West Africa: Results Manager

Jul 16, 2018 | Building Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Extremes and Disasters
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Building Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Extremes and Disasters (BRACED) is a flagship Department for International Development (DFID) programme under the International Climate Fund (ICF). BRACED aims to directly benefit up to 5 million vulnerable people, especially women and children, in developing countries by helping them become more resilient to climate extremes and disasters. Furthermore, through improved policies and institutions at the national level and better integration of disaster risk reduction (DRR), climate adaptation and development programmes, BRACED aims to benefit many millions more. BRACED has several components and a total budget of £130 million. Over a four year period, the programme is supporting activities that are directly benefiting women, men and children in 13 countries by improving their resilience to climate extremes.

The BRACED Fund Manager (FM) is responsible for overseeing the projects supported by the programme. Our team is based in London but works closely with project teams around the world. The projects are delivered by consortiums of organisations, typically led by an international civil society organisation. Our role is to track the delivery of results and provide funding. To do this we have a mix of strategy, technical and finance management skills in our team. DFID recently made the decision to extend BRACED by 18 months (named BRACED-X). To help deliver this extension, the FM is looking to expand its team.

JOB DESCRIPTION

The position of Results Manager (West Africa) is a full-time role based out of the London offices of the BRACED Fund Manager. The post holder will be responsible for overseeing a portfolio of BRACED projects in West Africa. The Results Manager will be expected to work very closely with a Grants Manager who will have experience in finance and contract management.

The exact number and nature of projects to be managed by the role is still to be determined. However, applicants should be aware that the BRACED-X projects in the region are in Senegal, Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso and Niger. This is a broad and challenging role, with a mix of technical, project management, strategic and influencing duties. The role will require regular travel to West Africa and fluency in French.

Supporting delivery. The primary function of BRACED Results Managers is to support the delivery of project results. This involves;

  • Relationship building. Building a strong relationship with partners, through regular phone calls (at least once a month), face to face meetings and regular visits to project offices and field sites. In addition, the Results Manager should build strong relationships with key stakeholders in BRACED project countries (including DFID advisers, government Ministers and so on).
  • Problem solving. Understanding the challenges and opportunities faced by projects, proactively working with partners to identify problems and solutions. The advice provided by Results Manager could be both technical and managerial in nature and be coordinated with the Grants Manager.
  • Continuous improvement. Working with the projects to understand emerging evidence and lessons of what is working and what is not. The Results Manager should help and encourage project partners to incorporate these lessons into the design of their activities.

Enabling accountability. The BRACED Results Manager is also responsible for ensuring that projects are being delivered in a way that maximises value for money and minimises risk. This involves:

  • Performance management. The Results Manager is responsible for objectively assessing the performance of their projects and providing a structured analysis of risk and value for money to decision makers. The Results Manager will also need to provide projects with structured and constructive feedback to enable improvements in project delivery and support projects in reporting results and challenges in a timely and effective manner.
  • Ensuring compliance. The Results Manager is responsible for ensuring that projects are complying with FM (and DFID) rules and guidance. This includes assessing the strategic fit of project activities and safeguarding against reputational risks.
  • Analysis and synthesis. The Results Manager will need to provide succinct verbal and written briefings on project performance and risk issues to FM and DFID senior management. They should therefore be strong communicators with robust analytical skills.

Promoting learning & influencing. The BRACED Results Manager has an important role in facilitating BRACED programme and project learning. In addition, the Results Manager will directly deliver one or two policy dialogues, which aim to influence policy actors in specific BRACED countries.

  • Delivering policy influencing. The post holder will identify and support up to two national policy dialogue processes. The Results Manager will be responsible for bringing stakeholders together and for overseeing the dialogue.
  • Facilitating learning. The post holder will need to facilitate interactions between the BRACED Knowledge Manager (responsible for capturing and analysing lessons learnt) and projects in West Africa. In addition, the post holder will need to participate in FM-led learning processes related to resilience programming. This includes efforts to better understand the challenges of delivering resilience activities in fragile contexts.

Monitoring & evaluating. Act as the FM’s thematic lead on M&E. This will require close working with the Knowledge Manager who have overall responsibility for the BRACED M&E system. This work includes (1) inputting on the revision of log frame indicators and milestones (2) contributing to the design of the M&E system for policy work (2) supporting BRACED projects in their regular reporting (3) leading on the aggregation of BRACED results (4) facilitating inputs into the BRACED annual review process and (5) leading on BRACED reporting to the DFID’s International Climate Fund (ICF).

JOB REQUIREMENTS

The post holder must have the following skills, experience and qualifications.

Experience

  • Project management. The post holder should be an experienced project manager and have experience of managing complex portfolios, contractors and donor finance. They should be able to build effective relationships with stakeholders, in particular project partners. While they will be supported by a Grants Manager, they should have an understanding of financial management. They should have extensive experience in monitoring and evaluation, reporting writing and presenting project information.
  • Technical advice. The post holder needs to provide technical advice and assessments on a range of rural development and climate-related investments. To do this, they should have a technical background and experience in a subject area related to climate resilience and adaptation. This could include, but is not restricted to the following; rural livelihoods, agriculture, pastoralism, natural or water resources management, disaster risk reduction, humanitarian assistance, social development, conflict & security, private sector & market development, financial inclusion and infrastructure. Knowledge of (1) climate adaptation and its related agendas (2) working in fragile and conflict-affected contexts would also be helpful. They should also have a knowledge of Monitoring and Evaluation methods.
  • Strategic engagement. The post holder will need to manage a series of strategic relationships, with their projects, with DFID and other donors and with the Knowledge Manager. This will require an understanding of political economy and the underlying decision-making processes. The post holder will also need to distil and package complicated technical issues into a format that can be used by decision-makers.

Competencies

  • Analysis. The job involves the analysis and processing of large amounts of data. The post holder needs to be able to gather and synthesise information from a range of sources. They should be able to produce concise and focused recommendations that identify trends and offer solutions.
  • Influencing. The post holder will need to work closely with project partners from a range of backgrounds. They must be effective at building relationships and trust. Most importantly, they should be capable of using their relationships to influence programme outcomes.
  • Communication. The post holder should have excellent communication and interpersonal skills. They must be fluent in both English and French for both speaking and writing. The ability to communicate in a succinct and clear way is critical.
  • Delivery. The post holder should have strong programme management skills, with an understanding of all aspects of programme delivery. They should be highly organised with the ability to manage complex work schedules.

Requirements

  • Postgraduate degree in a relevant field.
  • At least 8-10 years of work experience in a relevant field.
  • Be willing and able to travel frequently (up to ten trips a year) to developing countries.
  • Be based in, or willing to relocate to, London.
  • Experience of BRACED countries in West Africa is a plus.
  • Have the right to work in the UK.
  • Fluent in French

RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Applicants should submit a cover letter and CV by email to stephanie.andrei@kpmg.co.uk by Friday 03 August 2018. Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.

SALARY

Competitive plus benefits.

Diversity is one of our team’s core values. The BRACED FM team is characterised by its rich diversity of nationalities, cultures and opinions and we aim to build on this strength. We seek to ensure that everyone is treated with respect and given equal opportunities. As such, we encourage all qualified candidates who have the right to work in the UK to apply regardless of their racial, ethnic, religious and cultural background, gender, sexual orientation or disabilities.