Project Manager (Cocoa) – Uganda At Solidaridad Eas & Central Africa

ABOUT SOLIDARIDAD EAST AND CENTRAL AFRICA

Solidaridad is an international solution-oriented civil society organization with over 50 years of experience in developing solutions to make communities more resilient and create more sustainable supply chains. We work throughout the entire value chain to make sustainability the norm. Our innovative solutions support the transition to an inclusive economy that provides sustainable livelihoods with fair and profitable business opportunities. This includes decent working conditions, a fair living wage, and production in balance with nature so that all people can thrive now and for generations to come. Headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, Solidaridad East, and Central Africa has country offices and programs in Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda, and outreaches in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burundi, Rwanda, and Cameroon.

Title: Project Manager (Cocoa) – Uganda

Duration: 1-year contract (extension based on performance)

Reporting line: Country Manager

Position level: Mid-level

Location: Uganda

SUMMARY OF POSITION

The primary role of the Cocoa Project Manager will be to manage, coordinate, and monitor project activities and relationships with partners and other project stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the cocoa value chain implementation activities of the Coffee-Cocoa EU-funded project. His/her project management skills and knowledge of the program area will ensure that ECA delivers high-quality programming and continuously works towards improving the impact of this project. The Individual work under the direct supervision of the ECA Uganda Country Manager. The Project Manager will be based in Uganda.

POSITION IN THE ORGANIZATION

The Cocoa Project Manager will support the implementation of the Cocoa value chain activities under the Coffee-Cocoa EU-funded project. He/she will support the implementation of the activities.

Result areas

Project Planning

1. Review project reports, work plans, budget, targets, and key performance indicators (KPIs) and ensure that the planning is realistic (measurable, reportable, and verifiable), both in terms of budget and implementation.
2. Develop a detailed annual plan for technical and financial activities.
3. Assist the partners to develop a plan in line with the required project objectives.
4. Support the team by providing a longer-term vision, strategic direction, and appropriate planning aligning with Solidaridad’s regional ambitions and the global network strategic objectives.

Project Implementation

1. Work with the concerned staff and, partners to ensure effective implementation of the project.
2. Review and monitor the annual planning reports to ensure that these are realistic, both in terms of budget and overall project plan.
3. Regularly review and track the project progress against milestones and take corrective action where required, raising issues with the concerned personnel as needed.

Project Management

1. Promote and maintain effective partnerships with the partners and beneficiaries.
2. Guide and lead the project team to achieve specific goals, objectives and KPIs of the project.
3. Ensure that work is appropriately delegated and project team members are empowered to carry out tasks independently where appropriate to their skills and capacity.
4. Ensure efficient project management procedures are implemented to enable monitoring of projects and accurate reporting of progress.
5. Ensure strict adherence to Solidaridad’s ethics, and policy and pro-actively encourage transparency and openness in all activities.
6. Ensure procurement and contracts are prepared and issued to Solidaridad’s standards and procedures/ in-country legal frameworks/partner’s requirements and are managed effectively.
7. Financial and budget control of selected tasks and components and coordinating with the Solidaridad Regional Project Finance Manager regarding budget control and financial progress.
8. Support the collection and accurate reporting of impact data related to the project as guided by the Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (PMEL) Manager.

Networking with Government and non-Government Organizations, and Private Sectors

1. Build a strong relationship with the government authorities (regional, national and local) and arrange field visits and regular progress review meetings where necessary.
2. Learn good practices from other organizations and reflect them in project implementation.
3. Represent Solidaridad, build and maintain relationships and partnerships with relevant service providers, government, national and international development partners, local stakeholders and communities, private sector, and funder Partners representatives for effective implementation of projects.
4. Contribute to public communication, strong and positive Solidaridad brand visibility and recognition, working closely with the Head of Programmes, Country (Projects) Manager and Regional Communications Officer.

Project Monitoring and Reporting

1. Regularly field visits to intervention areas to observe progress, with a focus on ensuring ‘quality’.
2. Prepare progress reports (annual, monthly, and/or quarterly) based on a structured monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework, including a review on the financial report and providing necessary feedback.
3. Ensure quality-monitoring data collection from the field and timely reporting.

Staff Management

1. Supervise mentor and coach project team members directly as part of your leadership function.
2. Assist with recruitment and coordination of project staff (as and when required).
3. Continuously undertake performance management evaluations of assigned project team members.
4. Support staff development – develop plans for capacity building of project team members to enable them to be more self-standing in the future.
5. Support effective communications and joint working within the team and with other teams across the organisation.

Other Ad-hoc Tasks

1. Identify and discuss with the Regional Business Development (BD) Manager any potential future funding opportunities which present themselves in-country / location and provide advice on their suitability and potential alignment with the Solidaridad strategic direction.
2. Be cognizant of the wider implications of the project, working effectively with other Solidaridad functions in-country and sometimes at the regional level (such as the quality function team, and the innovation theme advisers) as appropriate.

Knowledge and experience

1. Relevant academic level education, Master’s or higher – in a relevant field (e.g. Agriculture, Public Policy, Development Studies, Social Science, Project Management, Strategic Management etc.)
2. At least five (5) years of experience in managing projects funded by international agencies or development partners, especially for EU will be an added advantage.
3. At least three (3) years of experience in a management position with international organizations.
4. An understanding of the policy environment, issues and stakeholders in the agriculture and/or agribusiness sector in East and Central Africa.
5. Experience of leading programs in small teams.
6. Experience setting up new projects and programmes.
7. Track record of delivering project goals within deadlines and budgets across public and private sectors and with NGOs.
8. Demonstrable track record of effectively building and sustaining key external and internal relationships at community, utility, and governmental levels to realize project goals.
9. Leading and managing project teams and stakeholders.
10. Experience in setting and managing project budgets.

Specific job requirements

1. Project management skills include strategy, planning, setting objectives and planning to meet those objectives, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, budgeting, financial management, and sustainability.
2. Ability to work independently and lead d diverse multi-disciplinary team.
3. Stakeholder management and partner relationship management skills.
4. Excellent critical, creative thinking, and analytical skills.
5. Ability to define new projects, establish overall scope and budget able to influence at senior management level, take a strategic outlook and to manage change where necessary empowering project staff and others to strengthen their capacity and capability through mentoring and coaching.
6. Excellent planning organizational and time management skills, ability to work well under pressure both proactively and reactively prioritizes a challenging workload.
7. Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
8. Supporting the motivation and development of project teams, including performance management and appraisals.
9. Collaborative approach to partnership working in a cross-cultural context.

Able to carry out regular in-country, regional or international visits (as and when required).