Project Director (m/f)

Description

• Right To Play (RTP) is seeking a Project Director (PD) for sHARE, a five-year Global Affairs Canada (GAC) funded project in Ghana, Uganda and Mozambique due to start in July 2021. SHARE will be implemented as a consortium led by RTP, in partnership with WaterAid, the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) and FHI 360. Designed as a gender-transformative, human-rights progressive sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) program, SHARE seeks to increase the enjoyment of health-related human rights by adolescent girls and young women in Ghana, Mozambique and Uganda
• The PD will be responsible for ensuring that the proposed project is implemented in accordance with the contribution agreement, GAC Terms and Conditions, and internationally recognized quality of assistance standards. The PD will work closely with RTP HQ staff and all consortium members to provide GAC with timely project updates, discuss strategies, obstacles, performance plans, and indicator success
• The PD will represent the project to all key stakeholders, government officials, and donors at coordination fora and other related seminars and meetings. The PD will support country teams and partners to ensure that project initiatives achieve the expected results of increasing the enjoyment of health-related human rights by the most marginalized and vulnerable rights-holders, particularly adolescent girls and young women, in targeted areas of Ghana, Mozambique and Uganda
• Reporting to the Director of Global Partnerships and working in close cooperation with the rest of the Global Partnerships team, Global Directors of Country Operations, the Global Program Unit, Program Finance, Communications, Country Offices and all three external SHARE consortium partners, this role requires a high level of collaboration and coordination. In addition, given the complex and multidimensional nature of the role, the PD will also have matrixed reporting lines to other Directors within Right To Play including the Global Directors of Country Operations, Country Directors, and the Global Director of Program Development
• The position will be based in the capital city of one of the three SHARE countries; however, extensive travel locally and internationally (up to 50%) is required to split time between the three countries. Given the impact of COVID19, travel requirements may potentially change, and the PD may be required to work from home in the initial months of employment
• Department/Division: Global Partnerships
• Work location: Kampala, Uganda; Accra, Ghana or Maputo, Mozambique
• Authorized to work in: One of the three above listed countries (Ability to work legally without a work permit or sponsorships)
• Position status: Local
• Closing Date: Open until position is filled

Duties

 Strategic Leadership and Management (40% of Time)

• Responsible for the overall planning, implementation and management of the project as well as the achievement of the goals and objectives of the project in a timely and cost-effective manner
• Ensure strong communication and coordination with all team and consortium members as a means to effectively achieve program objectives
• Encourage transparency among and between consortium members to promote coordination and effectiveness
• Lead the planning of project activities and set high quality performance targets ensuring adherence to technical standards, RTP procedures, best practices and donor guidelines
• Design strategies, partnerships and interventions to guarantee the project is gender and ability-sensitive and that RTP and implementing partners are accountable to beneficiaries
• Point of contact and collaboration for the share team (spanning 3 countries) and in-country stakeholders, including GAC, implementation partners, government partners and other key stakeholders
• Support recruitment of RTP staff hired to work on the SHARE project

Strategic Engagement and Donor Relations (20% of Time)

• Direct and oversee grant implementation, ensuring that all strategic objectives are met through proper design, staffing, implementation and quality assurance
• Ensure effective liaison with local government officials, local communities, donor representatives and other stakeholders as appropriate, including by planning and hosting Project Steering Committee meetings
• Constantly look for more effective and efficient implementation and opportunities to increase impact Represent SHARE in public fora, including conferences, working groups and local, national or regional committees, as appropriate and relevant

Monitoring, Reporting, Documentation & Knowledge Management (20% of Time)

• Establish and maintain effective project reporting, evaluation, and communication systems
• Submit timely accurate and quality reports that meet donor requirements
• Document and disseminate project best practices, lessons learnt and success stories

Budget Management (15% of Time)

• Provide guidance to country teams on grant/project budget within approved spending levels and ensure accurate and timely financial reports to donors and RTP
• Ensure grant/project expenses are reasonable, allocated as per assigned budget, prudent and spent in accordance with donor rules and regulations to ensure low risk audits
•  Other Tasks as Assigned (5% of Time)

Requisites

• Master’s degree in Social Sciences, Public Health, Medicine, Management, Business Administration, or a related field
• 10+ years’ professional experience in grant management, program management, compliance and donor management in an INGO, particularly with grants and programs focused on education
• 10+ years’ experience in and good understanding of the grant management cycle, logical frameworks, budget monitoring and experience of working with major institutional donors, foundations and multilateral organizations (experience managing Global Affairs Canada programs preferred)
• 10+ years of demonstrated experience in partnership building, especially with government representatives, donors, the private sector, and local community organizations
• Experience in coordinating and managing complex, multi-country and multi-partner consortia
• Experience with working in cross-functional teams and matrix environments
• Experience working and living in a range of cultural contexts and in developing countries
• Proven track record of developing alliances, working in consortia and partnerships
• Demonstrated experience in building strong trust-based relationships with widely diverse people

Competencies/Personal Attributes

• Demonstrates a high level of interpersonal and cross-cultural skills including the ability to build collaborative relationships internally and externally with sensitivity to cultural, ethnic, social and political issues
• Patient, adaptable, flexible, able to improvise and remain responsive and communicate clearly and effectively under pressure, working with a wide range of stakeholders
• Capable of working with and leading teams across multiple countries, leveraging remote platforms and technologies to facilitate project management and collaboration
• Self-motivated and able to work independently with minimal supervision
• Willingness and ability to travel (sometimes on short notice)

Knowledge/Skills

• Solid knowledge of international development and health programming
• Strong representation skills and ability to develop relationships with INGO, multilateral and government agencies
• Excellent planning, management and coordination skills, with the ability to organize a workload comprised of varying and changing tasks and responsibilities
• Flexibility and ability to respond quickly to changing priorities/situations and produce results under very short deadlines
• Excellent influencing, negotiation, coaching, diplomacy and engagement skills
• Excellent communication skills (written and oral), interpersonal, public relations and report writing skills
• Good analysis, problem solving and project management skills
• Ability to maintain composure whilst dealing with competing priorities and stakeholder
• Fluency in spoken and written English

Who You Are

• You are a highly collaborative relationship builder with a passion for development work and programming. You have been extensively involved in donor management, grant management, consortia management and compliance monitoring and you are able to lead others through related activities. Your attention to detail is great and you have a positive, follow-through mind-set. You are focused on strategically positioning Right To Play as a partner of choice for our donors and for other key development partners and stakeholders. You are ready and willing to travel frequently and for several weeks at a time to support teams in countries other than the one in which you are based

Benefits

• The opportunity to work with a passionate, innovative and collaborative team where you have the ability to make things happen. You will gain experience working for a globally recognized organization with a healthy culture premised on our Culture Code (accept everyone, make things happen, display courage, demonstrate care and be playful). In addition, we offer a competitive salary, benefits package and flexible work environment
• Target Start Date: Immediate
• Contract Duration: Two-year contract with possibility of renewal

Notes

• Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted
• While we thank all applicants for their interest, only those selected for interviews will be contacted. Shortlisting of applications will begin immediately and interviews may be held before the closing date
• Right To Play provides equal employment opportunities to employees regardless of their gender, race, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation or marital status. We offer a family-friendly environment that allows for flexible work arrangements in order to support staff diversity and ensure a healthy work-life balance
• We are a child-cantered organization. Our recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to the safety and protection of children in our programs. The successful candidate will be required to provide a satisfactory police record check as a condition of employment
• Should you require any form of accommodation during the recruitment process, kindly contact the People & Culture team by email at careers@righttoplay.com
• To learn more about who we are and what we do, please visit our website at www.righttoplay.com

How to Apply

1. Documentation

• Cover Letter
• Curriculum Vitae

2. Application

• Send your Documentation to careers@righttoplay.com with the Subject line “Project Director”