CARE is an international NGO with local staff and community partners in more than 90 countries. We create local solutions to poverty and inequality, and we seek dignity for everyone every day and during times of crisis.  These solutions have a broad range, from clean water to access to education; from microfinance to ensuring that everyone has nutritious food; from agriculture and climate change to disaster response. CARE puts women and girls at the center of everything we do because they have proven to be the best hope for creating lasting change in the world.  Our staff live where they work, which makes us effective at understanding the challenges they face. We’ve been doing this for over 70 years, since World War II. It started with the world’s first CARE Package® of food for the post-war hungry in Europe.  Our work today is as important as ever, we believe that poverty and inequality are historic injustices that we can end within a generation, for good. If you share our core beliefs: poverty is an injustice; poverty is solvable; and together, we have the power to end it, join us.

Job summary

The purpose of the Project Manager (PM) position is to provide overall leadership and coordination for ensuring the implementation and accomplishment of the objectives of the project under his/her responsibility in line with CARE’s vision, goals, and program principles, standards, approaches, and Long-Range Strategic Plan.  In consultation with the supervisor and in collaboration with the project staff and partners she/he develops annual implementation plans and budget, allocates appropriate resources to accomplish the plan, secures qualified staff, and ensures that an appropriate monitoring system is in place to track progress and deviations of project implementation. To promote the highest level of staff performance the PM ensures that all supervisors provide coaching and counseling to the project staff.  He/she establishes and maintains effective working relationships with key government partners and NGOs working in the same geographic areas.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Responsibility No. 1: Project Implementation

• Organizes the implementation process of all set targets planned for each project with respective supervisors, experts, and other concerned staff working within program departments.

• Ensures that all staff have updated monthly and quarterly implementation plans.

• Periodically visits field activities and provides formal and informal feedback to the project staff in terms of adequate and inadequate progress as well as recommendations for improved performance.

• Builds the capacity of project staff and its partners in technical issues pertinent to the sector (dignified work and Women’s Economic Empowerment Programs)

• Coordinate with the program unit to inform project planning and monitoring as required.

• Maintains ongoing communication with project stakeholders regarding project progress and challenges.

• Continuously assesses the project’s context, assumptions, and changes in the working environment to ensure that the project focus, strategies, and activities remain relevant and to propose adjustments when needed.

• Support the development and adaptation of the SH prevention package materials and rollout of the sexual harassment prevention package.

• Conduct SH training with garment factory workers as lead trainers to support the trainer skills of HR managers and/or SH committee members.

• Together with HR Advisor, provide technical training to respective Government counterparts and female leaders from workers' associations to strengthen knowledge about SH as a workplace issue and equip them to advocate for the inclusion of SH prevention and response measures in relevant legislation.

• Implement standards for the SH training package and guide relevant stakeholders.

• Network with Government counterparts, female leaders, and other stakeholders to learn and exchange information about the project and to coordinate with other relevant activities.

• Represent CARE in relevant learning and exchange programs/meetings.

• Stay abreast of current debates and practices related to SH in the workplace and provide innovative solutions for projects; and

• Provide technical assistance and support to project staff, and partner organizations in the development and socialization of SH policy, training package, and practices.

% Of Time:  20%

Job Responsibility #2: Project Planning

• With the project team and LDM unit analyze past experiences to systematize and incorporate lessons learned into the planning process.

• Based on past accomplishments and achievements adjusts project targets, strategies, resources, and delegation of responsibilities to ensure appropriate progress toward project objectives.

• Share draft plans with the project management team, staff, and partners involved in the implementation and incorporate their input into the plan.

• Submits annual plans as per established schedules to all project stakeholders.

% Of Time:  20%

Responsibility No. 3: Staff Management

• Supervises, leads, guides, orients, trains, coaches, and supports the project team.  

• Builds the technical and managerial capacity of the field staff in planning and implementing projects effectively and efficiently.

• Recommends or initiates personnel actions such as merit increases and other salary adjustments, promotions, transfers, terminations, and disciplinary actions including performance improvement plans.

• Ensure that all project staff have appropriate individual operational plans linked to project priorities.

• Completes all performance management activities including performance planning, monitoring, and annual performance appraisals.

• Provides ongoing feedback to project officers, recognizing and praising successes and pointing out failures that need corrective measures.

• Oversee partner staff performance especially those sector offices directly linked and working with the project.

% Of Time:  15%   

Responsibility No. 4: Project Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting

• Ensures that projects under his/her supervision include an appropriate log-frame and baseline design.

• In consultation with the LDM unit organizes a monitoring system to collect baseline and periodic data for tracking project performance and decision-making.

• Plans and conducts quarterly and annual project review meetings to assess progress, adjust plans, and draw/disseminate lessons learned.

• Write monthly/quarterly/annual comprehensive and high-quality project progress reports;

• Implement audit recommendations related to the project.

• Implement other M&E-related tasks based on donor requirements

% Of Time:  15%   

Responsibility No. 5: Project Budget Management

• In collaboration with the head of WEJ and program grant specialist prepare an annual budget based on project proposal and ensure compliance with donor requirements.

• Ensures appropriate utilization of fund codes for charging budget expenditures.

• Monitor monthly budget burn rates and adjust when needed.

• Ensure timely financial reporting is done and shared with the HO finance.

• Communicate with the coordination unit for any finance-related challenges at the FO level

% Of Time:  10%   

• Responsibility No. 6: Networking, Learning and Representation

• Establishes and maintains formal and informal communication mechanisms with factories, government, community partners, and other stakeholders.

• Participate in relevant regional, zonal, and woreda-level meetings to discuss project-related issues;

• Keeps up to date with developments in the project, including best practice examples in-country and internationally, and ensures ongoing personal development and learning.

• Make formal presentations to the counterparts about project progress, challenges, lessons learned, and needed adjustments.

% Of Time:  5%     

Job Responsibility 6:  Strategic and Operational Management

• Lead the overall strategic management across all Operations functions in the FO (finance, procurement, human resources, security, and business support management) by providing strategic leadership and advice to the Operations team

• Foster links between programs and operations ensuring seamless coordination and support for program management.

• Lead business process improvements for the FO operations to ensure efficiency and effectiveness.

• Ensure human and material resources are effectively and efficiently obtained and made available for the sound execution of the FO program and operations

• Work closely with DCD Operations and FO LT to ensure financial viability, critical financial analysis, and decision-making for the FO

• Provide day-to-day oversight, monitoring, and accountability for the timely implementation of audit recommendations and other field visit suggestions by CARE

• Ensure sound internal control systems are in place and functioning at the FO to ensure adherence to policies and procedures

% Of Time:  5%    

Job Responsibility 7: Financial and Administrative Management

• Ensure that the CARE Ethiopia personnel, administration, and procurement manuals are properly understood and implemented.

• Monitor that CARE Ethiopia assets, including all vehicles, equipment, and materials, are properly and efficiently managed, utilized, and safeguarded!

• Ensure that financial management and all financial activities consistently adhere to CARE policies and procedures.

• Ensure that feedback from visitors and audit recommendations are implemented in a timely manner!

% Of Time:  5%    

Job Responsibility 8:  FO leadership

• Coordinate and foster transparent and participatory decision-making to promote and maintain effective team-based management both at the FO and at the project/unit level

• Promote a working environment where staff feel free and able to effectively contribute to advancing the work of the FO; identify and promote learning and areas for scale-up of best practices

• Prepare quarterly reports (and more frequent as requested/needed (on the FO progress in program and program support synergy, coordination, compliance, quality oversight practices, and innovation)

• Organize timely FO LT meetings (as agreed by the LT), ensure that reporting is done timely, and promote accountability of team decisions and operations through active coordination with CO PMT and POC

• Follow up on the implementation of decisions, timely compilation, and dissemination of meetings.

% Of Time:  5%     

Responsibility 9: Any other duties assigned by the supervisor

Problem Solving (Thinking Environment)

• All three levels of problem-solving are pertinent to the position in one way or another. Since the incumbent deals with the management and coordination of the various day-to-day activities, development, implementation, and maintenance of policies, procedures, objectives, short-and long-range planning of the project, he shall deal with all three levels of problem-solving.

Gender Equality

• Understanding and demonstrated commitment to the importance of gender, youth, and social inclusion issues.

• Demonstrated commitment to principles of Gender Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and PSEAH (safeguarding), as evidenced in previous positions / programming.

Job Requirements

Qualifications (Know-How)

A. Education/Training

Required:

• BA Degree in Law or equivalent.

Desired:

• MA in gender studies and related development field

B. Experience:

Required

• 5 years of relevant experience with the first degree or 4 years of relevant experience plus post graduate degree. working on livelihood, youth employment, Women’s Economic Empowerment, dignified work, factory-related interventions such as life skills programs, and gender transformative interventions. 

Desired:

• Experience in a development-oriented NGO environment.

C. Technical Skills

Required:

• Proficiency in verbal and written English and Amharic.

• Operational planning, budget planning and management, monitoring and evaluation, report writing.

• Proficiency in standard office software packages.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

• Demonstrated leadership ability to inspire and empower others.

• Demonstrated technical and managerial ability, sound judgment, and ability to interact and work effectively with others at all levels.

• Firm belief in teamwork, gender equality, sensitivity to HIV/AIDS, and transparent and participatory management.

Desired:

• Technical training related to sexual harassment in the workplace using participatory methods; developing manuals, tools, IECs, etc;

• Technical Training on P.A.C.E, life skills program, and gender transformative approaches with training programs

• Demonstrated experience working directly with and including women and women’s groups.

• Demonstrated ability to apply gender, diversity, and women’s empowerment principles to organizational development; and a commitment to ending sexual harassment in the workplace.

D. Competencies

• Respect, accountability, courage, excellence, adaptability, stress tolerance, innovation, building partnership, communicating with impact, coaching, facilitating change, developing teams, information monitoring, planning, organizing, leading through vision and value.

E. Freedom To Act

General accountability:

• The incumbent's decisions are prime in terms of the daily functioning and operation of the projects in programming, management, financial, and administration areas; his/her decisions are contributory in terms of the CO's long-term development focus and organizational policies and procedures.

• The PM is the key decision maker in terms of staffing in consultation & and concurrence with the Program Coordinator and takes into account input from the HRM at the CO.

Contacts/Key Relationships

Internal:

• Head of WEJ – Coaching, Mentoring, and overall guidance, (On all programmatic, administrative, financial, policy, procedural other related issues);

• PD – The big picture (Organizational policies, programmatic focus, and priorities);

• Field level staff - ensuring appropriate support is provided to field offices and maintenance of working relationships.

• Finance – Consultation and information sharing on budgetary issues and technical assistance.

• HRM and Administration – Consultation and information sharing on issues related to overall administration, policies, and procedures and secure appropriate program support for the projects.

External:

• Factories, Communities, PA, Woreda Administration, and relevant sector offices

• Other development organizations working in the area where CARE works (NGO, CBO, and the privet sector).

• Special meetings with Woreda and Zonal (Regional when required) government partners and donor representatives when needed.

Working Conditions and Level of Travel Required

• The position is based in the Hawassa Field Office. At least 40-50 % of the time will be spent in the field.   

How to Apply

If you are interested to be part of our dynamic team, exciting work environment and contribute to CARE Ethiopia’s mission and vision, please send your CV (not more than 3 pages) and cover letter (not more than one page) through THIS LINK  

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Please specify for which location you are applying for.

Passionate and dedicated candidates who meet the requirement are strongly encouraged to apply, especially women!

CARE seeks to improve the lives of the most marginalized, particularly women and girls. Our diversity is our strength. We encourage people from all backgrounds and experiences to apply.

CARE Ethiopia is committed to preventing all unwanted behavior at work. This includes sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, and child abuse. We expect everyone who works for us to share this commitment by understanding and working within the CARE Safeguarding Policy and related framework. CARE Ethiopia has a zero-tolerance approach to any harm to, or exploitation of, a vulnerable adult or child by any of our staff, representatives, or partners.

CARE Ethiopia reserves the right to seek information from job applicants’ current and/or previous employers about incidents of sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and/or sexual harassment the applicant may have been found guilty to have committed or about which an investigation was in the process of being carried out at the time of the termination of the applicant’s employment with that employer.

By submitting the application, the job applicant confirms that s/he has no objection to CARE Ethiopia requesting the information specified above. All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory references and appropriate screening checks.