Project Manager for the Borderland Project

Introduction

CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. We seek a world of hope, inclusion and social justice, where poverty has been overcome and all people live in dignity and security. CARE International aims to be a global force and a partner of choice within a worldwide movement dedicated to ending poverty

Overview of the Role

The Project Manager (PM) contributes to the realization of the Country Office (CO) Program Strategy by managing the implementation of the CO project, namely Borderland, ensuring that plans are aligned with the Country Office strategy and delivered on time and to the project management standards and donor requirements. The PM serves as the main contact person and liaises with project consortium members and leadership, the CO team including Program Director, CARE MEAL Team, and the Program Support and Finance teams to ensure timely and quality support to projects, e.g. through various CO coordination mechanisms like participation in multi-disciplinary project management teams, program coordination meetings. The position holder works together with the Director of Growth and Knowledge Management department to ensure that learning from projects is used to keep projects on track and continually improve, and develop new strategies, tools and approaches, and do the necessary adaptations. In addition, the PM’s responsible for overseeing the deployment of CARE’s resources in projects and implementing risk management and accountability strategies according to CARE International, Government of Rwanda, and Donor policies. The project manager directly reports to the Program Director.

Reports To: Program DirectorLocation: KigaliSupervises: Technical AdvisorsGrade:BG9

Key Responsibilities

1. Staff Leadership, Functional Management and Stakeholder Coordination

Level of Effort: 20%

Lead and manage the Borderland Project implementation , in a manner that ensures deliver CARE Rwanda’s goals and objectives

Ensure proper staffing/recruitment and deploy a cross departmental team of relevant technical advisors on the project), Growth, KM and MEAL team members and financial/program support staff to support the implementationManage the project team towards high standards of performance through clear roles & responsibilities and provision of appropriate support. Proactively address performance issues through timely constructive feedback and coaching where requiredEnsure that technical specialists are addressing program/project quality needs and meeting desired outcomesTake the lead in coordinating all stakeholders involved in each allocated project (staff/professionals, partners, consultants, and community members) to ensure each project progresses on time and to standardReview the results of regular Monitoring, Evaluation and learning reviews and support and contribute to decision making concerning any adjustments to the project plan that may need to be made; conduct routine field and monitoring visitsTake assertive corrective action in case of problems or serious shortfalls in timelines, standards or compliance; escalating to the Program Director and project leadership in case of difficultyEnsure that partner capacity building / organizational development activities are properly coordinated for maximum impactServe as the main contact person on the above project under your portfolio

1. Project Implementation and management

Level of Effort: 25%

Oversee the implementation of impactful projects that will collectively target the underlying causes of poverty and social injustice in RwandaIn collaboration with the Program Director and project leadership and project team, ensure that the entire project cycle – project start-up, day-to-day implementation, MEL, redesign, close-out etc. - is managed effectively, that good relationships are maintained with all project stakeholders and that the future sustainability of implementing partners has been considered.Through supervision and Program Director’s support, ensure the timely and effective implementation of all program/project strategies and work planProactively and consistently engage other departments (Growth & KM and MEAL teams, PS and Finance) to identify implementation challenges and take appropriate and timely corrective actions.Effectively oversee CARE and partners’ implementation under your project to ensure that all work plans are delivered on-time and within budget and that program quality standards are met; in collaboration with the project team, monitor the achievement of project milestones and the production of reports to ensure compliance with the project plan/donor requirements.Liaise and coordinate with project leadership and other consortium partners to ensure CARE activities are designed and implemented in a cohesive manner to ensure overall project deliverables and goals are met in a timely manner.Liaise with other departments to ensure effective implementing partner coordination e.g. capacity development strategies are coordinated and achieve results; participate in the development, monitoring and review of capacity assessments and the selection of priorities for capacity building

1. Budget Management

Level of Effort: 30%

Ensure that budgets are developed and managed according to CARE and Donor requirementsLiaise with Program Director and Finance Department to develop project’s plans and budgets (including research activities); ensure that funds are available as scheduled and lead budget re-allocations exercises where needed; including negotiating budgets with implementing partners as requiredEnsure full compliance and orientation of partners with CARE, project, and donor financial and sub-award policies and standard operating procedures; liaise with the Awards & Sub Awards Specialists to ensure that all required technical documentation is drawn up and processed in a timely mannerEnsure that partners are provided with technical assistance and training to enable them to manage their finances effectively; ensuring compliance with CARE and Donor requirements and the production of good quality reports/monitoring dataParticipate in audits, review findings and implement recommendations assigned to the Portfolio Management team; ensure that all actions allocated to the PM team in the Country Office Risk Management Framework are implemented at all times

1. Program Strategy & Development

Level of Effort: 5%

Contribute to the development and implementation of CARE Rwanda’s strategy; aiming to maximize our beneficial impact on vulnerable women and girlsConduct the partner component of the Country Office stakeholder analysis; including power analysis Participate in the development, implementation, revision and communication of CARE Rwanda’s strategic plans (Program, Advocacy, Communication, Partnership, Resource mobilization strategies), business plans and annual operating plansSupport the business planning process by contributing to the development of master plans and budgets especially for capacity building for partnersContribute to CO resource mobilization actions e.g. develop detailed plans and budget for funding proposals and assist in identifying and securing fundingBe proactive in liaising with CO leadership team, Donors, keeping them fully informed of progress, supporting field visits and maintaining excellent relationships at all times

1. Reflective Practice & Learning

Level of Effort: 5%

Collaborate with the Knowledge Management MEAL Team to continuously develop broad and deep understanding of the root causes of vulnerability and enhance the efficacy of CARE’s interventionsLiaise with the Director of Growth and KM and other project MEAL team to organise and participate in blame-free learning reviews; supporting the staff and stakeholders to continually review and improve the quality and impact of interventionsCoordinate with the MEAL team to oversee the establishment and management of required standard MEL frameworks by all implementing partners e.g. collection of comprehensive and quality M&E data per donor, CARE, GoR requirements – progress report preparation and submission; providing on-going support to partners in case of any difficulty and certifying their reportsEnsure good understanding of the results of M&E data collection, analysis and any new research findings; liaise with implementing partners to support the application of learning in the community / workplaceLiaise with the People and Culture Director to ensure that suitable Learning & Development opportunities are provided to staff (and partners if appropriate); leading the project team in facilitating workshops and other learning events according to personal specialism

1. Advocacy, Communications & Relationship management

Level of Effort: 5%

Actively participate in the development and implementation of CARE Rwanda's Advocacy & Communications plan; ensuring that key program stakeholders are influenced effectively
Participate in the development of an engagement plan and strategy for influencing key programme stakeholdersEnsure that any activities allocated in the Advocacy & Communication Plan to the portfolio of projects being managed are rolled-out on time and to standardAct as a 'convenor', facilitating linkages that will benefit implementing partners and their beneficiaries and multi-actor planning that will leverage change in the enabling environmentBuild and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders at the National/District levels; includes actively participating in National & International Platforms in line with the project and co-designing strategies

1. Partner selection, Capacity Building & Support

Level of Effort: 10%

In collaboration with the Program Director, partnership manager and sub grant team support the partner pre-selection process and coordinate the provision of Capacity Building training and support to Implementing Partners; ensuring that they are fully equipped to meet the requirements of the project plan and operate sustainably thereafterActively support the partner selection process and participate in the partner selection Committee (PSC) meeting; ensuring that all reports and data emanating from the due diligence assessments are collated and presented on time and to standardDiscuss the results of the capacity assessment with Partners; gaining their ownership of the results and buy-in to the capacity building aspects of the joint projectWork with the Program Director and the Awards & Sub Awards Specialists to agree and sign contracts / IPIAs; gaining relevant approvals according to the thresholdEnsure partner is fully aware of and prepared for the schedule of activities with CARE & donors; ensure introductions to the partner & clear explanations of the roles of the teamCoordinate initial training to ensure that partners understand the donor accountability and reporting requirements and the tools that have been developed to gather dataIn collaboration with partnership manager, support the development and implementation of partner capacity building (OD, ToT training, strategic planning, Board training etc.)Support partners in case of any difficulties with using tools or meeting requirements as the project progresses

Additional General Responsibilities

• Keep up-to-date with CARE’s emerging strategies and approaches and contribute proactively towards implementation
• Take responsibility for ensuring personal safety and security; giving due care and consideration to the impact of personal decisions on the safety and security of others
• Be proactive in ensuring that CARE’s core values, code of conduct, and principles of equality, diversity, and advancing women and girls are upheld throughout the area of responsibility and provide leadership to others
• Take responsibility for personal performance, be accountable for own actions and decisions, and be answerable for resulting consequences
• Carry out other duties as requested by the Programs Director

Important Relationships

Internal: Program Director, project team, Director of Growth and Knowledge Management, MEAL Team, Project managers, Technical Advisors, PS and Finance staff, CARE Member Partners

External: Government organs (national and districts level), Partner NGOs, other aggregator/consortium members