Consortium Manager

ROLE PURPOSE:
As a member of the Extended Senior Management Team (ESMT) the Consortium Manager, Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Building Peace and Stability in Iraq programme (BPSI) shares in the overall responsibility for the direction and coordination of the programme. He/she is accountable to the Head of Operations and provides overall financial, administrative and operational management leadership to the project across the five governorates.

The Consortium Manager will strategically lead and manage the FCDO BPSI programme; accountable for the achievement of programme deliverables and provide strategic oversight to program quality through an agreed Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning Framework.

S/he will serve as the coordination leader and focal point of the consortium partners – Kurdistan Organization for Human Rights Watch (KOHRW), Women Empowerment Organization (WEO), Sahara Economic Development Organization (SEDO), and Yazda.

The Consortium Manager will also serve as a key liaison point of contact with local government representatives, donors, local institutions, and communities in close coordination with consortium members.

The Consortium Manager will directly manage the consortium responsible for implementing the Building Peace and Stability in Iraq programme funded by FCDO. The project has three objectives:

1. To support local conflict-resolution and help build community cohesion.
2. To help vulnerable people access legal support (for example, legal representation and/or documentation).
3. To support host communities, returnees, and displaced people with aspects of welfare in legal assistance and social cohesion.

In the event of a major humanitarian emergency, the role holder will be expected to work outside the normal role profile and be able to vary working hours accordingly.

SCOPE OF ROLE:

Reports to: Program Operations Director
Staff reporting to this post: 3

Direct: MEAL Manager, Financial Coordinator and Senior Legal Partnerships Coordinator/Senior Legal Capacity Building Officer
Indirect : None
Budget Responsibilities: £2,500,000 over two years
Role Dimensions: (e.g. complexity, relationships, communication with stakeholders)
The Manager will have overall responsibility for the strategic direction and coordination of the programme working in close collaboration with consortium members, projects teams and donor. He/she is accountable to the Operations Director and provides overall financial, administrative and operational management leadership to the project across the five project sites of Anbar, Diyala, Kirkuk, Ninewa, and Salah al din. The Consortium Manager will strategically lead and manage the FCDO BPSI programme; and is accountable for the achievement of program deliverables and provide strategic oversight to program quality through an agreed Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning Framework, and working closely with the MEAL Manager. The position involves travel within Iraq, and the person is expected to operate with a high degree of autonomy.

S/he will serve as the coordination leader and focal point of the consortium partners and will ensure effective management of consortium wide partnerships, maintain both internal and external relationships required to deliver on the project objectives.

The Consortium Manager will also serve as a key liaison point of contact with local government representatives, donor, local institutions and communities in close coordination with the CMU.

KEY AREAS OF ACCOUNTABILITY :
Operations Management
* Ensure the implementation and monitoring of effective management systems to meet contractual requirements and in accordance with the rules of Save the Children International (SCI) and Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)
* Supervise the PMU to maximize quality of program services and manage the MEAL framework
* Coordinate the effective development and implementation of project processes (procurement, the personnel performance evaluation, budget projections, sub-recipient monitoring, etc.) under the compliance requirements/rules of FCDO
* Conduct regular field visits to monitor the effective implementation of the program and the efficient use of systems/resources in accordance with the compliance requirements/rules of FCDO.
* Maintain good relationships with all partners to ensure the effective implementation of the activities and compliance (including monitoring of agency workplans)
* Maintain close oversight of key donor focus areas including gender
* Ensure key policies are adhered to and kept up to date including training and awareness around child safeguarding, sexual harassment and misconduct.
* Ensure key project risk mitigation measures remain clear and up-to-date

Governance
* Work closely with the project’s Steering Committee to maintain project governance and oversight
* Represent the project as required with donors, independent evaluators

Budget Management
* Supervise the Financial Manager for the project to ensure sound budget tracking and management consistent with the rules of SCI and FCDO
* In coordination with the Financial Coordinator engage the consortium financial and technical teams from each agency in the quarterly monitoring of budget consumption in accordance with the planning of activities (work schedule).
* Proactively address weaknesses that may affect implementation of systems and quality of deliverables.
* Monitor partner expenses with consortium partners in accordance with the partner’s milestones and payments.
* Responsible for the overall financial monitoring including to make sure the availability of funds from year to year and that annual budgets are correctly estimated.
* Maintain oversight of risk mitigation measure to prevent financial misconduct (fraud, corruption, terrorist financing)

Team Management
* Ensure CMU job descriptions are clear and up-to-date for all positions under the supervision and conduct annual evaluations of performance. Identify team capacity building needs.
* Deal with personnel performance issues proactively by providing regular feedback and provide constructive coaching.
* Develop a culture of teamwork, and develop effective communication mechanisms.
* Ensure joint planning and sharing of experiences between the technical and geographical teams within agencies and interagency.

Communications
* Ensure that a communications plan is agreed to across consortium partners and that stakeholders identified in the communications plan are provided with content and materials as agreed and required.
* Host multi-media and other communications staff to ensure access to field sites and production of high quality materials to support the program

Stakeholder Engagement and Leadership
Engage with relevant stakeholders with appropriate and timely information and develop a strong network of stakeholders with a common vision across the consortium.

BEHAVIOURS (Values in Practice)
Accountability:
* holds self accountable for making decisions, managing resources efficiently, achieving and role modelling Save the Children values
* holds the team and partners accountable to deliver on their responsibilities – giving them the freedom to deliver in the best way they see fit, providing the necessary development to improve performance and applying appropriate consequences when results are not achieved.
Ambition:
* sets ambitious and challenging goals for themselves and their team, takes responsibility for their own personal development and encourages their team to do the same
* widely shares their personal vision for Save the Children, engages and motivates others
* future orientated, thinks strategically and on a global scale.
Collaboration:
* builds and maintains effective relationships, with their team, colleagues, Members and external partners and supporters
* values diversity, sees it as a source of competitive strength
* approachable, good listener, easy to talk to.
Creativity:
* develops and encourages new and innovative solutions
* willing to take disciplined risks.
Integrity:
* honest, encourages openness and transparency; demonstrates highest levels of integrity

QUALIFICATIONS
* Master’s degree in international development and/or humanitarian related qualifications
* 5+ years’ work in senior managerial positions in humanitarian and/or development organisations.

EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS
* (Demonstrable track record of working in partnership with national NGOs.
* Demonstrable track record of constructive collaboration with communities and local authorities.
* Demonstrable experience in one or more of the following sectors: legal support or conflict resolution, service provision (e.g. livelihoods, education).
* Proven ability to manage large consortiums with a minimum of 3 years of experience managing multi-regional or multi-country programmes
* Thorough knowledge of FCDO-compliant programme management, accountability, and safeguarding systems
* Ability to articulate ideas clearly, communicate effectively, and have a strong writing ability in English
* Analytic skills: trends and institutional analysis, critical analysis of approaches and strategies.
* Cross-cultural and interpersonal skills.
* Understanding of Save the Children’s vision and mission and a commitment to its objectives and values

The Organisation:
We employ approximately 25,000 people across the globe and work on the ground in over 100 countries to help children affected by crises, or those that need better healthcare, education and child protection. We also campaign and advocate at the highest levels to realise the right of children and to ensure their voices are heard.

We are working towards three breakthroughs in how the world treats children by 2030:
* No child dies from preventable causes before their 5th birthday
* All children learn from a quality basic education and that,
* Violence against children is no longer tolerated

We know that great people make a great organization, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children. We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive workplace where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued.

Application Information:
Please apply using a cover letter and up-to-date CV as a single document. Please also include details of your current remuneration and salary expectations.

We need to keep children safe so our selection process, which includes rigorous background checks, reflects our commitment to the protection of children from abuse.

Save the Children does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.