NATIONAL SENIOR PROJECT LEAD VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
Position Title: National Senior Project Lead
Vacant positions: 1 person
Type of contract: Fixed term
Working location: Kigali National office
Supervisor: Head of projects
Nationality: Rwandan
Deadline: 24th March 2023
Content of the organization
Established in 1949, SOS Children’s Villages is a dynamic social development international organization working globally to meet the needs and protect the interests and rights of vulnerable children. In Rwanda SOS Children’s Villages is an affiliate of SOS Children’s Villages International which is a federation of over 130 SOS Children’s Villages associations world-wide. We build families for neglected, abandoned or orphaned children, we help them shape their own futures and we share in the development of their communities. In order to further fulfil its responsibilities, the National Office of SOS Children’s Villages Rwanda located at Kacyiru / Kigali, wishes to recruit a competent National Senior Project lead for one of its projects; Children in street situation project.
Position summary
Under the overall supervision of head of projects and working closely with the Director of program, the Senior Project lead is responsible for the day-to-day management and implementation of the Children in street situation (CISS) Project, including on all substantive and administrative matters. S/he takes responsibility for overall coordination and consultations of the Project with government agencies for increasing capacity of the program and project cycle. S/he will undertake overall supervision of staff, ensure successful implementation of the activities under the CISS project, demonstrate program maturity and strong networking abilities. The senior project lead will provide strategic guidance on effective interventions for children in street situation and will support the Director of Program on cross-functional and programmatic aspects including but not limited to ensuring program quality, research, monitoring and evaluation and program innovation.
Key Performance Areas and Main Responsibilities:
Program Development and Oversight
- Maintain a donor report tracking system to ensure that responsible staff are aware of upcoming deadlines, including key donor and project milestones and deliverables, as well as tracking expenditures against donor budgets and coordinate the consolidation and editing of donor reports.
- Ensure that project progress reports are based on results-based monitoring and evaluation, including the impact of projects and reports are coherent, of a consistent high quality and adhere to donor and SOS CV Rwanda standards prior to submission.
- Act as a central liaisons person between SOS Children’s Villages and the National rehabilitation services (NRS) in the implementation of the CISS project and the community rehabilitation program
- Work closely with the M&E manager to generate key learnings and recommend key strategic actions and or effective interventions on community reintegration of children from street situation.
- Ensure that reports are coherent, of a consistent high quality and adhere to donor and SOS CV Rwanda standards prior to submission
- Support the Director of Program-on-program quality assurance with technical reviews of program reports, research and studies
- Liaise with the National Child Development Agency (NCDA), for case management and social reintegration of children from street situation
- Act as a central point of organizational expertise on donor compliance requirements, ensuring that relevant staff is informed of donor requirements and strengthen adherence to compliance with contracts and donor requirements by providing staff with the required technical support, guidance and training to ensure the project is donor compliant.
- Provide oversight and leadership to project teams to effectively deliver results.
- Conduct project visits to project target areas to support and encourage staff, and provide advice and guidance for adaptive improvement of the project.
- Build synergies with existing reintegration projects for program quality on maximizing on impact.
- Liaise with the Finance Department to ensure that both the narrative and the financial reports align with one another before submission to the donor.
- Ensure timely preparation and compilation of project quarterly, semi-annual and annual project reports ensuring quality compliance with donor requirements.
Advocacy and Communication
- Provide direction and leadership in advocating project objectives and in ensuring that all interested parties are well informed about the project interventions and goals.
- Identify any support and advice required for the management, planning and control of the Project.
- Participate in conducting regular reflections/project progress at location level to ensure successful project Implementation.
- Ensure the quality of outputs and results with optimal monitoring mechanisms; establish effective coordination, monitoring, information sharing and reporting systems.
- Together with the program locations, prepare monitoring, evaluation and lessons learned reports and other relevant project-related documents.
- Guide and orient efforts and contributions of consultants, staff and partners towards the achievement of project objectives.
- Represent the Project, as required, vis-a-vis other development organizations at the National level, donors, as well as national Government and non-governmental institutions and endeavour to build professional relationships with local, district authorities in order to ensure the full participation of a broad spectrum of national leadership in the identification, planning and execution of Project activities.
- Ensure proper professional relationships with relevant national partner agencies, relevant developing programmes/projects.
- Establish and maintain relationships and act as the key focal point to ensure that all programming, financial and administrative matters related to the Project are transparently, expediently and effectively managed, in line with established SOS VR Rwanda Rules and Regulations.
Establish mechanisms for ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the project
- Ensure that monitoring and evaluation systems are in place and functioning well, in line with the organisation’s requirements. .
- Provide direct supervisor with regular updates on programme activities and results, including regular written reports, according to organisational requirements.
- Secure regular financial management reports, including budget vs. expenditure reports, as required for the effective management of programme resources.
Child Safeguarding
- Ensuring that Child Safeguarding measures are in place within their area of managerial responsibility and that staff, associates and other key stakeholders are made aware of these measures and are supported in implementing them
- Ensuring that Child safeguarding is integrated in all management processes including recruitment, on boarding, performance management, team meetings, annual planning processes, field level monitoring, IWP, IDP etc.
- Creating and maintaining a managerial and operational environment where the Child Safeguarding Policy is effectively implemented.
- Fulfilling specific and additional responsibilities in achieving compliance of SOS Children’s Villages Child Protection Policy.
- Ensure the best interest of the child is applied and considered.
Qualifications
- At least 5 years of relevant and continuous work experience working with most vulnerable children. Experience working with children in street will be an added advantage.
- Managerial experience in the field of development cooperation including in grant management
- Master’s degree or equivalent in Project Management, development studies, social sciences, another relevant field.
Competencies – knowledge, skills, abilities
Technical Skills and Experience:
- Knowledge of the issues in the relevant area related to street children
- Proven ability to draft, edit and produce written proposals and results-focussed reports
- Proven experience working with Government, civil society, international organizations and donors
- Strong proposal writing, drafting MoU, concept note development and organizational skills, as well as the ability to speak clearly and persuasively
- Experience in project management, planning, monitoring and evaluation
- Good knowledge and understanding of youth empowerment, entrepreneurship and employability
- Awareness and understanding of social development issues including gender, education, youth skill training.
- Understanding of human resource development
- Strong networking, partnership and interpersonal skills.
- Understanding of micro business and value chain business development
- Experience in budget development and knowledge in financial management
- High level of communication skills
- Ability to work under high pressure
- Positive and professional approach: highly organised, results oriented, using initiative and keeping commitments
- S/he must have demonstrated knowledge of partnership development strategies, proposal writing, resource mobilization and fund development
- Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Office and MS project)
- Experience in community mobilization
- Knowledge of national policy developments in the area of youth empowerment, entrepreneurship and employability.
- Knowledge of project cycle management
Please note: This job description outlines only the general scope of activity and the basic tasks and responsibilities associated with his/her position. It may be supplemented with a more detailed definition of tasks, responsibilities and work-plan and is subject to change at the discretion of the direct superior.
How to Apply:
The interested Candidates in this position should send a detailed CV, application letter, other deemed required documents with three (3) traceable professional references to sos.recruitment@sos-rwanda.org and properly fill the application form found via the following LINK by not later than 24th March, 2023. at 5:00 pm Kigali time.
Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply
N.B: Please mention in the subject of your email: Senior Project Lead.
Late applications will not be accepted. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
“SOS Children’s Villages Rwanda/ International holds strict child safeguarding principles and a zero-tolerance policy for conducts of sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse in the workplace and other places where the organization’s activities are rendered. Parallel to technical competence, recruitment, selection and hiring decisions will give due emphasis to assessing candidates value congruence and thorough background checks, police clearance reference check processes”.
Done at Kigali on 14th March 2023.
Jean Bosco KWIZERA
National Director
