Project Manager

Project Manager SIKAI+ Project

With over 70 years of experience, our focus is on helping the most vulnerable children overcome poverty and experience fullness of life. We help children of all backgrounds, even in the most dangerous places, inspired by our Christian faith.

Come join our 34,000+ staff working in nearly 100 countries and share the joy of transforming vulnerable children’s life stories!

Employee Contract Type:
Local – Fixed Term Employee (Fixed Term)

Job Description:

The SIKAI+ Project Manager will be responsible to manage SIKAI+ project, which is funded by ANCP, Australian Government. SIKAI+ project aims to support the most vulnerable children to have equitable access to inclusive and quality basic education (ECCD to G-8) in Sarlahi and Rautahat Districts. This will be achieved through improved inclusive education environment in schools, communities are more supportive of children’s education at home and school, improved governance of inclusive education and child protection systems, and women and marginalized groups economically empowered to influence household decisions and play supportive role in promoting inclusive education.

This position is responsible for the overall management of Strengthening Inclusive Education in Nepal Plus (SIKAI+) project in compliance with donor’s terms and guidelines, project designs and World Vision’s finance and accounting policies working closely with the Partner NGOs, governments at various tiers and other partners. S/he is the overall responsible for the delivery of commitments and reporting to at various levels. S/he is also supposed to work very closely with the federal, provincial and, local government in terms of getting approvals, aligning the projects into government’s educational strategies, and advocating for the sustainability of the project. S/he is also responsible to work as focal point with Support Office (SO) in terms of project management.

The Project Manager is responsible for overall project management including project implementation, partner management, stakeholder engagement, people management, monitoring, documentation and learning capturing, with a strong sensitivity toward gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI). This position will also ensure safeguarding requirements are met, along with quality documentation and programming compliance and maintain good relationship with internal and external stakeholders in regard to data and information management with highest quality standards. They will ensure that effective scheduling and project tracker dashboards are established and reviewed to update real time status to mobilize the team. This position collaborates across field office and national office departments to solve problem, risks, issues and provide sufficient management oversight to ensure the success of the project. S/he should have a strong ability to cope with different situation and demonstrate leadership to adapt to change(s). This would require more analytical and strategic thinking and portfolio management.

This position will expect a strong understanding and work experience on integration of themes/sectors and crosscutting themes to impact broadly. Along with this, understanding on sponsorship programme and integration of the project with the Area Programme interventions are expected to align coherently. Apart from these, regular monitoring data are consolidated, reviewed, analysed and applied in the programme adjustment and future policy guidance. Higher-level data summary with their analysis are reviewed and are aligned to accommodate into the Field Office programming aspects and country strategy. There should have a good visualization of project progress identifying gaps and also presenting successes.

The Project Manager is responsible to manage project team and partners’ performance, motivation and staff wellness. Emotional intelligence is duly taken into consideration while managing and engaging with people and stakeholder. A regular assessment of project team’s capacity and needful guidance and support is provided to contribute on the project’s quality deliverables. Similarly, Partner NGOs’ workforce analysis, capacity enhancements and effective measures are undertaken to be effective and efficient.

The incumbent should maintain a good integration and working relationship with the partners, consortium partners, peers, WVI Nepal’s different entities including the East Field Office leaderships to foster synergy and cohesive environment.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Ensure that the project commences on time, delivers the results as per the approved plans and budgets, and is implemented as per the quality benchmarks, industry standards, donor guidelines and requirements, government regulations, and organizational policies and procedures.
• Lead the projects strategic, financial, and operational planning, including the annual work planning process, budgeting, partnership management and development of an appropriate project exit strategy.
• Provide overall managerial leadership to, and ensure technical leadership and competency in SIKAI+ project offering the necessary support to the district team and partner organisations
• Ensure that partner NGOs have access to appropriate information, tools and resources to enable compliance of projects with organizational standards and legal requirement in the areas of financial management, supply chain management, people management and project management
• Provide technical support for partner NGOs to deliver project outcomes, including reaching most vulnerable population as per project design
• Oversee the timely submission of all deliverables to management, donor, including regular reports (monthly, quarterly and annually), financial reports, and other reports and key documentation as required.
• Conduct quarterly review of project, identify and manage project risks and challenges, prepare mitigation measures and recommend vital changes if any and communicate timely to supervisor and concerned authorities
• Lead project donor engagement including hosting of project visits, representation at meetings, consolidation of reports, validating contents, and ensuring quality of field reports to the donor.
• Ensure GEDSI and Area Programme interventions integration and mainstreaming in the project implementation.
• Champion the integration of GEDSI domain of change (access, participation, decision-making, system and wellbeing) during project management
• Ensure all Safeguarding requirements are maintained as per WVI and donor standards
• Lead the overall baseline, monitoring, evaluation, beneficiary management and accountability processes. Ensure MEAL mechanisms are established and robust, and learning is incorporated into programming and implementation.
• Develop, apply and ensure appropriate tools and strategy to monitor the progress, quality and impact of the project targets.
• Monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, annual and other project and financial reports prepared and in placed and documented in time aligning with project design and donor requirement.
• Maintain project database management as per requirement (in Horizon, Hard copies, Soft copies)
• Qualitative reporting and implementations models ensured.
• Capture evidences (such as media coverage, visibility materials, and success/change stories) of good practices in regular basis.
• Dissemination of lessons learnt and best practices from major program interventions.
• Ensure quality monitoring and reporting through GEDSI lens
• Facilitate and ensure capacity building of project team and implementing partners to have enough capacity/necessary skills to deliver their roles and responsibilities.
• Equip relevant staffs and partners with project requirements and compliances.
• Develop strategic external relationship, partnership and leadership to engage with key stakeholders at National, Provincial and District Level.
• Serve as a resource person for disseminating knowledge and skills within WVI team including for GO/NGO decisions and externally to other institutions for WVI Nepal profiling in relevant sectors.
• Establish adequate referral linkage of project target groups with the appropriate service providers, policy makers and other stakeholders.
• Educate on the key advocacy issues and plans to NGOs and other relevant departments of WVI Nepal.
• Prepare the stakeholders engagement plan in consultation with Field Office and National Office key departments.
• Support partner NGOs to manage relationship with Local Government, Peer INGOs, CBOs and networks as necessary
• Ensure partner NGO’s capacity on GEDSI programme implementation, monitoring and reporting
• Lead the management of partner NGOs’ performance to ensure that project results are delivered as per the agreed MOAs, plans, budgets, quality benchmarks, donor guidelines and requirements, government regulations, and organizational policies and procedures.
• Ensure adequate strengthening of partner NGOs’ management, technical and functional capacity to achieve projects’ deliverables.
• Ensure that regular and timely meetings with partner NGO take place as per expected requirements, corrective actions from project monitoring and tracking are taken, and action plans are followed up.
• Support to provide appropriate technical support for Partner NGOs to have adequate technical quality in the delivery of WVI Nepal’s projects, meeting minimum standards and targets including reaching the most vulnerable children, families and communities, empower communities, and mainstream crosscutting theme – inclusion, disabilities, environment, gender and protection.
• Provide project stakeholders with comprehensive documents and each stakeholder clarified on their role and responsibilities.
• Review monthly progress and plans of implementing partners
• Provide necessary support for planning, monitoring and implementations of project activities
• Provide project financial oversight and ensure accurate financial reporting. Monitor monthly actual expenditures and compare them with the implementation model, budget requirements, review the budget if needed and provide variance explanation.
• Ensure that the milestone payments are as per the result-based financing principles.
• Ensured 100% compliance of procurement policy both in WVI Nepal and from the grant funder.
• Ensured 100% compliance to Adult and Child Protection Policy.
• Internal control mechanisms are in place and Limited Risk is obtained in Internal, project and GC audits.
• Ensure effective and efficient utilization of program resources through monitoring and tracking expenditures against project plan.
• Prepare reporting schedule per Support Office, donor requirements, including periodic and end of project reports, clearly communicating timeline, process, and specific requirements to internal/field teams to ensure the timely delivery of high-quality reports.
• Review and document Support Offices, donor requirements and checklists to incorporate into WVI Nepal programmes.
• Review and edit key project reports (semi-annual, annual), design documents and other programme output documents as per the SO and donor prescribed format and checklists.
• Ensure project information and database is updated by relevant staff updating database and other digital platforms to input statistics and data timely and up-to-date.
• Prepare programme/project summaries including infographics on progress
• Develop a project brief and disseminate to relevant stakeholders.
• Coordinate/ facilitate the regular consortium meetings to manage project and the given roles effectively.
• Represent the consortium in meetings with donor and other relevant agencies at national level, giving adequate feedback to the consortium members.
• Quality check and monitoring in line with the commonly agreed M&E framework (standards and designs, monitoring tools, beneficiary selection and integration and counting.
• Ensure harmonization of consortium partners’ activities across programs, and across sectors (Inclusive Education, Child Protection, Women Economic Empowerment, GEDSI etc.) wherever feasible.
• Review all documents to be released to partners e.g. MOU. S/He shall consolidate all comments, prepare final draft and follow-through until acceptance/ signing, as applicable.
• Provide technical and administrative guidance to project staff at WVI Nepal and partner NGO.
• Conduct performance appraisal, support capacity development plan of individual staff and retain high performing staff, to the extent possible.
• Lead by example to foster accountability, agility, team spirit and strategic leadership.
• Promote diversity, openness, safe environment to enhance open culture and maintaining team dynamics.
• Facilitate learning, coaching and mentoring of team members with clear performance expectations and individual learning plans
• Create working atmosphere that inspires and motivate staff to pursue excellent performance and integrity.
• Manage in ensuring safety and security of WVI Nepal’s staff and assets as per the Core Security Requirements.
• Familiarize with WVI Nepal’s country strategy, technical programs, projects, policies and guidelines.
• Should be familiar and adherence to adult and child safeguarding.
• Ensure GEDSI has been mainstreamed in the programming.
• Manage field visits of key stakeholders to showcase project successes and challenges.
• Carry out duties as assigned by supervisor and WVI Nepal’s management.
• Perform other organizational and business processes that are required to contribute to WVI Nepal’s strategic objectives and to maintain a healthy organizational life.

KNOWLEDGE/QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE ROLE

Required Professional Experience

• At least 5 years management experience in national and/or international NGOs.
• Demonstrated depth of experience and expertise preferably in an NGO context in working with community/grassroots people and organizations, specially focus on Inclusive Education.
• Demonstrated experience of leading/ managing multiple partners-based project at different levels.
• Extensive experience and recognized expertise in models and methods of training, facilitation and capacity building, Project Management and organizational development for staffs, communities and government stakeholders.
• Thorough understanding and experience about Nepal Government’s strategies, policies, guidelines on early grade reading and ICT policies.
• Strategic, creative, and innovative thinking, solving problems with prudent decision making.
• Demonstrated experience in capacity building and different approaches to building capacity of partners, staff and organizational competencies.
• Fluent in Nepali, with good written and spoken English (Maithili speaker is additional value)
• Experience in using logical frameworks and project monitoring
• Ensure implementation of Child Protection Policy and Child Safe Organization practices
• Effective people management maintaining emotional intelligence

Required Education, training, license, registration and certification

• Master’s degree in Education, Social Science, management or relevant discipline with at least 2 years of relevant experience
• Bachelor’s degree in Education, management, social science with at least 5 years of relevant experience

Preferred Knowledge and Qualifications

• Expert knowledge of inclusive education, women empowerment, protection.
• Very good experiences in using digital platforms
• Work experience in INGO in the relevant area is preferred.
• Team building, collaboration, facilitation and leadership skills
• Demonstrated networking, partnership and coordination ability
• Excellent problem-solving skills and detail orientation
• Able to work under pressure
• Understanding of GESI, community-led activities and local advocacy
• Demonstrate understanding of and commitment to World Vision’s Core Values in the approach to work and relationships
• High level of fluency in English language (reading, writing and speaking)
• Willingness to work outside office hours especially when traveling and working with partners and communities.
• Skilled in MS office applications

Travel and/or Work Environment- 50%

Physical Requirements-Regular field visits in Terai geographic context.

Language Requirements- English and Nepali language essential.

Preferred other local languages of WVI Nepal’s working areas.

“World Vision is committed to achieving diversity, as the diversity of our teams is critical to our overall success. WV welcomes applications from qualified professionals all over Nepal. Women, people with disability, and members from other marginalized groups are strongly encouraged to apply.”

“Children and vulnerable adults who come into contact with WV as a result of our activities must be safeguarded to the maximum possible extent from deliberate or inadvertent actions and failings that place them at risk of abuse, sexual exploitation, injury, and any other harm. One of the ways that WVI Nepal shows this on-going commitment to safeguarding is to include rigorous background and reference checks in the selection process for all candidates, in accordance to its Child and Adult Safeguarding Policy. WVI Nepal has zero tolerance to child rights’ violations, by employees and/or affiliates.”

WVI Nepal reserves all rights to qualify/disqualify applications in any case.
People & Culture Department
World Vision International Nepal