PROJECT MANAGER

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is an international non-governmental agency specializing in relief and community development activities through working with local partners. CRS provides equal employment opportunity to all qualified applicants and does not discriminate on the basis of race, age, religion, sex, national origin, disability or handicap. As an equal opportunity employer, CRS selects persons based solely on their qualifications and abilities, and as such strongly encourages women, minorities and disabled persons to apply.

BACKGROUND 

Since 2006, CRS/TZ has been introducing its unique microfinance approach, called Savings and Internal Lending Communities (SILC), to communities typically excluded from formal microcredit services as a standalone project and integrated into its agro-enterprise, health and water/resilience projects. CRS is planning for expansion to 120,000 new SILC clients in seven cotton growing Lake Zone districts, employing its signature Private Service Provider (PSP) model. As part of this expansion effort, CRS is recruiting for three key project positions, to be based in Mwanza Urban, with significant travel to rural areas. Please note these positions are depending on the grant approval from the donor.

PROJECT MANAGER

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

§  Provide overall technical and managerial leadership of the project, developing and supervising implementation of project work plans and budgets and assuring timely and accurate reporting

·         Supervise MIS/MEAL Officer and the SILC Training Officer and coordinate with other CRS departments to assure efficient project management

§  Mentor and build the capacity of local partners to integrate SILC into their development activities, supporting them in both technical implementation and management

§  Provide leadership and oversight to guarantee the implementation of effective monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning systems and processes

§  Manage project risks and issues to assure adequate mitigation and resolution

§  Work with other team members to facilitate the design of training and implementation models for partner staff and build local capacity networks of SILC TOTs to deliver high quality trainings and technical assistance

§  Assure the incorporation of mobile information and communication technology and a meaningful focus on helping women to engage with the project and with mobile ICT within the project implementation

§  Liaise with donors and other key stakeholders to contribute to project success.

QUALIFICATIONS

·         Education: Master’s Degree or compensatory experience and course work.

·         Experience:  At least 5-years of microfinance and project management experience; including demonstrable ability to integrate savings-led microfinance programs into multi-sector programs, to design policies, procedures and service delivery mechanisms. Specialized knowledge of and experience with savings-led microfinance delivery methodologies; excellent inter-personal skills; demonstrated personal accountability and drive to serve others; affinity for partner relationships; familiarity with and commitment to addressing gender equality in programming; knowledge and experience in use of ICT platforms a plus.

·         Key Competencies: Engages team to craft program strategies using annual plans and quarterly reviews; models and encourages critical thinking and creative problem-solving; prepares and manages budgets with attention to progress toward program goals and against burn rates; keeps abreast of latest developments in the microfinance sector and incorporates new knowledge in program implementation; actively consults and listens closely to project team members, fellow staff and partners.

SILC TRAINER

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

·         Provide technical guidance and support to four local implementing partners in the design and implementation of Savings and Internal Lending Communities (SILC) methodology and implementation plans

§  Conduct Training of Trainers events and monitor roll-out of Field Agent selection, training and certification processes, ensuring timely implementation and quality of results

§  Regularly monitor field results and develop actions plans to address issues that are inhibiting achievement of targets and impact goals

§  Guide the Private Service Provider certification process and PSP network formation

§  Maintain strong relationship with CRS’ SILC Regional Technical Advisor to obtain necessary technical support for SILC implementation;

§  Support and strengthen capacity of partner staff through provision of the necessary tools and guidelines and direct technical assistance;

QUALIFICATIONS

·         Education:  BS or BA with a focus on business administration, economics or other related fields

·         Experience/Skills:  Minimum 3-years microfinance experience with specialized knowledge of and experience with savings-led microfinance delivery methodologies; excellent inter-personal skills; experience and skills in training adults; demonstrated personal accountability and drive to serve others; affinity for partner relationships; familiarity with and commitment to addressing gender equality in programming; ability to work well independently and as part a team; ability to travel nationally and internationally as required; knowledge of and experience in working with ICT a plus; competency in Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, and Outlook; excellent English and Swahili oral and written communication skills.

MEAL/MIS PROJECT OFFICER

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

§  Lead the development, implementation and management of the project’s MEAL system and MIS to enable timely and accurate data collection, analysis, decision-making  and reporting

§  Support and strengthen the capacity of CRS and four local implementing partners by developing/training on MEAL tools, guidelines and providing other direct technical assistance

§  Conduct regular monitoring field visits and analyse data in MIS to prepare monthly and quarterly trend analysis reports for the Project Manager

§  Lead the project’s baseline, mid-term and final evaluations

§  Collaborate with project staff and local implementing partners to develop and disseminate lessons learned, best practices, promotional and marketing materials to key audiences

§  Assist in the compilation of annual work plans and ensure the MEAL system enables the collection, analysis and reporting of project outcomes against work plans.

QUALIFICATIONS

·         Education:  MS or MA in a relevant (Statistics, Economics, MIS) or related field(s); minimum 3-years of practical experience in M&E/MIS or equivalent experience.

·         Experience/Skills:  At least three years professional experience in M&E; familiarity with principles and current approaches to M&E of development programs using both quantitative and qualitative methods; strong qualitative and quantitative analytical skills with proven ability to work with statistical software such as SPSS; experience in GIS mapping; excellent inter-personal skills; demonstrated personal accountability and drive to serve others; affinity for partner relationships; familiarity with and commitment to addressing gender equality in programming; ability to work well independently and as part a team; ability to travel nationally and internationally as required; experience in working in partnership with local organizations ; competency in Microsoft Office including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, and Outlook; fluency in Swahili and English.

The ideal candidate is someone committed to making a difference working with and for the poorest. S/he will be a growth-oriented person, ready to work with a dynamic team of CRS staff and partners to promote and implement the scale-up of SILC in the Lake Zone. S/he will be able to set ambitious but achievable targets and objectives and will assume full responsibility for results and outcomes. S/he must be a quick learner, able to adapt to different operating environments and ready to learn from colleagues, partner staff and clients. S/he should be able to demonstrate the necessary managerial and technical expertise but remain flexible to absorb and disseminate best practices based on field experience and innovations within the savings-led MF industry.

If you are interested and meet these minimum qualifications, please submit your cover letter and curriculum vitae of no more than 3-pages by 3^rd April 2014 to the Human Resources Officer,  at tz_hr@global.crs.org or through below address;

Human Resources Officer

P.O. Box 34701

Catholic Relief Services

Dar es Salaam