livestock and animal health Program Manager - Maban, South Sudan

Department: Programme
Position: Livestock Project Manager Contract duration: 6 months Location: Maban, South Sudan
Starting Date ASAP

I. Background on ACTED

ACTED is an independent international, private, non-partisan and non-profit organization that operates according to principles of strict neutrality, political and religious impartiality, and non discrimination.

ACTED was created in 1993 to support populations affected by the conflict in Afghanistan. Based in Paris, France, ACTED now operates in 32 countries worldwide, with over 200 international and 3000 national staff. ACTED has a 110 million € budget for over 350 projects spanning 8 sectors of intervention; including emergency relief, food security, health promotion, economic development, education & training, microfinance, local governance & institutional support, and cultural promotion. For more information, please visit our website at www.acted.org

II. Country Profile

Capital Office : Juba National Staff : 136 International Staff : 28 Areas : 10 On-going programmes : 8 Budget : 2.9 M €

In 2012, ACTED has undertaken an expansion of activities in South Sudan. A Juba level coordination office was opened in 2011, and in 2012 the capital office has expanded to provide additional support to our field offices that opened in Bentiu, Unity State, and Malakal, Upper Nile State. The rapidly changing situation in South Sudan over the past months has led ACTED to up-scale its emergency response capacities, while also continuing to provide basic services in the traditional areas of intervention. Since January 2012, ACTED has been providing refugee and IDP assistance in Unity and Upper Nile states. In Maban County, this assistance has focused on the life-saving assistance to refugees from Blue Nile State, Sudan. ACTED as camp manager for Jamam refugee camp has strived to provide the basic needs for the population including shelter, waste management, livelihoods, and construction of community infrastructures. Additionally, ACTED has responded to the new refugee influx in May with the provision of shelter and emergency latrines at transit sites while providing transportation assistance to refugees relocating to permanent settlements. In Unity state, ACTED has focused on the provision of livelihoods assistance to refugees in Nyeel and Pariang refugee camps. ACTED also continues to build on its traditional areas of intervention, focusing on food security and livelihoods in Western Bahr el Ghazal and Warrap, and water, sanitation and hygiene in both states as well. Tonj North in Warrap was also a new area for ACTED where a Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) project is being implemented in the underserved area. All of these interventions continue to provide both basic and live-saving assistance to vulnerable populations throughout South Sudan.

III. Position Profile

Context

ACTED has been intervening in Maban County, Upper Nile state, SOUTH SUDAN since February 2012 mainly in both Jamam and Gendrassa refugee camps and with the host community. Within these two refugee camps, ACTED is implementing activities such as: - Camp management - Information management - Community mobilisation - Infrastructure construction - Livelihoods/ environmental protection

The populations of Jamam and Gendrasa camps have faced numerous challenges that have increased their vulnerability to food insecurity and health related issues and lack of alternative livelihood options makes refugees extremely vulnerable to shocks such as poor harvests or a reduction in service provision by humanitarians. The diminished food ration of refugees has ramifications on both the health and nutritional status of refugees. As such, there is a high need to both decrease the cost of grinding, and to increase assess to income for refugees so that monthly food rations last for increased lengths and the forced selling of food rations is decreased. The de-capitalization of livestock decreases the income earned by refugees and diminishes the primary coping mechanism of the agro-pastoral refugees to deal with additional shocks. As livestock is a critical component of livelihoods for refugees, ensuring they have a minimum level maintained during their displacement is necessary. Finally, improving information management and sharing capacity among humanitarian aid actors responding to the emergency will allow actors to better plan and identify refugee needs, and track the provision of services already provided. All three areas are critical issues to be addressed in the proposed action. It is necessary to mitigate these life-threatening coping mechanisms and ensure alternative safe coping mechanisms are available to the refugees.

During the upcoming dry season, understanding the grazing patterns and areas of both the host and refugee communities will also be critical to assessing the limited water and grazing land availability and to mitigate against potential conflicts between the host and refugee communities. During the rainy season, water is sufficiently available for both people and cattle; however during the dry season from December to June these sources will dry up and create serious water shortages. The proposed action’s REACH component will be a critical tool to building understanding of these patterns through mapping cattle usage and grazing lands and creating a common understanding between host and refugee communities about the natural resource utilization in the area.

Through funding from the European Commission Humanitarian Office (ECHO), ACTED is looking for a technical expertise to support the team in implementing project in Maban County, Upper Nile state of South Sudan. The Livestock PM will be in charge of: - Conducting a baseline survey of animal grazing lands and health issues - Assisting the mapping of grazing lands - Supervising the implementation of livestock and animal health interventions suitable to the local context - Monitoring the impact of the project among beneficiaries - Capitalising on the best practices of intervention by documentation of lessons learned

ASSIGNMENT The PM will be based in Maban and will lead the implementation of livestock and animal health strategies, which is a constitutive part of the country strategy, and subsequently monitor its implementation.

PRIMARY TASKS

Technical responsibilities: Livestock strategy definition and monitoring • Conducting a baseline survey of animal grazing lands and health issues • Assisting the mapping of grazing lands • Determine strategy to implement livelihood support related activities as per agreed project proposal such as livestock and animal health interventions, building of slaughtering facilities, de-stocking, animal health promotion etc) in Maban context • Monitor the impact and recording result (both qualitative and quantitative) of the project among beneficiaries

Technical quality and standards • Collect technical information and analyse associated opportunities and risk • Identify relevant technical authorities and partners, and propose formal partnership and/or contracts. • Analyse technical added-value and project impact; • Set up technical evaluation exercises during and following implementation. • Design and carry out community consultation / stakeholders discussion and consultation to assess and update needs and situation in the targeted areas in regards to the livestock / livelihood intervention • Capacity building to staff in regards to technical skills, as and when required

General project management: Representation and coordination • Ensure external representation of ACTED in relevant sectors • Participate in technical and sectoral meetings to ensure visibility amongst local authorities; • Participate in technical and sectoral Donor meetings and pass relevant information to the Area coordinator and Country Director; • Participate in technical and sectoral meetings and working groups involving NGOs and UN Agencies (OCHA, PNUD, UNICEF, FAO, etc.) and all other inter-governmental institutions; • Contribute to the creation of reports, ensuring the quality and accuracy of technical information provided as well as the confidentiality of internal information as required;

Project implementation: • Plan the various stages of project implementation; • Guide the implementation of the project and the methods of follow-up; • Manage project finances, logistics and materials; • Liaise with all internal and external counterparts of the project; • Assess the activities undertaken and ensure efficient use of resources; • Set up a clear timeline of reports to be submitted to project Donors; • Draft narrative reports and contribute to the development of financial reports through regular budgetary follow up; • Ensure adherence to ACTED internal regulations and procedures. • Produce monthly and quarterly work plans to effectively carry out the project activities and achieved intended objective

Human resources management • Organise and lead project coordination meetings; • Prepare and follow work plans with each project member; • Ensure a positive working environment and good team dynamics (solve out potential conflicts); • Promote team working conditions in the limit of private life; • Adapt the Organization chart and / or Terms of references of project personnel according to the project development; • Undertake regular appraisals of directly supervised colleagues and pass appraisal forms to the Country or Area Administrator with recommendations (new position, changes to contract or salary etc.); • Ensure a building of capacity amongst technical staff in the relevant sectors. • When requested by HQ, undertake interviews to assess technical abilities of expatriate candidates living in the country. • In cooperation with the relevant Security Officer, monitor the local security situation and inform the Country Director or Area Coordinator and Country or Area Security Officer of developments through regular written reports; • Contribute to the updating of the security guidelines in the project area of intervention; • Ensure that security procedures are respected by each member of the project team.

Monitoring and Evaluation • Collect information and tools employed for project implementation; • Draft memos detailing lessons learned and best practices identified during the project; • Share such memos with internal and external partners; • Communicate such information to the Country Director or Area Coordinator, to Regional Support Offices and to HQ Reporting Department.

IV. Qualifications:

• Degree in development related field with specific preference in agribusiness, livestock, livelihood and / or agriculture. • 3 - 5 years of prior experience in Project management, preferably in an agro-pastoralist or agriculture / livelihood sector • The ability and prior experience in project management including Human resources, Financial follow up, reporting, supervision of activities. Prior experience in managing European Commission and / or ECHo funded project is highly preferable. • Proven ability in strategic coordination with multiple and multilevel partners and stakeholders across the project areas • Demonstrated ability to manage complex program in the settlement of IDP / Refugee camps area while also dealing with different tribal societies. • Willingness to work and live in often remote areas under basic conditions • Prior experiences in Africa region is preferable • Fluency in English (written and oral) is required.

V. Conditions:

Net monthly Salary according to the internal salary grid of ACTED. benefits include: a 300 USD per month living allowance, coverage of all accommodation, food, and travel costs, a luggage allowance of 50 kg., and the provision of medical, repatriation, and life insurance

How to apply:

VI. Submission of applications:

Please send, in English, your cover letter, CV, and three references to jobs@acted.org Ref : LSPM/SSUD/RW

ACTED Att: Human Resources Department 33, rue Godot de Mauroy 75009 Paris FRANCE

Fax. + 33 (0) 1 42 65 33 46

For more information, visit us at http://www.acted.org