PROJECT MANAGER – RISE PROJECT– JOB DESCRIPTION

Reporting to: Country Representative

Responsible for: RISE Project staff

Salary:  RwF 22,425,000 per annum

Job type: Fixed term, 5 days a week (35 hours)

Location: Musanze & Kigali, Rwanda

ABOUT US

At Chance for Childhood (CFC), we believe that no child should have to fight for a safe & happy childhood. We exist to ensure that every child can thrive from their early years through to adulthood. Together with partners, supporters, children and their communities, we protect, educate and create lasting change for every child threatened by violence, neglect and conflict.

We specialise in ensuring access to inclusive education and safe spaces so that children in Africa can play, grow, learn and thrive. We have staff and offices in the UK, Rwanda, Ghana and Uganda as well as community partners across  East and West  Africa.

In Rwanda, CFC is implementing RISE Project under a consortium led by Link Education International funded by the Scottish Government. This project, targets to reach over 5 000 children with disability and Special Educational Needs aged 6-15 in primary schools with the aim of removing barriers to quality education for out-of-school children with disabilities and additional support needs. The project life is 5 years, and it will be implemented in the  Northern Province of Rwanda

ROLE PURPOSE

The purpose of the role holder is to manage the RISE Project, with overall responsibility for effective and efficient management and delivery of the project through annual planning, budgeting, reporting, managing field staff and day-to-day project operations consistent with project cycle management and the project’s goal and to the highest standards of programmatic quality.

KEY RESPONSIBLITIES

• Operationalize the consortium agreement, review meetings, and follow-up on agreed items as well as project start-up meetings with all key stakeholders.
• Lead, manage and coordinate day-to-day planning, implementation and management of project activities according to the project document and project logframe
• Develop and implement project plans with project staff, technical specialists and stakeholders to ensure effective project implementation.
• Provide technical support and guidance on inclusive education, teacher training techniques, and other technical issues as pertain to education programmes.
• Ensure that the project adopts best practice in inclusive education, adaptation of best education practices and takes up recommendations to ensure that lessons learned within the programme are properly recorded and shared with other partners
• Ensure monitoring system and tools developed are used by project staff to track project progress, and capture learning.
• Ensure project compliance with all legal and donor requirements and particularly in regard to grant acknowledgement and reporting.
• Provide regular reporting to the Head of Operations and Country Representative as per guidelines including preparation and consolidation of project monthly, quarterly and annual reports
• Monitor the context and carry out adjustments to project plans and management on an on-going basis in light of changing context, resources and opportunities
• Monitor project expenditure against budget, and preparation and submission of required project progress and financial reports on a regular basis
• Develop and maintain strong relationships within and outside the project including with the Government of Rwanda ministries and departments and with project partners, IN NGOs, local organisations, private organisations, community leaders and relevant networks including those working within the wider education sector
• Work closely with the MEAL officer to capitalise on technical experiences of the project
• Coordinate processes for project evaluation, document and share lessons learned with development partners and other relevant stakeholders
• In conjunction with the Head of Operations and Senior Partnership Manager maintain an open and strong communication channels with Link Education International being the consortium lead and other consortium implementing partners in Malawi and Zambia
• Provide leadership to staff team, encourage, support, coach and mentor the project team, ensuring capacity is built and appropriate results are attained.Lead the recruitment process in the project team whenever the case arises to hire new staff within the project
• Contribute to and communicate on matters related to the project as and whenever required in terms of grant and reporting timelines of the overall organisation.

CANDIDIATE PROFILE

• A leader with proven ability to empower and motivate high performing teams
• Experience of leading large education projects / teams
• Strong commercial acumen and experience of overseeing multi-year, multi-currency and multi-partner budgets
• A track record of implementing funding from bi-lateral and multi-lateral institutions
• Ability to problem solve and work effectively in a fast-paced environment
• Strong interpersonal skills and experience of building effective relationships with a diverse range of external partners and stakeholders
• An excellent communicator in written and spoken English
• Experience of working in sub-Saharan Africa preferred through previous INGO experience
• Knowledge or lived experience of safeguarding and inclusive education for children in vulnerable situations preferred
• A strong appreciation and sensitivity to the different cultural contexts in which Chance for Childhood works and a commitment to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion.
• A commitment to Chance for Childhood’s values
• A commitment to personal learning, development and improvement

 EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• A minimum of five years of practical experience in project management and team management in not-for-profit sector;
• Experience of working in partnership with civil society organizations and local authorities;
• Experience working with vulnerable groups (persons with disability, children, women, refugees, migrants);
• Experience of managing Inclusive education project especially in Rwanda is strongly required
• Experience in early childhood development and/or early childhood and primary education  is a strong asset;
• Experience in sub-grants management is a strong asset.

Please submit your CV and a letter (maximum one A4 page) outlining your suitability for the role to [email protected]. Not later than September 16^th 2024 at Midnight. Please ensure you add the job reference – PMRISE2024 – to your email subject field.

SAFEGUARDING

Chance for Childhood is committed to safeguarding everyone we encounter.

We have a zero-tolerance policy towards any abuse, neglect, and exploitation of all people. Everyone that works with us is required to share and uphold this commitment through signing and complying with our Global Safeguarding Policy and Code of Conduct.

Pre-employment checks are undertaken to ensure high standards are maintained, including a police check (or equivalent) and references.