Deputy Team Leader – Projects | Kyiv, Ukraine | 2022

Summary:

Chemonics seeks a Deputy Team Leader (DTL) for Projects, for the Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine (PFRU) programme in Ukraine. The PFRU is a multi-year, multi-donor funded programme managed by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and governed in collaboration with the Government of Ukraine. Chemonics is the Management Agent for the PFRU.

The PFRU’s aim is to set improved conditions for the Ukrainian state, in partnership with civil society and the private sector, to lead on inclusive national recovery and revitalisation in the context of Russia’s aggression. This outcome is designed to facilitate and strengthen resilience for a more socially cohesive, inclusive, democratic, and prosperous Ukraine. The PFRU provides funds to Ukrainian and international delivery partners and implements projects based on research and evidence.

The DTL for Projects will be part of the Senior Management Team. They will be in charge of overseeing all PFRU programming to ensure all projects are designed, delivered, adapted and completed based on evidence, meet the agreed objectives and are delivered to the highest technical standard and in line with programme commitments to gender equality and social inclusion (GESI), environment, and conflict sensitivity.

Responsibilities:

Leadership and management

• Leads on high level programme planning alongside other PFRU senior management, programme leadership, Government of Ukraine, partners and financing partners.
• Manages the project directors (of Fund award projects) and provides technical leadership to other technical staff and consultants, including oversight of regular project-level implementation meetings.
• Coordinates projects to ensure project design and delivery is adequately resourced to deliver projects in accordance with VfM principles and required quality, time and resource standards.
• Provides technical leadership and management of the Research, Monitoring and Learning (RML) team, and coordinates the integration of evidence to drive learning, design and adaptation of projects.
• Identifies capacity needs and delivers or arranges training and other capacity building as required for technical project team.
• Manages and supports team cohesion and wellbeing, which includes planning relevant workshops and events.
• Provides regular updates on programmatic progress to team members and helps address any arising issues and/or challenges.
• Helps identify staffing needs for pipeline and existing Fund award projects and helps identify and select potential recruits.

Project design, delivery and adaptation, RML, and GESI

• Ensures the portfolio of Fund projects is designed and adapted based on evidence and learning and fits within the wider PRFU programme design and theory of change.
• Ensures that each Fund project has a designated project director (may also assume some of these project director roles themselves).
• Works together with the Team Leader, RML staff, and project directors and other stakeholders to drive identification and design of new Fund projects, and ensures programme design and adaptation is evidence driven to maximise the effectiveness of political stabilisation results based on evidence.
• Ensures that all Fund projects are designed and implemented in line with Fund Manual processes, FCDO standards in programming, GESI, conflict sensitivity, and environmental impact commitments.
• Ensures that research is conducted to address programme needs, and evidence-based lessons are identified and learned from research and project delivery, and that RML feeds into programme and project adaptation cycles.

Client and stakeholder engagement

• Works closely with the Team Leader to prepare for and present at meetings with the Government of Ukraine and finance partners – monthly Technical Committees, and quarterly Strategy Committees. Typical issues to present may include: context update, latest research and evidence, key programme updates, lessons learned, and Fund projects for approval for future Fund awards.
• Sets agendas and helps run weekly staff and FCDO meetings. Subsequently reviews and edits meeting minutes.
• Coordinates mapping of other donor and GoU programmes, to ensure synergy and effective coordination. Makes recommendations for coordination and potential partner meetings and conducts high-level stakeholder coordination and engagement.

Reporting and drafting

• Leads on drafting, editing and technical reviews of monthly reports and other key deliverables and presentations, gathering inputs from team members where necessary.
• Leads on all technical submissions to the Technical, Strategy and Political Committees, including updating templates and providing quality assurance for research, monitoring and learning, project reporting, project design (concept notes and project documents) and completion reports.
• Writes and/or provides editing, formatting and quality assurance of all concept notes, project documents, project reporting and close out reports to the highest standard. Ensures a clear drafting and review process that also brings in technical inputs on GESI, MEL and environment.

Qualifications:

The Deputy Team Leader for Programmes will have the following qualifications and experience requirements:

• At least eight years of experience in managing and implementing stabilisation or peacebuilding programmes in fragile and conflict affected states (FCAS), including having familiarity with the challenges of programmatic delivery in that context.
• Track record of designing and adapting programmes based on evidence. Direct experience of RMEL roles would be an advantage. Experience in fund management and/or managing an adaptive portfolio of projects is highly desired.
• Excellent communications skills – in particular writing in English at the highest standard. Ukrainian/Russian language skills beneficial.
• At least five years of supervisory work experience involving direct leadership of staff, and oversight and evaluation of performance and deliverables; and professional development of staff.
• Team player and motivator who thrives on empowering and enabling other staff, in particular from the host country. Ability to work with and manage culturally and geographically diverse staff.
• Strong managerial, problem solving and strategic planning skills.
• Experience working with different levels of stakeholders; local actors, local and international NGOs, preferably in Ukraine.
• Experience working on prior FCDO programmes is strongly preferred.