Project Manager - Sowing Change Project at CARE

JOB SUMMARY

• The Program Manager provides support at all stages of project planning, implementation, coordination, and reporting. The program manager’s primary responsibility will be to ensure that the project produces the results specified in the project document to the required standard of quality and within the specified constraints of time and cost.
• Under the supervision of the joint Heads of Programs from CARE and WWF-Kenya, the Project Manager will collaborate and coordinate with relevant government counterparts, relevant CARE and WWF-Kenya staff, community leaders and rightsholders, private sector and other relevant stakeholders. The incumbent is expected to exercise full compliance with CARE programming, financial, procurement and administrative rules, regulations, policies, and strategies, as well as implementation of the effective internal control systems.

ROLES AND RESPOSIBILITIES
Organization Management (30%)

• Participate in governance committee to serve as the link between the project and the global and country level leadership of the program.
• Work closely with the global alliance team to ensure coordination, technical support and collaboration with the wider alliance programming.
• Ensure adherence of the project work plan to the project document, prepare revisions if required and adapt the program as needed, and ensure synergies with other donor funded initiatives focused on women’s leadership and entrepreneurship, climate change and landscape restoration.
• Prepare regular progress reports in line with reporting schedules, as well as any other reports requested by CARE-WWF Alliance, donor, Government and or other stakeholders.
• Develop Terms of Reference (ToRs) and supervise relevant consultants and provide quality assurance.
• Ensure timely recruitment and procurement of quality services and equipment and implementation of project activities in line with applicable CARE rules liasing with a cross organization project team, regulation and standards;
• Timely planning and implementation of the project activities
• Manage the human and financial resources for achieving results in line with the outputs and activities outlined in the project document and annual work plan;
• Lead, manage and oversee a cross-organization project team and any consultants necessary to ensure timely implementation of the project activities and achievements of expected results.
• Undertake timely actions to respond to any project deviation or delays, informing donor and partners.
• Review and ensure technical soundness and cost effectiveness of project activities.
• Organize progress and update meetings with the various stakeholders and project management unit.
• Represent the project at technical meetings and other appropriate fora in coordination with line supervisor.
• Manage and monitor projects’ risks and issues and update the status. Monitor and keep track of project implementation progress and project risks.
• Prepare final project report and process all other requirements for the project auditing and closure of the project as per CARE and WWF Alliance standard procedures.

Delivery of Project Results (35%)

• Support the establishment of monitoring frameworks and provide on-going feedback and technical backstopping and regularly monitor progress towards the identified indicators.
• Ensure that project outputs have been achieved as appropriate, the project is successfully closed.
• Support the establishment of monitoring frameworks and provide on-going feedback and technical backstopping and regularly monitor progress towards the identified indicators.
• Oversee and monitor implementation of work plans and budgets for all project activities.
• Ensure that the project produces the results (outputs) specified in the project document to the required standard of quality and within the specified constraints of time and cost;
• Monitor the project expenditures, commitments and balance of funds under the project budget lines, and draft project budget revisions in accordance including the reporting on project funds and related record keeping.
• Analysis and aggregation of project results/outputs and reporting of project progress at the objective and outcome level.
• Ensure conformity of results with the Project Document and CARE rules and procedures through budget preparation and management, planning and general monitoring of the project.
• Manage delivery of results by using up-to-date best practices and know-how in relevant subject areas and accordingly plan delivery of resources for the performance year.
• Ensure that all project deliverables and documents are noted and stored, that the project is both operationally and financially closed, that all tasks have been completed, that all assets have been transferred, that all issues are resolved and that the project is “done”;
• Review professional performance and document implementation processes and results through project based professional reports.
• Manage and monitor requests for financial resources and ensure accuracy and reliability of financial reports;
• Prepare requisitions requests and ensure continuous delivery updates on financial delivery performance;
• Liaise with the contracted consultants and other project staff on financial management of the project activities, including monitoring project financial expenditure and transactions;

Policy and Technical Advice -10%

• Contribute to policy briefs, strategic notes, discussion papers on emerging climate change adaptation related issues to influence the Government and other stakeholders;
• Provide intellectual or substantive leadership in the subject area through identification of key policy issues and formulation of best possible and alternative policy and programme options at local and national levels;
• Map on a consistent basis the climate-related development issues, covering the situation and strategic opportunities
• Support the government with analysis and substantive research into national adaptation planning, and other major national and local development issues.
• Support to provide policy advice on the on-going policy development on climate change adaptation and advocating for the optimal design and sequencing necessary for enhancing the existing legal framework and institutional strengthening.

Strategic Partnership Communication (10%)

• Serve as the liaison and connection with donors.
• Identify opportunities to enhance teamwork within the project and with other CARE/WWF projects to capitalize on the specific advantages of multi-disciplinary support within the framework of the project;
• Engage in a constructive dialogue with official counterparts, partners, and other stakeholders, especially to maximize consistency and synergy between the various support components, as informed by the priorities of the Climate Change Programme;
• Support the creation of communications materials to promote and position the CARE-WWF Alliance as a though leader in and enabler of direct climate finance and locally led climate change adaptation;
• Maintain dialogue with government officials, both local and national, civil society, private sector, partners, and communities to provide knowledge and understanding while ensuring accurate interpretation of projects’ objectives;

Knowledge management and Learning (5%)

• Contribute written inputs to CARE-WWF Alliance SOWING CHANGE flagship products/newsletter/policy briefs, based on project results, data and information, lessons learned and best practices.
• Formulate a framework or platform for data-sharing and co-learning among stakeholders to improve project implementation, ownership and adaptation.
• Sharing international best practices on implementation of climate change adaptation policies and practices through participatory processes and techniques involving civil society, women and minority groups;
• Engage with national to global partners to contribute to the CARE-WWF alliance learning agenda, ensuring systemic capturing of key lessons learned, generated by the integrated project through feasibility studies, research and evaluation, as well as other primary and secondary sources to produce knowledge-based products;
• Participate in knowledge networks and other for a to share and draw on best practice and lessons learned in other similar contexts to apply to Kenya and Tanzania;
• Engage in a CARE-WWF alliance community of practice for knowledge sharing and cross-learning with teams implementing Sowing Change in other places

Gender equality and Women’s empowerment (5%)

• Support gender mainstreaming throughout the project life cycle, including design, planning, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.
• Ensure coordination and partnership with national gender mechanisms, women-led organizations, academies, networks, and forums on climate change issues, etc.
• Support the institutional and technical capacity of the project team and stakeholders on CARE’s gender equality and women’s empowerment approach as well as WWF’s environmental and social safeguards framework (ESSF) requirements.
• Support the implementation and reporting of gender-responsive actions and allocating the required resources.
• Contribute to CARE’S communication and knowledge management system on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Other Responsibilities as assigned (5%)

• Perform any other official duties as may be deemed relevant and necessary.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, Natural Resource Management, Environmental
• Economics, Gender Studies, Community Development, Social Ecological Systems or related fields.
• At least 8 years of relevant professional work experience on issues related to climate change, natural resources management, community development and/or entrepreneurship.
• Experience managing a project and a team requires.
• Strong planning and organizational skills; ability to handle planning, budgeting and management of multiple concurrent workstreams.
• Sound understanding of participatory development or conservation strategies, including women, youth and community empowerment.
• A compelling verbal and written communicator of complex ideas with excellent presentation skills
• Experience with integrated programs that involve multiple organizations and both conservation and development outcomes..
• Proven experience and knowledge of Kenya and/or Tanzania’s the countries institutional framework and policies related to climate change and natural resource management.
• Experience working and coordinating with multi stakeholders including the government, NGOs, consultants, private sector, and CSOs.
• Knowledge of relevant UNFCCC, COP-decisions, and national commitments under international conventions
• Experience related to climate change, water resources management, ecosystem restoration and biodiversity conservation.
• A critical thinker about interrelated systems.