Work Station: Based in Dabola, Guinea. Travel to Conakry, Kankan, Siguiri, Labé, Kissidougou and other locations may be required.
Reporting to: Concern Universal (CU) Guinea Country Director. Expected to work in close coordination with other members of the CU Guinea Programme team, Concern Universal the Gambia and Senegal Programme team and CU UK Programme and Advocacy team.
Rationale: The purpose of this post is:
- To assist CU-Guinea Programme Team to develop the country programme by playing a key role in the development and elaboration of new projects
- To provide project management support
- To complement existing CU-Guinea support to local partners
- To support internal organisational development and coordination
Background
Established in 1976, Concern Universal (CU) is a UK-based international development agency with ten country programmes, plus cross border initiatives extending to a total of 13 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Concern Universal’s vision is a world where justice, dignity and respect for all prevail. The organisation works in partnership with local NGOs to challenge poverty and inequality. We support practical actions that enable people to improve their lives and shape their own futures. Partnership is at the heart of what CU does and is the means by which we aspire to achieve our vision of helping some of the world’s poorest and most marginalised people to improve the quality of their lives in a sustainable and practical way. At the core of CU’s partnership approach is a deep sense of value and respect for the processes involved in relationship building and the partner’s development – in this sense our approach is a process oriented and relationship based one.
CU started working in Guinea in 1995, initially assisting Sierra Leonean refugee camps in Guéckédou, Dabola and Kissidougou Prefectures in partnership with the Catholic Mission for Refugees (CMR). In 1997 CU initiated work with two Guinean non-government organisations, the Organisation Catholique pour la Promotion Humaine of the Kankan Diocese (OCPH-Kankan) and Secours Rapide Rural (SRR) (initially set up as Community Action Against Deforestation), and initiated projects focusing on agriculture, food security, skills training and environmental protection that benefited the host Guinean populations in Gueckédou Prefecture.
At the end of 2002 activities in the refugee camps ended as most of the Sierra Leonean refugees were to be repatriated by early 2003. During this time CU-Guinea significantly scaled up activities and started to turn its emphasis away from humanitarian response to rehabilitation and sustainable development with Guinean communities. Programmes and activities extended to other regions in Guinea and its portfolio of partners expanded with two more partners added to the fold: the Association Sauvons les Enfants Déshérités (ASED) based in Dabola and Ballal Guinée, based in Labé.
CU Guinea, working with its four local partners (ASED, Ballal Guinée, SRR, OCPH) has been implementing programmes in key domains such as Food Security and Agricultural Development; Water, Hygiene and Sanitation (WASH), Environmental Protection; Capacity Building, Civic Education and Emergency Preparedness and Post-Emergency Response initiatives. The programme is currently seeking a PSO to support programme development and management, and capacity building to local partner organisations.
This position offers the opportunity to gain an invaluable wide ranging field experience, working within an internationally recognized organization, and to make a significant contribution to the work of CU in Guinea.
Responsibilities Programme Development and Fundraising support • Assist in exploring and identifying new funding opportunities and the development of new proposals • Participate in developing activity plans for new funding opportunities and developing and writing project concepts and proposals, including elaborating logical frameworks, budgets and other application documents as required, • Develop and maintain a fundraising/donor database of all potential grants, including opportunities from the private sector and charitable foundations to ensure a diverse portfolio of funding • Liaise with and represent CU-Guinea towards current and prospective donors, governments, international development agencies and other relevant stakeholders
Project management support • Assist in the monitoring and management of a diverse portfolio of projects • Take the lead in the management of smaller grants as required • Assist in the writing, editing and formatting of donor reports, ensuring their compliance to donor requirements /formats and deadlines and liaising with implementing partners when necessary. • Participate in updating management, monitoring and evaluation tools, project databases and monthly reports
Organisational support to partners • Act in a solid support role (in collaboration with the CU-Guinea programme team), to CU Guinea’s partner organisations in order to assist them to grow and develop their capacities to become more effective facilitators of development • Assist in the preparation and implementation of training workshops and courses for partners • Assist partners in the development of new project ideas and proposals within the framework of their strategic plans • Seek for new potential partners
Internal organisational development • Support CU internal learning and sharing of information and ideas, working closely with Head Office programme management and advocacy staff • Work in close collaboration with the Events and Communication Officer to promote CU’s in-country visibility by producing and translating promotional material • Respect and work within all aspects of Concern Universal's internal Security Policy and Guidelines for West Africa and those specific to Guinea • Other tasks as necessary and required
Person Specification University level qualification in development or related subject • Preferably at least two years experience of development work overseas and working with Local NGOs • Fluent written and spoken English • Good written and spoken French • Demonstrable proposal development capabilities with experience with donors (USAID, EC, DfID, Irish Aid and private charitable foundations) • Knowledge of M&E tools, Logical Framework and budget development • Strong computer and IT skills: Excel and Word proficiency as a minimum • Excellent report writing skills • Excellent planning and organisational skills • Ability to manage multiple priorities and workload in a demanding environment • Strong team player with solid interpersonal skills • Proactive, patient and adaptable disposition • Stand alone self-starter with capacity to work under minimum supervision & support • Personal commitment to development and humanitarian values • Willingness to cope with sometimes difficult working and living conditions • Full clean driving licence desirable
Terms and Conditions
This is essentially a semi-volunteer unaccompanied position providing the right candidate with a significant opportunity to gain solid overseas experience and increasing responsibilities within an international non-governmental organisation.
The position is offered on an initial one year basis (renewable by mutual agreement).
Basic shared accommodation will be provided combined with a local living allowance and a Grade 1a salary of £5,000GBP per year, emergency insurance and annual return flight to country of origin. All applicants must complete an application form. CVs will not be acknowledged or accepted.
Contact
All applicants must complete an application form, available at www.concern-universal.org CVs will not be acknowledged or accepted.
Completed application forms should be sent to kay.exton@concern-universal.org by Wednesday 31st August 2011.
The successful candidate will ideally be expected to take up appointment within 4 weeks after offer of post.
Concern Universal is an equal opportunities employer
No comments: