The AIYA (Afghanistan Integrated Youth Activity) is a consortium-managed 5-year programme, and BRAC Afghanistan is a partner in this consortium. The USAID-funded AIYA project aims to empower Afghan youth, particularly girls and young women, by equipping them with market-relevant technical and soft skills. This initiative seeks to enhance income, food security, and economic resilience among participants. The overarching goal of AIYA is to improve learning outcomes and livelihood opportunities for young women and men. Expected outcomes include: 1) Improved post-secondary technical and vocational education or learning opportunities for youth, with a focus on market-relevant, skills-based learning within the agricultural sector and its related value chains. 2) Youth, particularly girls and young women, acquire market-relevant skills to improve livelihood opportunities and engage in climate resilient agricultural value chains in their home, community, or other settings.
The AIYA Team Leader (TL) will provide leadership and management of the project under BRAC Afghanistan’s portfolio. The main objective of this position is to lead strategic planning, programme development, M&E and supervise the implementation of the programme. The TL will maintain close contact with the technical anchors at BRAC International HQ to ensure BRAC International profile and reputation with stakeholders are strong and reflect the organizational values, vision and mission.
The role holder will be mainly assigned to lead the project with the diverse workforce. The project team leader is expected to work closely with their team members, consortium partners, donors and other stakeholders in order to ensure that each task is correctly identified, assigned, and executed within the agreed parameters. The Team Leader will be responsible to achieve the results through dynamic management of the resources, effectively leading to achieving deliverables against key performance indicators, and to provide accurate reporting, while taking ownership of any potential problems or issues along the way. The Team Leader will be expected to maintain effective communications based on specific coordination mechanism with all relevant stakeholders along with preparing updates, briefs note and reports at specific certain intervals and based on the grant agreement.
Key Responsibilities:
Project Management
- Lead the overall strategic planning and management of AIYA project against BRACs portfolio.
- Lead, guide and supervise the project team managers on planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the projects to ensure the effective and efficient execution of project deliverables
- Lead and oversee the grants and sub-grants management and achievement of annual targets.
- Ensure adequate systems are in place and followed, regarding program procurements, management and maintenance of project assets, regular inventories and similar activities.
- Maintain effective coordination with the consortium partners especially consortium lead.
- Ensure proper and transparent management of resources and reporting systems are established in accordance with the policy and procedures and all regulatory requirements of BRAC, host country governments and donor’s policy.
- Strategic guidance to local partner of the AIYA project on programmatic issues; programme planning, technical implementation, sub-grant, quality delivery, etc.
- Drive achievement of project results and oversee project work planning, performance management, and risk forecasting and mitigation
- Ensure that all project assistance is technically sound and appropriate
- Document processes and achievements to ensure best practices are captured and disseminated. This will include the continual re-evaluation of program activities and information, with resulting activity adjustments in keeping with new insights.
- Produce high-quality written reports on program activities, capturing the impacts of activities.
- Conduct regular field visits to all project sites.
- Define program indicators and develop data relevant resources and tools (including M&E plan, technical data collection tools, databases, dashboards and reporting templates), that align with the Humanitarian M&E Standards, donor requirement and overall BRAC goals.
- Create and sustain a work environment of mutual respect where team members strive to achieve excellence.
- Set a team culture valuing learning and adaptive management in support of an ongoing resilience approach in programming
- Promote accountability, communicate expectations and provide constructive feedback via regular performance reviews.
Safeguarding Responsibilities
- Uphold, promote, follow and apply the Core Values and Mission of BRAC in the host country
- Establish a safeguarding culture across all level of the programme by implementing the safeguarding policy. Act as a key source of support, guidance and expertise on safeguarding for establishing a safe working environment
- Responsible to ensure team members are appropriately trained, supported and have access to resources regarding issues that are identified and actioned in accordance with the safeguarding policy and procedure
- Follow the safeguarding reporting procedure in case any reportable incident takes place, encourage others to do so.
Academic Qualifications:
- Masters in any discipline.
Required Skills, Competencies & Knowledge:
- Professional knowledge in diverse development approaches Demonstrable leadership, organizational, managerial and communication skills
- Ability to think strategically, conceptualize new ideas, digest and analyze complex information and present coherent work plan or implementation plan
- Understanding of BRAC core competencies so that program knowledge and skills can be transferred
- Demonstrated skills in building and maintaining relationships with government counterparts, consortium members, donors, other donor-funded projects and stakeholders, local organizations, and implementing partners.
- Fluency in English required (spoken and written).
- Strong oral and written communication skills; excellent demonstrated inter-cultural, interpersonal, and negotiation skills and strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Demonstrated commitment to PSHEA (Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Harassment, and Abuse).
- Demonstrated commitment to principles of Diversity, Equity, Belonging and Inclusion (DEBI).
- Ability to travel within Afghanistan as required and as security conditions allow.
Experience Requirements:
- 8-10 years of relevant senior experience in international development as Team Leader/ Deputy Chief of Party, or in a senior management role on large development projects.
- Relevant experience and expertise in workforce development activities. Experience providing technical direction on USAID cooperative agreements and/or contracts.
- Experience with M&E systems for USAID projects including Collaborating, Learning, and Adapting (CLA) principles and approaches preferred.
How to apply
About BRAC International:
BRAC International (BI), a leading non-profit organisation, is on a mission to empower people and communities facing poverty, illiteracy, disease, and social injustice. Our vision is to create a world free from exploitation and discrimination, where everyone has the opportunity to realise their potential. We design proven, scalable solutions that equip people with the support and confidence they need to achieve their potential.
BRAC was founded in Bangladesh in 1972 and over the last five decades has grown to become one of the world’s largest non-governmental organisations (NGOs), reaching over 100 million people. We started our first international operation by venturing into Afghanistan in 2002, building on lessons from our work in Bangladesh to support a nation devastated by war. Currently operating in 16 countries across Asia and Africa. Born, proven and led in the Global South, BRAC International brings a unique Southern perspective and commitment to continuous learning, providing a depth of insight, experience and evidence to meet the needs of diverse communities with humility and courage across Asia and Africa. To learn more about BRAC International, please visit (www.bracinternational.org.com)
Our Core Values:
Integrity: We approach our work with honesty and integrity.
Innovation: We innovate and iterate to improve our impact.
Inclusiveness: We foster inclusion to reach those who need it most
Effectiveness: We strive for effectiveness to better serve people in poverty
If you feel you are the right match for the above-mentioned position, please follow the application process to grab your dream opportunity!
External candidates are recommended to send their Resume with a cover letter and any supporting documents. To apply please click on the below link: https://jobs.af/jobs/team-leader-national-and-international
Internal candidates are recommended to apply with their latest Resume including all job assignments in detail and a cover letter mentioning core competence and career aspiration with BRAC PIN and email to internal.bi@brac.net copying their immediate reporting manager.
Please mention the name of the position and AD# BI 55/24 in the subject bar.
Application deadline: 27 October 2024
BRAC is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share the same commitment. We believe every stakeholder and every member of the communities we work with has the right to be protected from all forms of harm, abuse, neglect, harassment, and exploitation – regardless of age, race, religion, and gender, status as an individual with a disability or ethnic origin. Therefore, our recruitment policy and procedure include extensive background checks and disclosure of criminal records in order to ensure safeguarding to the fullest extent.
“BRAC International is an equal opportunities employer”