Central Asia Programmes Manager

International Alert is looking for an exceptional manager and peacebuilding expert to implement Central Asia growing programme. Based in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan or Dushanbe, Tajikistan, you will implement and further support Alert’s strategy and peacebuilding work in Central Asia, including outreach and relationship development with key strategic partners, supporting Central Asia Director mapping and pursuing areas of strategic growth, and ensuring programming quality in existing initiatives on community peacebuilding, resilience and reintegration. You will oversee project teams in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and the neighbouring countries, with potential expansion into new areas, including Afghanistan and Pakistan. You will ensure effective management and oversight of implementing partners, including travel to the offices in Tajikistan and/or Kyrgyzstan.

Due to the shifting nature of donor funding and priorities in Central Asia, you will be expected to develop a clear fundraising approach and targets for 2022-25, targeting various funding streams and donors, including traditional grants and commercial contracts and exploring how to situate the Kyrgyzstan/Tajikistan programmes as a hub for regional programming.

You will demonstrate strong programme management and fundraising experience, with the ability to develop and implement projects and programmes and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders and implementing partners. You will have experience designing, monitoring, and evaluating peacebuilding programming and packaging positive peacebuilding outcomes for strategic influencing. You will have strong programmatic experience and a track record of successfully overseeing projects/programmes in difficult operating environments, ideally with experience of remote management of field offices.

You will practice principles of fairness and equity in your professional career, and you will be able to bring together your colleagues around common objectives.

Role duties and responsibilities:

1. Programmes and Projects Management

• Responsible for overall effective, efficient and quality management, implementation, and coordination of the Gender, Climate Change and Conflict Sensativity projects in Central Asia;
• Oversee our work supporting gender, climate change and conflict sensitivity;
• Ensure timely and quality project reporting (narrative and financial) including from project partners;
• Oversee the regular training sessions and awareneness raising community initiatives through coordinating with all project participants in coordination with other Alert technical staff;
• Review and keep up to date a detailed action plan and budget forecast and ensure activities are implemented in accordance with the agreed plans and budget (including developing and reviewing spending plans);
• Ensure the effective recording, documentation, and filing of project activities, internal and external project meetings.

2. Country Strategy and Programmes Development

• Support the Country Director to develop aspects of the Country Strategy, in particular on gender, climate change,social cohesion, dialogue and regional fragility issues;
• Develop and grow our work supporting gender, climate change and conflict sensitivity;
• Lead on new project design and developing new proposals in coordination with the Country Director;
• Identify development and fundraising opportunities for Alert’s programming in Central Asia;

3. Partnerships Management and Liaison

• Maintain and build new relationships with key partners and stakeholders (donors, governmental, CSO, community leaders etc.);
• Maintain positive relationships and regularly update relevant authorities and local actors;
• In coordination with the Central Asia Director, Senior Programme Development Officer-Eurasia and Senior Advisors, attend and provide information to inform Alert’s inputs into discussions and working groups on peace and security, gender, climate change and conflicts.

4. Project design monitoring, evaluation, and communicating learning

• Together with the M&E Officer, review monitoring and evaluation systems at a Country Programme level and project MEL plans, and ensure a focus on impact and quality is maintained and that monitoring data is collected as planned;
• Monitor projects progress and impact and adjust indicators and activities if necessary;
• Oversee management of baseline assessments and project evaluations, with technical advice and leadership of the M&E Officer, ensuring appropriate management responses if necessary;
• Work closely with the Central Asia Director and Communications and Advocacy team (in-country and at London HQ) to ensure proper and context-suitable visibility of projects and to develop and implement project and programme based Communications and Advocacy Plans, in line with Alert as well as donor protocols;
• Disseminate learning from programmes and findings of research, evaluations and ongoing monitoring internally and externally;

5. Office management

• Ensure the efficient running of the Kirgizstan or Tajikistan office and a collegial work environment;
• Deputise for Central Asia Director in some administrative and signatory functions, as required;
• Working closely with the Finance and Operations Manager to ensure that we comply with the organisation’s policies and procedures, in respect with the Kirgizstan/Tajikistan Labor Law;
• Liaise with the Finance and Operations Manager to ensure compliance with donor regulations and guidelines.

6. Contribute to Alert strategies

• Contribute to team-wide communications and knowledge management, and participate in organisation-wide events and discussions on related topics/projects;
• Represent Alert’s values and ideas and be a spokesperson for the organisation at relevant conferences, seminars and other meetings;
• Contribute to organisation -wide learning and exchange on the use of monitoring and evaluation as a tool for achieving greater impact; and on accompanying national NGOs as a tool to strengthening their peacebuilding capacity;
• Any other tasks as may be reasonably required.

Please note that these are just some of the requirements for this role. For the full role requirements, please view the job description.