Cross Border Project Manager at Norwegian Refugee Council

Roles & Responsibilities

• Oversee the completion of all technical requirements, including project results and deliverables, in accordance with the project work plan.
• Build and maintain productive working relationships with DFID, project implementers, partners, and key stakeholders. Serve as the primary liaison among all project stakeholders.
• Manage the project’s operational, financial, and administrative priorities and direct the planning and budgeting processes. Create or adapt management systems in line with NRC’s standard operating procedures, ensuring consistency with project needs. Build partnerships among international-, national-, and community-level stakeholders.
• With staff and partners, translate project goals and objectives into implementable strategies and plans. Oversee the preparation of quarterly and annual project activity reports, M&E reports, and other deliverables, as specified in the agreement. Report against the project’s targets.
• Represent the project at high-level meetings, conferences, and other for a Guide team members to fulfill the project’s strategic goals and objectives.
• Interact with relevant Cross border stakeholders and donors in Kenya and Somalia. Take lead of all cross border functions of the return projects for NRC.
• Supervise and mentor senior staff, delegating responsibilities as appropriate. Clearly communicate expectations for staff performance
• Responsible for the overall planning, implementation and management of the project as well as the achievement of the goals and objectives of the project in a timely and cost-effective manner.
• Ensure strong communication and coordination with all team members as a means to effectively achieve program objectives. Encourage transparency among and between members to promote coordination and effectiveness.
• Lead the planning of project activities and set high quality performance targets ensuring adherence to technical standards, best practices and donor guidelines.
• Design strategies, partnerships and interventions to guarantee the project is gender and ability-sensitive and that NRC and implementing partners are accountable to beneficiaries.
• Ensure grant management compliance for the project in alignment with donor and NRC regulations.
• Primary point of contact and collaboration for the team and in-country stakeholders, including DFID, implementation partners, government partners and other key stakeholders.
• Ensure timely, high-quality and complete submission of work plans, quarterly and annual reports, financial reports, and any other reports required by the donor.
• Promote sustainability of project activities with effective networking, linkages to other programs, capacity building of project staff, and institutional strengthening of implementing partners and community-based organizations.
• Supervise a team of senior level international staff with skills across a diverse set of technical areas
• Develop and maintain and adequate human resource plan to ensure proper technical capacity to manage project work.
• Ensure low risk audits for the projects.
• Direct and oversee grant implementation, ensuring that all strategic objectives are met through proper design, staffing, implementation and quality assurance
• Represent the project and NRC to DFID, Somalia Government, UN agencies, implementing, technical partners and other appropriate bodies.
• Research new funding opportunities and develop and write funding proposals linked to this action.
• Ensure effective liaison with local government officials, local communities, donor representatives and other stakeholders as appropriate
• Constantly look for more effective and efficient implementation and opportunities to increase impact
• Establish and maintain effective project reporting, evaluation, and communication systems.
• Document and disseminate project best practices, lessons learnt and success stories
• Manage grant/project budget within approved spending levels and ensure accurate and timely financial reports to donors and NRC.
• Ensure grant/project expenses are reasonable, allocated as per assigned budget, prudent and spent in accordance with donor rules and regulations to ensure low risk audits.

Qualifications: Education/Knowledge/Technical Skills and Experience
Education The following may be acquired through a combination of formal or self-education, prior experience or on-the-job training

• A Master's degree in related field or equivalent experience in grant management in developing countries.
• Minimum 10 years of extensive international development experience managing large grants, working with local governments, civil societies and communities.
• Proven ability to manage technical assistance teams and ability to integrate teams of professionals around common goals.
• Keen understanding of the unique political dynamics of the country and ability to work carefully and collaboratively to support the various political entities in the region.
• Familiarity with DFID programs, their history and their development; mastery of DFID regulations governing such programs.
• Demonstrated accomplishment in working with host-country professionals, ministries and with donor colleagues in country.
• Excellent managerial and operational experience, preferably in managing large donor projects involving coordination with multiple program partners or institutions.
• Past experience of working with DFID supported projects and knowledge of financial rules and regulations at a senior level;
• Experience in developing program work-plans, budgets, managing implementation, staff and short-term technical assistance.
• Excellent representational and communication skills, written and oral proficiency in English.
• Excellent past performance references.
• Experience in integrating teams of professionals around common goals and motivating through visionary leadership.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver results and meet all donor deliverables.

Other Competencies/Attributes

• Demonstrated strong analytical, managerial, leadership, communications and interpersonal skills.
• Proven ability in the management of large integrated programs.
• Managing inter-agency consortiums.
• Positive collaboration and facilitating skills.
• Leadership of large and diverse teams; diplomacy.
• Excellent communications skills