Team Lead, Conflict and Stabilisation Programme at Stakeholder Democracy Network (SDN)

Stakeholder Democracy Network is an International non-governmental organization that helps facilitate community development from a rights-based perspective. SDN operates in the Niger Delta where it helps the communities affected by oil exploitation and the challenges of resource curse.  SDN has five pillar issues that represent significant long held grievances and acute problems that we are trying to resolve. These are: Access to Energy, Democratisation, Environment, Resilient Communities, and Resource Governance.

SDN is advertising for the position below to work in our Nigerian Office, based in Port Harcourt:

Job Title: Team Lead, Conflict and Stabilisation Programme

Location: Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Reporting to: Programme Manager, Programmes Director

Job Purpose
To ensure SDN achieves high quality outcomes and progressive change in the Niger Delta, through the effective management of SDN projects. This role has the key objectives:

• To lead the management of SDN projects to ensure they achieve their outcomes
• To lead project reporting, communications and monitoring and evaluation activities
• To support the development of new projects and fundraising for these

Responsibilities
To lead the management of SDN projects to ensure they achieve their outcomes:

• Take full responsibility for managing the project cycle of designated projects and ensure adherence to SDN’s Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (PMEL) system and donor requirements.
• In consultation with the Programmes Management Team, make key decisions on project implementation, to ensure the achievement of project outcomes, and the protection and promotion of the rights of those reached through our projects.
• Lead the design and delivery of project activities, ensuring these are aligned with the intended project outcomes.
• Develop and maintain core project documentation, including project work plans, logframes, risk assessments/risk registers and budgets etc.
• Set milestones to ensure that project targets are met and timely decisions on corrective actions are made and implemented.
• Monitor and manage project budgets, with support from the SDN finance team.
• Coordinate, task manage and supervise SDN team members allocated to designated projects (including Communications, Research and Policy staff in the UK office), ensuring clarity of roles and responsibilities and the timely delivery of quality work; provide feedback and mentoring support to team members to support their professional development; monitor workloads and schedules to ensure projects have adequate staffing and report concerns to management.
• Build and manage relationships with project partners and/or consultants, which are in the spirit of SDN’s partnership approach; put in place grant agreements/contracts which clearly define their roles and responsibilities; ensure there is supervision and support for their work; and monitor to ensure all contractual obligations are adhered to.
• Ensure projects are implemented in a manner which ensures the participation of, and accountability to, beneficiaries – including through communications, and monitoring and evaluation activities.
• Chair weekly project meetings with project teams.

To lead project reporting, communications and monitoring and evaluation activities
Reporting:

• Lead the development and submission of timely narrative and financial donor reports, coordinating the inputs of team members and with support from the finance team, and ensuring review and sign-off by management prior to submission; ensure these are in compliance with donor requirements.
• Manage and ensure the timely submission of partner and consultant reports to SDN.
• Produce timely internal monthly progress reports, submit these to management, and hold monthly project progress review meetings with senior management in finance and programmes.
• Ensure all project documentation is stored in the appropriate folders in the SDN shared drive.

Communications:

• Develop and maintain project communications plans, with support from the communications team, ensure these activities are integrated in to project work plans, and support the development of communications materials, as relevant.
• Build and manage relationships with key stakeholders (e.g. government, civil society) which are core to the success of projects.
• Identify and implement opportunities to communicate externally about projects and lessons learnt from these to donors, the media and civil society.

Monitoring and evaluation:

• Develop and maintain project monitoring and evaluation frameworks/plans, with support from M&E staff (where relevant), and coordinate and supervise the collection, documentation and analysis of M&E data.
• Monitor activity quality and progress, and overall progress towards outcomes; ensure analysis from M&E data and lessons learnt are actively used to improve the performance of projects.
• Monitor changes in the external environment and recommend necessary project changes to senior management.
• Conduct regular field visits to monitor and evaluate staff performance and represent SDN and maintain communication with programme stakeholders; encourage programme staff to report frankly on fieldwork, highlighting problems and possible solutions plus lessons learned, rewarding innovation, critical reflection and learning.

To support the development of new projects and fundraising for these:

• When nominated by senior management, lead the development of proposals for funding, including coordination of project development team and partners.
• Identify opportunities to seek further funding for successful project initiatives.

Other:

• Represent SDN at external meetings and events as requested.
• Support the development of SDN’s programmes strategy and ensure lessons learnt from SDN projects inform SDN’s wider work.
• To abide by SDN’s policies, including its Code of Conduct, Safeguarding Policy and Anti-Fraud and Corruption policy.

Note that SDN takes a zero-tolerance approach to fraud and corruption, and to the abuse of staff members, our associates and those who are reached through our programme activities – especially children and other vulnerable groups.

Key Qualifications
Assessment of candidates will be based on proven experience and capacity with evidence of the following or equivalent experience as follows:

• Post graduate degree in Social Sciences or related field;
• At least 5 years’ experience in project management in peacebuilding, development; and/or related fields including democracy and governance issues
• Donor reporting experience
• Proven ability to negotiate multiple relationships with various stakeholders and local partners;
• Demonstrated experience in financial management and administration of grants; knowledge of major donor rules and regulations, and the ability to manage multi-donor funding;
• Demonstrated planning (including budgeting) and proposal writing skills;
• General knowledge of the political and socio-economic dynamics in the Niger Delta region is essential.
• Excellent IT skills: word, excel and online communication skills;
• Strong oral and written communications skills;
• Excellent interpersonal and networking skills, as well as the ability to build and conduct effective professional working relationships at all levels, both internally and externally.

Salary
N3,600,000 - N4,200,000 per annum

Application Closing Date
26th April, 2019.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send a brief Covering Letter and Curriculum Vitae as one document to: vacancies@stakeholderdemocracy.org with Team Lead, Conflict and Stabilization in subject line

Note: Your application will be acknowledged but only shortlisted candidates will receive further correspondence.