Project Manager

Background/IRC Summary:  The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. At work today in over 40 countries and 22 U.S. cities, we restore safety, dignity and hope to millions who are uprooted and struggling to endure. The IRC leads the way from harm to home. Job Overview/Summary: The Project Manager will lead implementation of this urban refugee focused project in Mount Lebanon governorate and the T5 area.  This project responds to the need to enhance response methodologies for refugees in non-camp settings, from the perspective of both more effective service delivery coordination and more accessible channels for the provision of feedback and dialogue on the quality of services delivered.  S/he will be directly responsible for ensuring successful development and field testing of two technology-based tools in this regard, with the goal of ensuring on-time and on-budget tool development and refinement, as well as collection of a broad range of data throughout the field testing stage in order to ensure comprehensive evaluation of the tool.  The project also includes a third component, development and piloting of a resilience index to better determine the aggregate outcome of combined instances of service provision at household level, which the Project Manager will collaboratively support, as needed.  Similarly, the Project Manager will support implementation of dissemination strategies related to project outputs, as required.  The Project Manager will report to the Protection Coordinator, and work in close collaboration with the IRC’s regional ICT Solutions Architect.  Major Responsibilities: This position incorporates the following primary responsibilities:  Lead planning, development, field testing and refinement of the two technology-based tools for improved urban refugee response, including: Manage, in close collaboration with the Protection Coordinator and the ICT Solutions Architect, the RFP process for selection of a specialized contractor Review and contribute to refinement of the chosen contractor’s workplan, and monitor progress against the workplan on a fortnightly basis (recommending changes/alterations when required) Organize and facilitate meetings with stakeholders and coordinate stakeholder communications Identify and track interdependencies between different elements of the project, and anticipate potential challenges, delays and resource conflicts Maintain a comprehensive list of pending tasks, support the ongoing prioritization of deliverables and resources, and track resource availability for project activities Support cost tracking and budget management Plan and oversee implementation of the field testing process Ensure review of feedback received about the tools and, where appropriate, the incorporation of relevant feedback through refinement of the tools Contribute to finalization of monitoring and evaluation plans and take the lead in ensuring that monitoring and evaluation strategies are implemented effectively    Provide direct supervision and support for project staff (3 staff), including: Regular creation, monitoring and updating of staff work plans Ensuring that the outputs produced by other project staff meet deadlines and quality standards Identifying training needs for project staff   Contribute to donor reporting, support production of report deliverables and complete other administrative tasks, including: Provision of ad hoc updates on project progress and deliverables, in addition to formal donor reporting, as required Support the production of a practitioners’ guidance note and evaluation report related to the system and tools developed through the project Manage the project budget and regularly review actual expenses against budget planning documents, recommending realignments as required Ensure compliance with all IRC financial and procurement procedures   Scope of decision making:  The Project Manager will take independent action and make independent judgments in order to facilitate the day-to-day implementation of the project.  In general, these decisions will be routine and related to the execution of basic tasks.  Decision making that impacts the project beyond the day-to-day level will be undertaken in collaboration with the Protection Coordinator.  The Project Manager will also make a significant contribution to decision making regarding the potential scope, need and targeting for future technology-related protection programming.  Contribution to this more strategic level of decision making will be based on the Project Manager’s depth of knowledge about the application of developing information and communications technologies, viewed through a protection lens.    Key Working Relationships: Position Reports to:  Protection Coordinator Position directly supervises:  Data Management Officer, Field Officer, Monitoring & Evaluation Officer Other Internal and/or external contacts: The Project Manager will work closely with the following: Internal: ICT Solutions Architect; Protection Monitoring and Information Dissemination Manager (Mount Lebanon); Protection Monitoring and Information Dissemination Manager (T5); ICT4P Officer External:  Chosen contractor for provision of tool development services; WRC Work Experience: 3 years experience with an NGO and/or international organization managing program activities Experience participating/leading refugee protection activities Experience managing cross-functional projects   Demonstrated Skills and Competencies:  Excellent organizational skills, ability to determine priorities and great attention to detail Excellent interpersonal skills; ability to effectively liaise with colleagues on all levels in a multicultural, detail-oriented environment, including project stakeholders working remotely Familiarity with program design, log frames, budgeting and grants/report writing preferred Familiarity with M&E system design and implementation Strong computer literacy, including proficiency in Microsoft Office 2007, is required Familiarity with helpdesk ticketing systems is desirable Familiarity with a variety of line-of-business, or ‘ticketing’ applications is desirable Ability to provide quality trainings for new users to applications Proactive, flexible, team spirited and willing to learn Ability to live and productively work under stress and in insecure and harsh environments while maintaining a sense of humor Language Skills:  Good spoken and written English is required, Arabic is a plus Certificates or Licenses: Technical certifications or programming languages Working Environment:  Standard office work environment with some travel to field locations in Mount Lebanon and Tripoli +5 area.