NATURE AND SCOPE OF THE POSITION

The Program Manager – Implementation (PMI) is responsible for providing overall supervision for the programs implementation of Mercy-USA’s Somalia Office. The PMI serves as the lead in providing leadership, guidance and quality assurance for the effective and efficient implementation, supervision, management and reporting of the entire Somalia program portfolio. Mercy-USA’s programs in Somalia cover a wide variety of sectors including Health, Nutrition, WASH, Agriculture and Food Security, and Livelihoods through support from various multilateral, bilateral and private donors.

As a member of the Somalia senior management team, the PMI participates in strategic planning and budgeting initiatives, and leads the Somalia office in strengthening systems and organizational structures to improve the quality and efficiency of program implementation.

Duties

Essential program management responsibilities:

• Organize programs and activities following the organizational vision, mission, and goals.
• Provide day-to-day management and leadership for program teams and lead and manage program implementation to achieve individual program goals:
• Empower teams to ensure individual project elements are conceptualized and project tasks achieved in compliance with all internal, project and donor requirements.
• Support program teams to develop and implement programmatic and financial workplans, and enable effective and efficient program delivery.
• Work with program teams to address programmatic challenges or opportunities, and support appropriate responses.
• Ensure that the programs operate within the approved budget and monitor and approve all budgeted program expenditures.
• Support the effective planning and delivery of program communications.
• Communicate and engage with donors as necessary to address project operations and provide updates on implementation.
• Plan, lead, organize and control multiple project initiatives following the approved scope, schedule and budget.
• Participate in all strategic planning meetings and understand operational excellence in Labor-Management Systems, Work Force Optimization, and Performance Coaching & Observation principles to ensure quality services and safety standards and objectives.
• Organize and attend weekly departmental meetings with all project staff to maintain effective communication and collaboration.
• Organize and attend bi-weekly (Joint Program Meeting) and monthly inter-departmental workplan monitoring and expenditure review meetings to ensure timely implementation of activities.
• Ensure coordination and close collaboration with support departments, including Program Development and Quality, MEAL, Logistics, Finance, Admin, and HR to ensure timely project outputs, including delivery of program supplies and staff recruitments and all operating expenses within budgeted limits.
• Provide regular program/project updates to partners, country program leadership, and government and non-government coordination bodies.
• Establish and maintain good working relations with external agencies and organizations, local partner organizations, provincial and local government offices, and all key stakeholders in the respective geographical areas.
• Facilitate the exchange of information, lessons learned and experiences among program staff and further among field offices.
• Ensure the program operates within the approved budget. Monitor and clear for spendig all budgeted program activities.
• Develop and manage a detailed project/program schedule and work plan, monitor progress and make adjustments as needed.
• Measure project performance continuously to analyze the successful completion of short and long-term goals and identify areas for improvement to the senior management team.
• In collaboration with the Head of Programs and Program Development and Quality Coordinator, identify and preposition for new funding opportunities.
• Support the development of new quality project proposals (assessments, project design, technical input).
• Serve as first-line decision-maker for the program implementation unit, including developing ramp-up plans and schedules that meet donor and internal management requirements while also identifying risks and developing mitigation plans.
• Provide day-to-day direction to cross-functional implementation programs/support teams and best-practices techniques, and standards throughout the entire project execution.
• Ensure that risk assessment is carried out for all project sites and mitigation measures are outlined and regularly updated.
• Define project objectives, scope, roles, & responsibilities among the project teams and provide a detailed project plan to schedule key project milestones, work-streams, & activities.
• Ensure that all projects are delivered on time, within the scope and budget.
• Manage changes to the project scope, schedule, and costs using appropriate verification techniques.
• Ensure timely preparation, review and provision of detailed and quality reports on project/program progress to the Head of Programs and PDQC.
• Ensure success stories are systematically shared and incorporated into donor reports.
• Support monitoring and assist program teams with implementation or donor compliance challenges.
• Facilitate information sharing and reporting with internal and external audiences.

Leadership and Representation responsibilities:

• Ensure annual performance planning and staff performance reviews are undertaken in compliance with Mercy-USA’s performance management system.
• Mentor staff to ensure high levels of motivation, commitment, capacity, and teamwork.
• Ensure staff compliance with all Mercy-USA’s administrative and operational procedures and policies and applicable donor regulations.
• Identify training needs for team members under your supervision and support the development of program quality implementation capacity building for team members and partners.
• Organize regular meetings with project staff to ensure the team is updated on any development and deliberate program implementation issues and distribute minutes to all project team members, SMT, and the other key staff in the organization.
• Assist staff in maintaining healthy relationships with local government and cooperating organizations through regular contacts, visits, and fulfillment of program requirements.
• Coordinate internal resources among project managers/officers for the flawless execution of multiple projects.
• Predict resources needed to reach objectives and manage resources in an effective and efficient manner.
• Identify and mitigate potential risks and escalate issues and risks concerning project implementations to management as needed.
• Support and manage contracts with vendors and suppliers by assigning tasks and communicating expected deliverables.
• Prepare necessary presentation materials for high profile meetings and cluster meetings.
• Ensure timely reporting and regularly represent the organization at coordination meetings, including cluster meetings, donor meetings, UN meetings, technical working groups, etc.
• Represent Mercy-USA in conferences, high profile meetings, and coordination meetings.
• Ensure cross-cutting issues such as protection, disability inclusion, SGBV, and exploitation are embedded in the programs to protect both the beneficiaries and the staff.
• Enforce the implementation of Mercy-USA’s AAP, PSEA, and child-safe guarding policies are enforced in program implementation so that beneficiaries and stakeholders have private channels where they can give their feedback and report potential misconduct.
• Prepare and provide the different types of program/project reports, including performance tracking tools, project status reports, project progress reports, project risk reports, cost benefit analyses reports (VfM), resources, variance, and gap analysis reports.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

JOB SPECIFICATION

Academic

• Master’s Degree in International Development, International Relations, Public Health, or other related field.
• Bachelor Degree with extended relevant experience might be considered.
• Relevant Professional qualification
• Recognized project management qualifications

Experience

• 5 years in similar position
• Demonstrated ability to set up operational management systems
• Minimum 3 years in a role requiring strategic planning
• Previous work experience managing remote field teams
• Experience working in complex international contexts and managing multicultural teams
• Experience working in WASH, Health and Nutrition programming
• Experience in implementing multilateral and bilateral donor funded projects. Priority donors include UNICEF, WFP, ECHO, USAID, Global Fund, UNFPA and FCDO
• Experience working with budgets, including managing financial outlays and expenditures
• Technical expertise in WASH, Health, Nutrition, Food Security, Livelihoods, Education sectors.

Work related skills

• Fluency in English and Somali (written and oral) required
• Knowledge of donor guidelines
• Strong knowledge of the project management cycle, and related process and structures for quality project management
• Strong organizational skills
• Strong time management skills
• Strong communication skills, including ability to lead and manage remote teams
• Ability to work in harsh conditions
• Systems-building skills
• Strategic thinking
• Aggressive and result oriented
• Able to meet set own targets and meet own targets on a monthly basis and follow up targets of reporting colleagues
• Able to meet deadlines
• Able to identify program challenges and plan and communicate alternatives for smooth program implementation

Personal attributes

• Ability to travel to remote and hardship locations for monitoring of project activities
• Ability to work under pressure
• Trustworthy
• Team player
• Responsiveness
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Strong customer relations skills
• Integrity