Consortium Project Manager - Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

About Ayuda en Acción:  

Ayuda en Acción Foundation is a secular, non-partisan international non-governmental organization (NGO) established in 1981 with a global commitment to fight against poverty, inequality, and exclusion. Its headquarters is in Madrid, Spain. The organization operates in 20 countries within Africa, South and Central America and Europe (Spain, Portugal). 

In Ethiopia, Ayuda en Acción has supported a range of humanitarian and development interventions through local and international partners between 2002 and 2017; an independent country program was established in 2018. Ayuda en Acción Ethiopia aspires to tackle poverty, inequalities and exclusion that perpetuate poverty. The organization perceives women, men, girls, and boys as the center of its efforts in the country, giving it an impetus to strengthen people’s and institutions’ capacities to meaningfully contribute to development and dignified life of all in Ethiopia. To achieve its mission, Ayuda en Acción Ethiopia has been working in Afar, Oromia and South Ethiopia Regional States in close cooperation with local and international partners, international research institutes, Government, and private sector actors.

Ayuda en Acción Ethiopia, as part of the institutional strategy, manages a range of projects: Food security and resilient food system, employment, entrepreneurship and economic empowerment, value chain using market system, inclusive education and gender, humanitarian and resilience building within three program priorities: sustainable livelihoods and resilient food systems; inclusive education; and emergency response and resilience building. Ayuda en Acción are part of Alliance 2015, a strategic network of seven European NGOs engaged in humanitarian aid and development projects. 

Purpose of the Role:

Ayuda en Acción Ethiopia is seeking to hire the Consortium Project Manager, is a member of the country program team and is responsible for the overall coordination of the newly secured AICS/EU funded consortium project: RAISE Afar: Recovery and Advancement of Inclusive Skills and Employment for Afar’s Displaced and Host Communities (RAISE Afar) implemented by Ayuda en Acción as lead organization in partnership with COOPI and Action for Integrated Sustainable Development Association (AISDA) in  Semera (Bureau of Labor and Skill), Asayta and Aba’ala City Administration, Afambo, Chifera, and Telalak woredas.

The Consortium Project Manager is responsible for overall project leadership, consortium partners coordination, stakeholder engagement, monitoring and evaluation oversight and ensure accountability, smooth and quality implementation, and overall performance. The position is also responsible for ensuring quality implementation and adherence to technical standards in line with donor policy, procedure and Ayuda en Acción’ s regulations and policies and supports collaboration among consortium members for impact and sustainability. The role will also contribute to resource mobilizations and employment and entrepreneurship program of the country strategy. In addition, s/he will support the Program Directors in the design and development of new projects and provide support for other similar projects.

Reporting line and Interdependencies with Other Functions:

The Consortium Project Manager will report directly to the Program Director. The Consortium Project Manager will closely work with MEAL Manager, Grant Manager, Operation Director, EU funded EMPOWER project coordinator, communication officer at national office, and Area Program Manager, and project Coordinator and project staff in Afar.  

Key Responsibilities:

i. Consortium coordination and partnership management:

• Lead coordination of the consortium and ensure effective communication between members.
• Facilitate regular consortium coordination meetings, steering committee sessions, and technical working groups (Technical, Finance, and communication).
• Promote a shared understanding of project goals and responsibilities.
• Lead liaison with the Consortium partners as the key focal point for strategy, implementation, monitoring and reporting of the RAISE Afar project Consortium partners, including monthly coordination forums, monthly progress updates, formal interim reporting and any reporting requirements.
• Foster collaboration with TVET institutions, industry partners, and employer networks to support job placement and entrepreneurship.
• Foster good coordination and timely sharing of key programmatic issues within and across key departments: Grant, M&E, Finance, and Logistics.

ii. Project Management:

• Lead the consortium in the direction of achieving the project objective, meet the indicator targets and have a lasting positive impact.
• Develop and maintain detailed project workplans, budgets, and risk management plans.
• Supervise, in cooperation with Area Program Manager and consortium partners, all project progress, outputs, and challenges across all sectors within the EC Consortium project ensuring activities align with AICS/EU contractual obligations and national policies.
• Ensure that rigorous control mechanisms are in place to ensure compliance with EC requirements (procurement, approvals, accountability and anti-fraud mechanisms).
• Ensure gender equality and inclusion principles are integrated throughout project delivery.
• Facilitate adaptive management based on lessons learned and monitoring results.
• Oversee quality assurance, ensure the project is delivered in line with the contractual requirement and obligations with AICS/EU, i.e. all activities and deliverables are completed within the agreed timescale and budget, reports are submitted as per the agreed schedule and formats and any other requirements or criteria are fulfilled as specified in signed agreements with consortium partners.
• Regularly review and update the detailed annual and periodic work plans with project implementation details and ensure this is used by the whole project team to monitor project progress towards completion in collaboration with the regional and country team.

iii. Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL):

• Work with MEAL staff to ensure robust monitoring systems, including performance tracking against EU/AICS log frame indicators.
• Promote collection of disaggregated data (gender, age, disability).
• Support partner organizations to develop and apply MEAL tools and processes.
• Lead regular project reviews and learning events to improve program quality.
• Ensure accountability to communities and affected populations.
• Monitor the progress of the project and propose necessary adjustments to the Program Director and based on approval implement the change to meet the project objectives.
• Lead partners in sharing lessons learned and development of best practices for the intervention and develop key knowledge sharing materials. The Consortium Project Manager will be the key responsible for developing and leading on the institutionalization and sharing of Best Practice Guidelines across different themes, which will be implemented by consortium partners.
• Coordinate the implementation of project activities in line with the project timeline and objectives.
• Constantly monitor the operational environment and assess risks that can affect project implementation.
• To provide guidance and supervision to the field-based project staff, to ensure they clear objectives, understanding of the project and receive regular supervision and reviews.
• Cooperate with communication with responsible person on visibility topics identification and information gathering on as needed basis and secure prior needed approvals from the donor.
• Ensure the project's financial and procurement status and progress is monitored monthly with the Finance and procurement Units.

iv. Reporting:

• Lead preparation and submission of high-quality, timely narrative and financial reports in compliance with EU /AICS requirements.
• Coordinate partner contributions to quarterly and annual reports.
• Develop communication and visibility materials in line with EU/AICS guidelines.
• Ensure accurate documentation of project achievements and lessons learned.

v. Fundraising and resource mobilization:

• Identify and pursue funding opportunities to support project sustainability or scale-up under the guidance of the Program Director.
• Support the Program Director in developing concept notes and funding proposals in collaboration.
• Participate and facilitate on conducting assessment/studies in collaboration with the relevant body(ies).

vi. Stakeholder engagement and networking:

• Represent the organization in relevant forums, networks, and working groups to share knowledge, build partnerships, and promote collaboration in enterprise development efforts in consultation with and guidance from the Program Director. 
• Build and maintain partnerships with relevant stakeholders such as financial institutions, TVETs, NGOs, and Ministries for successful implementation of the project and provide guidance on the same for the field team.
• Perform additional tasks requested by the Program Director.