GFFO Senior Project Coordinator

IRC’s vision is for individuals, households & communities to be resilient, self-reliant & able to thrive in a changing context. In Niger, IRC is present in the regions of Tillabéri, Agadez & Diffa w/ projects in: Environmental Health (EH) & Non-Food Items (NFI), including Emergency – Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM), Protection (SGBV, child protection , protection monitoring & integration of protection), education, nutrition, health & livelihoods.

In Mali, IRC has been present since 2012 in response to armed conflict & political instability in the north of the country that have forced hundreds of thousands of Malians to flee south, further worsening the living conditions & livelihoods of the most vulnerable households. IRC is present in the Northern, Central & Southern regions & implements programs that promote community participation in the areas of health nutrition, education, water, hygiene & sanitation, protection, education as well as recovery & economic development, governance & emergency response. 

In Burkina Faso, IRC launched its first phase of emergency response programming in the city of Djibo in April 2019, w/ mainly WASH activities. Then, IRC acquired funding from various donors to cover humanitarian assistance to people affected by the crisis in: Sahel, North, Boucle du Mouhoun, Hauts Bassins, Centre-Nord & Centre. The sectors covered so far are health including environmental health, child protection, women’s empowerment & economic recovery.

The project is implemented in Burkina Faso (Gourma, East region), Mali (Tenenkou, Mopti region) & Niger (Abala, Tillabéri region). Aims to ensure vulnerable communities meet their basic food security & nutritional needs through emergency food assistance, improved screening & treatment of malnutrition & emergency support to vulnerable households whose livelihoods have been severely affected by climate shocks, conflict & displacement. In addition, the project will aim at ensuring boys, girls & women are safe in their communities & receive support when they experience harm.

Job overview: 
The Senior Project coordinator (SpC) will work closely w/ country project teams & the steering committee to oversee & coordinate all aspects of the project, including leading strategic planning & decision-making, managing the activities of sub awardees. Serve as a key liaison w/ local & international implementing partners, the governments of Mali, Burkina Faso & Niger, & other stakeholders. Establish & maintain an integrated vision between the different actors while ensuring adherence to all project objectives, performance requirements & donor regulations.

Responsibilities:

Under the supervision of the Country Director, the SpC will contribute to ensuring the effective implementation of project activities, partnership management & due diligence of consortium partners & build strong & sustainable partnerships. Work w/ Deputy Director Programs & coordinate w/ the program coordinators the day-to-day management of the project as well as the life cycle of the sub-allocations in accordance w/ the IRC Partnership of Excellence for Equality & Results system (the “PEER system” or “PEERS”). Work closely w/ the Project MEAL Coordinator & the Project Finance Analyst.

Quality of the program / implementation
• Coordinating the project in the 3 countries
• Leads & supervises project planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation & reporting
• Liaises rw/ field coordinators/project managers to provide project updates, discuss emerging challenges & collaborate on the design of new programs or modifications to existing programs regularly
• Consistently & proactively monitor/evaluate the safety & security of the team; promptly report concerns/incidents to the personnel management team & liaise w/ community leaders & other external parties, to maintain/improve the security environment of IRC programs

Budget management
• Participate in internal Budget vs Actual meetings & meetings w/ partners to ensure that the grant is on track & that all under/overspending are handled w/ adequate planning
• Work w/ finance & grants teams to revise & adjust budget as necessary
• Work w/ the grants department to ensure that the project is implemented in accordance w/ donor guidelines & that reporting requirements are met
• Ensure that narrative & financial reports are prepared & shared by country programs & their partners.
• Collect & compile program narrative reports across country programs & ensure timely submission to program coordinators for review 
• W/ the finance department, ensure the timely review of partners’ financial reports, in accordance w/ the provisions of their partnership agreements, in coordination w / the review of programmatic reports

Monitoring, evaluation, quality assurance & reporting
• Maintain an effective monitoring, evaluation & learning system, & collaborate w/ the Project MEAL coordinator throughout
• Responsible for all internal & external programmatic reports, incl donor reports.
• Coordinate evaluations & reviews of programs, ensure documentation of lessons learned for reporting & program preparation
• Ensure that IRC & international humanitarian action quality standards are met throughout the project management cycle
• Ensure that gender,protection & environmental impact issues are mainstreamed in all programs under direct responsibility

Coordination of partnerships & subcontracts
• Ensure that Consortium partners follow the IRC PEERS which defines effective & responsive processes, delineates clear roles & responsibilities, & articulates the IRC’s strategic approach to partnerships
• Mobilize, train & provide ongoing technical support to technical focal points of consortia & program teams on working w/ partners
• Review partners’ program implementation & assess possible improvements based on lessons learned, best practices, etc
• Encourage overall program cohesion through coordination & information sharing w/ & among partners.
• Strengthen relationships for other partnerships (eg, w/ government entities)
• Management of partnerships & subcontracts 
• Review changes to sub-allocation agreements, if any, & follow IRC’s internal review process for all sub-allocation documents
• Work effectively w/ supply chain & finance partner teams to ensure underfunding mechanisms are PEERS compliant
• Coordinate the start-up of partnerships/sub-awards. Including preparing & facilitating partnership/sub-award opening meetings in accordance w/ IRC’s PEERS, in coordination w/ support functions & program teams, to ensure projects start w/ clear expectations from all parties
• Coordinate quality monitoring of the implementation of partnerships/sub -awards. Such as: preparing & chairing partnership/sublease review meetings according to the schedule determined during the pre-award assessment; reviewing partners’ performance against the program, work plans & budget forecasts, as well as reviewing partners’ compliance w/ procurement, human resources management, financial management & other requirements outlined in the partnership agreements & its specific terms & conditions, in accordance w/ the IRC PEERS
• Prepare & chair partnership/subward closing meetings, as required & oversee the overall closure of partnerships/subward, in accordance w/ IRC’s PEERS. Such as, integrating reflection, lessons learned & future planning; preparing closing letters for underfunding & ensuring that all requirements of the underfunding agreement have been met
• Lead, organize & participate in the planning, organization & participation in technical & financial monitoring visits of partnerships/sub-awardees to assess partners’ performance & compliance w / their partnership agreement, donor regulations & overall program plans, in accordance w/ IRC PEERS. Includes coordinating contributions prior to monthly grant review meetings to ensure that IRC’s commitments to the donor are met & working closely w/ program managers & finance teams to ensure that partnership monitoring schedules are rigorously adhered to,& that supporting documentation is prepared for review
• Support the planning & organization of donor monitoring visits, & participates as required, in accordance w/ agreed schedule
• Work w/ M&E & program coordinators to provide advice on strengthening monitoring & evaluation w/ partners & design tools & create systems to effectively monitor progress against partners’ capacity building plans
• In close collaboration w/ supply chain units, maintain accurate records of program assets; incl managing the program asset register, leading the asset disposal process when necessary, monitoring assets during regular partner monitoring visits in accordance w/ IRC PEERS & donor regulations on asset management
• Other duties assigned by the supervisor

• Based in Niamey w/ travel throughout the country. The security situation in Niger continues to be volatile. This is a non-accompanied position.
• Reporting to Country Director

Requirements:
• Graduate degree from an accredited university in international development or a related field is encouraged
• 7 years of experience in managing multisector projects funded by institutional donors; familiarity w/ German donors preferred
• 7 years of experience in program administration, grant management &/or project management in an international NGO or similar organization
• Experience managing large-scale, multi-million-dollar, complex, multi-country & multi- partner projects. 
• Programming experience in West Africa
• Ability to follow multi-country teams & work remotely
• Knowledge & expertise in consortium management & in the use of project management methodologies & tools, resources & change management techniques
• Autonomous, able to set priorities independently & solve problems w/ minimal guidance.
• Demonstrated ability to work successfully in a volatile environment, w/in & across departments/functions & to develop good relationships w/ staff locally
• Experience working in conflict & crisis situations & knowledge of humanitarian programs
• Demonstrated ability to manage budgeting, monitoring & planning of complex projects
• Knowledge of development or nutrition, food security & climate change; the regional context, w/ experience working in Niger, Mali & Burkina Faso preferred
• Strong communication skills & fluency in written & oral French & English required 
• Experience w/ GFFO preferred

WOMEN, MINORITIES, PEOPLE LIVING WITH DISABILITIES AND LOCAL APPLICANTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY.

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Minimum Qualifications: