Country: Rwanda
Closing date: 27 Jul 2017
JOB DESCRIPTION
*VSO is looking for dynamic Rwandan nationals to fill 15 positions ofDistrict Coordinators for a 3-year Building Learning Foundations (BLF) programme to be implemented in partnership with DFID, Education Development Trust, British Council, Ministry of Education, Rwanda Education Board, 30 District Local Governments and all primary schools across Rwanda.*
About VSO
VSO International is a global development agency founded in the UK in 1958. VSO works across 23 countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa. VSO provide sustainable solutions for quality education, good health and secure livelihoods. VSO has worked in Rwanda since 1998. In its current strategy (2016-2020), VSO’s ambition is to transform the lives of ONE million people in Rwanda through the lasting power of volunteering.
Job summary
The District Coordinator is responsible for effective planning and coordination all BLF programme activities across 2-3 assigned districts. S/he is responsible for effective engagement of district officials and strategic partners implementing similar programme within assigned districts. S/he is responsible for regular monitoring of field implementation, documenting lessons learnt and reporting of progress to primary actors, district local governments, BLF partners and relevant stakeholders. S/he reports to BLF Project Manager and is accountable to primary actors, district local governments, BLF consortium partners and other relevant stakeholders.
Position: District Coordinators (15 vacancies)
Location: Field-based (with frequent field travels)
Reports to: BLF Project Manager and Education Advisor
Supervises: International Volunteer Advisors and Rwandan National Volunteers
Works with: Technical Advisors, Finance, People and Operations Teams based in Kigali.
Contract: Open-ended contingent upon satisfactory performance and continued funding.
Job specifications: Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
1.Planning:
The District Coordinator (DC) will contribute to the preparation, submission and securing approval of the annual, quarterly, monthly and weekly work plans. The DC will ensure that project teams within the district is engaged and contribute meaningfully towards planning. The DC is responsible for activity implementation plans, budget implementation plans, procurement plans, recruitment plans and performance plans for assigned districts.
2.Implementation:
The DC is responsible for timely implementation of planned activities within assigned districts according to approved implementation plans. The DC will ensure project resources are properly utilised to achieve planned results within agreed timeline. The DC shall translate the implementation plans into weekly and daily actions for easy implementation by the team, and appropriate monitoring and supervision.
3.Monitoring and Evaluations:
The DC will contribute to the timely execution of baselines, mid-term reviews and end-line evaluations. The DC is responsible for monthly field monitoring visits and quarterly progress reviews with stakeholders to validate whether planned activities were implemented within agreed timelines, budgets and approaches. The quarterly reviews validates whether implemented activities benefitted the right people and contributed towards expected outputs. The DC shall take remedial actions to realign deviations within assigned districts in subsequent plans.
4.Documenting and Reporting:
This PM is responsible for documenting lessons learnt and reporting progress to primary actors, district local governments, BLF partners and relevant stakeholders. The DC shall prepare weekly, monthly, quarterly progress reports for assigned districts. The DC will contribute to annual and project completion reports. The DC will prepare a reporting calendar for assigned districts. The DC is responsible for coordinating the preparation, reviews and approval of progress reports. The DC shall ensure that advance notice is given to reviewers; reviewers’ feedback is incorporated and the final report is approved and submitted in a professional manner.
5.Budget management:
The DC will contribute to effective planning and utilisation of project budgets to achieve good value for money. The DC shall master the budgets related to assigned districts and ensure project team (staff, volunteers and partners) understand the same budget well. The DC will contribute to annual, quarterly and monthly budget implementation plans aligned with activity implementation plans. The DC shall achieve optimal burn rates for assigned district budgets every month. The DC shall ensure ZERO budget overspend or underspend of assigned district budgets. The DC shall ensure compliance with VSO and donor rules and regulations. The DC will contribute to budget discussions during monthly Grants Review Meetings (GRM). S/he will contribute explanations and remedial actions for any deviations. The DC will conduct monthly spot checks within assigned districts to verify expenditures and prevent fraudulent activities.
6.Partnership management:
The DC is responsible for establishing and maintaining mutual partnerships with district local governments of assigned districts, BLF partners and other relevant stakeholders. The DC will maintain respectful and mutually beneficial relationships through all their formal and informal engagements. The DC shall ensure that BLF programme activities aligns with and contributes directly to district priorities and plans. The DC will manage the partnership agreements with assigned districts local governments. The DC will manage VSO performance contracts with the district and represent VSO in JADF activities. The DC is responsible for immigration reporting.
7.People management:
The DC is responsible for recruiting and retaining competent and motivated staff and volunteers who are committed to VSO’s vision and mission, values and principles. The DC is responsible for proper orientation of new staff, volunteers and partners to ensure they align with project plans and local context within assigned districts as quickly and smoothly as possible. The DC is responsible for good teamcohesion and collaboration. The DC will establish and maintain culture of high performance; the DC shall ensure team members have clear performance targets, which are regularly reviewed and timely remedial actions taken. In collaboration with people team, the DC shall ensure the safety, security, health and wellbeing of VSO teams in assigned districts.
8.Representation:
The DC is VSO’s official representative in the district and communicates on behalf of VSO. The DC will ensure all VSO business in assigned districts are conducted in a professional manner, with unquestionable integrity. The DC shall foster VSO values within their teams. The DC will ensure proper visibility and recognition of the contribution VSO donors in all field activities and other joint initiatives involving VSO. The DC shall contribute to proper branding of VSO field offices, vehicle and communication materials. The DC shall proactively engage through formal coordination mechanisms and informal networks at district level. The DC shall actively engage on social media, through VSO Rwanda Facebook and Twitter.
9.Personal development:
The PM is responsible for continues learning, study and improvement. The PM shall develop a personal learning and improvement plan and promote the same among team members. The PM shall ensure the learning and improvement plans are feasible within the limited project resources. The PM shall report how personal learning and improvement directly contribute to better teams and better programmes. The PM shall ensure the plan is implemented and reported showing how it directly contributed to better teams and better programmes.
Qualifications, attributes and skills
I. Master’s in education or management or education management is essential;
II. Bachelors in above fields of studies with 3 years of work experience may be considered;
III. Project management experience (3-7 years) in similar education programmes;
IV. Experience of successfully managing field-based programmes across 2-3 districts;
V. Experience of successfully managing multicultural teams of staff and or volunteers;
VI. Understanding of social inclusion, social accountability and resilience principles;
VII. Working knowledge of Vision 2020, EPDRS-II and SDGs is an added advantage;
VIII. Excellent relationships, negotiation, networking and coordination skills;
IX. Excellent communications, convincing writing and presentation skills;
X. Experience successfully working independently within multiple teams;
XI. Ability to multi-task, work under pressure and manage deadlines; and
XII. Ability to analyse, consult, validate and take well informed decisions.
Success factors:
This position requires an independence and initiative to work with multiple teams and partners. It requires regular reflection, critical analysis and openness to critical feedback and peer reviews. It requires taking remedial actions in a timely manner when needed. It requires regular engagement with and exchange knowledge and experience with other VSO education programme managers across several countries. It requires high level people skills especially; diplomacy, team cohesion, mentoring, coaching, and motivating skills to achieve team and individual results. It requires ability to deliver high quality results within limited time and resources. It requires self-motivation, responsiveness and ability to think creatively ‘’outside the box’’.
To apply:
Interested and qualified candidates should submit their applications, CVs and relevant documents through VSO recruitment website accessible through the link below
http://vso.force.com/jobopportunities/Job_DetailsPage?jid=a0mD000000BezmS
Qualified female candidates are highly encouraged to apply.
How to apply:
If you’re interested in applying for this role, please download the job description via http://vso.force.com/jobopportunities/Job_DetailsPage?jid=a0mD000000BezmS to read more details about the position and the skills and experience we’re looking for. To submit your application, click on ‘Apply now’ and complete all relevant fields on the online application form.