Programmes Manager – Conservation and Rural Livelihoods

Position description

We are a medium-sized NGO, now looking for a Programmes Manager to coordinate the development and management of our conservation and rural livelihoods work in Madagascar. This is a superb opportunity for a development professional with two to four years work experience to work alongside national and international staff, leading on the programme development, grant writing, reporting and evaluation of SEED’s conservation and rural livelihoods programmes. 

This post would suit someone who has experience in international development and is now ready to make the move into managing a team and a portfolio of projects. It is essential that the post holder has grant writing experience, conservation and rural livelihoods knowledge and is able to work in English to a high standard. Candidates who do not meet these criteria will not be considered. 

SEED Madagascar is a British Charity working in partnership with communities in the southeast of Madagascar. We integrate high quality community health, WASH, rural livelihoods, schools and conservation programmes to support long term, sustainable change and add to international best practice through research and publication across all our programmatic areas. 

Location: Fort Dauphin, Anosy Region, Madagascar

Contract minimum duration: 2 years

Probationary period: 3 months

Terms and conditions: Local salary plus £1,000 contribution to flight and £650 to insurance Reporting to: Director of Programmes & Operations 

Duties and Responsibilities: 

Project Development 

1. Work with national and international staff to design livelihood and conservation projects that fulfil local needs and align with SEED’s strategic aim, taking into account past learning, international best practice, contextual constraints and government objectives 

2. Oversee the development of project frameworks (e.g. Log Frames and Theory of Change) and proposals to ensure they are representative of the community needs whilst being attractive to donors 

3. Support the team to conduct research into international and national development best practice and funding opportunities for the conservation and sustainable livelihoods programmes 

4. Ensure the high standard of all project documents submitted to donors to secure the ongoing funding of SEED’s projects – currently at around £150,000 per annum across all active interventions 

5. Identify partners and build networks and collaborations across the conservation and sustainable livelihoods programmes to increase the impact of SEED’s work in these areas 

6. Use evidence-based advocacy from research and project findings in briefing papers for staff, local and regional stakeholders, and government departments to inform regional and national development strategy. 

Programme Management 

7. Provide timely updates to the UK based Programme and Funding Coordinator of project activities and support them to communicate any changes in project activities to donors when necessary 

8. Oversee effective systems for monitoring project progress against activity plans, working with project teams to ensure objectives are met and using learning from ongoing evaluation to inform the development of projects 

9. Conduct fieldwork and monitoring visits to project sites when appropriate and ensure observations are fed back into ongoing project design. 

People Management 

10. Recruit, support, manage, review and provide professional development to a team of Programme Interns, Officers and Specialists, delegating to and managing their work to achieve departmental objectives and support organisational ethos and strategy 

11. Foster essential cross-cultural collaboration and learning, providing support to both the national and international teams to bridge gaps in understanding and priorities for project development and implementation 

12. Provide pastoral care, guidance, and act as a role model, both professionally and personally, for a team of early career professionals living in country. 

Budget Management 

13. Oversee the development of budgets, including full cost allocation with consideration of the organisational strategy and priorities over the coming years 

14. Provide monthly overview of financial reports, ensuring project spending is on track and identifying trends in expenditure, and management of exchange rate gains. 

General 

15. Provide core support to the Director of Programmes & Operations in management and ensuring the support and security of all international staff, including acting as an intermediary of organisational priorities to the wider team 

16. Work flexibly, including changing work priorities at short notice and working unsociable hours when necessary to meet a short deadline, for example the submission of project funding documents within the timeframe set by donors 

17. Ensure all of SEED’s policies and procedures are evident throughout the work of the department, including those for safeguarding, whistleblowing, and anticorruption, and undertake continual training to ensure these are always promoted 

18. Represent SEED Madagascar in external meetings with other agencies, donors, and partners on the ground in Madagascar and in the UK 

19. Act as a temporary stand-in for the Director of Programmes & Operations and/or other Programme Heads when required during a period of leave and absences. 

Required skills & experience: 

Essential 

• At least a first degree-level qualification or equivalent experience in Conservation, sustainable livelihood development, or related discipline
• Sound knowledge of international development frameworks and contemporary global issues facing least developed countries
• Sound knowledge of and interest in conservation issues and approaches in least developed countries
• Minimum of 2 years’ experience of conservation or livelihoods projects in a developing context
• Minimum of 3 years’ experience in grant writing and proven record of success
• Minimum of 2 years’ professional experience in line management and/or project management
• Familiarity with the use of project management tools including Logical Frameworks, Theory of Change models, Budgets Activity Plans and Monitoring & Evaluation frameworks
• Fluency in English (written and spoken) with excellent written communication skills, to the level of editing English documents for publication
• Excellent listening and verbal communication skills, and a flexible and patient attitude
• Excellent proposal and report writing and editing skills, with previous experience compiling project proposals and reports and the ability to tailor written information to various audiences
• Cross-cultural negotiation skills and a curiosity in effective work practices in a cross-cultural setting. Ability and desire to build capacity both within international and national teams
• Ability and desire to develop, support and manage a team of volunteers and staff, and to oversee the Project Development Internship Programme
• Ability to demonstrate and support staff to develop appropriate professional and social attitudes required for living in another country, and to manage these aspects of volunteers’ behaviour when required
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Excellent problem solving and analytical skills, with demonstrable ability in gathering and assimilating facts and data from various sources
• Experience of living and working in a developing country with the ability and desire to work with teams from different economic and cultural backgrounds and across multiple language barriers

Application instructions

Interested applicants should send a CV and covering letter in English outlining why they want to hold this position and how their skills and experience match the requirements in the job description to SEED Madagascar Director of Programmes and Operations, by email on [email protected] 

Stages for candidates will include an exercise, an initial informal interview with Madagascar based staff and a formal interview. 

Applications deadline: Deadline for submissions is Monday 29 April 2024 at 23:59 GMT. Applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis throughout this period. 

SEED Madagascar actively encourages equality, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace and aims to create a working environment free of bullying, harassment, victimisation, and unlawful discrimination, where individual differences and the contributions of all staff are recognised and valued. 

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