BACKGROUND: The International Rescue Committee, one of the world’s largest humanitarian international NGOs, provides relief, rehabilitation and development support to vulnerable people and communities over 30 countries. We began work in Ethiopia in 2000 in response to severe drought in Ethiopia’s Somali region and are currently providing assistance to Ethiopians and refugees in six regions in Ethiopia, implementing emergency and development programs in health, water and sanitation, economic recovery and development (ERD), women’s protection and empowerment, education, child protection, and multi-sectoral emergency response.

Position overview: The post holder is responsible for coordinating and guiding the planning, implementation, monitoring, and reporting of BHA project operational in Oromia, SNNP and Somali regions. The Senior Project Manager (SPM) will work closely with each sector lead (WASH, Health, Child Protection (CP), Community Wellbeing Initiatives (CWI)) based in Addis Ababa and senior program managers in each field office to ensure the effective, timely and quality delivery of the project plans

Major Responsibilities:

Responsibility #1: Project management – Project Cycle Meeting (PCM) cycle

PCM: ensure PCM is understood, and project calendar is developed in consultation with the project team members and other functions such as Supply Chain, Finance, and Human Resource.

Coordination: Coordinates strategic and effective planning and implementation to ensure synchronized sectoral program delivery (WASH, Health, CP, and CWI).

Work relations: Develops and maintains strong working relations and regular communication with program sector leads both in Addis and field offices.

Meetings: Convene regional and national level meetings to facilitate supervision, integration, coordination, and learning for the effective implementation of the project.

Staff management: Ensure new staff are well on boarded with key project plans, materials, and IRC commitments; gaps due to staff termination or resignation is communicated and well managed on time.  

Capacity building: Enlist and share relevant protocols, standards, procedures, and materials that support the implementation the project sectors to staff at different levels and facilitate the building of their capacities per sectoral technical needs.

Reporting: Facilitate reporting addressing key donor and IRC requirements; success stories or change stories are captured and shared. Review and share high quality and timely donor reports.

Key Plans: Ensure key project plans such as activity, monitoring, recruitment, procurement, and spending are in place and regularly monitored and reported.

Responsibility 2: Work closely with other departments and adhere to standards.

 Policy Implementation

o   Be aware of and ensure the consistent implementation of all IRC/Ethiopia policies, manuals, and procedures.

o   Ensure donor policies and standards are known by staff and are respected.

Supply Chain

o   Involve and work with SC department at the key stages of the PCM for timely implementation of procurement, purchase of goods and services and related activities.

o   Work with SC to ensure that all contracts with suppliers and vendors are fully legal and protect IRC.

Financial Management

o   Ensure oversight of Financial and administrative matters of the project by working closely with senior Project Managers in each field office and finance teams

o   Monitors and advises on budget status (review BvA reports) for each field office and facilitates the timely management of issues of over/ under expenditures.

Responsibility #3: Program quality

o   Timely action: ensure quality workplans are developed and revised, internal deadlines are established earlier than the actual final deadlines to avoid last-minute rush.

o   M and E: provide support to M and E team to generate quality and required evidence through the collection of needed inputs from the program team.

o   Client satisfaction: IRC is a client centric humanitarian actor and puts women, girls, boys, people with physical impairment and others at the center of the PCM decisions. The SPM is expected to support different mechanisms be in place in all the BHA project operational areas.

o   Quality assurance: ensure the project strategic activities are being done as defined and promised, safeguards are in place to guarantee that expectations are met. This includes the process and procedures used to engage clients and sector offices.

o   Quality control: support the project staff identify, analyze, and correct problems on time. While quality assurance occurs before a problem occurs, quality control is reactionary but can still be effective if managed on time and involves all concerned including units such as grants, finance, and the donor.

o   Participation: ensure all processes, actions, and decisions are inclusive, consultative, and due attention is given to women, girls, boys, men and those with special needs to avoid any harm and existing discriminatory practices.

Job Requirements

Job requirements: Minimum Requirements/Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent in Health (MPH), Social Science, Developmental Studies, or related field of studies,

• Minimum of 3/4 years of professional work experience for MA and BA respectively Proven management and coordination skills (project management with multi-cultural technical teams, etc.).

• Experience in working with multi-sectoral grants including monitoring procurement, activity and spending plans, indicator tracker and devising timely course-correction strategies when required.

• Strong report writing skills to internal and external to donors and key stakeholders.

• Experience in and knowledge of the related humanitarian architecture

• Proven ability to convene/chair high profile meetings and ability to productively interact with a wide range of actors.

• Must be able to function effectively in a sophisticated work environment and to set appropriate priorities and deal effectively with competing priorities and pressure.

Other requirements:

• Fluent (written and spoken) in English and knowledge of local language is an advantage.

• Strong communication: networking and representation skills with government offices

• Experience with donor accountability, managing diverse teams and cultures.

• Skills in using gender and women empowerment as cross cutting approach in programs.

• Ability to work under tight deadlines and handle multiple tasks.

• Flexible and willing to travel during the execution of his/her assignment.      

How to Apply

Candidates meeting the above qualifications are encouraged to apply only through the below IRC On-line recruitment website: CLICK HERE

Please include 3 references from current and former employers.

Applications will not be returned. IRC discourages phone calls or personal visits.

Only applicants meeting the minimum qualification will be short listed and contacted     

           Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply!

IRC is an equal employment opportunity employer.  IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability.

Professional Standards: The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity Anti-Retaliation and Combating Trafficking in Persons.

Gender Equality: IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols, and other supportive benefits and allowances.