Job Description

INTRODUCTION

Save the Children has been working in Rwanda since 1994 in partnership with the Government of Rwanda (GoR) and local stakeholders to promote a bright future for children. We have experience working in all 30 districts across the country. The main areas of focus are education, child protection, child rights governance, and health and nutrition in humanitarian and development contexts.

GENERAL BACKGROUND

Save the Children (SC) is the world’s largest independent child rights organization, underpinned by a vision of a world in which every child attains the right to survival, protection, development, and participation. Our mission to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children, and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives. Save the Children implements both development and humanitarian assistance programs in Rwanda and Burundi.

ROLE PURPOSE

Save the Children International (SCI) is recruiting for an upcoming multi-year, multi-district, outcomes-based financed Early Childhood Development (ECD) project in Rwanda. The project, entitled Enhanced ECD Outcomes will aim at enhancing access to and quality of ECD opportunities for children aged 0-6 in Rwanda, i.e. through home-, community- or centre-based solutions, thus ensuring that young children are developmentally on track and ready for school. The Project Manager will oversee the agile delivery of a high quality, innovative and sustainable ECD programme resulting in immediate and lasting change for children. S/he will provide strategic leadership to the programme, ensuring intended outcomes are met in accordance with the overall agreement and internationally recognized quality standards and requirements. The postholder will lead the programme implementation team, maintaining a work environment that promotes teamwork, trust, mutual respect, and empowers staff to take responsibility. As well as overall programme management, they will be responsible for adjusting our interventions and approach where / if needed to ensure intended outcomes are met and to a high quality. This position will be key in coordinating and communicating with relevant high-level stakeholders during the programme. The role will require leadership and management of what will be a complex, high-profile programme, with a significant focus on outcomes. In addition to requiring education technical expertise, the role will also require a strong understanding of early childhood development, strong Monitoring Evaluation Accountability and Learning (MEAL), gender, social inclusion, adaptive management, and results-based financing knowledge and experience.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY

Programme Management 

• The job holder provides overall leadership, management and direction of the project, ensuring quality delivery and efficient and maximal use of resources.
• Overall accountability for the budget, resources, personnel, partners (if applicable), and implementation of the project within the scope of its design.
• Ensure that all project team members and partners fully understand the design, objectives, results framework, and strategies of the project in line with the project proposal.
• Ensure project staff delivers on their oversight of ECD centres in their respective districts .
• Support the development of an organisational culture that promotes accountability and high performance, encourages a team culture of learning, creativity and innovation.
• Provide overall technical leadership of the project, but also regularly liaise with the technical advisors to ensure that all project activities are implemented in line with quality standards. This includes arranging for technical support visits, training, development of materials, and so forth.
• Ensure that the project fully meets all of SCI’s key performance indicators and is aligned with SC’s Global indicators.
• In collaboration with the MEAL advisor/team, ensure that the project’s MEAL plan, logical framework, tools, and systems are well embedded into all project activities, fully understood, implemented and routinely monitored by staff and partners, and are in line with the results framework and logic model.
• Work with the project team, partners, and MEAL/technical advisors to build a culture of learning, with regular (minimum quarterly) review sessions that use project data to assess anticipated/ unanticipated outcomes, capture learning, and modify projects accordingly.
• Ensure that all risks to the project are identified, managed and monitored appropriately, and mitigation plans are developed to address new risks or emerging developments.
• Ensure the production of timely, accurate, and quality project reports and other relevant project documentation, in line with SCI and donor protocols.
• Work closely with other project/programme teams to ensure an integrated programme approach, identify ways of maximising links, sharing of experiences and lessons learnt.
• Work closely with the awards team to ensure that the member and donor are regularly updated on project activities; support the team to facilitate member/donor visits as relevant.
• Work closely with the advocacy/communications team to ensure that all communications materials for the project are accurate, of high quality, and in line with SCI and donor policies and protocols.
• Support the project team to ensure that the respective accountability and feedback mechanisms are functional and used, including by children, and that feedback is documented, analysed and used.
• Ensure clear and consistent two-way communication channels from the Project Manager through Field Managers to field level project managers.
• Regularly assess/review the human resource needs of the project and manage or participate in staff recruitment as needed for the project.

Human Resources Management

• Provide coaching and mentoring to build cohesive and high-performance project teams, which will deliver quality results and changes for children. This includes helping the team to ensure adherence to all staff performance, development, and feedback processes, in line with HR policies.
• Ensure that all members of the project team and partners are in full compliance with all of Save the Children’s policies, protocols and procedures, both global and country level.
• Provide oversight to the district-level project managers to ensure effective oversight of all partners in line with SC policies and procedures, including partnership agreements, monitoring, capacity building, and assessments, with guidance and support from the partnerships team.

Financial Resources Management

• Accountable for effective management of the budget and financial resources of the project, including all assets, equipment, and materials purchased by and assigned to the project.
• Ensure that the project budgets are fully understood by the project team and partners; jointly review project spend plans on a quarterly basis, and review BVA reports on a monthly basis, identifying and addressing variances as necessary.
• Oversight and review/approval of all monthly cash forecasts, procurement plans, and periodic financial forecasts as required for each project. Ensure full compliance with all SCI and donor financial, procurement, and related policies.
• Accountable for timely and accurate budget phasing for the project, to be included in the country office master budget, this is done as and when demanded by the finance team.
• Fully participate in monthly project review meetings to discuss and find solution to efficient financial performance of the project against budget.
• Responsible for reviewing finance reports before submission to the member and donor, and ensures that it is aligned to the narrative.

Representation and Coordination with External Stakeholders

• Maintain positive relationships with all relevant government agencies (NCDA, etc.) and stakeholders at national level, ensuring they are regularly updated and invited to participate in or monitor activities as relevant.
• Lead in maintaining external relationships as relevant to the project. This includes regular meetings and events with government officials, participation in interagency coordination meetings, relevant technical working groups, and technical exchanges with other organisations doing similar programming and related work.
• Proactively reach out to other organisations, groups, and agencies that are doing similar or related activities in the project area to strengthen collaboration and synergy, and to avoid duplication.
• Work closely with the advocacy/communications team and technical advisors to maintain an integrated and joined up approach to advocacy and programme work as relevant.
• Work closely with the advocacy/communications team to develop and implement a coherent communication strategy to external and internal stakeholders for all areas of implementation.
• Provide guidance to field office level meetings facilitated by the Field Manager(s) to review progress of project implementation and discuss solutions related to challenges that the project faces.

Other

• Prepare and submit monthly work plans, districts annual plans and relevant documents to line manager and/or districts officials as requested.
• Other significant duties may be assigned by her/his line manager; will serve as an ESMT member.
• Comply with all relevant Save the Children policies and procedures, including, but not limited to: fraud and anti-bribery, child safeguarding and code of conduct, sexual harassment, anti-bullying and gender equality, safety and security, finance, procurement, and human resources.
• Ensure all activities of the project are implemented in line with safe programming procedures.

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

Essential

• 5-10 years of relevant programming experience, with the majority of these in management roles: ECD / education, gender equality-related programming, community engagement, social accountability, child-focused programming, community development, and/or related programming.
• At least 3 years of experience in community centred programming, which may include community engagement, community mobilisation, social accountability.
• At least 5 years of experience in ECD / Education programming.
• Experience providing technical leadership to programmes with results-based or outcomes-based financing.
• Previous experience in the Rwanda or East African context.
• Proven experience in all aspects of programme management, including design, planning, implementation, and monitoring/evaluation.
• Proven experience with financial management.
• Management of programme grants and budgets of over 4-5 million USD is an advantage.
• Experience in integrating gender, diversity and other power-related issues into programme activities.
• Experience in managing programme teams, including coordinators, across multiple geographic sites, including staff development, coaching, and performance management.
• Experience in monitoring and evaluation, use of qualitative and quantitative data to analyse progress in programmes, and the use of logical or results frameworks, theories of change, etc.
• Proven experience and skills in establishing and maintaining external relations with government, community stakeholders and civil society.
• Fluency in written and spoken English; excellent documentation and report-writing skills.
• Proficiency in computer e.g.  MS Word, MS Power Point and Excel.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and presentation skills.
• Experience in working with local/national civil society partners, managing partner contracts and relationships, ensuring mutual and institutional capacity building, joint monitoring, etc.
• Strong analytical and conceptual skills and the ability to think and plan strategically.
• Willing to commit to Save the Children’s aims, values and principles.

Desirable

• Experience in more than one country is an advantage.
• Ability to be self-sufficient and resourceful, proactive in identifying and addressing challenges, yet consulting and asking for assistance as needed/relevant.
• Ability and willingness to travel to project communities and stay in basic conditions.

Application Link No later than 11th December 2024 

CHILD SAFEGUARDING

This position is Child safeguarding Level 3:  the post holder will have contact with children and/or young people either frequently (e.g. once a week or more) or intensively (e.g. four days in one month or more or overnight) because they work country programs; or are visiting country programs; or because they are responsible for implementing the police checking/vetting process staff.

ANTI-HARASSMENT POLICY

We are committed to ensuring a safe working environment for all those who work for us and for all those who come into contact with our staff and representatives, including children and members of the communities with whom we work.

SCI takes a zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment and any other conduct that is discriminatory or disrespectful to others.

We need to keep children safe so our selection process reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

Note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Disclaimer: Save the Children International does not charge any kind of fee at whichever stage of the recruitment process.