Yemen: Project Manager- Protection, WASH, and Nutrition

Sep 10, 2018 | INTERSOS
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INTERSOS is a non-profit humanitarian aid organization that works to assist victims of natural disaster and armed conflict. INTERSOS has operated as an independent organization since its foundation in 1992.

Job Title: Project Manager (Protection, WASH and Nutrition)

Code: SR-35-670

Duty station: 50% Ibb, 25% Al-Turbah (Taiz), 25% Sana’a / Aden

Starting date: 01/11/2018

Contract duration: 18 months

Reporting to: Head of Mission and Program Coordinator

Supervision of: 1 Project Manager Assistant (roving); 2 Activity Coordinator CP (North and South Yemen); 2 Activity Coordinator OSAC (North and South Yemen); 2 Activity Coordinator WASH (North and South Yemen); 2 Activity Coordinator Nutrition (North and South Yemen)

Dependents: n/a

General context of the project

Yemen entered its fourth year of war, with chronic vulnerabilities exacerbated, leaving an estimated 22.2 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, 2 million of IDPs and 956,100 Returnees. Yemen is facing one of the largest food and protection emergencies in the world, entirely man-made. Continued hostilities in the country are brutal on civilians, who bear the brunt of ongoing airstrikes and localized fighting. The ongoing military campaign has destroyed the economy and moved an already weak and impoverished country towards social, economic, financial and institutional collapse.

Increased fighting in Taiz and Al-Hudaydah governorates has led to new displacement of more than 80,000 people starting from December 2017. Many of the recently displaced are seeking safety away from the active frontlines in Al-Hudaydah and Taiz. IDPs are already vulnerable, being originally from areas with limited access to livelihoods and basic services. Most are currently being hosted by relatives and friends in private houses, while others lack the financial means and end up in collective shelters or tents. Fighting continues against the backdrop of a country strained by disrupted markets and limited food availability, a collapsing health system, and severely damaged WASH infrastructure. Both IDPs and host communities are exhausting their coping capacity.

This multi-sector project will focus on Ibb and Taiz governorates. Since the very beginning of the conflict, Taiz has been feeding the IDPs influx, both internally and externally towards Ibb and other governorates. Taiz has been particularly unstable, being torn by the frontline and affected by active conflict in many of its districts. As a consequence of such instability, and the recent developments in Hudaidah, Ibb governorate has been receiving continuous influxes (mostly from south and west side), making it one of the largest IDPs recipient governorates in the country. Meanwhile the governorate has also been severely affected by cholera and diphtheria outbreaks over the past year.

The proposed project aims at an integrated multi-sector response within Ibb and Taiz governorates, further building on the achievement of the previous OFDA funded action:

‘Emergency protection and WASH assistance for conflict affected populations in Dhi Al-Sufal and Al-Sayani districts, Ibb governorate’. The new intervention aims at enlarging the geographical coverage area in order to address specific gaps and needs, with particular attention to South Taiz, considering the high concentration of IDPs and the limited humanitarian presence in this area (especially for protection).

The project provides for protection services (prevention and response), combined with nutritional care and treatment for CU5 and PLW suffering from acute malnutrition, and with WASH services for conflict affected communities. The project is designed to ensure a maximum of active community engagement and acceptance.

General purpose of the position

The Project Manager (PM) is in charge of the implementation and the supervision of the activities of the project ensuring timely and qualitative planning, implementation, reporting and monitoring/evaluation of INTERSOS activities in compliance with sector specific SOPs, Sphere standards and good practices, code of conduct and ethical values chart.

The PM is responsible for an efficient financial management for the project in compliance with INTERSOS’ model and donor regulations, in addition to full oversight of the HR and logistics arrangement in cooperation with relevant departments.

The PM will be supported directly by a national PM assistant, who worked on the previous OFDA founded project, to ensure the necessary support in order to implement the project both in the north and the south of Yemen.

Main responsibilities and tasks

  • Ensures the planning, implementation and monitoring/evaluation and sets targets as included in the project description and smooth and effective closure of the project.
  • Guarantee an efficient financial management and closure of the project and all the funds liquidated as per the financial plan for the project in compliance with INTERSOS’ model and donor regulations.
  • Team management and project integration assurance for 6 separate teams and 3 sectors.
  • Deliver quality project activities reporting, including the findings in terms of impact/changes at the level of beneficiaries achieved through the project.
  • Deliver final project report.

More specifically:

  • Ensure the full and timely implementation of the project pro-actively respecting deadlines for reporting:
  • Follow up and monitor field team detailed activities.
  • Maintain clear reporting and communication lines.
  • Verification on the targeting of beneficiaries as per the project document.
  • Ensure sector SOPs and guidelines are properly applied and adhered to.
  • Permanent on-job coaching of teams to work on quality in delivery.
  • Ensure security assessment for teams’ daily movement and report incidents/concerns in a pro-active manner to the Head of Mission and Security Focal point.

Financial management and procurement:

  • Prepare, monitor and implement financial and procurement plan.
  • Prepare weekly liquidity plan.
  • Approval of all purchases/contracting and budget line allocations.
  • Verify on a weekly basis the bookkeeping entries in the INTERSOS accounting spread sheets (PN): verify budget line allocations, budget expenditure status against actual delivery and the financial plan for the remainder project implementation period.
  • Ensure for all purchases/contracting of goods/services/supplies the correct INTERSOS procurement guidelines are applied and properly documented (also for the procedures applied by the municipalities), in close coordination with the admin-fin and logistics department.
  • Verify the list of expenditures prior to finalizing the interim and final financial reports.
  • Holds final responsibility for verification of all support documents’ completeness and correctness.

Manage team and to provide relevant capacity building and on-job coaching to the project team:

  • Manages and evaluates the performance of the project staff.
  • Conduct weekly and monthly meetings with the team to review the planning and discuss the main concerns to focus on for the upcoming period.
  • Ensure use of correct/relevant forms for reporting by the team.
  • Ensure fluent chain of information/data transfer from field to supervisors.
  • Ensure timely processing of information/data and conduct coaching for teams on the analysis of the processed data.
  • Continuous/fast verification of data quality collected and received from field staff.
  • Maintain participatory process to inform/develop relevant response strategies for conflict mitigation and enhanced social cohesion.
  • Undertake (if security situation allows) field visits to provide technical guidance and supervision to the team and to monitor the progress and quality of the different project activities.
  • Follow up on the system for internal and external referral of most vulnerable cases, in close coordination and collaboration with other INTERSOS programmes/project staff.
  • Oversee team attendances and authorize holidays, liaise with admin-fin department to secure up to date HR files.
  • Ensure teams respect INTERSOS rules and guidelines to the mission and adhere to INTERSOS code of conduct and charter of values.

Monitoring & evaluation:

  • Ensure monitoring and verification for the targeting of beneficiaries.
  • Applying a result-based management approach, monitor the project outcomes, in addition to the outputs and activities, including impact at the household and community level achieved through the project.

Reporting:

  • Ensure quality reporting on achievements through daily short briefings, monthly and weekly planning presented against weekly and monthly performance reports containing clear quantitative and qualitative information related to the activities.
  • Secure weekly and monthly reporting per team and compile, review and analyses reports on monthly bases to be reflected in INTERSOS PAT reporting tool.
  • Prepare ad hoc progress reporting for the donor and official required interim and final project reports: prepare interim and final narrative reports for the donor in a timely and qualitative manner, looking into achievements against outcomes and output and reflect lessons learnt clearly into recommendations for future programming. Reporting must at all times be gender and age disaggregated.
  • Holds final responsibility for all support documents (means of verification) and general project documents.
  • Delivers regular communication products (including pictures) on the project to be used by the INTERSOS communication department in different outlets.

Coordination and representation:

  • Attend the relevant cluster meetings and ensure timely reporting of highlights to HoM and Program Coordinator.
  • Ensure regular updates to donor representatives.
  • Contribute to the coordination between the different project-teams for the projects in Yemen. Proactively participate in cluster meetings and other relevant working groups for Yemen, also relevant inter-sectorial coordination meetings at national level.
  • Ensure systematic information and update sharing with the HOM and other programme staff.
  • Coordinate with other INTERSOS projects/sectors in Ibb and Taizz for effective and efficient referral of cases between INTERSOS projects/sectors
  • Any other related duties as required.

Required profile and experience

Education

Hold a Master degree in social science or any related field (unless compensated with minimum 5 year of relevant work experience).

Professional Experience

  • Demonstrate minimum 2 years’ experience in the implementation of multi-sector humanitarian programmes, including financial management responsibilities.
  • At least 2 years of professional experience working in protection programming – ideally combined with other sectors (WASH or nutrition).
  • Prior experience in working in complex emergency setting, involving internal displacement.
  • Prior work experience with INTERSOS is desirable.

Professional Requirements

  • Admin/finance skills.
  • Demonstrable experience in establishing and maintaining collaborative relationships with donors and government counterparts.
  • Experience with donor compliance and reporting.
  • Strong representation and negotiation skills.
  • Demonstrated leadership and interpersonal skills.
  • Excellent computer skills (proven computer literacy, in particular Excel knowledge is a must).
  • Demonstrated experience in staff supervision and remote management.
  • Strong experience with monitoring tools and systems.
  • Readiness and ability to move around in Yemen.
  • Readiness to commit and adhere to the values, mission and vision of INTERSOS.

Languages

  • Fluent English language skills – written, spoken and reading.
  • Knowledge of Arabic language will be considered as an asset but is not compulsory.

Personal Requirements

  • Strong team spirit, comfortable in a multi-cultural environment.
  • Excellent analytical skills, observation and analysis capacity.
  • Attention to detail and structured way of approaching tasks (very organized).
  • Ability to plan ahead and output oriented (pro-active).
  • Able to ensure quick quality delivery in stressful environment (stress-resilient).
  • Ability to adhere to deadlines and respect line management.
  • Very strong interpersonal skills: strong communication and diplomatic skills.
  • Practical and problem-solver.
  • Ability to deal with heavy work pressure.