Project Director/Deputy Chief of Party at the Widows and Orphans Empowerment Organisation (WEWE)

Widows and Orphans Empowerment Organisation (WEWE) is a leading Nigerian Non-Governmental Organisation implementing a 5 year USAID funded “Local Partners Initiative for Orphans and Vulnerable Children (LOPIN 2).

We are recruiting suitably qualified candidates to fill the position below:

Job Title: Project Director (PD)/Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) - WEWE-LOPIN-2

Location: Akwa Ibom with travel to Abuja, Anambra, Imo, Rivers

Position Summary
The responsibility of WEWE - LOPIN 2 PD/DCOP is to provide support in the following areas:

• Overall Program Technical Leadership and Management,
• Program Quality,
• Management and Administration,
• Representation,
• Human Resource Management, and
• New Business Development and Resource Mobilization; which includes field team mobilization and leadership; development and implementation of work plans, writing of quarterly, semi-annual and annual reports, coordination of site improvement monitoring remediation and action plans implementation, support for preparation and management of state operational budgets, development of scope of work for sub-grantees, support for financial pipeline and burn rate management and assisting the project in communication and coordination with donors and other partner organizations, and ensuring achievement of project results and objectives.

Overall Program Technical and Program Leadership and Management:

• Provide overall program leadership and management of program activities; and coordinate liaison with Government of Nigeria agencies, USAID, other development partners, partner organizations and other civil society organizations
• Work with key program staff and stakeholders to ensure accomplishment of program’s objectives and results and meeting expected technical quality standards
• Ensure that program’s strategies and activities are consistent with the priorities outlined in the annual Work Plan as well as WEWE and national policies
• Supervise performance of sub-contractors, consultants, sub-grantees, and state project teams; and builds strong collaborative relationships with all project partners
• Manage all program activities, including monitoring and evaluation and timely preparation and submission of annual work plans, quarterly, semi-annual and annual reports and other deliverables and achievement of program to USAID
• Support implementation of internal control procedures and overall administrative systems
• Support the administration of the project’s financial resources in Akwa-Ibom and Rivers States; establish monitoring procedures for financial allocations and ensure compliance with established WEWE accounting policies and USAID cost principles (reasonable, allocable and allowable).
• In collaboration with program staff, provide guidance and technical oversight to partners and other collaborating agencies to ensure that lessons of sound practice are documented and disseminated
• Participate in regular field visits to the project zones to assure project progress towards activity objectives and goals
• Coordinate and communicate on a regular basis with WEWE Head Quarters in Abuja

Program Quality:

• Support the Quality Improvement Director to review and finalize the LOPIN-2 Project Standard Operating Procedure; ensure the incorporation of the relevant M&E components such as DQA, monthly and quarterly M&E activities
• Finalize and implement LOPIN-2 Graduation Strategy; finalize the Household Economic Strengthening (HES) Strategy and the Village Savings and Loans guidance. Ensure the strategy documents and guidance are professionally laid out and published.
• Take the lead in developing Quarterly reports, Semi Annual Program Reports (SAPR and Annual Program Reports (APR) ready for submission to USAID; contribute to the development of USAID’s Annual Country Operational Plans as may be necessary
• Develop, finalize and lead in the implementation of LOPIN-2 FY18 work-plan narrative and provide program inputs into the budget.
• Develop Quarterly Detailed Implementation Plan (DIP) for FY18 work-plan post USAID approval
• Lead in the compilation of the FY17 Quarter 4 reports and FY17 Annual Report for timely submission (on or before October 30, 2017).
• Support the Monitoring and Evaluation team to develop and revise LOPIN-2 Annual Monitoring and Evaluation Plan for submission to USAID for approval
• Support the M&E Team to standardize data collection tools and implementation of M&E activities
• Conduct quarterly technical meetings which will provide technical directions or redirections to LOPIN-2LOPIN-2 project implementation
• Coordinate with 4Children project to develop a sustainability strategy for LOPIN-2; Provide advice to LOPIN-2 Project Management Team (PMT), Program team, M&E team and Finance and Administration team on the Sustainability Strategy for LOPIN-2
• Support the Quality Improvement Director to review and finalize relevant policies in line with SIMS tools and guidance and ensure staff orientation / reorientation / training on these policies
• Provide leadership for the Site Improvement Monitoring System (SIMS);
• Establish and Supervise an internal LOPIN-2 SIMS team to conduct routine site visits
• Ensure each SIMS site submit quarterly or annual action plans based on findings of the internal SIMS team
• Schedule biannually SIMS site visits to ensure LOPIN-2 sites are inspected and well prepared for USAID SIMS visits.
• Develop SIMS remediation plans and action plans and ensure that these plans are actionable and completed within the timelines.
• Ensure implementation of developed remediation plans due by the end of the second week in October 2017 for all four Akwa-Ibom sites, and by the end of the third week in October 2017 for the other two Rivers sites (Port Harcourt and Obio Akpor)
• Provide adequate guidance and support to the QID and the State teams to ensure all Direct Implementation Teams (DIT) and Implementing Agencies (IAs) in both Akwa-Ibom and Rivers States receive good ratings on SIMS; ensure the follow-up visit to Eleme comes out with good ratings.
• Participate as a member of the WEWE-LOPIN 2 Project Management Team (PMT); Supervise State Teams to ensure Implementing Agencies’ program activities, are technically supported; ensuring development of scope of work (SOW) for WOCLIF and 3 additional IAs in Akwa Ibom and Rivers States; Liaise with Federal and SMWASD on behalf of LOPIN-2 in all 4 project states.

Management and Administration:

• Support State Team leads to manage program budgets, including disbursement of funds and tracking of financial and material resources and ensure prompt retirements from the state to the finance team in WEWE Head Quarters in Abuja.
• In collaboration with WEWE Project Management Team (PMT), provide support to improve WEWE’s financial pipeline, burn rate and turnover of program funds from project states to WEWE-Headquarters in Abuja.
• Support States and the LOPIN-2 finance team to ensure accurate and timely reporting of program finances, expenditures and progress status, compile and forward receipts, review actual financial performance against the budget, and explain variances on a regular basis
• Support staff to comply with all LOPIN-2 financial, administrative and operational procedures and policies, as well as applicable donor regulations and government regulations; ensure that program team manages program funds in line with USAID cost principles of reasonable, allowable and allocable.
• Provide advice on closing WEWE’s Special Award Conditions. Assist with developing request for application for sub grants and sub-awards from USAID, managing sub-awards, managing special award conditions, A122 audit using USAID certified auditors, overseeing expenditure analysis (EA) reporting and report on accruals.
• Provide advice and support for WEWE to remain compliant to the terms and condition of the cooperative agreement (AID-620-A-14-00005), managing advances from USAID, from WEWE Head office in Abuja to the field. Contribute to LOPIN-2 A122 audit using USAID certified auditors, overseeing Expenditure Analysis (EA) reporting and report on accruals.
• Participate as a member of the LOPIN-2 Project Management Team (PMT)
• Participate as a member of LOPIN-2 Governing Council

Representation:

• In collaboration with the Chief of Party, act as primary program contact to donor and other local and international stakeholders, responsible for addressing all program matters
• Oversee program communication strategies, including compliance with donor’s branding and marketing requirements as well as WEWE marketing and communication procedures.
• Liaise with Federal and SMWASD on behalf of LOPIN-2 in all 4 states in regards program.
• Represent WEWE and LOPIN 2 project to donors, Government of Nigeria, and other stakeholders nationally and internationally.
• Manage relationships with complementary USAID and donor projects
• Represent WEWE and the project to USAID at key meetings

Human Resources Management:

• Lead, manage and supervise a team of staff to meet program objectives
• Conduct periodic reviews of staff performance in keeping with WEWE’s performance management system and mentor staff in order to ensure high levels of motivation, commitment, capacity, and teamwork
• Develop terms of reference for all program consultants and ensure that they are fulfilling their tasks
• Manage the recruitment portfolio for the program, in collaboration with Human Resources and WEWE country program management, to ensure optimum service delivery through recruitment of competent and qualified staff.
• Directly supervise program staff which includes the Director, Quality Improvement, State leads Akwa-Ibom and Rivers and indirectly supervise Imo and Anambra State Program Officers which involves reviewing and approval of timesheets, staff performance goals, objectives, appraisals and evaluations.
• Coordinate goal setting and performance objectives workshop/meeting in Akwa- Ibom, Anambra, Imo and Rivers States with program staff.

New Business Development and Resource Mobilization:

• Support WEWE in new business development. As a member of the PMT, DCOP is expected to provide support for  new business opportunities for WEWE to apply for new funding and all members of the PMT are to significantly contribute in new business development in line with WEWE-LOPIN-2 Special Award Conditions (SAC).
• To ensure future sustainability and also to comply with the cooperative agreement technical proposal that commits WEWE to leveraging an additional $1,000,000 US Dollars for support and compliment or wrap around WEWE - LOPIN 2 activities.
• Provide support for efforts to write concept notes and new programs to address emerging issues and programming challenges identified by donors or through WEWE’s work.
• Assist with New Business and Strategic Planning Development which will involve the following: To head hunt and recruit new relevant expertise for proposals for new projects, assisting with conducting a mapping of potential donors, conduct advocacy visit to potential donors, identification of relevant international networks that WEWE needs to register with to enhance its marketability for new resources.
• Contribute to developing systems for forecasting opportunities and setting up ‘go or no go’, Partnership development strategy development i.e. identifying potential international and local, technical partners to be sub-partner on proposal, identify funding opportunities; on internet, on newspapers and visit with international donor,
• Assist with Making ‘go’ or ‘no go’ recommendations, forecast and develop a list of upcoming opportunities that WEWE is eligible to apply for e.g. DFID - Girls Education Initiative, Track new business opportunities,
• Meet with potential partner organizations to identify and negotiate strategic partnerships, Write technical sections of concept notes, proposals and applications for fund and As needed, determine and collect costing information.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.

Method of Application
Interested and qualified candidates should send a comprehensive CV and cover letter in ONLY one attachment (MS Word Document) explaining suitability for the job to: [email protected]  Kindly indicate the title of the position applied for in the subject line of the e-mail and include functional emails/mobile phone numbers and full contact information and at least three professional referees on their CV.

Note

• WEWE’s recruitment process for this position will be on a rolling basis, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
• Applications will be reviewed in batches on a first come first served basis.
• WEWE reserve the right to conclude this recruitment process when a suitable candidate is selected.