Projects Manager, Ukraine Programme – International Alert

Job Purpose

Responsible for day-to-day oversight and implementation of Alert’s projects in Ukraine ensuring effectiveness of interventions, timely delivery of planned activities and outputs, efficient grants management, and ensuring monitoring and evaluation systems are in place to capture outcomes. The post holder will facilitate partner relations and ensure all necessary project delivery mechanisms are in place. Under supervision and with support of Country Manager and Eurasia Senior Adviser, the post-holder will also contribute towards developing new project opportunities to sustain the Ukraine strand of the Eurasia programme beyond the lifetime of individual grants.

Duties and Responsibilities

In addition to reporting to the Ukraine Country Manager, the Projects Manager works closely with Project Support Officer and Finance & Operations Officer (Kyiv based) and with London based Eurasia Programme staff: Senior Adviser; Senior Programme Design and Assessment Officer; Senior Programme Finance and Operations Officer.

          Project Management & implementation

• Lead on day to day implementation of projects within this post holder’s portfolio, initially an approx. 2 million Euro psychosocial and peacebuilding programme, ensuring the relevant involvement and contribution of international and local partners, as well as other Alert staff members (within Eurasia programme, Peacebuuilding Issues Programme, Communications and others) as appropriate.

• Supervise all consultants and support staff who work on the projects within this post- holder’s portfolio;

• Maintain day-to-day contact with partners and oversee their inputs, ensuring they have all necessary conditions and means to deliver;

• Working closely with Project Support Officer, ensure organisational aspects of project events (e.g. steering meetings, roundtables, dialogues, trainings), budgeting, logistics, etc. in compliance with procurement and other guidelines.

• Provide specific inputs to project activities where required e.g. facilitate meetings, act as training resource person, input into and edit analytical reports, etc.

  Grants Management

• Prepare narrative and financial reports for donors ensuring clarity, accuracy, accountability and alignment with donor contract requirements;

• Expend project funds in a timely and efficient manner and in accordance with the deliverables and budgets included in grant contracts;

• Negotiate & manage sub-grants to partners as allowed for within project budgets, ensuring the necessary mechanisms are in place for reporting and accountability;

• Ensure partner accounts are received and checked for accuracy and ensure proper coding of all grant expenses in line with relevant systems and procedures (in collaboration with the Project Support Officer and Programme Finance Officer);

• Ensure timely financial reports, ensuring budget forecasts are up to date and expenditure on track (in collaboration with the Project Support Officer and Programme Finance Officer).

  Project Design, Monitoring and Evaluation

• Design monitoring and evaluation systems for the project portfolio, including ways of collecting, recording and analysing information for programme learning purposes;

• Assess impact as projects proceed and make adjustments as necessary, ensuring this is in line with any baseline studies;

• Contribute to planning and designing follow-on phases to current project plans;

• Contribute to and draw on work within Alert at an organisational level to improve DM&E, as well as at the Eurasia programme level.

         Fundraising

• Work with the Country Manager and Programme Design Fundraising and Assessment (PDFA) Team to devise an effective fundraising strategy for the work – to include liaison with key donors as necessary;

• Contribute towards the writing of proposals and development of detailed budgets as required and in collaboration with other members of the team.

  Communications and outreach

• Working closely with the Country Manager and Communications department, provide contributions promoting visibility of the project, including writing blogs and articles for

• Alert’s website and newsletter; attending meetings, conferences, etc.

• Develop effective working relationships with international and local partner organisations based in the region, establishing a solid network of contacts and collaborators.

  Contributing to Alert’s Organisational Processes and Strategies

• Contribute to organisational processes by raising and engaging on organisational issues, e.g. at Home Days

• Take proactive steps to ensure that effective relationships are created and maintained with staff at different levels within the organisation

• Contribute to team-wide communications and knowledge management, and participate in organisation-wide events and discussions on related topics/projects

• Represent International Alert at external events/conferences, etc. and identify opportunities to promote Alert’s strategic objectives and key peacebuilding messages

• Deputise for the Country Manager as directed.

Job location

Based in Kyiv with regular travel to the regions of Ukraine.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

The post requires someone with a talent for managing a large project portfolio in a challenging and politically hyper sensitive environment. The post holder will be required to engage with conflict-affected communities and work collaboratively with a wide range of partners, so will need to have excellent inter-personal skills, a high level of sensitivity to the needs and constraints of different stakeholders, as well as the technical grant management skills to deliver high quality peacebuilding initiatives.

Essential requirements

• A higher degree in a relevant subject

• 3 years’ experience of project management in an international environment, preferably in conflict contexts working on peacebuilding;

• Experience in managing projects and grants, including monitoring, evaluation and reporting in both narrative and financial formats

• Fluent English and Russian – both verbal and written

• Good knowledge of the Ukraine context

• Excellent analytical skills – able to grasp complex ideas and very good at communicating effectively both orally and in written form.

• Good practical skills in Project Design / Management / Implementation

• Good budgeting and financial management skills

• Good all-round IT skills, including Word / Excel

• Very good at building relationships and able to interact successfully with a diverse range of people and in teams

• Is highly organised, has a high level of attention to detail

• Flexible and adaptable, able to prioritise and work under pressure

• A team player, willing to contribute knowledge, time and effort beyond the formal job description to meet programme objectives and respond to situations as they arise

Desirable requirements

• Knowledge of psychosocial and/or peacebuilding approaches and methodologies

• Knowledge of the wider Former Soviet Union region and the political, social and cultural context

• Experience in training and group facilitation in a peacebuilding context.

• An entrepreneurial approach

• Ukrainian language skills

Salary: £39,963 per annum, plus excellent benefits

Closing date: 23 July 2015 at 5pm (UK time)

Interviews will take place week commencing 27 July 2015.

Read more and apply here.