Deputy Project Coordinator - Project & Grants Management (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 (Grants and Project Management) - 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 (Project and Grants Management) shall be responsible for leading effective project management for the Uganda PlayMatters consortium, including the development and implementation of internal management systems and routine communications. The role will also entail working closely with the Project Management Committee, technical, Finance, Grants and Communication teams to support timely and organized delivery of the program. The role will raise the need for high-level implementation and timeline decisions, and then communicating any decisions out across the consortium. S/he will also build the consortium’s capacity to efficiently project manage, including the development and roll-out of various tools and systems. S/he will also support with the planning and management of key project events as well as communications with the Project Management Committee, IRC country program leadership, Country Project Steering Committee and Regional Project Team as well as work in a collaborative and supportive manner with all Play Matters staff across all workstreams to facilitate and maintain a high standard of delivery.

Duties and Responsibilities: Project Coordination & Planning: •Oversee the collaborative development of high-quality annual deliverables and proactively manage changing project scopes, timelines, and costs - ensuring specific project requirements are clarified. •Facilitate strategic project coordination meetings with project staff, consortium partners to facilitate country level consolidated implementation workplan reviews, reporting and accountability. •Lead the planning and execution of key project events (e.g., workshops, learning visits, high-level stakeholder engagements, donor visits, etc.), including leading logistical arrangements and communications. •Support the Senior Project Coordinator to ensure proper cross-project technical and operational coordination with all other sectors /projects. •Support IRC Project Management Committee (PMC) lead and colleagues in high-level problem solving for implementation issues. •Effectively employ and use robust project management approaches and methodology, with comprehensive project documentation to support project is delivered on-time, within scope and budget. •Track and monitor project performance and workplan execution and conduct analysis pf the progress and successful completion of short and long-term goals. •Proactively identify project management risks and areas in need of decision-making throughout the portfolio. Creatively develop solutions to address any issues, in collaboration with Sr. Project Coordinator •Research and be informed about programmatic issues, as well as security and political developments in the country and implementation sites. Notify Sr Project Coordinator of any changes which impact project performance or ability to meet donor commitments.

Project Capacity Building: •Lead building of consortium’s capacity for project management, including wide-spread understanding and use of internal project planning tools and systems. Includes on-boarding of new staff, routine re-fresher trainings, as well as development of unique trainings for dynamic needs identified as the project evolves. •Lead the development, roll-out, and meaningful uptake of key internal knowledge management and planning systems (e.g., centralized project calendar, content management system, internal website, external website, Airtable, etc.). •Collaboratively develop processes to ensure key planning tools and project management platforms remain widely used, understood, and up to date across the consortium •Promote constructive, collegial teamwork between programming staff and operational support staff in execution of project.

Project communication and Information management: •Support the Senior Project Coordinator in tracking progress against the IRC Uganda PlayMatters workplan. •Support direction and communication of project planning and management across the Uganda consortium to help ensure efficient, timely, and high-quality project deliverables. •Monitor and support the development of internal planning tools including but not limited to workplans, technical narratives, budgets, and spending plans. •Lead documentation and communication of key decisions/approvals (e.g., project strategy adjustments) for the project. •Lead consistent delivery of transparent internal consortium communications (e.g., weekly updates, newsletters, etc.) to ensure all involved in the project have the information needed for well-coordinated implementation. •Support the development of program updates/communications for circulation externally and to the PlayMatters regional team. •Assist with documentation and communication of achievements, lessons learned, challenges, and changes needed. •Contribute to the development of relevant project communications materials, updates, and presentations for donors, senior leadership, or other external bodies.

Grants Management Support: •Lead high quality donor and external stakeholder report writing and compilation in accordance with set timelines and requirements. •Support donor communications, such as responding to requests for information, and assist with coordinating donor visits. •Manage all aspects of internal and consortium-wide project cycle meetings to enable regular, structured reviews of project performance. •Act as custodian of documentation and institutional knowledge in coordination with staff across the IRC Uganda PlayMatters team as well as the PlayMatters regional team. •Maintain comprehensive project electronic files and ensure access to relevant project records and information about the donor and key project stakeholders. •Effectively and proactively plan and manage donor related interactions with senior leadership, high profile project specific stakeholders and the wider consortium. •Contribute, manage preparation, implementation, and follow-up for routine technical and financial compliance monitoring exercises undertaken by the PlayMatters regional team. •Contribute to and support capacity building in grants, compliance, and partnership skills. Includes on-boarding of new staff, routine re-fresher trainings, as well as development of unique trainings for dynamic needs identified as the project evolves.

Qualifications

•At least 3-6 years of experience leading program management at an international NGO or similar organization •Experience in project cycle management, institutional grant proposal writing and monitoring highly desirable •Positive, helpful attitude and willingness to learn new skills is essential. Must be excellent coordinator and great teammate; this role collaborates across department and ability to influence colleagues, often without line management. •Demonstrated experience developing internal project management systems, tools, and procedures for large projects. •Excellent organizational, interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills. Experience managing communications and documenting decision-making processes for large projects/organizations is desirable. •Demonstrated ability to successfully work in a fast-paced environment, within and across departments/functions and develop positive relationships with locally and remote based staff. •Experience developing, communicating, and executing complex work planning processes. •Exceptional ability to track and manage work planning for large, multi-faceted projects and deliverable timelines. •Demonstrated competence to quickly problem solve work planning issues to mitigate delays and support timely delivery. •Flexibility and adaptability to adjust plans for the realities of working across multiple cultural contexts. •Ability to effectively plan and execute large events, including managing logistical arrangements and communications. •Excellent computer skills: MS Word, Excel, file sharing and database software. •Ability and willingness to travel (up to 25%). •Self-directed, able to independently set priorities and solve problems with minimal guidance. •Experience working in conflict and crisis settings and knowledge of humanitarian programming is preferred. •Consortium management experience is a plus.

Working Environment:

The Deputy Project Coordinator (Project &Grants Management) will work in the IRC Uganda office and be provided regular administrative and logistics support to perform his/her responsibilities.

Standard Code of Conduct:

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