Director de Proyectos / Project Officer - Colombia

Job Title: Director de Proyectos / Project Officer

Location: Bogotá, Colombia
Type of contract: Local contract
Duration: Fixed term contract – maternity cover for 6 months
Hours: 35 hours per week
Reporting to: Programmes Manager
Manages: This position has no line-management responsibilities
Application deadline: Midnight, Sunday 4th June

Interviews will be held in Bogotá on the mornings of 8th / 9th June 2017

We hope the successful candidate will be able to start work the week commencing 19th June

Objectives of position: 
Children Change Colombia (CCC) is an Anglo-Colombian NGO founded in 1991 and is the largest UK charity working exclusively in Colombia. We work in partnership with local organisations to empower children most at risk in Colombia, to defend their rights, tackle neglected issues that few others address and strengthen children's organisations in Colombia.

In addition to funding, we focus on supporting partners with organisational strengthening and programme development, which will enable them to increase their impact and become more sustainable in the long term. In order to provide this support and contribute more proactively to local learning, we have an office in Colombia, and two permanent Project Officers based in Bogotá.

This role is responsible for managing a number of Children Change Colombia’s partnerships across Colombia.

Responsibilities: 

      1.Managing Partners:

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with partners, ensuring that partnerships fulfill Children Change Colombia’s Strategic Objectives and the specific needs of the partner;
• Assume primary responsibility within Children Change Colombia for identifying and proposing solutions to weaknesses in design, implementation and reporting on partner projects for which the post is responsible, and in relationships between Children Change Colombia and the partner;
• Monitor and evaluate projects, with frequent visits to project locations;
• Provide support to partners on programme/project content, budgets, implementation and planning, monitoring and evaluation and organisational issues;
• Ensure high-quality narrative and financial reporting to UK Office;
• Provide quick and accurate information to UK Office when needed (sometimes at very short notice);
• In conjunction with the other Project Officer, ensure the Children Change Colombia partner network provides opportunities for sharing experience and learning, by organising partner meetings/capacity building for partners and bringing partners together;
• In collaboration with the Finance Manager, monitor partners’ cashflows and request grant transfers.

      2. New Partnerships

• Conducting needs assessments (i.e. identify, research and report on areas of need, potential partner organisations and projects for support)
• Identify and make recommendations on new partnerships, in particular through twice yearly new partner discussions, based on own research and that of the Programmes Team
• Develop relationships with new partners and set up necessary admin processes to formalise and facilitate these relationships, such as partnership agreements.

      3.Learning on neglected issues

• Contribute to the Programme Team’s identification and analysis of key strategic issues that arise directly from current partnerships or otherwise; (in particular, through regular Programme Team Meetings and twice yearly Colombia Office Reports).

      4.Communications and Strategic Planning

• Provide briefing information to the UK office as required for Children Change Colombia’s newsletter and blog; 

      5.Institutional relationship building

• Contribute to ensuring that the Colombia Office develops and maintains strong relationships with relevant public bodies, other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and national and international networks active in Colombia (to support identification of new areas of need, update information on key issues affecting children in Colombia, and facilitate links for partners) 

      6. Administration

• Provide budgetary information to the Office Administrator as required; Contribute to the Colombia Office reports (twice a year);
• Coordinate with partners and donors, volunteers and/or other organisations interested in visiting the projects supported by Children Change Colombia, and accompany these visitors as required;
• Coordinate and accompany UK Office staff and trustees’ visits to Colombia;
• Support development of photographic/audio visual material for promotional/fundraising purposes.

      7. Representation of Children Change Colombia in Bogota and elsewhere, as required.

Skills & Experience

Essential:

• University degree in a relevant field (i.e. Social Studies, Development/ International Cooperation)
• Minimum of three years work experience in related field(s)
  
• Fluency in English and Spanish (written and spoken)
• Excellent communication skills - including developing and maintaining good working relationship with partners and with colleagues in Colombia and UK
• Proactive, able to work independently and as part of a team
• Knowledge and understanding of issues affecting child welfare in Colombia, including the institutional context
• Project management skills, including use of log frame
• Experience of project formulation, including budgets
• Experience of project monitoring (technical and financial
• Ability to analyse large amounts of complex information from partner projects (proposals, reports, etc.), in order to identify key issues, make recommendations for the work of CCC and partners, and communicate these clearly and succinctly
• Computer literacy (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and Internet skills

Desirable:

• Knowledge and understanding of institutional donor processes & procedures in UK or Colombia
  
• Knowledge/experience of all or any of the following: Child participation, Child protection, Gender sensitive programming / gender mainstreaming, Disability mainstreaming 

 Conditions

• The post involves both office and field-based work. Non-Colombian applicants must have a residency visa and a work permit.

Proceso de Solicitud
Para solicitar este cargo, por favor envíele su hoja de vida (máximo 2 hojas) y una carta de motivación (máximo 2 hojas) a seleccion.childrenchange@gmail.com con el asunto “Vacante Director(a) de Proyectos” + su nombre. La hoja de vida y la carta de motivación deben ser guardadas con su nombre completo (p.ej. Juan Diaz Torres Hoja de Vida; Juan Diaz Torres Carta de Motivación)

En su carta de motivación por favor explique claramente:

• Por qué le interesa este cargo
• Las habilidades y experiencia que posee relevantes para este cargo y cómo cumple con la especificación de la persona

Por favor tenga en cuenta que:

Las solicitudes sin carta de motivación no serán tenidas en cuenta. No recibimos aplicaciones automáticas a través de la bolsa de empleo, sólo tendremos en cuenta las aplicaciones que lleguen directamente al correo indicado.

Para minimizar los costos de administración, solo contactaremos a los candidatos pre-seleccionados. Desafortunadamente no podemos ofrecer retroalimentación sobre su solicitud si usted no queda en la lista de pre-seleccionados.

Children Change Colombia está comprometida con la igualdad de oportunidades y la no discriminación para todos los solicitantes de empleo o pasantías, tratamos de lograr la diversidad entre nuestro personal, independientemente de su sexo, raza, religión, nacionalidad, origen étnico / nacional, orientación sexual, edad, estado civil, o situación de discapacidad.

Children Change Colombia tiene una Política de Protección de niños, niñas y adolescentes. Es condición indispensable para la obtención de trabajo en Children Change Colombia que la/el candidata/o seleccionada/o conozca esta política y nos dé una declaración firmada de su compromiso con ella.