Tajikistan: Project Development Officer – Dushanbe At ACTED

Fixed Term | 6 months | ASAP

ACTED

Created in 1993, ACTED is an international non-governmental organization pursuing a dual mandate of emergency response and development interventions in 40 of some of the world’s most vulnerable countries affected by conflicts, disasters or socio-economic hardship. With a team of 7,000 national staff and 400 international staff, ACTED implements 500 projects a year to support more than 20 million beneficiaries, notably in hard-to-reach areas.

ACTED goes to the last mile through programs and approaches that look beyond the immediate emergency towards opportunities for longer term livelihood reconstruction and sustainable development. Guided by the motto “Think Local, Act Global” and its 3Zero –Zero Exclusion, Zero Carbon, and Zero Poverty – strategy, ACTED puts local territories at the centre and provides a tailored support to local needs.

ACTED Tajikistan

ACTED Tajikistan is committed to supporting sustainable and inclusive development in the country for over 25 years, working with the most vulnerable communities including women, disadvantaged youth and rural populations. With a coordination office in the capital Dushanbe and operational offices in Khujand, Murgab and Bokhtar, the NGO works to prevent natural disasters and support local civil society, and also contributes to the promotion of culture and heritage through the Bactria Cultural Centre.

In 2015, the international community made key commitments for the future of our planet, first, with the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), then with the climate agreement at COP21. Building on these commitments and its historic programming in line with these goals, ACTED developed its 3Zero vision (Zero Carbon, Zero poverty, Zero Exclusion) to promote new approaches to contemporary challenges, which aims to radically reshape the way individuals, businesses and communities live, work and interact.

The 3Zero House in Dushanbe is a unique collaborative space that aims to foster social entrepreneurship and support diverse interventions based on synergies with other organisations, while multiplying and accelerating innovations and solutions by local actors. The 3Zero House Dushanbe was created in order to better address the challenges and issues of modern-day Tajikistan, led by ACTED Tajikistan together with its sister organization Bactria Cultural Centre and such partners as PEAK Business Innovation Centre, Tajik Community Based Tourism Association, Public organization Korvoni Umed and its brand Chatr Cafe, Oxus Micro Finance Organization.

Bactria Cultural Centre (BCC) was created in December 2001 by ACTED to address the lack of access to culture, information and vocational training in Tajikistan. Since then, it has become a focal point in the cultural life of Dushanbe. Cooperating with several embassies and donor organizations functioning in Tajikistan, BCC supports a wide variety of cultural activities and educational activities (including French and English language courses).

You will be in charge of

The Project Development Officer (PDO) contributes to the development of project proposals in line with ACTED’s global and in-country programme strategy, and ensures proper grant management, incl. timely reporting of project achievements to donors. The PDO facilitates internal communication and coordination with relevant departments and contributes to ACTED external communication strategy. The PDO focuses on supporting Bactria Cultural Center and 3Zero House Dushanbe.

1. Fundraising

• Context Analysis
• External relations
• Fundraising and proposal development
• Engage actively with partners of the 3Zero ecosystem, explore potential collaboration options and joint partnerships
• In coordination with Bactria Director and 3Zero House Coordinator, lead on the communication between Bactria, 3Zero House and partners
• Lead on the development of fundraising documents (Expression of Interests/concept notes/proposals) in line with Bactria and 3Zero House strategy and donor requirements
• Contracting
• Contribute to addressing in a timely manner all comments by donors on proposals in liaison with relevant staff in country and ACTED HQ GMU and finance;
• Liaise with Bactria Director and 3Zero House Coordinator to ensure that proposals are relevant and technically sound;
• Incorporate learning from previous interventions (e.g. lessons learnt and best practices) into new proposals,
• Read thoroughly all contracts before signature, seeking ACTED HQ GMU and finance advice when required.

2. Grant Management

2.1. Contract follow-up

• Ensure that contractual obligations (including visibility requirements) and reporting deadlines are known and met by Programme, MEAL and FLATS team;
• When any issue is identified in meeting deliverables in the given timeframe and budget, inform relevant staff in country and seek ACTED HQ Program Department advice on potential solutions that would meet donor rules.

2.2. Reporting

• Participate in and take minutes of kick-off and close out meetings for each project
• Write quality narrative reports, reflecting the progress and status of projects in a transparent, timely and professional manner, in liaison with ACTED HQ GMU and finance, which will contribute ultimately to steady cash inflow;
• Work in close relation with MEAL to incorporate MEAL data (incl. data on input, process, output, outcome and impact indicators, lessons learnt and best practices) in reports and review M&E reports from MEAL;
• Liaise with FLATS teams when preparing reports, especially with finance to ensure greater coherence between financial and narrative reports by crosschecking the matching of data in the narrative and financial reports;
• Contribute to the monthly update of the Reporting Follow Up (RFU) and ensure smooth and regular communication with ACTED HQ GMU.
• Ensure ad hoc requests from donors are addressed in liaison with the CD, programme and support teams;

2.3. Partner Follow-up

• Liaise with partners when required to develop relevant grant agreements in close coordination with ACTED HQ GMU and finance;
• Ensure partners report to ACTED in a timely and qualitative manner as per the requirements of the grant agreement.

3. Management and Internal Coordination

3.1. Staff Management (if any)

• Manage a Project Development Intern and/or Assistant(s) if any, following up the work plans and day-to-day activities;
• Mentor the PDI and/ or PDA with the aim of strengthening their technical capacity.

3.2. Internal Coordination and Communication

• Facilitate interdepartmental communication and information sharing from the Base, to the Area, Capital, and even up to the regional and HQ offices by taking minutes of the various ACTED coordination meetings
• Ensure these meeting minutes are sent monthly to HQ;
• Keep ACTED HQ GMU and finance updated on latest developments, opportunities and challenges so that GMU can best advice on the way forward.

3.3. Filing

• File properly contractual project documents both in hard and soft copies;
• Update regularly the Resource Centre at the office with appropriate and relevant external and internal resources.

4. External Communication

• Contribute to ACTED external communication strategy by feeding regularly ACTED HQ Communication Department with informal updates on projects, a flash news, pictures, articles on projects progress and/or specific events for ACTED communication tools, including, but not limited to, ACTED Newsletter, websites and ACTED Annual Report;
• Ensure the update and design of in country communication and visibility tools and publications, their dissemination and availability to ACTED teams, as well as the capitalization of media and pictures of the mission;

Contribute to Bactria and 3Zero House external communication strategy by sharing regularly with ACTED Communication Department informal updates on projects, a flash news, pictures, articles on projects progress and/or specific events for ACTED communication tools, including, but not limited to, ACTED Newsletter, websites and ACTED Annual Report.

Expected skills and qualifications

• Master Level education in a relevant field such as International Relations, Development or Political Science;
• 1-2 years previous work experience in a relevant position;
• Previous related work experience, with knowledge of project design, proposal writing and grants management;
• Knowledge of the humanitarian aid system and ability to understand the donors systems;
• Strong oral and written communication skills, analytical skills;
• Strong coordination and interpersonal skills;
• Ability to work in a multicultural and fast-paced environment;
• Ability to work well under pressure;
• Good team spirit and ability to work with diverse profiles.

Conditions

• Salary between 1500 and 1700€ monthly (before income tax), depending on the level of education, security level, etc as well as a monthly living allowance of $300
• Accommodation and food provided in ACTED guesthouse
• Pension, health insurance, life insurance and repatriation assistance (& unemployment insurance for EU citizens)
• Flight tickets every 6 months & visa fees covered
• Contribution to the luggage transportation: up to 100 kgs, depending on the length of the contract
• Annual leave of 25 to 43 days per year
• One week pre-departure training in ACTED HQ, including a 4-days in situ security training
• Tax advice (free 30-minute call with a tax consultant)
• Psychological assistance
• Written and spoken fluency in English, Russian will be considered as significant advantage;