Coordinator of the Multi-Country Consortium at IRC

IRC opened the national program in Mali in 2012. Our programs range from humanitarian assistance to early recovery activities, focusing on child protection, education, economic well-being, nutrition, health, water and sanitation, governance. We work both in the north, the center and the south of Mali. Conflict and drought have caused the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people in Mali and neighboring countries. The security situation in the north remains fragile. Nonetheless, the needs of internally displaced persons and conflict-affected host communities are vast, and the issue of humanitarian access is an ongoing process. IRC works in northern and central Mali to provide essential WASH, education, economic well-being, protection and health programs in the most remote areas. The position is designed to help improve the capacities and strengthen the resources of populations to prevent and mitigate crises, manage change and build autonomy and resilience.

Job overview

The Consortium Coordinator is responsible for leading and supervising the effective implementation of the programs activities in Mali throughout IRC team and its Consortium partners both in Burkina Faso and Mali. As such, he/she creates an enabling environment for quality programming, providing clear direction and vision, encouraging exchange, analysis and learning, and establishing constructive, productive and effective working relationships with all Consortium members and external partners.

He/she represents the consortium and/or participates in strategic and high-level discussions with key stakeholders, including representatives of the European Delegation and national, provincial and local representatives from the Mali and Burkina Faso. Similarly, and as appropriate, he/she actively engages with other consortia partners, national NGOs, international NGOs, the United Nations and other multilateral actors in both countries to ensure the necessary understanding, exchange and learning, as well as coherence in terms of communication and programming approaches.

The Consortium coordinator ensures effective collaboration with the consortium members during all phases of the project, providing the necessary guidance and monitoring to guarantee that the implementation of the program is carried out in accordance with the agreed action plan and IRC and donor regulations.

Directly supervised by the senior programs coordinator (SPC) and in strong collaboration with the IRC Deputy Director for the Programs in Mali, he/she works in collaboration with the Senior Program Manager, based in Douentza and responsible for the implementation of the activities in the District. The Consortium Coordinator works in strong collaboration with other mutualized resources dedicated to the Consortium as the Deputy Consortium Coordinator and the M&E Coordinator (based in Burkina Faso), the compliance and access officer based in Douentza. The Consortium Coordinator will be supported by the IRC Nutrition, Early Recovery and Development and Governance Coordinators in order to ensure the quality in the implementation and to respect the IRC technical quality standard.

Responsibilities

1. Consortium management and external relations

• Provides strategic and operational leadership in all phases and aspects of the program management cycle.

• Leads the effective implementation of the Consortium’s governance and communication framework, allowing clear communication and reporting relationships between IRC, Consortium partners and external stakeholders, including the donor.

• See to that IRC and Consortium partners deliver upon their program commitments in a timely manner and in accordance with qualitative expectations and donor requirements, as well as that quality reports are prepared and submitted to the donor in a timely manner.

• Leads Consortium meetings to review the progress of activities, analyze and respond to the strategic and operational needs of the program and any other needs.

• Represents the Consortium to external stakeholders, including local, provincial and national governments, as well as UN, NGOs, civil society, ensuring positive and constructive working relationships.

• As the Consortium’s focal point, mobilizes and ensures transparent and constructive communication with Consortium partners and IRC management in preparation of donor requests, as well as after having received feedback from the donor on their submission.

• Involve IRC leadership in a timely manner in addressing issues of concern in order to achieve the most constructive outcome possible.

2. Project cycle management and quality assurance

• In collaboration with the SPC, the Country Programs technical team, the Technical Advisers at IRC headquarters and the Consortium members, ensures that the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of all program activities are carried out in accordance with IRC standards and meet the goals and objectives of the target communities and the compliance requirements of the donor;

• Responsible for project management, oversees the implementation, follow up and effective monitoring of IRC and partners Programs work, expenditure, M&E and procurement plans, organizing, among others, joint and regular monitoring and review meetings, assessing progress and proactively identifying challenges and solutions in order to attain program outcomes.

• Monitor the use of the budget and ensure sound financial management and the use of funds;

• Actively contributes to the development and review of program approaches, making concrete recommendations for changes in partners’ activities, approaches and areas of action as appropriate;

• Creates an environment of continued learning, encouraging innovation and auto-critical analyses, capitalizing on lessons learned to inform programmatic and strategic decisions and contribute to the knowledge base of the sectors covered by the program.

• Ensure that the results of ongoing conflict and security assessments are continuously integrated into project design and implementation, in collaboration with technical coordinators.

• Ensure the effective implementation of the client feedback mechanism and participatory programming.

3. Manage operational and security requirements

• Ensure that project assets are properly recorded and used for the intended purpose.

• Develop and implement the project closure plan through internal consultations (grant, HR, supply chain, finance), SFCG and ZOA;

• Report to the donor as part of formal and informal updates. Ensure accurate and high quality annual and semi-annual reports;

• Coordinate with program and operational staff to ensure that operational systems are in place to support project activities, including logistics, procurement, security and human resources;

4. Team management

• Supported by the SPC and the DDP, who supervise the technical coordinators, he/she recruits and supervises the program staff.

• Creates a work environment that fosters teamwork, trust, mutual respect and empowerment of staff to assume responsibilities;

• Manages and evaluates the performance of project staff ensuring that each staff has SMART performance objectives

• Ensure that all staff strictly respect and adhere to IRC Way, that these obligations are regularly updated so that staff understand its principles and are committed to them

Job requirements

• At least seven (7) years of experience in the development, monitoring and implementation of major multisector projects, including several years of experience in consortia management.

• Demonstrated experience in supervising and managing program teams and support in managing multi-million dollar budgets/portfolios in the context of conflict and complex dynamics;

• Strong experience and ability to coordinate and seek synergies with partner institutions and programs;

• Experience in community conflict and working with local actors, including NGOs, CSO/CBOs, community or government representatives.

• Demonstrated knowledge and application of conflict-sensitive approaches and not to interfere with project design;

• Strong leadership, analytical and organizational skills;

• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to interact professionally with donors, project stakeholders, in-country collaborators and staff at all levels of the organization.

• Proven ability to convene/chair high-level meetings and interact productively with a wide range of organizations (e. g. government, private sector, NGOs and research institutions);

• Understanding of the DUE processes and procedures for grants (preferably);

• A good understanding of the Sahel context, with previous experience in the area or in West Africa;

• Demonstrated innovation and success in staff capacity building and participatory, flexible and gender-sensitive programming and implementation.

• Excellent communication skills, both oral and written;

• Fluency in English and French is required;

• Strong MS Office skills, including Word and Excel.

This is a limited accompanied position. Women are strongly encouraged to apply.

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