CARE International is a global leader in a worldwide movement dedicated to ending poverty. CARE works around the globe to save lives, defeat poverty, and achieve social justice. We put women and girls in the centre of our work because we know that we cannot overcome poverty until all people have equal rights and opportunities. CARE has been working in Uganda since 1969, and we work across all the regions of Uganda. The goal of our 2021-2025 business plan is to reach 10 million people through our lifesaving and gender-transformative humanitarian, development, and nexus programs. We are committed to working with the government, private sector, and local civil society, especially women-led and women’s rights organizations. Our annual portfolio is $15 million, funded through various donors.

JOB SUMMARY

The Initiative Manager (IM) is directly responsible for managing “SHE SOARS - Sexual and Reproductive Health & Economic Empowerment Supporting Out of school Adolescent Girls’ Rights and Skills” project. The aim of SHE SOARS is to increase the enjoyment of health-related rights on the part of extremely vulnerable and marginalized women and girls, particularly out-of-school adolescent girls aged between 10 and 19 years old, in Kenya, Uganda, and Zambia.   Key project activities are:

·        Training and supporting educators and health care providers to ensure that adolescents have access to comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) and will also be providing CSE directly through skills and training packages for youth groups.

·        Building capacity and improving access to high-quality, evidence-based sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services for out-of-school adolescents, including family planning information and material, and comprehensive post-abortion services, in an inclusive and adolescent-friendly environment; and

·        Creating sustainable transformations in the social, economic, and legal environments so that adolescents, particularly adolescent girls, can more easily access SRH services and exercise their sexual and reproductive rights.

The IM’s primary responsibility is to provide technical guidance and support to project staff, the implementing partner (IP) and project beneficiaries. The IM is responsible for the day-to-day management of the project, human resource management, planning, and the timely and quality implementation of activities in line with the approved proposal and work plans. S/he is responsible for ensuring accurate and timely financial management of the grant in line with the approved budget. The IM provides oversight on implementation and ensures that the project under his/her management is compliant with CARE Uganda and specific donor rules and regulations. The IM will manage assets assigned to the project; ensure timely and on spot monitoring, evaluation and reporting. This position reports to the Gender Justice Program Manager and collaborates with all CARE Uganda programs namely Emergency, Livelihoods and Climate Justice. The IM will keep in contact and coordinate with key strategic partners at national and district levels; CARE Member Partners (CMPs) and line ministries and ensure timely information sharing and collaboration.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES AND TASKS:

Responsibility 1: Overall Project Management and technical direction to the core components of the project (30% of time)

Key Tasks

·        Drawing from the objectives and agreed upon activities in the project proposal, develop detailed yearly and quarterly implementation plans and related budgets.

·        Ensure the detailed implementation Plan (DIP) is closely followed and monitored to ensure timely implementation of activities within available resources and immediately report any problems or deviations.

·        Technically manage implementation of transformative activities to promote Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights for Out of School girls in all project sites.

• Responsible for monitoring the project budget, reviewing monthly expenditure reports and ensuring budgets are used in accordance with CARE’s and the donors’ rules and regulations. This involves working closely with the Finance Team to prepare accurate and timely donor financial reports and ensuring allocation of expenses to the right budget lines, preparing quarterly projections of needed funds and pipeline projections.
• Responsible for preparing procurement plans for all goods and services for the SHE SOARS project according to approved budgets and activity plans and in line with CARE and donor procurement rules and policies
• Build on the strategic positioning of CARE Uganda in the SRH sub sector and the ASRHR thematic programming forums while emphasising direct linkages with partners in government and non-governmental arenas.
• Ensure coordination with key stakeholders that are focused on the core thematic aspects of the project namely ASRH, SRH and gender equality.
• Ensure partner scope of work is well developed and that contracts which are in line with CARE’s sub-agreement policy are signed with partners, following a due diligence process and organizational capacity assessment.
• Ensure the IP- (Restless Development) has in-depth knowledge of CARE tools and models related to project activities through training in line with CARE program guidelines.
• Ensure a smooth flow of communication between the IP, staff and key stakeholders to foster trust, mutuality, joint learning, accountability and transparency.
• In collaboration with the Grants Coordinator, ensure on-going capacity building especially for the IP at both organizational and technical level.
• Liaise with CARE projects and ensure synergies are as much as possible built particularly with the initiatives working in the same communities e.g. through purposeful targeting of similar participants to receive a comprehensive package of support and services.

Responsibility 2: Fundraising and Business Viability: Strategically contribute and where possible lead Resource mobilization opportunities (10%)

Key Tasks

• Participate or lead country office assessments/ studies aimed at fact finding in line with resources mobilization for CARE Uganda. This will involve both desk / literature reviews and field-based assessments.
• Contribute to/lead proposal development processes (both narrative and budget) while actively engaging all relevant stakeholders (CARE Uganda, CMPs and any consortia members) in both writing, analysis and review processes
• Where possible compile and share relevant data, literature and any related study reports that are aimed at enriching proposal development  

Responsibility 3: Program Quality and Learning (Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability) and Reporting (30%)

Key Tasks

• Ensure the project achieves results based on availability of an effective monitoring and evaluation system with SMART indicators with the engagement of key stakeholders and partner and that the system does not only generate quantitative data but allows for ongoing collection of participants’ views on the project relevance and success.
• Ensure that project indicators are sex and age disaggregated and address the gender transformation of core project deliverables.
• Ensure the project has a database to allow continuous tracking of project delivery on each component and tracking of beneficiaries without multiple counting across components.
• Ensure CARE and partner staff are trained on the developed monitoring and evaluation system.
• Coordinate and manage the design of the baseline, midterm review and end line/final evaluation.
• Facilitate and document regular project reviews with key partners and ensure these reviews inform project implementation and are used to improve project quality.
• Write and support direct reports to write briefs, human interest stories and papers that can be used for advocacy or information purposes.
• Ensure learning products are developed in coordination with relevant colleagues.

Responsibility 4: Team Leadership while paying attention to inclusivity and gender diversity (10%)

Key Tasks:

·        Direct supervision of staff assigned to the project, which includes development of annual performance objectives and proactive management of staff performance.

·        Handle day to day guidance and coaching, formal mid-term and annual performance reviews and support to staff to achieve personal and professional development objectives.

·        Ongoing identification of staffing needs, recommend changes in staffing structure as needed and develop/adapt job descriptions as needed.

·        Support direct reports in accountability and performance management including writing periodic reports on their tasks as well as consolidate reports for internal purposes and donor reports while ensuring that reports are a true reflection of implementation and show progress, challenges and lessons learnt.

·        Promote Team work across the supervisees and ensure CARE’s non negotiables of management are well taken care of as follows:

-        Promote equity and gender transformativeness in all forms of work.

-        Safeguarding project beneficiaries from sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, as well as ensure CARE staff under supervision are aware, have been trained and have signed the code of conduct to uphold the safeguarding policy and are also protected by the same policy

-        Do no harm and have conflict sensitivity through all forms of work

-        Prevent child labour in the managed intervention

• Promote Gender Equity and Diversity & Safeguarding Practices at all times as follows:

-        Practice a behavior that is consistent with CARE’s core values and promotion of gender equity and diversity goals.

-        Play a leadership role in identifying and implementing initiatives that enhance CARE’s commitment to gender and diversity.

-        Ensure that CARE Safeguarding policies and procedures are adhered to by all and the staff that s/he supervisors both directly or indirectly.

-        Ensure that staff and related personnel under your jurisdiction are familiar with the following organizational policies and procedures and can identify when needed how these may have been breached: The CI Safeguarding Policy, Protection from Sexual Harassment, Exploitation and Abuse and Child Abuse, The anti-discrimination and harassment policy, The code of conduct and the organizations Values.

Responsibility 5: Strategic Positioning of CARE Uganda to internal and external stakeholders (15%)

Key tasks:

• Work with the program team to ensure sound gender transformative delivery, innovation and learning that informs design, management and quality implementation.
• Collaborate with specialists to develop and maintain positive working relations with a wide network of partners that include CARE Member Partners, Government, relevant ministries, donors, CSOs, peer INGOs, parliament, media and private sector to scale up CARE’s SRH and gender equality approaches.
• Contribute to CARE Uganda business plan and review processes
• Maintain collaboration and coordination with relevant technical working groups at health sector level as well as ensuring learning and information gathering and dissemination
• Engage in program-level planning, review and learning meetings and contribute to synergy and learning across the different program domains of change.
• Being aware of what CARE is doing outside of personal specialization to communicate CARE’s strategies, programs and accomplishments effectively
• As requested by the Program Manager (or designate), deputize or represent CARE in:

-         Stakeholder coordination meetings to harmonize activities with others

-         Other high-profile events (e.g. national events) and networking opportunities

-         Taking opportunities to promote CARE in the communities where it operates, including displaying any promotional material as appropriate

Responsibility 6: Any other duties (5%)

As appropriately assigned.

Relationships and Collaboration

This is a middle level management position in CARE, and it is therefore important that the position holder exercises both sensitivity and responsiveness to the needs of the program, staff and partners, as well as the mission, program directions, policies, procedure and core values of CARE International.  S/he will have close and joint planning, coordination and collaboration with Gender Justice and other CARE Program staff (Emergency, Livelihoods and Climate Justice), and implementing partners. In addition, collaboration will be required with government (Local government authorities, National line ministries) and non-governmental counterparts (INGOs) and Private Sector stakeholders. The IM will directly supervise staff assigned to the project. S/he will coordinate relevant activities of the IP with other CARE projects when relevant.

Work conditions

The position is based in Arua CARE Field Office with 20% time in Kampala for effective field presence and coordination with various stakeholders as well as provide technical support to the partner in Kampala and participate in national level SRH strategic engagements. At field level, the IM will liaise with partners, local government, district health officers, the Office of the Prime Minister, and stakeholders within the area of operation. It is essential that the IM maintains a close effective presence at field level to ensure proper management, supervision, guidance and leadership on activities.

Minimum Qualification and experience:

The IM will have a suitable combination of experience and relevant training in the following technical and programmatic requirements:

 Bachelor’s degree in clinical medicine, Nursing, Midwifery, Public Health, Social Sciences, Gender or related field (A formal qualification in a medical field is a MUST and a relevant master’s degree is an added advantage). A post Graduate diploma in any medical field is a MUST.

• Expert level knowledge and at least five to seven years’ practical experience in ASRHR or SRHR programming, preferably with refugees/displaced populations and host communities.
• Advanced knowledge and at least 7 years of proven practical project management experience -managing large geographically dispersed project sites, with implementing partners.
• Strong working knowledge of Monitoring and Evaluation, excellent report writing, participatory planning, budget management and human Resource Management.
• Proven experience managing diverse teams and individuals’ performance for success,
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.
• Computer literate (email, word processing, spreadsheets, PowerPoint)
• Personally committed to gender equality and women and girls’ empowerment with ability to lead organizational change processes that aim at making organisations more gender aware, gender committed and gender competent.
• A team player with ability to effectively and proactively work independently with minimum supervision.

Required Competencies

• Excellence: Sets high standards of performance for self and/or others; successfully completes assignments; ensures interactions and transactions are ethical and convey integrity.
• Integrity: Maintains social, ethical and organizational norms; firmly adheres to codes of conduct and ethical principles inherent to CARE.
• Communicating with Impact: Diplomatically, logically and clearly conveying information and ideas through a variety of media to individuals or groups in a manner that engages the recipient / audience and helps them understand and retain their message.
• Facilitating Change: Supports and manages the change process at CARE Uganda by developing a culture affirmative of change; encouraging others to seek and act upon opportunities for different and innovative approaches to addressing problems and opportunities; critically analyzing evolving and fluid situations; facilitating the implementation and acceptance of change within the workplace; actively engaging with resistance to change.
• Strengthening Partnership: Identifying and utilizing opportunities within and outside of CARE Uganda to develop effective strategic relationships between one’s area and other areas/departments/units or external organizations to achieve CARE’s objectives.
• Management Excellence: Makes the connection between values and performance. Influences the performance of others, and ultimately, the performance of the organization. Sets direction, coaches & develops, promotes staff wellness & safety, practices & promotes compliance, models gender equity & diversity, communicates effectively.
• Developing Teams: Using appropriate methods and a flexible interpersonal style to help build a cohesive team; facilitates the completion of team goals.
• Diversity - Promoting, valuing, respecting and fully benefiting from everyone’s unique qualities, background, race, culture, age, gender, disability, values, lifestyle, perspectives or interests; creating and maintaining a work environment that promotes diversity.
• Adaptability- Expected to well adjust with the country, the cooperating environment and with the Project team to function effectively and efficiently.
• Coaching - Ability to demonstrate enhanced skills and capacity of staff working in the field and office for them continue to serve CARE in the future program activities.