About the job

• Job Type : Full Time

• Industry : Program Development /Administration (NGO)

• Education Level : Managerial Level

Job Description

BACKGROUND: 

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC works to aid in the development of societies in which people could realize their full potential and are supported by institutions and practices that are just, transparent, accountable, inclusive, and which promote and protect rights.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has been operating in Kigoma region since 1993 implementing Education, Health and Protection programs including Child protection, Women Protection and Empowerment and Protection Rule of Law in Nyarugusu, Nduta and Mtendeli refugee camps and surrounding host communities

Scope:

IRC Tanzania is seeking to recruit a Senior Program Manager for an anticipated USAID funded project “Youth-First!” designed to Strengthening youth resilience and decrease violence in Mtwara. This two years project will promote positive youth engagement and strengthening local governance relationships for the benefit of future generations, using youth-centered, evidence-based, and scalable interventions.

Project objectives:

Objective 1: Strengthen inclusive leadership capacities and increase civic participation opportunities of young women and men to promote peace and development and

Objective 2: Strengthen relationships and address youth grievances through improved youth participation in local governance

Activities under objective 1 include a comprehensive, flexible, and youth-led capacity-building program for a cadre of Young Change Makers (YCM), and peer-led awareness-raising events on inclusive leadership, conflict resolution, non-violent communication, community organizing, civic activism, gender equity, and gender-based violence prevention. Activities will provide youth with the knowledge and skills to prevent, mitigate, and resolve conflicts peacefully and engage with local governance for structural reforms. In addition, through youth-led forums, participants will be able to engage constructively with one another, identify shared peace and development concerns, and generate strategies to address them collectively.

Under objective 2 the project will work with Youth Lead Organizations (YLOs) to strengthen their organizational capacities. The project will also help them engage in single-identity work with local government, traditional and faith leaders to shift their incentives, improve their capacities, and strengthen accountability for youth participation in local governance. Ultimately, this will result in improved legitimacy, trust, and relationships between the different groups, as well as inclusive local governance processes.

Core Responsibilities:

Project Implementation

• Plan, coordinate and operationalize the implementation of project activities.
• Work closely with youth and partner organizations to plan on program/project implementation.
• Develop advocating strategies to voice youth needs/requests on violence prevention.
• Plan and participate in the facilitation of forums to increase the capacity of youth organizations and implementing partners in planning and implementation of peacebuilding, violence prevention and social cohesion projects.
• In the areas of intervention, identify shared peace and development concerns, and generate strategies to address them collectively
• Identify existing measures and policies and generate strategies, to reinforce transparency, inclusiveness, and accountability for youth participation in local governance
• Provide support toward integration of governance indicators into project M&E frameworks and use of context and conflict-sensitivity indicators working closely with M&E officer.
• Report regularly on project implementation, progress, constraints, and lessons learnt. These include monthly, quarterly and final donor reports.
• Design project frameworks/objectives with local partners and ensure that activities meet all set criteria and standards.
• Keep up to date with all contextual changes and the impact on project implementation.

Training and Capacity Building

• Identify training needs for project beneficiaries and project partners to strengthen their organizational capacities.
• Design, develop and organize tailor-made workshops and training programs to provide youth with the knowledge and skills to       prevent, mitigate, and resolve conflicts peacefully and engage with local governance for structural reforms
• Integrate community approaches, gender sensitivity and capacity building into all activities as appropriate.

Coordination and Representation

• Liaise with authorities, local partners, implementing partners and other key stakeholders at community level in areas of operation.
• Represent the department at the community and government level in relation to the project.
• Attend coordination meetings as delegated by supervisor.
• Establish and maintain strong, positive, and productive working relationships with key stakeholders in the target project area.

Program management

• Support staff capacity needs assessment, design staff capacity planning, and support training delivery by utilizing existing governance training resources and other up to date global initiative and resources.  
• Oversee the implementation of the Youth First Project in Mtwara  to ensure activities are implemented according to a well- plan schedule by project cycle, monthly/quarterly workplan and budgets management includes pending plan, and procurement plan.
• Participate in grant opening, and closing meetings, tracking expenditures and ensure they are allowable and allocable according to IRC and donor compliance and regulations; review monthly BvA and develop corrective action plans.
• Provide timely, informative, and quality inputs to proposals; including logframe, and budget planning as required. 

Skills and Competencies

• Experience in running community capacity building activities including trainings; community mobilization; and peacebuilding activities
• Strong program management skills, including assessment, planning, budgeting, and monitoring skills.
• Demonstrate teamwork with other staff members, project partners and stakeholders.
• Strong report writing skills.
• Strong track record in working in partnership with governments and youth lead organizations, civil society at various levels and diverse organizational stakeholders, developing and implementing appropriate and targeted learning and capacity sharing activities.
• Solid knowledge in local governance, systems strengthening, civil society strengthening, gender equality, peacebuilding/social cohesion, and civic engagement.
• Ability to work with multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary teams
• Excellence in oral and written communication skills in English. Knowledge in spoken Swahili will be an added advantage
• Good organizational, interpersonal, time and people management skills.
• Relevant computer software skills (including, at a minimum, the standard applications in MS Office)
• Ability to plan work and work with minimal supervision and without compromising on deadlines or quality

Qualifications and experience

• University degree in Social Science, Local Governance, Development studies or other relevant discipline.
• At least 7 years working within the peacebuilding, social cohesion, development context or related field