Project Manager at International Alert

International Alert is one of the world's leading peacebuilding  organisations, with over 30 years of experience supporting communities,  advising governments, organisations and companies on how to build  peace. Alert works with people in conflict-affected and threatened areas  to make a positive difference for peace; to improve the substance and  implementation of international policies relevant to peacebuilding; and to  strengthen the peacebuilding sector.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title:  Project Manager

Location: Abuja

Job Description

• The Project Manager will be responsible for the overall planning, coordination, implementation, and monitoring of International Alert’s peacebuilding, climate change and governance projects in Nigeria.
• The post holder will ensure high-quality project delivery, stakeholder engagement, compliance with donor requirements, and alignment with organizational objectives. The role requires strong leadership, strategic thinking, and the ability to manage complex, multi-stakeholder interventions effectively.

Responsibilities
Project Implementation and Management:

• Lead the planning and implementation of peacebuilding, governance, or humanitarian projects.
• Ensure that project activities align with objectives and are delivered on time and within budget.
• Manage relationships with key stakeholders, including government agencies, local communities, donors, and partners.
• Ensure adherence to project work plans, adjusting activities as needed based on monitoring data and contextual changes.
• Supervise project teams and provide guidance on best practices in project execution.

Budget Management

• Monitor project spending and ensure no over or under-spend and that cash requests are made in a timely manner. 
• Actively participate in budget monitoring and work with project officers to prepare budget realignments as needed. 
• Maintain the project filing system and ensure the effective recording, documentation, and filing of project activities, M&E data, internal and external project meetings.
• Ensure timely management and resource utilization in line with the developed Annual and Quarterly work plans.

Leading in project compliance

• Ensure that project partners respect and apply all of Alert’s administrative; logistical and financial systems, as well as those of the donors and respect the laws of Nigeria;
• Coordinate and organise activities with partners using a community and participatory approach to achieve the expected results of the project.
• Contribute to the development of the project’s strategy and activities ensuring they are conflict and gender sensitive.

Project Reporting, Monitoring and Evaluation 

• Ensure close monitoring of policy environment, peacebuilding context to propose appropriate and innovative new programming ideas.
• Support in the organisation and facilitation of reflection and planning sessions with partners as often as necessary and develop recommendations for the adaptation of the strategy of the project based on the results of these sessions.
• Support the collection of relevant information from partners to feed into the monitoring and evaluation of the project, including activity reports.
• Ensuring that the partners submit timely monthly updates that conforms to the standards of Alert and the donor.
• Undertake field visits as often as possible in order to ensure the effective implementation of activities by partners and ensure these are being implemented in line with the TORs.

Preparation of Monthly, quarterly, and annual project reports.

• Contribute to Alert’s organisational processes and strategies
• Contribute to team-wide communications and knowledge management, and participate in organisation-wide events and discussions on related topics/projects
• Contribute and assist in weekly staff meetings, sharing regular updates on the project.
• Actively participate in Alert team meetings and other meetings as required.
• Participate in design discussions for proposals and make contribution as requested, ensuring contribution articulates relationship to one or more of Alert’s global strategic goals and integrates Alert ways of working and approaches.
• Support Country, regional or global strategy development and updates, ensuring lessons from field implementation are integrated.
• Participate in relevant coordination mechanisms.
• Other relevant tasks as required by the line manager

Travel requirements

• This position may be based in any of International Alert(s) project locations 

Person Specification

• Talents: At Alert, we have introduced Talent Management to our business model as we believe talented people are crucial to the success of our work.  We believe all individuals are talented and success comes in matching the right talents to the right roles.  For this role, the skills, qualifications and experience listed below are important, but we believe that to be great in this job you will have expertise in providing effective project leadership and be proactive in finding practical solutions in challenging environments. In addition, you will be well organised and with a good attention to detail. You will be a good communicator and be able to liaise with project stakeholders and articulate clearly project objectives and achievements.

Rquirements

• Masters in peace and conflict studies, project management, development studies or any related field in the social sciences. 
• Experience of 7 years working with NGOs in project or programme management
• Demonstrable experience peace building experience in northern Nigeria
• Experience of implementing community-based, peace building, policy, governance or climate change programming
• Experience in engaging with partners and other stakeholders 
• Excellent written, editing and report-writing skills
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage personal workload and meet deadlines
• Strong understanding of the context for peacebuilding and good governance in Nigeria
• Willingness to travel to difficult locations 

Application Closing Date
20th February, 2025.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should forward their CV to: nigeria@international-alert.org and pnyulaku@international-alert.org using the position as subject of email.