Job Opening: Project Manager at International Alert

Job Purpose

International Alert is an independent peacebuilding organization working in more than 15 countries and territories. We work with people who are directly affected by violent conflict to improve their prospects of peace. And we seek to influence the policies and ways of working of governments, international organizations like the UN and multinational companies, to reduce conflict risk and increase the prospects of peace. We are working in Kenya since early 2000s focusing on inclusive governance, peaceful economics and Natural resource management, climate security and gender.

The Project Manager will be responsible to manage multi-year projects focusing business and human rights, inclusive governance and gender in Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda. He or She will be responsible for providing strategic direction and guidance to the projects and oversee timely and effective implementation of the projects.  S/he will bring in leadership and peacebuilding knowledge and expertise to ensure the high-quality, high-impact project outputs and outcomes. The project manager is also responsible for timely and accurate financial reporting, monitoring progress and impact of the project in both financial and technical terms. Additionally, the project manager will need to play an important role in ensuring capacity building of local partners and stakeholders as well as ensuring good communication and coordination among the partners, relevant stakeholders and policymakers and assuring connections between the partners and other actors working in similar work in Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda in general. He or She will play role in promoting of key learnings for the improvement of the project and for wider learning of the organization.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Project Implementation and Management

  • Lead the planning and management of the ‘Enabling the Business and Human Rights Agenda in Conflict-Affected Settings in Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia’ project and oversee the coordination and implementation of activities.
  • Engage with project participants and partner organizations periodically to ensure that activities meet participants’ needs, project objectivities and the key activities are taking place as planned.
  • Engage with key government and non-government interlocutors, including donors, companies and peacebuilding agencies.
  • Manage and monitor budget in the administration of financial tasks relating to project implementation, including preparation of money transfers, cash requests, processing of invoices and donor financial reporting.
  • Coordinate with the Finance team in managing budgets and producing financial reporting to donors and government, ensuring compliance with any donor requirements, policies and procedures of Alert and the audit requirements.
  • Create and maintain a project filing system, and ensure effective documentation including recording, documentation, and filing of project activities, M&E data, and internal and external project meetings.
  • Overseeing the management of other Alert Kenya projects in consultation with the Country Director.

Staff, Consultant and Project Management

  • Line manage, support and undertake performance management of the Senior Project Officers, Project officers and M&E Officer including work planning
  • Take the lead in the management of external consultants, draft TORs, monitor progress of deliverables and provide feedback as necessary, and ensure that the work of the consultants is consistent with the overall project implementation plan

Project Monitoring and Evaluation and Knowledge Management

  • Oversee the development of a monitoring and evaluation plan and appropriate M&E tools and ensure adoption of the tools to measure the progress.
  • Coordinate the collection of relevant information from partners and staff to feed into the monitoring and evaluation of the project and work on drafting as well as finalizing donor reports and project completion reports, including financial reports, in coordination with the Programme Development and Assessment Manager
  • Lead development of research methodologies including context analysis and other research processes and provide a strategic lead for possible adaptation responding to the contextual analysis and changes.
  • Lead regular reflection/review meetings, production and dissemination of high-quality project outputs, publications, and communications materials and disseminate lessons and findings internally and externally.
  • Contribute to team-wide communications and knowledge management, and participate in organization-wide events and discussions on related topics/projects

Support Alert communications and programme development in Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia

  • Collaborate with project staff and London-based colleagues to develop innovative project ideas and help to translate these ideas into coherent project proposals;
  • Work with the Country Director and Senior Regional Programme Officer to devise an effective fundraising strategy for life beyond the project and liaise with key donors as appropriate to identify opportunities for expansion.
  • Coordinate contacts and networks within government and policymakers at the county and national with the aim of identifying potential risks and mitigation measures ensuring effective implementation of the project.
  • Represent Alert and present the main findings of its work to relevant stakeholders (NGOs, donors, conferences, etc.)

Contribute to Alert’s strategic development and processes in the Horn

  • Contribute to Alert’s regional and country strategy development and implementation.
  • Contribute and develop ideas for new projects, building upon the impact achieved by existing projects.
  • Any other tasks as may be reasonably required

Travel requirements

Based in Nairobi at International Alert Kenya, with frequent travel within Kenya, Uganda and Ethiopia and occasional travel to London

PERSON SPECIFICATION

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS

Talents

At Alert, we have introduced Talent Management to our business model as we believe talented people are crucial to the success of our work.  We believe all individuals are talented and success comes in matching the right talents to the right roles.  For this role, the skills, qualifications and experience listed below are important, but we believe that to be great in this job you are likely, first and foremost, to have a talent for effective project management, coordinating staff and partners to deliver impact. You also need to be entrepreneurial and proactive in finding practical solutions in a challenging and changing environment; well organized and with a good attention for detail you will be able to lead a team to operate efficiently and at improved professional standards.

This is what we will be looking for above all else. 

  •  A degree either in law, conflict and peacebuilding studies, human rights, Social/Political Science and other relevant subjects.
  • At least 7 years’ experience in project management, including responsibility for project planning, staffing, admin/finance issues, contract management and donor & partner relationship management
  • Strong understanding of conflict/peacebuilding and governance issues of the region (the horn)
  • Experience of implementing governance or peacebuilding programmes
  • Sound understanding of business and human rights agenda
  • Sound understanding of Gender and Inclusion issues.
  • Strong and inspiring facilitation skills; participatory planning and leadership
  • Experience of partnership management and development
  • Capacity to interpret trends, risks and events impacting on the programme and make plans to mitigate them
  • An ability to make good judgment calls on complex issues and decisions
  • Strong report-writing and editing skills 

DESIREABLE REQUIREMENTS

  • Understanding of private sector development and corporate sector engagement
  • Experience of working in the consortium projects
  • Experience in people management with bias to team building and management.
  • Understanding and familiarity with conflict-sensitive approaches to development
  • Familiarity with gender and development concepts, and experience of implementing gender-sensitive programmes
  • Experience of networking and advocacy on governance issue

For a full job description and application: https://internationalalertlive.peoplehr.net/Pages/JobBoard/Opening.aspx?v=a12ebb24-5d8a-485f-906b-88f2f172e68e

All applicants must have existing right to work in Kenya.

All applications must be submitted by the 31st of May, 2022. Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis, so early applications are encouraged.

International Alert prides itself on being an equal opportunity employer and particularly welcomes applications from underrepresented people including women, people from the Global South, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ people, disabled people, and other historically marginalized people.

While International Alert will endeavor to contact all candidates within a reasonable time, this may not always be possible due to limited resources. Therefore, if you have not heard from us within two weeks of the closing date, you can assume that your application has, on this occasion, been unsuccessful.

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