Job Description

Job Title: Project Manager – Dodoma (Integrated School Readiness Programme)
Programme: Children in Crossfire, Tanzania Duty Station: Dodoma, Tanzania
Reports to: Programmes Manager Start Date: January 2020
Contract Type: Fixed Term for 3-Years

Background 

Children in Crossfire is an Irish-based international NGO whose purpose is to respond to the rights and needs of young children caught in the crossfire of global poverty and injustice. Children in Crossfire Tanzania focuses on increasing access to quality Early Childhood Development (ECD) supporting children’s developmental needs and giving them a chance to reach their fullest potential.

The new phase of Children in Crossfire Tanzania’s ECD programming will see the implementation of a flagship pre-primary education (PPE) project in Dodoma region from 2020 – 2022. The project intends to support the implementation of PPE model streams across all wards of Chamwino and Kongwa district councils in Year-1, and then to support the systemic scaling-up of quality-improved PPE delivery across all government primary schools of Chamwino and Kongwa districts in Year-2, and all schools across the remaining 6 councils of Dodoma region in Year-3. There will also be a pilot component to the project that explores the viability of community-based ECD Centres for early learners aged 3-4 years and their effective transition into pre-primary education. The new project to be known as Integrated School Readiness Programme (ISRP) Dodoma, or more popularly ‘Watoto Wetu Tunu Yetu Dodoma’, is in line with the aspired medium-term growth and direction of Children in Crossfire Tanzania as outlined in our 5-Year results framework for 2017-2021.

Context of the role

Reporting to the Children in Crossfire Tanzania Programmes Manager, and with the wider support of the Children in Crossfire Tanzania Country Office in Dar es Salaam, the Project Manager will provide overall management-lead of our Early Childhood Development (ECD) programming in Dodoma region. Furthermore, the Project Manager will have lead responsibility for the Children in Crossfire Tanzania Dodoma Project Office, ensuring its effective and accountable functioning across all operations. Managing the Project Team, together with the coordinated technical inputs of different implementing partners, the Project Manager is responsible for quality delivery and continuous learning and development of the PPE project, ultimately positioning its delivery to have transformational inputs in the PPE sub-sector at local and national levels.

Major Responsibilities

• Management of the Children in Crossfire Tanzania Dodoma Project Office
• Management of Children in Crossfire Tanzania ECD/PPE Programming in Dodoma
• Development & Management of strategic partnerships and government engagement in Children in Crossfire Tanzania ECD/PPE Programming in Dodoma

Specific Responsibilities

1) Management of the Children in Crossfire Tanzania Dodoma Project Office (25%)

• Lead responsibility for the management and functioning of the Dodoma Project Office, including observation and compliance to organisational policies, practices & procedures.
• Provide effective performance management of the Dodoma Project staff team, ensuring staff espouse organisational values, and demonstrate high performance across respective roles.
• Lead responsibility in management of Dodoma Project finances including observation and full adherence to Children in Crossfire’s finance policies, practises and procedures.
• Lead responsibility for Dodoma Project budget performance, including budget variance management and value for money across project activities and results.
• Key responsibility to ensure that all reasonable measures taken to ensure adherence to safeguarding and related child protection policy, practice and procedure across all aspects of Dodoma Project operations and programming.
• Report to the Children in Crossfire Tanzania Programmes Manager on a monthly basis or as and when required and more specifically in relation to strategic performance objectives that are developed and signed off on annual basis.
• On a functional level of project finances and budget management, cooperate fully with the Children in Crossfire Tanzania Finances and Administration Manager and the Head of Finances at Children in Crossfire Head Office.
• Assist with wider organizational activities as and when required.

2) Management of Children in Crossfire ECD Programming in Dodoma (50%)

• Lead on the management and effective implementation delivery and overall Dodoma Project performance, in line with organisational and project results frameworks, costed project workplans, and donor frameworks.
• Ensure Dodoma Project programming and delivery meets high technical standards of PPE/ECD, including continuous technical development based on effective management of technical inputs, including wider PPE/ECD evidence and targeted project consultancies.
• Provide effective management support and supervision of project implementing partners, ensuring high standard of technical performance and project reporting across contracted mandates, including disability and ECD research elements.
• Implement an effective results-based management approach to ensuring continuous reflection, learning and action on improvements grounded in strong MEL^[1] processes and tools.
• Lead responsibility for Dodoma Project reporting across internal and donor project narrative and financial reporting requirements.

3) Development and Management of Strategic Partnerships for Children in Crossfire ECD Programming in Dodoma (25%)

• Lead strategic engagement across Dodoma regional administration and local government including PPE/ECD technical capacity building and effective integration and delivery in local government processes.
• Lead strategic engagement with sector ministries including education and community development, and PORALG^[2], eliciting and coordinating technical and systemic inputs to ensure the project is well-positioned, relevant, and informing wider PPE sub-sector performance.
• Ensure Dodoma Project contributes to and benefits from wider macro-level ECD dialogue through leadership and engagement with other national key stakeholders across development partners, civil society and academia.
• Represent Children in Crossfire Tanzania in strategic partnership meetings and dialogues with national government on areas related to the organisation’s wider country programme of work in PPE/ECD.

Safeguarding Risk

This role is considered to present a high-rating of safeguarding risk. The role will include regular field work in schools and communities whereby the staff will be interacting directly with children and vulnerable adults.

Person Profile

• Educated to minimum of a Bachelor’s degree level in relevant discipline (such as social sciences, development studies, other).
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in management of NGO development programming in Tanzanian context.
• Demonstrable experience in managing a field office and project staff team, including practice and adherence to organisational policies spanning operations, HR and finances management.
• Strong understanding and demonstrable experience of results-based management processes, including taking the lead on MEL^[3] informing project management and development.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in Swahili and English.
• Extensive management experience of early childhood development (ECD) development programming.
• In-depth understanding of the ECD landscape in Tanzania and familiarity with key stakeholders, especially regarding domain of early childhood education and pre-primary education sub-sector.
• Demonstrable experience of effectively engaging with government sector ministries, especially health and education, in positioning and implementing NGO development programmes.
• Strong understanding and demonstrable experience of working closely with local government structures, systems and strategic points of engagement to integrate programmatic priorities in local government processes.
• Demonstrable experience of providing effective project management and capacity-building support to local implementing partners to deliver on key aspects of development programmes.
• In-depth understanding of key principles of safeguarding and child protection, including demonstrated practice of these in a professional context.
• Fluent in written and spoken Swahili and English
• Ability to work to deadlines, prioritise and take initiative
• Committed to the aims and values of Children in Crossfire, and work as part of the team
• Commitment to confidentiality
• Carry out your work with integrity 

Access application form – click the apply button to download

Application Forms (with any accompanying letters) should be returned by email to: jobstz@childrenincrossfire.org

Please state in the subject field the title of the position you wish to apply for.

The Deadline for submission is: 11.59pm EAT on Sunday 10th November 2019.