Creative Associates International
Overview
Background:
Creative Associates International is a dynamic, fast-growing global development firm that specializes in education, economic growth, democratic development and post-crisis stabilization. Based in Washington, D.C., Creative has a field presence in more than 25 countries with a strong client portfolio that includes the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department, among others. Since its founding in 1977, Creative has earned a solid reputation among its clients and is well-regarded by competitors and partners alike.??
Position Summary:
Under the supervision of the Team Lead, the Area Manager is responsible for significant elements of the activity development, implementation and close out components of the SSPP program. The Area Manager will work in close collaboration with the team inside Syria and in Berlin to design, develop, implement and close out project activities to build civil society capacity in Northern Eastern Syria. This role will be responsible for the timely development and technical implementation of all field activities with the main local partners and in accordance with project documents, an approved budget, and in conformity with Creative’s rules and procedures. This will include close coordination with assigned local partners in development of ideas, concept notes, risk assessments, activity sheets, Fixed Amount Subaward agreements (FAS), and negotiation memorandums. Additionally, the Area Manager will provide technical oversight and input into ongoing activities, as well as reviewing technical deliverables for the activities. He/She is also expected to supervise the NE Liaison and the field staff within the designated area, take a leadership role on the team, and the Area Manager will be the main point of contact for the assigned geographical area.
The Area Manager will be based in Berlin, Germany. The Area Manager will report to the Team Lead and work closely with the Berlin based Program Team and Syria field team. The role may supervise up to two (2) staff in Berlin and several field staff within the designated geographical area.
Responsibilities
Activity Development**: Outreach** and Civil Society Support:– Coordinate with the Field Officers to provide capacity building to local partners in grants management and implementation.
- Develop, maintain, and support key civil society sector contacts throughout NE Syria and diaspora communities in Europe;
- Facilitate public dialogue on civic engagement between communities and non-governmental actors through technical assistance to actors;
- Facilitate interaction, collaboration, and collective action between diverse stakeholders and leverage stakeholder networks to develop strategies advocating citizen priorities;
- Develop resources and facilitate trainings on CSO capacity building for staff, partners, and grantees;
- Facilitate and support partnerships, collaboration, and collective action between a diverse group of local stakeholders;
- Support the collaboration and capacity building of civil society to raise awareness of citizen priorities;
- Engage women, youth, and excluded groups in public and political dialogue;
- Ensures gender-sensitive and socially inclusive programming in activities.
- Coordinate with the Field staff on providing assistance and mentorship to the local partners in their daily work and to improve their deliverables;
- Work directly with the local partners to develop ideas for new activities that fit within the guidelines provided by the donor;
- Develop concept notes and Activity Approval Form (AAF) for ideas yellow lighted by the donor, providing assistance to council in drafting of concept note, requesting additional information once submitted, and finalizing for submission to the Senior Program Manager;
- Develop detailed activity description, detailed budget, clear fee collection plan, and work plan. As required, work with procurement team to develop procurement plan and market surveys for projects;
- Develop detailed risk assessment and mitigation plans for each concept note and AAF to include all possible risks associated with the project; and
- Once AAF has been approved, draft the FAS and negotiation memo, design the milestone table and add the communication details with the local partners to the negotiation memo.
Activity Implementation:
- Participate in approved activities kick-off meeting as main POC, explaining the agreement, SOW, terms, as well as conditions and milestones to the local partners or the council representatives;
- Advise the local partners on requirements of technical milestone deliverables and provide feedback, in coordination with SSPP field staff;
- Provide day to day technical oversight of an activity portfolio of up to twenty activities to ensure effective programmatic delivery that meets the objectives of each activity;
- Review technical milestone deliverables to confirm that they meet program requirements;
- Prepare and get approval on the certification of milestone completion before submitting to finance team;
- Review all financial reporting to ensure all costs are allocable, allowable, and reasonable and that supporting documentation is complete;
- Contribute to the program’s activity tracker, capturing all activities commitments and disbursements;
- Maintain regular communications with the local partners and field staff and provide any political, military, and/or social changes to the program and M&E team;
- Contribute to SSPP weekly and quarterly reports that will be send to the client;
- Share highlights, success stories, lessons learned, and challenges provided by the partners with M&E team for qualitative reporting; and
- As needed, work closely with the operations team on the in-kind procurement including preparing of Purchase Requests, participating in the solicitation process.
Activity Close Out:
- Maintain complete and accurate activity files with minimal oversight;
- Draft the final report of all activities. Seek M&E input on the indicator section;
- Conduct the financial review for activities and ensure that budget tracker and HQ transaction are matching. Capture any discrepancies and communicate with HQ on documenting all notes;
- Draft de-obligation memo for activities with remaining balance; and
- Prepare close out checklist.
Program Representation:
- Serve as SSPP representative in meetings with the local partners and other implementers in Berlin;
- Present activities development and situational updates to the donor at weekly program meetings;
- Coordinate with other implementer’s staff to ensure synergy of support for the local partners; and
- Provide input and analysis into routine Program situation reports and other program reporting.
Other Tasks:
- Mentor the field staff within the assigned geographical area, particularly new staff, introducing them to SSPP’s policies and procedures;
- Represent the NE Liaison and Field Officers within the program, bringing concerns to senior management on the team’s behalf;
- Contribute to requests for information, in English; and
- Provide updates on political, security, economic and other developments in Syria upon request.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent, required in relevant field; relevant Master’s degree preferred;
- At least three (3) years’ experience of international professional experience in public outreach, civil society, or local governance; over five (5) years’ experience desired for manager level position;
- Demonstrated professional experience and knowledge in designing components programming under donor regulations, preferably with the U.S. Government (USG);
- Demonstrated knowledge of regional conflict and political dynamics with a focus on the Syrian context strongly preferred;
- Demonstrated experience working on USG funded development/stabilization programming strongly preferred;
- Demonstrated experience managing direct reports;
- Fluency in Arabic language required. Proficiency in English language required; and
- Authorization to legally work in Germany.
Data Protection Information
By providing us your CV and respective personal information via Email you are permitting Creative Associates International Deutschland GmbH to access and use the information for recruitment purposes.
Creative Associates International Deutschland GmbH will store your details for the duration of the recruiting process, with a maximum retention period of 6 months. Your personal information will be deleted automatically once the data retention period is reached.
Should you wish to remove your details prior to automatic deletion or for any other queries about how your information is handled, please contact Creative Associates International Deutschland GmbH directly at [email protected].
PI196599960