Project Management Specialist

The Organisation

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls.

We believe in the power and potential of every child. But this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And it’s girls who are most affected.

Working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children.

We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood. And we enable children to prepare for – and respond to – crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge.

We have been building powerful partnerships for children for over 85 years, and are now active in more than 75 countries.

ROLE PURPOSE

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organization that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. Plan has over 80 years’ experience and works in more than 75 countries across the world. We strive for a just world, working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners.

Plan International has been working in Tanzania since 1991. Our work supports marginalized children and youth, especially adolescent girls, to grow up physically and mentally healthy and ready to shape their future. We create an enabling environment and empower girls to be active drivers of change in realizing their rights. We prioritize working with partners, and ensuring all of our work is evidence based.

The Project Management Specialist will support Grant Holders (Project Managers and Project Coordinators) in all aspects of project management. The purpose of this position is to contribute to the success of Project Management strengthening work including supporting the development of a strong project management culture in the Country Office and Program Units (Field Offices). This will include assessing skills and capacities, developing support material for project managers, providing virtual and on-site support to Grant Holders on tasks such as activity planning, budget phasing and reporting, and ensuring the implementation of Plan’s policies and tools for quality project management. The Project Management Specialist will also identify and support Grant Holders to access and successfully participate in Plan’s validated project management trainings.

Dimensions of the Role

• This position reports to the Business Development Manager and is part of the Extended Country Management Team (ECMT).
• The BD Team focuses in mobilizing resources from institutional sources and donor compliance. The BD Team is currently supporting an average of 12 projects with an overall budget of €10 million per year. Additional, Plan’s annual €3.2 million Sponsorship Program supports additional 4 projects. The Project Management Specialist will focus in providing technical inputs to grants and sponsorship funded programs. We aim to support Project Managers to deliver maximum impact on the lives of girls and young people whilst ensuring that the needs of other stakeholders, especially our funders and donors, are efficiently met.
• Initially the role will focus on capacity assessments and compilation and/or development of capacity building and monitoring guides and tools.
• The Project Management Specialist will also provide technical inputs to Program Quality Unit initiatives related to strengthen project management processes and capabilities.

Accountabilities

Capacity Building Assessment and Development of Individualized Plans

• With the Director of Programs and Business Development Department develop, promote and embed learning processes and practices across Country Offices to address ongoing weakness at all stages of the project (Idea, Design, Planning, Implementation, Closing).
• Recommend and establish program monitoring standards, criteria, and other indicators for measuring and assessing progress/results
• Provide high quality technical expertise and support Grant Holders to lead and fully meet their responsibilities, and progressively step away from his/her direct input.
• Provide high quality guidelines, tools and upskilling as prioritized by Tanzania’s Country Leadership Team.
• Drive continuous learning. Promotes and facilitates exchange of lessons learnt and collaboration across Program Units in the field.

Compliance and Reporting

• Review and address information gaps and finalize project reports in compliance with donor and Plan requirements. In doing so, support the project managers to organize a reporting process more systematically and in a more reflective way, and strengthen capacity of Country Office and Program Units program staff to improve quality of the reports, ensuring consistency in narrative and financial reports through the use of the report checklist and coaching and reflection sessions as needed.
• Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion are fully embedded in accordance with the principles and requirements of the policy including relevant Implementation Standards and Guidelines as applicable to Grant Holders’ area of responsibility.

Financial Monitoring

• Work with the Country Finance Manager to improve expenditure analysis and budget phasing.

Capacity building and training

• Prepare trainings on grant/project management in a way that addresses the areas of gaps identified in the assessment, grant audits and own observations.

Performance Monitoring

• Manage the monitoring of mutually agreed results frameworks and performance indicators.
• Prepare performance reports and provides updates and feedback to managers.
• Contribute to documentation that capture lessons from Plan’s work in order to inform better project management and to improve programs and influencing.
• Be responsive to concerns and requests from other stakeholders including partners, donors and Plan’s National Organizations and provide support and problem solving as required.

Key relationships

Internal

• Grant Holders (Project Managers and Project Coordinators) and Sponsorship Managers to provide technical inputs to the implementation of project management;
• Program Unit Managers;
• Award Management Specialist;
• Finance Manager Budgeting and Reporting;
• Team Leaders for Program Quality and Implementation;
• MEESA Regional Project Management Specialist for sharing of guides and tools;
• National Organizations.

External

• Other professionals (consultants) and/or organizations (e.g. training institutions) for collaboration, learning and training.

Technical expertise, skills and knowledge

Essential

• Expert knowledge of project management in development work, across a wide range of technical areas.
• Significant experience and a strong understanding of processes, approaches, tools and methodologies that facilitate project management, and organizational learning, that is up to date with best practices in the sector.
• Strong understanding of the realities of NGO project management and limitations that impact project implementation, financial control, monitoring, reporting evaluation and learning.
• Strong understanding of rights-based development programming, particularly in relation the major technical areas of Plan’s work.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Able to develop appropriate guidelines, tools and templates for improved project management and implement them at scale.
• Communicating complex technical project management concepts and terminology in simple language to non-experts.
• Proven experience of using online technology for communication and learning.
• Fluent in English.

Desirable

• Familiarity with project management and development sector donor requirements e.g. USAID, ECHO, EU, DFID, DFAT, UN etc.
• Facilitation and coaching skills.

Plan International’s Values in Practice

We are open and accountable

• Promotes a culture of openness and transparency, including with sponsors and donors.
• Holds self and others accountable to achieve the highest standards of integrity.
• Consistent and fair in the treatment of people.
• Open about mistakes and keen to learn from them.
• Accountable for ensuring we are a safe organization for all children, girls & young people

We strive for lasting impact

• Articulates a clear purpose for staff and sets high expectations.
• Creates a climate of continuous improvement, open to challenge and new ideas.
• Focuses resources to drive change and maximize long-term impact, responsive to changed priorities or crises.
• Evidence-based and evaluates effectiveness.

We work well together

• Seeks constructive outcomes, listens to others, willing to compromise when appropriate.
• Builds constructive relationships across Plan International to support our shared goals.
• Develops trusting and ‘win-win’ relationships with funders, partners and communities.
• Engages and works well with others outside the organization to build a better world for girls and all children.

We are inclusive and empowering

• Seeks constructive outcomes, listens to others, willing to compromise when appropriate.
• Builds constructive relationships across Plan International to support our shared goals.
• Develops trusting and ‘win-win’ relationships with funders, partners and communities.
• Engages and works well with others outside the organization to build a better world for girls and all children.

Physical Environment

This post is based at Plan’s Dar es Salaam Office which at present has ‘normal’ operational environment. However, the post-holder must be willing to travel at least 30% within the country.

Level of contact with children

Low level: low frequency of interaction with children.