Deputy Project Coordinator - Implementation (PlayMatters)

Job Description

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 28 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home.

Job Overview: IRC is seeking a Deputy Project Coordinator – Implementation (PlayMatters) for a five-year project, “PlayMatters”, funded by the LEGO Foundation. The Play Matters - Sparking Lifelong Learning through Play aims to improve holistic learning and wellbeing outcomes for 800,000 school going children (aged 3-12+) in in refugee settlements and host communities in East Africa (Uganda, Ethiopia, and Tanzania). This project aims to build children’s social, emotional, cognitive, physical, and creative skills by influencing and changing behaviors of adults (parents, caregivers, teachers, community members and policy makers) surrounding children to incorporate Learning through Play methodologies into regular interactions with children at school, home and in the community. The project is implemented in a consortium partnership with War Child Holland, Plan International, Behavioral Insights Team and Innovations for Poverty Action. More information on PlayMatters can be found here: https://www.playmatters.org

The Deputy Project Coordinator- Implementation will be responsible overall for ensuring quality and effective implementation and delivery of the project activities in accordance with donor requirements, desired standards and in adherence to the results and priorities ser forth in the PlayMatters country strategy. S/he will contribute to strategy development, management, monitoring, coordination and set direction of the project in-country program guidelines. S/he will either directly or through management in partnership provide oversight support, line management and mentorship the Sr. Managers – Technical, RMEAL and Implementation. S/he will also participate, contribute, and support engagements with other key stakeholders required to achieve results including the PlayMatters Consortium, implementing partners, government, and humanitarian coordination actors. S/he will be expected to work collaboratively with the IRC’s Sector technical coordinators, operations team, and the finance team to support coordination, integration, harmonization, and coherence of the project with other IRC Uganda sectors.

Duties and Responsibilities: Implementation Leadership: •Lead and guide implementation in accordance with project vision, goals, and priorities in accordance with the PlayMatters country plan. •Provide day to day guidance to implementation, follow up and oversight support to ensure long-term and short-term priorities are on track. •Co- lead and coordinate key project staff during the development of project annual work plans, phased budgets, and performance plans. •Oversee and ensure effective development, monitoring and reporting of work plans and budgets •Keep abreast and maintain an ongoing awareness of the project operating environment and periodically provide situational updates. •Guide and contribute to development of relevant implementation SOPs, tools, protocols, and schedules and follow up on adherence to these. •Participate and contribute to the Project Management Committee meetings on a regular basis.

Quality Assurance: •Monitor project progress and compliance to set results, planned schedules, priorities, and performance standards reporting and communications priorities. •Conducting regular field visits for supportive supervision support, compliance monitoring and to support reporting and systematic documentation of results. •Collaborate and coordinate with all project workstream leads to ensure that all necessary reporting, documentation, data, and information is of quality, updated, accurate, meaningful, and timely uploaded in relevant project/ IRC systems. •Provide oversight for overall project implementation documentations, learning and improvements. •Lead and ensure accountability is integrated into project implementation strategies, project monitoring and evaluations, staff onboarding, trainings and performance management, partnership agreements, and highlighted in reporting.

Staff Management and Capacity Building: •Provide day to day leadership, support supervision, and mentorship to Senior Managers to develop, implement and monitor project strategies and annual work plans. •Guide, monitor and maintain high levels of support for supervisees and other project staff development, accountability, and overall performance. •Ensure project staff and implementing partners are oriented /trained and technically supported to contribute and participate effectively in implementation delivery and support. •Work closely with supervisees and relevant in country departments to guide, plan, monitor, and verify appropriate use of the project resources.

Partnership and integration support: •Participate in assessment, development, and maintenance of implementing partnership relations in existing and/or potential project locations. •Facilitate collaboration, joint troubleshooting, and consensus within and across project workstreams and IRC Uganda sectors on matters of implementation, operational principles, as well as integration, harmonization, and reporting across the project •In collaboration with the other project workstreams, contribute to the strategic planning and as well as high levels of integration and collaboration across. •Ensure inter-departmental and inter-sectoral collaboration within IRC Uganda with other sectors.

Qualifications

•Advanced degree from an accredited university in Education, Social Work, or other relevant field of study. •A minimum of 5 years relevant working experience in team and program management /supervision (preferably education programs for refugees or crisis-affected populations). •Demonstrated leadership and management skills in strategic planning, achieving results. Experience of senior level representation is an advantage. •Strong working knowledge of education -sector and issues in humanitarian contexts. •Experience in team building, staff development and mentoring, supporting high performing diverse teams and proven ability work collaboratively with others •Strong oral and written, communication skills and ability to successfully communicate cross-culturally with diverse constituencies. •Excellent project management skills, including ability to prepare, monitor, and control budgets, reports, project proposals and partnership agreement documents. •Strong organizational and problem-solving skills, detail oriented, ability to work independently and in teams, positive attitude, resourceful, innovative, and flexible. •Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, and other data base programs. Proficient in use of internet and email. •Ability and willingness to travel to field sites to provide support at field level (at least 50% of the time)

Working Environment: The Deputy Project Coordinator will work in the IRC Uganda office and be provided regular administrative and logistics support to perform his/her responsibilities.

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, and Anti-Retaliation.

IRC et les employés de IRC doivent adhérer aux valeurs et principes contenus dans le IRC WAY (normes de conduite professionnelle). Ce sont l’Intégrité, le Service, et la Responsabilité. En conformité avec ces valeurs, IRC opère et fait respecter les politiques sur la protection des bénéficiaires contre l’exploitation et les abus, la protection de l’enfant, le harcèlement sur les lieux de travail, l’intégrité financière, et les représailles.