Position: Deputy Project Manager

Department: Project Implementation**

Direct Hierarchy: Project Manager

Location: Kismayo

Starting date: April 2022**

Background on ACTED

ACTED is a French humanitarian NGO, founded in 1993, which supports vulnerable populations, affected by humanitarian crises worldwide. ACTED provides continued support to vulnerable communities by ensuring the sustainability of post-crisis interventions and engaging long-term challenges facing our target populations, in order to break the poverty cycle, foster development and reduce vulnerability to disasters. Their interventions seek to cover the multiple aspects of humanitarian and development crises through a multidisciplinary approach which is both global and local, and adapted to each context.

ACTED is looking for professionally confident, self-motivated, experienced and committed team player to fill the DPM Position in Kismayo, Somalia.

Position Profile:

To contribute to the overall success of the project, and seeing that deliverables are achieved on time, on scope, on budget, within acceptable quality levels, and in line with donor requirements and based on beneficiary needs.

Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Programming**

1.1 Project Planning

· Support the development of the overall project implementation strategy (incl. the transition/phase out strategy), systems, approaches, tools, and materials;

· Support the identification and planning of technical skills and requirements to implement the project as per relevant standards;

· Assist in the development of the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) to organize the various project deliverables and the work required to complete them into smaller and more manageable parts (work package);

· Support the creation of the work schedule by sequencing the work packages and related tasks;

· Contribute to the preparation of the work plan, which brings together the WBS and the schedule, to serve as a comprehensive and detailed model map for the successful implementation of the project;

· Assist in the organization and planning of the project kick-off and end of project transition planning meetings, and follow-up on the project-related action points originating from these meetings.

1.2 Project Implementation Follow-up

· Help controlling the work plan, monitor the implementation status of the project and update the project progress on a daily basis;

· Assist in documenting implementation progress and challenges by regularly updating the Project Management Framework (PMF) and sharing it with country coordination;

· Ensure that relevant technical quality and standards are considered and respected during project implementation;

· Operate following the “do no harm principles” in order to ensure projects are safe for communities;

· Help anticipating and mitigating risks and issues, and trouble-shoot any unforeseen challenges during the project implementation;

· Support the coordination and the management of changes in project implementation, in particular identifying change needs to occur, reviewing proposed changes, analyzing the impact they have on the project plan, approving/denying requested changes and controlling and updating the scope, cost, budget, schedule, and quality requirements based upon approved changes and in coordination with the Project Development Unit and the Finance Department;

· Provide regular and timely updates on progress and challenges to supervisors and other team members.

1.3 Documenting and Compliance

· Ensure project records and documents, in particular documents that proof completion of activities (beneficiary list, donation certificates, attendance sheets, etc.) are adequately prepared, compiled and filed according to ACTED procedures and donor specific procedures;

· Help maintaining a beneficiary master database containing all beneficiary registration and baseline information as well as the activities from which the beneficiaries benefitted ensure the data is protected from misuse in line with ACTED’s data protection policy;

· Ensure staff awareness of, and respect of, ACTED’s code of conduct, FLATS procedures and donor requirements.

1.4 **Beneficiary Engagement and Accountability**

· Ensure project staff adhere to ACTED’s Code of Conduct and treat all beneficiaries with respect and without any distinction or discrimination based on nationality, race, ethnicity, tribe, gender, religious beliefs, political opinion or disability;

· Help overseeing the appropriate, achievable and acceptable selection of project beneficiaries;

· Assist in the development a communication strategy with communities so that factual, objective and actionable information is provided to project stakeholders;

· Ensure project stakeholders are empowered to participate throughout the project cycle;

· Ensure that ACTED’s Complaints and Response Mechanism is communicated to target communities and solve complaints related to the project in coordination with the AMEU.

1.5 Internal Coordination

· Help organizing regular project coordination meetings with project team;

· Participate in Weekly Area Meetings (WAMs) and when requested/as relevant in Monthly Coordination meetings (MCMs), and provide updates about implementation progress, challenges, risks, changes in context.

1.6 External Coordination and Stakeholder Engagement

· Support, facilitate or undertake communication and liaison activities to actively consult and involve beneficiaries, key informants, actors, partners and stakeholders in all stages of project design (liaising with the PD unit) and implementation;

· Coordinate and collaborate with others by cultivating good relations with key humanitarian actors – local and international, including government authorities and non-state actors, through regular attendance at technical meetings and bilateral meetings;

· Assist the identification of opportunities to collaborate and coordinate efforts with other organizations to ensure our activities build upon – rather than replicate – the work of others;

· Refer unmet needs to other relevant actors;

· Share externally learning and innovation with communities and other stakeholders.

1.7 Partner Management

· Clarify roles/responsibilities as well as expectations, notably in terms of processes to be followed as well as budget, from the start of the partnership in order to avoid issues at a later stage.

· Provide support to partners in project implementation and ensure timely and qualitative implementation of projects by partners in line with ACTED and donor requirements;

· Refer partners to relevant ACTED staff to support and/or train them in FLATS procedures where relevant;

· Lead review meetings with partners, with particular attention given to the relationship aspects of partnership collaboration, and ensure that any issues or disputes are resolved in a timely manner.

1.8 Security

· Support with the context analysis in the project implementation area by identifying and following micro signals (e.g. security indicators, socio-economic indicators) and support the Project Manager, Area Coordinator and the Security Department in preparing the monthly update of SEC-02GZ;

· Ensure project stakeholders have a good image of ACTED thus increasing the acceptance of ACTED’s presence and activities in the project implementation area;

· Help managing the movement of the project implementation team and ensure that the movement SOPs are strictly respected by the team members;

· When necessary, negotiate access with local stakeholders.

1. Human Resource**

· Help defining the structure of the project team and develop project organizational chart within the limitations of the budget;

· Assist the development and/or adjustment of ToRs outlining staff roles and responsibilities in line with ACTED standards;

· Support the submission of recruitment plan for the project to HR Department;

· Participate in the recruitment of technical project staff;

· Ensure that project staff understand and are able to perform their roles and responsibilities;

· Follow-up the work plans and day-to-day activities of the project staff;

· Ensure a positive working environment and good team dynamics;

· Undertake regular appraisals of staff and follow career management;

· Manage interpersonal conflicts;

· Ensure capacity building among staff in relevant sectors.

1. Logistics

· Participate in the procurement planning processes, launch procurements required for the project in a timely manner, and follow procurements closely in collaboration with logistics;

· Send accurate and precise order forms in a timely manner;

· Check the quality of the required goods/supplies at the contracting stage as well as at reception point and contribute to procurements committees to finalize suppliers’ selection according to applicable scenario;

· Follow-up closely project stock levels in coordination with logistics, and monitor pro-actively current, pipeline, distributed and required stock;

· Participate in effective fleet management through timely and reasonable vehicle requests;

· Ensure that the project team has adequate assets necessary for performing its duties.

1. Finance

· Participate in the review of the BFU, and forecast initial and regular costs and cross-check expenditures for projects activities;

· Help forecasting monthly cash requirements of the project and submit to Finance;

· Participate in new project budget development processes through the provision of expert programmatic advice related to contextual knowledge.

1. Quality Control

· Participate in AMEU planning processes and actively support the delivery of AMEU activities in line with the project AME framework and AME Manual;

· Assist in the planning and organization of internal qualitative assurance checks by the project team;

· Assess the activities undertaken and ensure efficient use of resources;

· Undertake regular field visits to provide technical guidance and supervision as well as regularly monitor the progress of project activities;

· Discuss, plan and deliver appropriate corrective actions, including based on AME findings and recommendations;

· Assist in the collection and application of appropriate lessons learnt and best practices to current projects, and ensure these lessons learnt are pro-actively shared with supervisor, the AMEU and other team members to apply them in future project development processes.

1. Grant Management

· Report regularly on project activities, challenges and indicators through monthly submissions of the PMF and PM report; in particular, provide regular and timely updates on progress and challenges to supervisors and other team members;

· Contribute to drafting of (external) project progress reports, ensuring the quality and accuracy of technical information provided;

· Contribute to the organization of the project close-out meeting and follow-up on the project-related action points originating from this meeting;

· Participate in communication activities through the regular collection of pictures and stories related to project activities;

· Participate in new proposal development processes through the provision of expert programmatic advice related to contextual knowledge;

· Where relevant, liaise with donors and work closely with partners on project updates, site visits and other communication, in coordination with the Project Development Unit.

1. Other

· Offer technical support and inputs to other projects in similar sectors (e.g. BOQ design);

· Any other tasks as assigned by the Line Manager.

Qualifications/Skills Required:

· A Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field such as Program Management, Development studies, Sociology or related

· Extensive project management experience (management, planning, staff development and training skills) in emergency and/or development programmes

· Experience working in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) will be an asset

· At least 4 to 5 years of working experience in high management position.

· Demonstrated communication and organizational skills;

· Ability to train, mobilize, and manage both international and national staff

· Flexibility and ability to multi-task under pressure;

· Ability to work well in unstable and frequently changing security environments

· Willingness to work and live in often remote areas under basic conditions;

· Proven ability to work creatively and independently both in the field and in the office;

· Advanced proficiency in written and spoken English