Project Manager

The Organization

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 programming in 35 countries, including in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and the United States. 

Within Sub-Saharan Africa, SFCG works in twenty countries: Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Chad, Central African Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.  In Zanzibar, SFCG has worked extensively with the Government of National Unity, as well as with 7 local radio stations and a variety of civil society partners. The main goals of the program have involved supporting national unity, increasing citizen engagement in governance and supporting the Government of National Unity, a body created in response to previous electoral violence in the archipelago. With a push for independence and a contentious constitutional reform process, SFCG will continue working with local partners to encourage peaceful elections later this year.

Summary of Position

SFCG is planning a project to be implemented in partnership with a number of civil society and media organizations, institutions like the Zanzibar Election Commission, and political actors, to facilitate a series of dialogues around the elections. The project will be implemented in both the pre- and post-electoral period, over approximately 18 months.

The Project Manager will be responsible for overall management of the project, including implementation of the workplan and budget, serve as the primary focal point with the donor, manage project-related staff, lead coordination with project stakeholders including civil society partners, radio stations, and the relevant institutions, lead project reporting, and represent the organization in various forums. The Project Manager will report to the Tanzania Country Director.

Responsibilities

• Oversee project implementation, including developing and managing the workplan and resources;
• Supervise project staff based in the Zanzibar office;
• Liaise with project stakeholders, including the donor, local radio stations, civil society partners, government officials, other media and NGO actors, etc;
• Identify and manage long-term and short-term technical experts to ensure quality deliverables during the project period;
• Train and supervise national staff;
• Provide periodic  context analysis and recommendations for programming and operational measures;
• Ensure program implementation reflects Common Ground principles and methodology;
• Coordinate Monitoring and Evaluation efforts, working with program staff, SFCG’s Institutional Learning Team (ILT) and donors as appropriate;
• Contribute to the program’s operational management, in collaboration with the Country Team, members of the Africa Team and HQ staff;
• Build relationships with other local and national actors, including media and civil society working on peace and elections issues, with an eye towards coordination and collaboration;
• Maintain synergies between network of partners ;
• Oversee financial management of the grant, including transparent and accurate accounting and compliance with SFCG standards and donor requirements;
• Ensure timely grant reporting;
• Represent SFCG at donor and partners’ meetings as appropriate;
• Contribute ideas to strategy development and new project design;
• Maintain regular written and oral reporting to the Country Director on the project progress and key issues.

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.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree (Master’s Degree preferred) in a related area, preferably in project management, monitoring and evaluation, peace-building, or communication;
• At least three years of experience in peace-building, development, communications and media development programming, and/or related fields;
• At least three years of field experience, preferably in Sub-Saharan Africa;
• Experience coordinating complex, sensitive projects, including partnership management with government, international agencies (EU, USAID, UN, etc.), and local partners;
• Demonstrated experience in project management including knowledge of international donors’ policies and procedures on both programmatic and financial oversight;
• Dynamic leader with creative problem-solving skills, particularly in challenging situations;
• Flexibility to work in a dynamic, potentially-unstable environment;
• Excellent communication skills, including both spoken and written;
• Excellent interpersonal and networking skills, as well as the ability to build and conduct effective professional working relationships, both internally and externally;
• Spoken and written fluency in English; proficiency in Swahili is desirable.

Salary: Commensurate with experience and education, with excellent benefits.

To Apply:  Please submit a cover letter and resume through our online application system at:https://sfcg.bamboohr.com/jobs/view.php?id=224. The closing date for applications is April 8, 2015. Please be sure to include minimum salary requirements (in currency figures) or current salary, projected start date, and to mention where you found this posting. No phone calls please. Only applicants invited for an interview will be contacted. Please see our web site www.sfcg.org for full details of our work.