Project Coordinator
Chad

Start date: 1st February 2018, or to be agreed upon.
The Organisation
RET International is an independent, impartial, non-partisan humanitarian organisation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in 2000 by Mrs Sadako Ogata (then United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), RET International is committed to working in emergencies and fragile environments around the world to ensure the protection and resilience of vulnerable young people through education.

Since inception, RET International has worked in 29 countries affected by crises and fragile environments. This extensive presence in the field has positively impacted the lives of over 1.2 million learners, 51% of which are women, paving the way to more peaceful and stable communities by empowering a generation of young people to become actors of positive social change. In all, RET International has reached nearly 6 million indirect beneficiaries.

While RET has staff from approximately 40 countries, nearly all are local. That is to say almost 100% of the staff in each country of operations are citizens of that country or eventually of neighbouring countries, with only very few expats operating regionally or from headquarters. RET connects local experience with global expertise. Today, we are a team of approximately 1200 members working throughout the world.

The Role

Reporting Line

The Project Coordinator reports to the Country Director
S/he supervises a team designed in accordance with contractual engagement with the do-nor(s)

Place of Work
S/he is based in Goré, Chad, with frequent trips to the field.

General Responsibilities
The P.C will Implement, manage, coordinate, and achieve all activities and expected outcomes of RET International’s project in the country. In addition, he/she will prepare all required reports destined to RET’s HQ and/or donors, based on quality data collected in the field by the team s/he manages.

Specific Responsibilities:
Project Implementation

• Organize and plan meetings with project staffs and key partners to develop the first draft of the Work-Plan with clearly stated milestones corresponding to the project outputs, in compliance with the contractual expectations;

• Provide technical support for the design and implementation of the activities agreed within the Work-Plan;

• Lead the updating of the Work-Plan;
• Once the Work-Plan is finalized and validated by the hierarchy, organize periodic plan-ning meetings with the project staff to distribute the roles and make sur that the pro-ject, way forward, and the activities are well understood by all;
• Under the supervision of the Country Director, lead the identification of main local ac-tors and build relationship with them;
• Provide technical support and directions to the project staff for the design and timely implementation of the activities agreed within the Work-Plan;
• Provide guidance to the project staff and follow up on a daily basis on the activities implemented;
• Monitor project progress against annual and quarterly Work-Plan and budget plan;
• Follow up and monitor the work of the different field project staff and officers in the different locations of the project;
• Organize workshops and training events, as contractually agreed;
• Ensure compliance with RET International Operations Manual policies and procedures;
• Develop and maintain project records such as databases, reports and records of deci-sions;
• Maintain close communication over all operational issues as well as strategic opportu-nities arising from project implementation;
• Undertake frequent visit to the field activities, ensuring that their implementation complies with the contractual expectations;
• Report to the Country Director, in a timely manner, any discrepancy, challenge, or difficulty met during the planning and implementation of the activities, especially when it could affect the achievement of RET’s objectives.

Finance, Administration and Logistics
• Ensure compliance with RET International Manual policies and procedures (Finance, HR, Procurement, etc.);
• Implement the financial and administrative systems necessary for the execution of the project in the field;
• Develop monthly budget plans against the activities planned within the Work-Plan and against the general budget contractually agreed with the donor(s) for valida-tion, it in a timely manner, by the Country Director;
• Ensure that her/his subordinates comply with RET’s administrative processes and procedures;
• Ensure that all proper documentation is submitted, in a timely manner, to the Fi-nance, Administration and Logistics departments, ensuring thus that the necessary resources are made available for the implementation of the planned activities;
• When required, participate to the HR procedures (recruitment, performance man-agement, staff development, etc.). This will include ensuring that her/his subordi-nates have performances objectives and are fairly managed according to perfor-mance;

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting
• At the beginning of each project, participate in the development, of the M&E Plan, tools & templates, under the supervision of Country Director and in consultation with the Regional Director – Technical Programmes, Africa;
• Ensure that all field staff submit their periodic reports on time, in line with the re-quirements and timeline(s) set forth in the M&E and Work Plans, and in accordance with internal deadlines fixed by the Project Coordinator in consultation with the Country Director;
• Review all submitted field reports (Project Coordinator Assistant, Project Officer, Livelihood Officer, etc.), ensuring that information is consistent with completed M&E forms and the collected supporting documentation;
• Prepare monthly consolidated project report(s) and SitReps capturing all activities conducted during the reporting period, sharing it with Country Director and Report-ing Officer for review;
• Coordinate on a regular basis with the Reporting Assistant to ensure the proper and timely: (a) preparation of M&E package(s) ahead of activities; (b) collection and submission of completed M&E field forms (with supporting documentation); (c) aggregation, analysis and reporting of data; and (d) development and maintenance of M&E system (hard copies) in line with M&E Plan and DQA requirements, under the supervision of the Reporting Officer and Country Director;
• Follow up with the Reporting Assistant on a regular basis to ensure the routine and systematic scanning and upload of M&E forms (with supporting documentation) to Dropbox, informing the Country Director and Reporting Officer of such updates on a rolling basis;
• Inform the Country Director on a rolling basis of operational challenges with bearing on donor-approved proposals’ M&E milestones, targets and assumptions, assisting in the preparation of documentation that supports and justifies corrective action;
• Address queries and questions raised by the Country Director and Reporting Of-ficer concerning the submitted monthly report(s) and SitReps, in a timely manner;
• Serve as a liaison (focal point) between the Country Director and the Reporting Of-ficer, on the one hand, and field staff, on the other, in matters related to M&E, relay-ing feedback and requests for additional information and/or support as needed;
• Address any inconsistency, highlighted by the Reporting Officer, between monthly reports and M&E forms (with supporting documentation).
Security
• Ensure compliance and controls environment is effectively managed by the project team;
• Take the necessary measures to ensure, as much as possible, the safety of all staff and implement emergency security evacuation plans as appropriate;
• Regularly report to line manager, and security Focal points on safety and security issues;
• Develop and maintain management risk register, and regularly report to line manger on it; proactively put in place risk mitigation measures against potential high-risk areas (e.g., staff security, theft, etc.)
• Support annual internal programme audits that are carried out and ensure that key risk areas are managed well.

Secondary Responsibilities
• Participate in the elaboration of project proposals (narrative, operational and financial);
• If requested by the Country Director, participate in coordination meetings with the authorities and/or partners;
• Complete any additional task, as requested by the Country Director.
Qualifications Requirements
• Education: Bachelor’s Degree (Master’s Degree preferred) in social science, sociology, political science or any other related field, preferably with specialization in conflict studies and/or peace-building;
• Minimum of five (5) years of program management experience, including project financial management;
• Experience working with local level actors, public institutions and civil society organizations;
• Experience working with youth; training experience an advantage;
• Proven knowledge and experience in peace building, conflict analysis and management. Specific experience with designing and delivery of training in conflict resolution, conflict management and or similar trainings;
• Familiarity with civil society development mechanisms, refugee problematic and response and the Southern Chad context in particular.

Personal Attributes
• Personal Requirements: Communicative skills; Effectiveness and rigor in the manage-ment of processes, focusing on objectives;
• Languages: Excellent spoken and written French and strong written English communications skills;
• Organisational skills including the ability to strategically prioritise and meet established goals;
• Ability to work under pressure, meet deadlines, handle multiple tasks simultaneously and prove a high level of flexibility;
• Highly capable of working well in teams;
• Proactive attitude and professionalism; attention to detail;
• Integrity and personal quality (mandatory references);
• Ability to travel within the regions or RET Operations when called upon.