Project Manager at Search for Common Ground (SFCG)

Search for Common Ground (SFCG) is an international non-profit organization that promotes peaceful resolution of conflict. With headquarters in Washington, DC and a European office in Brussels, Belgium, SFCG’s mission is to transform how individuals, organizations, and governments deal with conflict - away from adversarial approaches and toward cooperative solutions. SFCG seeks to help conflicting parties understand their differences and act on their commonalities. With a total of approximately 600 staff worldwide, SFCG implements projects from 55 offices in 34 countries, including in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the United States.

The organization is an exciting and rewarding place to work, with a dedicated and enthusiastic staff that is committed to its mission and values. You will be joining a highly motivated staff with a good team spirit and there will be opportunities to grow in the role.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Project Manager

Location: Nassarawa

Position Summary

• We seek a professional, motivated, and creative Project Manager that will work with Search’s program teams to design and implement Search strategy for the project ensuring that the project addresses real needs and contributes to the organization’s national, regional and global strategies. The position entails project logic and strategy development; team leadership; project development and management; financial, operations, and administrative oversight for the project; security management; liaise with key stakeholders and Search representation.
• The position requires an experienced conflict transformation, peacebuilding and or development expert, conversant with project management cycles and managing a field office. The position holder must be organised and experienced in culturally identifiable conflict and context analyst capable of steering various project activities in the North Central to respond to real-time conflict, peace efforts, security and the overall aim of conflict transformation. The Project Manager must have good diplomacy skills and capable of negotiating with challenging stakeholders and also lead a diverse team. The position holder advises the Country Director on project needs, strategies, staffing issues, local context, and dynamics.
• This position holder will manage the Nassarawa office and share his/her time equally among Benue, Plateau and Nassarawa States. She/he will work under the direct supervision of the Country Director. The position holder will directly supervise the State project coordinators and have a team comprising of coordinators, officers, assistants, and interns.

About the Project
The overall objective of the Farmers/Herders project ‘Transforming the Farmer-Herder Conflicts and Promoting Freedom of Religions and Belief in Nigeria’s Middle Belt’ is to contribute to the prevention of violence that includes thee destruction of lives and properties resulting from protracted violent conflicts between farmers and herders while combating impunity and promoting the freedom of religions and belief in the Middle Belt region of Nigeria.

The overall goal is supported by three specific objectives that will guide the project’s activities:

• Objective 1: To increase collaboration between farmer and herder communities to develop joint, effective, sustainable local mechanisms for early warning response, dispute management, and violence prevention and mitigation at the community levels.
• Objective 2: To strengthen the implementation of the rule of laws and accountability measures by the government of focal states and relevant federal government institutions to respond to and prevent violence resulting from farmer-herder conflicts at the state levels.
• Objective 3: To enhance public understanding of the farmer-herder conflicts by promoting conflict sensitive contents and, countering hate speech, stereotypes, biases and negative narratives that fuel violence.

Roles and Responsibilities
Representation and coordination:

• Under the guidance of the Country Director, represents Search in the North Central;
• Provides orientation of Search at the local level and supervises all staff under the Farmers/herders project;
• Provides strong coordination support to NGOs, partners, and national authorities through the establishment of wider consultation and collaborative processes to achieve the 3 objectives of the project.
• Responsible for the coordination of all project activities under Farmers/ Herder's Project;
• Be Search’s media contact for the project when delegated by the Country Director; and
• Represent Search with donors in the North Central, in absence of the Country Director

Program strategy, development, and planning:

• Support Country Director in implementing Search’s strategic directions in the North Central
• Collaborates with relevant staff in other Search offices for quality program development and planning;
• Support Country Director in coordinating new business development, including coordinating the development of concept notes and proposal; and
• Advises the Country Director on program needs

Program oversight, quality assurance, reporting:

• Ensures proper implementation of the Farmers/Herders project based on continuous monitoring and analysis of the most critical real-time conflict, peace efforts, security and the overall aim of conflict transformation; partner capacities; operational environment; and security issues.
• Leads the Farmers/Herders project and facilitate attainment of project expected results in North Central in close collaboration with the Country Director;
• Ensures effective application of results-based management methodologies.
• Develop and monitor project work-plans, effectiveness and achievement of results;
• Monitors budgets versus actuals and cash-flow for the project;
• Steer the project’s activities to meaningfully address needs in the ever-changing context;
• Ensures all donor and internal reports are submitted within internal deadlines and to expected quality;
• Build coalitions and networks with local partners for project’s effectiveness.

Human Resources Management and Organizational Development:

• Provide leadership support to North Central region staff and promote best practices in human resources management;
• Ensure compliance with Nigerian law and SFCG procedures in admin and operations;
• Provide leadership support for the adequate implementation of the performance management system including performance objectives and planning, review, appraisal and staff development; and
• Provide Coaching and Counseling advice to staff when necessary and lead initiatives to develop staff capacity

Leadership:

• Attend the regular OST and PQT meetings and contribute to the discussions around overall strategy and direction of the country program and the organization;
• Ensure that all programs in the North Central are maintaining a coordinated and agreed information exchange both internally and in its dealing with external parties;
• Provide oversight to all finance and administrative services in the North Central in close coordination with the Country Finance Manager
• Ensure effective implementation and compliance with the overall finance and guidance manual and compliance with procedures required by grant or contract agreements;

As job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, the position holder may be required to undertake other duties that are broadly in line with the above key duties.

Qualifications
Education:

• Bachelor's Degree in a related area required while a Masters in Conflict Resolution, International Relations, or related field would be an added benefit;

Required Experience:

• At least 5 years of experience in peacebuilding, gender mainstreaming and Do No Harm related work.
• At least five (5) years of experience in managing a small team and project management in the field of conflict resolution, conflict transformation, development or related fields.

Other Relevant Requirements:

• Knowledge of and exposure to a wide range of of women’s role in conflict prevention; peace; conflict transformation; governance; and development and humanitarian issues;
• Good knowledge of the country context and ability to network with both civil society and public sector
• Ability to review and analyze and interpret financial reports, budget versus actuals, financial projections and procurement documentation;
• Good interpersonal and networking skills, as well as the ability to conduct professional working relationships;
• Analytical capacity, including the ability to analyze and articulate peace, human security and conflict issues;
• Ability to work with people at all levels, ranging from high-level national officials to community leaders;
• Experience in setting performance objectives of teams and leading a team.
• Willingness to keep abreast of new developments in farmer-herder issues, policies, laws etc.,s and peace-building fields;
• Good knowledge of North Central, including the political, economic and social dimensions;
• Basic computer skills (Microsoft Office Suite) and other software
• Detail-oriented with ability to meet deadlines, both prescribed and self-imposed
• Willingness and desire to learn while demonstrating self-initiative
• Ability to adapt to new cultures and work in diverse environments

Added Advantage:

• Speaks and understands Hausa fluently
• Speaks and understands Tiv and Fulfulde fluently
• Is a native of Benue, Plateau or Nasarawa

Application Closing Date
15th October, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online

Kindly include the following in your application:

• Current Resume
• Cover letter (Which includes expectations of compensation and projected start date)

Note

• The system only has the functionality to upload two documents per application. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.
• Only applicants invited for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls please.