CHARITY JOBS IN AFRICA

Organization: Concern Worldwide
Country: Liberia
Closing date: 17 Sep 2014

Reference:CON/LI/ACD

Country: Liberia

Job Title: Assistant Country Director for Programmes in Grand Bassa

Date Requested: 2^nd September 2014

Contract Grade: C

Contract Length: 2 years

Date Needed By: As soon as possible

Accompanied / Unaccompanied: Accompanied (partner only)

Exact Job Location: Buchanan, Grand Bassa County

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title:Assistant Country Director for Programmes (incorporating role of Chief of Party for USAID education grant)

Responsible for: direct line management of the Area Coordinator Grand Bassa,Education Advisor, M&E manager, Education programme managers x 3

Job Location:Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, Liberia

Liaises with: the second Assistant Country Director for Programmes based in Monrovia, Assistant Country Director for Systems, Country Financial Controller, National as well as County & District level Government officials, partner organisations as appropriate, NGOs and other relevant stakeholders in Grand Bassa.

Reports to:Country Director

Job Purpose:To lead and guide the management and implementation of Concern Worldwide’s integrated area based programme “BRED Plus” (Building Resilience for Equitable Development), incorporating the expanded education program.

This involves managing the GB area coordinator and a team of project managers and technical support staff. The role is based in Grand Bassa and the ACDP is the senior responsible staff for the area based programme. This includes representing Concern Worldwide as the Chief of Party for the USAID grant andensuring the delivery of the key outputs and outcomes of the education project in the target schools.

Main Duties & Responsibilities:

Programme implementation and field support across our BRED Plus integrated area based program in Grand Bassa

· Ensure that programming meets high standards in design, monitoring and evaluation through Concern Worldwide’s PCMS and PM&E Systems

· Ensure that ‘How Concern Understand Extreme Poverty’ and the emphasis on the three dimensions of poverty: assets and return on assets, inequalities and risk and vulnerability is internalised by staff and incorporated in all our programming;

· Ensure programme managers understand the requirements of the Humanitarian Accountability and Quality Management (HAP) code of practice. Support the managers apply HAP practice in all community engagement and programme design.

· Ensure the maximum protection of programme participants, especially beneficiaries, from abuse and exploitation, and clarify the responsibilities of Concern staff, partner organisations, and others engaged by Concern or visiting the programmes and the standards of behaviour expected, through effective implementation of the Programme Participant Protection Policy (P4).

· Support the programme managers in programme implementation especially monitoring and evaluation to demonstrate results and the attainment of targets specified in the results framework.

· Work with the Country Director and the Desk Officer to maintain a future funding strategy.

· Maintain good donor relations (especially with USAID and Irish Aid) through the production of high quality and timely donor reports.

Coordination of multi sector interventions and support systems for the effective integration within BRED Plus

· Ensure that the Expanded Education Program is incorporated within our BRED Plus integrated area based program

· Line management of the Grand Bassa Area Coordinator to ensure:

o That our support systems efficiently and effectively support the needs of our area based program across districts 2, 3, 4 and in Buchanan

o That the work of our Health and FIM teams is coordinated and planned to maximize integration with our expanded education program – where funding and resources permit; and

o That our innovative and ‘cutting edge’ work on gender and equality is integrated across all sector programs and in all operational areas in Grand Bassa (Districts 2, 3, 4 and Buchanan)

· Ensure harmony and communication between all program, district and support system teams within BRED Plus;

Management of staff, outcomes and resources in the Expanded Education Program

§ Representing our Expanded Education Program within BRED Plus and CW to a wider constituency and taking on the role of USAID grant Chief Of Party;

§ Leading, inspiring and managing a large national team and small expatriate team of skilled professionals.

§ Mentoring and performance monitoring of direct reports and ensuring that a consistent PDR system is being rolled out effectively throughout the BRED Plus hierarchy and structure

§ Ensuring that the BRED Plus team adheres to and complies with both our HAP and P4 commitments

§ Ensuring efficient & effective use of all project resources and capital items

Donor grant management

§ Specific responsibility for the management of the USAID grant and ensuring strict compliance to all donor and CW financial and procurement procedures

§ Ensuring our financial systems are compliant with both CW, Irish Aid and USAID’s procedures

§ Ensuring that we are compliant with the strict financial and project progress reporting timelines as specified in our Irish and USAID award documents

§ Ensure that we meet all our compliance obligations, such as visibility and donor relations: visits to the field and access to data and project information

Coordination & implementation

§ Chairing the monthly coordination meeting that brings together the key components of the Expanded Education Program: field interventions, our technical unit, support systems, external relations and the role of our partner LIBTRALO

§ Ensure efficient & effective project management and logistical support to the field interventions in the 100 schools (Outcome 1 around improved literacy & numeracy)

§ Ensure that there is timely preparation and planning for the various consultant missions to support assessment, technical and other support to the different components of our expanded education program

§ Ensure that our external relations with USAID, GoL (at macro and meso level) are being cultivated and that collaboration is effective for longer term sustainability of the expanded education program results (Outcome 2 around GoL capacity)

§ Ensure that the CW ‘safe learning model’ is effectively being rolled out across all the targeted 100 schools; and that a realistic advocacy plan is being developed at national level with other stakeholders and key partners (Outcome 3 around safe learning environment)

§ Ensure we have quality M&E across the project that is contributing towards quality interventions, demonstrating results, contributing to a high level of reporting and that we are documenting key lessons that are being learnt

Partner Support & Capacity Building

§ Liaise closely with LIBTRALO head office to ensure that their role in bilingual literacy intervention (BLI) is being effectively rolled out;

§ Ensure that capacity and support is provided from our technical, system and M&E staff to plug any capacity gaps such that delays and risks to the project implementation are minimized;

Person Specifications:

Essential:

• A primary degree in development and preferably with an Education focus, and MSc or equivalent qualification desirable.
• Significant management and operational experience of large development projects – not necessarily education, although this would be an advantage.
• Significant advantage to have knowledge & experience of managing USAID funded programmes.
• Strong communication and people management skills working with a large staff.
• Strong capacity building and HR management – around staff performance.
• Good understanding of M&E and research design.
• Budget / Financial management capacity and some familiarity with systems (HR, IT, procurement, logistics).
• Strong writing skills, including proven experience of quality report writing and documentation.
• Strong interpersonal, motivational, communication and coordination skills.

· Ability to work under pressure and to strict deadlines.

• Excellent Word, Excel, and PowerPoint skills
• Good training, facilitation and capacity-building skills.
• Cross cultural awareness and sensitivity.
• Empathy with Concern’s goals and a commitment to capacity building, accountability, participation and gender equality.

How to apply:

All applications should be submitted through our website at https://jobs.concern.net by closing date.

CV’s should be no more than 4 pages in length.

All candidates who are short-listed for a first round interview will be notified via email after the application deadline.

Concern Worldwide is an Irish-based non-governmental, international, humanitarian organisation dedicated to the reduction of suffering and working towards the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty in the world’s poorest countries.

Concern has a Staff Code of Conduct and a Programme Participant Protection Policy which have been developed to ensure the maximum protection of programme participants from exploitation and to clarify the responsibilities of Concern staff, consultants, visitors to the programme and partner organization, and the standards of behaviour expected of them. In this context staff have a responsibility to the organization to strive for, and maintain, the highest standards in the day-to-day conduct in their workplace in accordance with Concern’s core values and mission. Any candidate offered a job with Concern Worldwide will be expected to sign the Programme Participant Protection Policy and the Concern Staff Code of Conduct as an appendix to their contract of employment. By signing the Programme Participant Protection Policy and the Concern Staff Code of Conduct candidates acknowledge that they have understood the contents of both the Concern Staff Code of Conduct and the Programme Participant Protection Policy and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these two documents.

Concern receives a substantial amount of funding from external donors each year. Increasingly donors are introducing requirements whereby future funding is conditional on Concern ensuring that the names of any new employee or volunteer do not appear on terrorism lists generated by the European Union (List of person, groups and entities to which Regulation (EC No. 2580/2001 applies), the US Government (Office of Foreign Assets Control list of specially designated Nationals and Blocked Persons) and the United Nations (Consolidated List). Any offer of employment (either paid or voluntary) with Concern Worldwide will not be made pending a clearance check being conducted on the applicant. For additional information please consult our web site or contact the Human Resource Division in our Head Office.

Concern Worldwide is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community.