder management skills.
• Project management skills including strategy, planning, setting objectives and planning to meet those objectives, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, budgeting, financial management and sustainability.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Ability to define new projects, establish overall scope and budget, be able to influence at senior management level, take a strategic outlook and to manage change where necessary empowering project staff and others to strengthen their capacity and capability through mentoring and coaching.
• Excellent planning, organizational and time management skills, able to work well under pressure both proactively and prioritize a challenging workload.
• Good communication skills; able to communicate complex concepts in a clear and concise way to non-technical managers both in writing and verbally and to provide professional advice with confidence and tact.
• Motivating and developing teams, including performance management and appraisals.
• Collaborative approach to partnership working in a cross-cultural context; a team player, with strong problem-solving ability.
• Able to carry out regular in-country (and potentially) international visits and to deliver effective presentations.
• Demonstrate experience in proposal development.
• Demonstrate experience in a similar position.