Kyrgyzstan: Project Development Manager - Kyrgyzstan

Department: Project Development
Position: Project Development Manager - Kyrgyzstan
Contract duration: 6 months
Location: Bishkek
Starting Date ASAP

I. Background on ACTED

Since 1993, as an international non-governmental organization, ACTED has been committed to immediate humanitarian relief to support those in urgent need and protect people’s dignity, while co-creating longer-term opportunities for sustainable growth and fulfilling people is potential.

ACTED endeavors to respond to humanitarian crises and build resilience; promote inclusive and sustainable growth; co-construct effective governance and support the building of civil society worldwide by investing in people and their potential.

We go the last kilometer: ACTED’s mission is to save lives and support people in meeting their needs in hard to reach areas. ACTED develops and implements programs that target the most vulnerable amongst populations that have suffered from conflict, natural disaster, or socio-economic hardship. ACTED’s approach looks beyond the immediate emergency towards opportunities for longer term livelihoods reconstruction and sustainable development.

With a budget of 164 million EUR in 2014, ACTED is active in 35 countries and implements more than 450 projects a year reaching over 8 million beneficiaries with 400 international staff and 4,300 national staff.

II. Program Information

Projects: 15 (2011)
National staff: 184 (2011)
International Staff: 11 (2011)
Capital Office: Bishkek
Total number of direct beneficiaries: 758,095 (2011)
Budget: 7,6 M Euros (2011)

ACTED has been active in Kyrgyzstan since 2000, and operates in the Jalalabat, Osh, Batken, and Naryn regions with a staff of over 150 people. ACTED in Kyrgyzstan contributes to poverty reduction by decreasing the impact of the world recession through adding value to labour migration, improving the food security of vulnerable people, supporting local initiatives for development, reducing the risks to natural disasters to decrease socio-economic damage and resolving cross border conflicts for stable socio-economic development.

In June 2010, a violent crisis broke out in the Ferghana valley, Southern Kyrgyzstan, whereby close to 1,900 houses were burnt and approximately 400,000 people were displaced. Following a year of providing predominantly emergency assistance, 2011 has seen ACTED Kyrgyzstan continue to give emergency aid while also assisting in the recovery phase of the country’s development. This has included involvement in health, education, and economic development – partly concerning food distributions and housing constructions for those whose homes were lost. Throughout, ACTED has supported the humanitarian agencies with REACH – an online interactive mapping tool that incorporates socioeconomic data and highlights potential sources of disputes.

Today, ACTED continues the shift from emergency and reconstruction towards peace-building, conflict mitigation, Disaster Risk Reduction and long term development working with local communities.

III. Position Profile
The project development manager is responsible for developing tools for appraisal, monitoring and evaluation in-country, as well as ensuring the production of timely reports for Donors and for developing a country communication strategy, both internal and external.
In term of AME, the Project Development Manager is in charge of the following:

1. Project Cycle Management
2. Facilitate the development and implementation of project cycle management;
3. Develop a PCM guide, incl. tools and procedures to be used;
4. Train the staff to use the PCM guide and related tools and procedures, and notably follow up the implementation of the Project Management framework (PMF, ACTED PCM Tool) for all projects
5. Keep track of all projects and programmes monitoring and evaluation schedules and work with field staff to design and implement monitoring and evaluation procedures;
6. Information System
7. Work with all departments to follow up project and programmes databases incl. work on the nomenclature used (official names etc.);
8. Follow up the day-to-day workings of the AME Department, including reading weekly monitoring reports and follow-up;
9. Ensure that appraisal, monitoring and evaluation reports are made useful for fundraising and add to the general base of field knowledge in the country for all organisations working in the area;
10. Set up a Resource Centre at the capital office regularly updated with appropriate and relevant external and internal resources.
11. Diffuse information to other internal stakeholders through the intranet and the regional office
12. Participatory Appraisal, Monitoring and Evaluation
13. Ensure that local partners, when appropriate, engaged in appraisal for and/or with ACTED are trained and given advice in participatory approaches, minimalizing bias, and other key methodologies for information gathering;
14. Work with base and field staff to help design and improve adapted participatory appraisal mechanisms for the projects implemented in the country;
15. Departmental Follow-up
16. Manage the AME staff in cooperation with Area Coordinators and Programme Managers;
17. Follow up work plans, activities and their quality;
18. Work with the administrative departments to ensure that procedures are respected;
19. Solve problems and give professional guidance, specially for interns / volunteers;
20. Communicate regularly to the regional Coordination, Programme Managers and Coordinations on all activities;

In term of Reporting, the responsibilities of the Project Development Manager are as followed:

1. Ensuring the Production of Timely, Accurate and Analytical Reports for Donors
2. Understand and disseminate Donors guidelines ;
3. Liaise regularly with Area Coordinators, Programme Managers and technical staff to ensure the production of quality reports across areas and across Donors;
4. Recruit and train Reporting Officers (both expatriate interns and/or national staff, if appropriate) to build up a productive and high performance team in line with ACTED’s principles of cost effectiveness and capacity-building;
5. Supervise the work, learning and progress achieved by all Reporting staff on the field to ensure quality and timeliness of reports;
6. Work in close relation with AME Department to develop and incorporate more solid monitoring and evaluation components in reports;
7. Work in close relation with Finance Department to ensure greater coherence between financial and narrative reports, and ensure steady cash inflow based on the timeliness and quality of report submissions.
8. Work in close relation and communicate on a regular basis with HQ reporting department, notably on the basis of the monthly Reporting follow up
9. Developing Internal Coordination and Communication mechanisms
10. In relation with the Country Director, ensure that all meetings are held and documented (capital coordination meetings, area coordination meetings, monthly coordination meetings, quarterly country coordination meetings);
11. Ensure in particular that reporting guidelines, formats, philosophy, deadlines for each project and donor is communicated clearly and standardized across the country for new and on-going projects;
12. Follow-up meetings at the field level and in the capital, between the bases and between the country programme and HQ/other ACTED operations through the ACTED Newsletter;
13. Draft agenda and minutes of country-wide meetings, with the assistance of the Reporting staff.
14. Developing an External Donor Relations Strategy
15. Update on a weekly and monthly basis the external relations database, which documents latest negotiations and proposal possibilities with a number of key donors;
16. Manage a team of Area Coordinators, Programme Managers and technical staff to ensure that proposals are developed in a cohesive and professional manner and in line with ACTED country strategy and donor requirements;
17. Act as point of contact for all Donor communication, including the organisation of and hosting of Donor visits in the field.
18. Developing an External Communication Strategy
19. Define the main target groups, activities, resources and partnerships needed;
20. Ensure continuum of PR activities, including formal presentations, engaging media for coverage on success stories, updating project-specific and regional fact sheets, and documenting publications featuring ACTED in the media ;
21. Identifying sources of funding for a more cohesive public information strategy in-country.
22. Assisting the Country Director in developing the country strategy, project proposals, addressing ad hoc donor requests or catalysing action on specific projects or components of projects

IV. Qualifications:

Postgraduate diploma in International Development and (or) relevant Master’s level degree (anthropology, development studies, humanitarian aid, sociology);
Fluency in written and spoken English
Proficiency in written and spoken English
Strong writing abilities and analytical skills
Skills in political sciences or international relations
Ability to work efficiently under pressure
Previous experience in the humanitarian field, proposals development, and donor relations are required
Previous experience abroad is required

V. Conditions:

• Salary defined by the ACTED salary grid; educational level, expertise, hardship, security, and performance are considered for pay bonus
• Additional monthly living allowance
• Free food and lodging provided at the organisation’s guesthouse
• Transportation in and out + luggage allowance
• Provision of medical, life, and repatriation insurance + retirement package

Please send, in English, your cover letter, CV, and three references to jobs@acted.org
Ref : PDM/KG/SA