Project Manager

Job Description

Years of war in Syria have pushed millions from their homes and into poverty, and millions more have become refugees in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and further afield. Equally complex is the emergency in Iraq, where waves of fighting and displacement have overwhelmed infrastructure and services and pushed communities to the brink. The economic, social, and health effects of these dual crises have changed the entire region. In the Middle East (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq) IRC responds to displaced people’s acute and longer-term needs with integrated programs that improve health and safety, prioritize children’s education, foster economic wellbeing, and empower communities to regain control over their lives.

Early Childhood Development and Digital Programming

High-quality Early Childhood Development (ECD) programs provide the foundation for children’s future academic success, health, prosperity and wellbeing. A large body of scientific evidence emphasizes the need for increased investment in early childhood, particularly for children experiencing conflict, crisis and displacement; these children are extremely vulnerable to the long-lasting effects that prolonged stress has on the developing brain. With the generous support of the MacArthur Foundation’s inaugural 100&Change grant, the LEGO Foundation and the Bezos Foundation, the IRC and Sesame Workshop have partnered to provide quality early childhood development programs for refugee and host communities in the countries affected by the Syrian refugee crisis in the Middle East. Focusing on children in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria over the course of five years, the Ahlan Simsim, Play to Learn and Vroom projects combine a depth of in-person activities and digital content, aiming to reach 1.5 million children and caregivers across the region.

Content development and digital programming are strategic priorities for Ahlan Simsim. In line with the progress and development of Ahlan Simsim digital and non-digital projects, AS is looking a project manager to fill the gap and support on coordination and project management for both, the digital and technical units. The project manager will be responsible for providing direct technical project management support to the ongoing projects and support on day-to-day management of project activities to contribute to the expected outcomes.

The Project Management officer will be responsible for the following key objectives:

• Coordination between digital and technical teams

• Support on project management for projects within the digital and technical teams

• Project administration support

Main Responsibilities

Coordination between digital and technical teams

• Keep track of all activities carried out by digital and technical teams and suggest areas of overlap/coordination.

• Support on all content digitization coordination and processes. Where necessary, in collaboration with the e-learning team.

• Support/coordinate distribution of tasks between digital and technical teams tracking tasks and managing deadlines.

Support on project management for projects within the digital and technical teams

• Organizing operations related to ongoing projects for both digital and technical teams/

• Support on development, update and management of digital and technical team project workplans.

• Keep track of spending and financial needs and gaps across Digital and Techincal team budgets.

• Support with training management and technical support needs across country teams and partners; schedule trainings and keep up to date on remote and in-person facilitation techniques and options to support on developing agendas and new ways of facilitating trainings and technical support.

• Knowledge management; ensure all files or organized and user friendly for team members to access. Keep a running library of relevant research and relevant information on digital and technical subject matter.

• Responsible for report writing and consolidation for Techincal and Digital report sections in collaboration with the Project Coordinator.

• Support on day-to-day communication with vendors and consultants.

• Support on coordination with country teams and set up periodic check-in calls/meetings and keep up to-date with all overalapping activities with digital and technical teams; keep up-to-date on activities and priorities across other teams (Research, Scaling, etc.) to ensure synergies and priorities are duly noted and organized for maximum efficency.

• Take on and manage specific projects as requested and relevant.

Administration

• Lead on all digital and technical team projects admin work including, but not limited to, managing contracts, payments, record keeping, documentation and electronic filing.

• Coordinate interns for technical team.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: Digital Projects Coordinator and Early Childhood Development Technical Lead – Ahlan Simsim

• Position supervises: N/A

Other Internal and/or external contacts:

• Internal: ECD staff (regional and countries’ teams), E-learning team, Technical Advisors (region and HQ based), IRC support staff; • External: Vendors and consultants

Requirements:

• 2-3 years proven related administrative work experience required.

• Experience in developing work plans and timelines

• Proven experience in writing and editing: the ability to draft memos and reports, preferred.

• Experience in humanitarian aid projects and/or social impact projects, preferred

• Excellent English and Arabic skills (written and spoken);

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

• Excellent organization and administrative skills with great attention to detail.

• Must be a multitasker, independent and comfortable working in a fast paced, multicultural environment.

• Advanced computer skills in Zoom, Teams, MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and file sharing

• Knowledge and content management experience, including developing and maintaining file and record-keeping systems.

Working Environment:

• Standard office work environment

• The position reports to Regional Projects Coordinator and Early Childhood Development Technical Lead part of the ECD Regional team, to be based in Jordan

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Equality 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.

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