Head of Project – Building Resilience in conflict-affected contexts*

The position is to be filled as soon as possible, with an initial contract duration of one year. There are good prospects for an extension. Employment location will be Mopti, Mali.

Welthungerhilfe (WHH) has been active in Mali since 1968 and works with vulnerable communities affected by hunger in the regions of Kayes, Nioro, Kita, Bandiagara, Ségou, Mopti, Taoudeni, Timbuktu and Gao to improve their food and nutritional security in a sustainable way. The project “Building resilience and effective management of natural resources in conflict-affected contexts in Central Mali” has been implemented by WHH and its partner organizations in the regions of Mopti and Bandiagara since 2020. The project focuses on climate-smart agriculture, improving natural resource management, increasing income opportunities for vulnerable households and contributing to social cohesion within communities.

As Head of Project you will lead the existing project team in the implementation of activities planned for the final phase of the project and manage the project closure process, including the capitalization of lessons learned in terms of programmatic approaches and collaboration with partner organizations and other stakeholders. Building on the lessons learned and drawing on the expertise of your project team, you will assist the grants development team in preparing a possible follow-up project.

Your responsibilities

• Effective on-the-job coaching and supervision of the project’s management team (WHH, partner organization) on timely operational planning (incl. procurements, logistics, expenditure planning and monitoring) through roll-out of existing monitoring tools and contributing to the development of new tools/SOPs, etc. where gaps persist
• Development and roll-out of capacity-building and career development plans (SMART objectives) for talents identified in cooperation with the Area Manager and HR department
• Ensure the quality of project interventions in accordance with WHH standards through effective monitoring of partnership agreements, regular monitoring and updating of project’s programmatic indicators as well as operational KPIs
• Ensure effective risk monitoring and management (financial risks, operational risks) and implementation of project activities in a conflict-sensitive manner (incl. appropriate ‘do no harm’ measures)
• Ensure the effectiveness of the MEAL system, in close collaboration with MEAL Unit and Programme department, with a particular focus on gender and protection mainstreaming as well as ‘do no harm’ principles
• Efficiently steer the project closure process and final reporting to the donor, involving the project team, partner organizations and the project’s stakeholders (including relevant authorities) in close cooperation with the Finance, Operations, and Programme departments
• Contribute to the conception and writing of winning donor proposal(s) for the next phase in synergy with ongoing projects/programmes (by WHH or others) and in line with WHH’s country strategy (special emphasis on Triple Nexus)
• In coordination with the Area Manager, represent WHH in external networks/coordination platforms at regional level to provide updates and receive feedback

Your profile

• A university or college degree in Environment Science or Management, Agronomy, Economics, Political Science or any other equivalent degree related to rural development interventions
• At least 5 years of relevant experience in managing development or emergency projects with a turnover of at least 750,000 EUR/year, particularly in INGOs and/or UN agencies focusing on food security and livelihoods
• Experience in steering consortia with international and/or national partner organizations would be a strong asset
• Initial experience in implementing food systems transformation approaches in challenging environments would be an advantage
• Previous working experience in the Sahel region would be an asset
• Proficiency in Microsoft collaboration tools (Outlook, Teams, Planner) and MS Office (Word, Excel, Powerpoint); PowerBI skills would be an asset
• Proven skills in on-the-job training and capacity building of staff in efficient project and resource management
• Excellent analytical skills (financial, programme trends, MEAL, security) to identify blockages and provide pragmatic solutions to adapt project steering to a rapidly evolving context, including temporary access restrictions
• Ability to develop appealing outputs for external use (donor reports, presentations, etc.) and convincing proposals
• Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to build and manage complex and diverse relationships with stakeholders
• Proven ability to work in a multi-disciplinary team in a multicultural environment and to maintain good working relationships inside and outside the organization
• Certified HEAT training completed within the last 24 months would be an asset
• Readiness to receive necessary vaccinations for working in Welthungerhilfe’s project countries
• Excellent spoken and written French and good English language skils

Our offer

We offer you the opportunity to work in a responsible and interesting field as part of an extremely dedicated team. Welthungerhilfe attaches great importance to the personal and professional development of its employees and the balance of their work and private life. Remuneration is based on our gender-independent salary scale. In addition, Welthungerhilfe offers numerous other benefits, which are listed under “Our benefits”.