Regional Project Manager (RPM) DESFERS

The DESFERS project (Développement Economique et Social des Femmes au travers les Energie Renouvelables) is a 9,5 Million, 5 year project financed by the European Commission. The project is designed and implemented to create entrepreunership opportunities for women and girls in the most vulnerable communities in Mali, Niger, and Senegal, as well as to empower women socially and economically through access to credit and sustainable, clean and affordable renewable energy. The DESFERS intervention is built on the belief that girls and women should not only have access to income generating activities, becoming economically independent, but also be supported to act as champions of change in their communities.

Plan International Spain, in cooperation with local, national and international partners, has been implementing DESFER Project for the last five years in Senegal, Niger, Mali. Photovoltaic solar energy represents a great and new opportunity for women that could allow them to make significant progress in terms of efficiency and competitiveness within their income-generating activities (IGA); thus, allowing them to emancipate themselves and affirm the key role that these women play within their communities.

General Summary/Stakes of the position:

The Regional Project Manager, in coordination with the Renewable Energy (RE) project Supervisor, will ensure the timely and effective management and implementation of the « DESFERS » project in Senegal, Niger, Mali. He/she will be ensuring efficiency, quality, impact and accountability, according to Plan International’s standards and the donor’s criteria. The RPM will line support and liaise with manage 3 Country Project Coordinators as well as liaise and coordinate with Plan International Spain, Plan International country offices in Senegal, Mali and Niger, local donor representatives and partner organizations. Further, the RPM will lend technical oversight and support concerning RE based micro-enterprises/business start-up and micro-finance initiatives in the energy sector in rural areas.

The Regional Project manager will have senior level experience in implementing, coordinating and managing economic and social development projects in complex rural contexts affected by poverty and climate change. The RPM should be a result oriented professional with proven skills to implement and manage innovative projects in evolving contexts and be versed in adaptive management practices. Further, the RPM will have strong cross-cultural skills to build capacity among teams and support them in driving deliverables per established planning. In addition, the RPM will be able to provide technical support and expertise in micro-finance, entrepreneurship, and productive use of energy and IGA in rural areas, with familiarity in the renewable energy sector. As the project is in its 5th year of implementation, the RPM will be able to build synergies among the different project teams and support them in implementing the project in a timely way.

The RPM will have proven experience of strong leadership, communication and mentoring skills, prioritizing, problem solving and simultaneous attention to detail and strategic vision.

PRINCIPAL Responsibilities and Stakes of the position

Project Management:

• Provide overall management oversight of the DESFERS project, ensuring program indicators achievements and that all deliverables are implemented at the highest quality and in compliance with donor policies.
• Provide budget management for complex multi-country budget, including careful tracking of Budget Versus Actuals and updating projections with the Project Coordinators and Finance team in each country.
• Support detailed forecasting, and periodic communication on any changes to the donor. Careful tracking of core-funded elements of the operational expenses to be closely monitored and updated with the Finance Managers and Country Directors on a quarterly basis.
• Ensure the delivery of accurate, concise, and informative narrative (focusing on results, output, and outcomes) and financial reports, together with required supporting documentation
• Ensure all activities adhere to good practice standards as indicated by Plan International guidelines and donor requirements
• Organize and lead quarterly project reviews (based on evidence) permitting to update and adapt as needed permitting to achieve deliverables.

Project Monitoring and Evaluation

• Oversee the tools and methodologies for monitoring the project’s logical framework activities and indicators
• Coordinate the M&E and impact measurement activities and related staff in the field.
• Oversee the project document filing system and ensure that information is organized for project reporting and auditing purposes.
• Design and launch evaluations of the project’s progress (final evaluation)
• Support the country teams in terms of the roll-out of the digitalization of data collection and process of analyzing data
• Data analysis, allowing the Project team to take evidence-based decisions
• Knowledge management and evidence material creation

Provide and oversee technical assistance and capacity development to project partners

• Provide technical advice to team and partners on entrepreneurship, micro-finance, IGA.
• Build, manage and reinforce staff and relationships with partners to ensure a veritable economic empowerment of the women within the project;
• Serve as an expert resource to staff and partners on technical components of the project, as well as initiatives related to the women’s economic empowerment;
• Implement and oversee capacity building opportunities and initiatives;
• Provide partners with advanced technical assistance, training and capacity development initiatives

Capacity Building and support to project teams and partners

• In close collaboration with the Head of Programs and Country Director, provide management oversight support to Project Coordinators ensuring that tasks are carried out as planned and with quality;
• Reinforce the capacity of Project Coordinators in effective leadership, coordination and program implementation, providing on-going guidance and mentorship.
• Coordinate and facilitate regular team review and support team capacity-building and adaptive management towards achieving project deliverables.

Communication, representation, and visibility

• Collaborate and work with project partners to create visibility and communication materials around success stories, lessons learned and best practices.
• Serve as a key focal point for in-country donor representatives in relation to the project in collaboration with the Head of Programs/County Director.
• Represent Plan International in relevant working groups, forums, etc. in entrepreneurship, agricultural IGAs, financial inclusion, gender, and climate change
• Liaise with national and local authorities, research institutes, partner organizations, NGOs, relevant government bodies
• Ensure the quality, regularity, and appropriateness of communication on the development of the project’s activities internally (partners, team) as well as externally (partners, government, and stakeholders)

TECHNICAL EXPERIENCE, SKILLS

Education/Training

• MA or equivalent in business management (MBA), rural development, economics, or a related field.
• Expert knowledge in project management and associated tools (Project Management Certification preferred)
• Familiarity with financial project management (i.e. complex budget management, forecasting, etc.)
• Expert technical knowledge in one of the following fields: entrepreneurship, micro-finance/financial inclusion, rural activities business/economics. Notions of gender approaches preferred;
• Professional knowledge of both French and English. Spanish appreciated.

Working experience

• Minimum 5 years of field experience working in international economic development programs, employing market-based, value chain approaches to private sector development.
• At least 2 years of senior-level leadership and field management experience preferred, with a proven record of sound financial management.
• Prior experience leading multi-country complex projects
• Prior experience in managing projects funded by institutional donor agencies, in particular the European Commission
• Experience in Mali, Niger and/or Senegal is preferred.
• Successful and proven negotiation, communication, organization, and prioritization skills and experience.

General Competencies

• Initiative and autonomy: Perform the tasks of the position independently with the freedom to implement innovative solutions to problems and make the most of the opportunities that arise.
• Innovation and creativity: Propose new and different solutions to solve problems originating in the organization, as well as present original ideas to add value to the organization.
• Leadership: Be very results oriented.
• Influence and inspire other members of the area or work team in order to guide them towards achieving the objectives set, serving as a role model and support in adverse situations.
• Problem solving: Identify problems and their causes and break down complex situations into simpler parts in order to choose the most appropriate solutions to solve them considering all possible proposals.
• Decision-making: Identify, from the different existing options and considering the circumstances, resources and impact, the suitable alternatives for the achievement of the determined organizational objectives.

Technical experties

• Project management
• Financial management
• Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning
• Technical expertise; entrepreneurship, micro-finance/financial inclusion, agricultural business/sustainable agricultural, market-based systems. Possessing knowledge/notions of renewable energy, gender approaches/gender transformation
• Stakeholder management including donors, Ministries, peer organizations, multi-lateral institutions, foundations, businesses
• Strong communication, diplomacy, negotiation skills

How to apply

Please click on the link below to apply

https://plan-international.epreselec.com/Ofertas/Ofertas.aspx?Id_Oferta=2808171&v=4606