Project Officer - Education / Field Office In-charge

About RI:      

Relief International is a leading nonprofit organization working in 18 countries to relieve poverty, ensure well-being and advance dignity. We specialize in fragile settings, responding to natural disasters, humanitarian crises and chronic poverty.

Relief International combines humanitarian and development approaches to provide immediate services while laying the groundwork for long-term impact. Our signature approach — which we call the RI Way—emphasizes local participation, an integration of services, strategic partnerships and a focus on civic skills. In this way, we empower communities to find, design and implement the solutions that work best for them.

Relief International includes the four corporate members of the RI Alliance: RI-US, RI-UK, MRCA/RI-France and RI-Europe. Under our alliance agreement, we operate as a single, shared management structure. In addition, RI has country offices registered as affiliates of one of the alliance members in an additional 18 countries.

Position:            Education Project Officer/ Field Office In-charge

Reports to:        Education Project Manager

Location:            Peshawar, Pakistan

Position Summary:    EPO / Field Office In-charge will lead the field office Peshawar and will manage day to day operational matter within given mandate. The EPO/OIC will be responsible for the efficient functioning of field office through administrative, financial and managerial support and will essentially ensure the smooth running of an office on a day-to-day basis along with programmatic responsibilities. The post holder will be responsible for supervision and implementation of project activities in target districts. S/he will provide ongoing technical support to field teams, partner’s staff and Continues Professional Development (CPD) coaches. The incumbent will be responsible to develop and maintain coordination and liaison mechanism with education department at provincial and district levels, district governments, and target communities and . The position holder will be responsible for reporting, field monitoring and ensuring quality implementation according to RI’s reporting tools, Program Management Standards, checklists and project deliverables.  S/he must know/learn and abide by organizational rules, regulations, and donor requirements and compliance.

Summary of key functions/accountabilities: 

·         Support to projects planning and implementation

·         Technical assistance and operational support

·         Operational Management , monitoring and coordination

·         Logistics/Finance/Administration

·         Human Resource Management

·         Partners management and Networking

·         Data management, reporting and capacity building

Key Responsibilities:

Project implementation, Coordination and Team Management:

·         Ensure the smooth implementation of the Education project in 03 target districts

·         Supervise and support implementation/field teams ensuring that performance and development plans are followed.

·         Supervise district implementation teams as and when needed

·         Identify performance gaps within the program team and take corrective actions.

·         Lead the planning of project activities and set high quality performance targets ensuring adherence to technical standards, best practices and donor guidelines. Lead and support ARC and IP staff in quality education activities in target primary schools.

·         Spearhead the development of enrollment campaigns in collaboration with Provincial & district Education Departments and stakeholders

·         Provide technical support in development of technical trainings program for IPs, Government and stakeholders

·         Lead the community support activities including revitalization/establishment of community support groups

·         Encourage and strengthen the capacity of partner staff

·         Carry out bi-annual, annual performance reviews for relevant staff directly reporting to the position.

·         Conduct regular assessments of staff and stakeholders training needs and design capacity building trainings

Project monitoring, Reporting and Quality

·         Lead the planning of project activities and set high quality performance targets ensuring adherence to technical standards, best practices and donor guidelines

·         Ensure establishment of a results-oriented internal monitoring & evaluations, accountability and learning mechanisms to maintain quality of project interventions

·         Liaise with M&E departments to ensure sharing of lessons learned, tools and systems.

·         Compile and finalize project reports and ensure that files are properly maintained in the office

Operational Management (Logistic, Procurement and administration)

·         Oversee field level procurement, administration, fleet, other support functions and ensure necessary technical support

·         Ensure all set procedures are followed in procurement of goods and services.

Partner and Financial Management

·         Ensure accurate utilization of budget according to RI and donor compliance.

·         Immediately flag any deviations from the budget

·         Liaise closely with the finance department to ensure that financial transactions and partner advances/liquidations are done on time and are accurate

·         Monitor and ensure that all program and spending targets for program activities are being met.

Representation

Represent RI at Provincial level coordination meetings and ensure close coordination and collaboration with Government (provincial & district), UN agencies, IPs and Stakeholders.

Qualifications & Requirements:

·         Master degree in education, social sciences or other relevant discipline

·         A minimum of five years of professional experience in planning and management, and/or coordination & liaison. Relevant experience in education and related areas, in school/community engagement, enrollment, program/project development and management is an asset.

·         English and local language proficiency skills (written, reading and spoken).

·         Excellent management, teambuilding, communication & networking skills.

·         Proven ability to effectively manage relationships with stakeholders.

·         Strong organizational skills and resourcefulness

·         Willingness and ability to travel

RI Values:

We uphold the Humanitarian Principles: humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and operational independence.  We affirmatively engage the most vulnerable communities.

We value:

1.       Inclusiveness

2.       Transparency and Accountability

3.       Agility and Innovation

4.       Collaboration

5.       Sustainability