Vacancy number: 2015-001
Job title: Team Leader PROOFS

Duty station: Dhaka, Bangladesh

Contract information: Start of contract: ASAP

                                         Contract period: in principle until the end of the project (2017)

                                         Type of contract: Employment contract or consultancy contract

ICCO Cooperation is looking for skilled and ambitious professional for our innovative project called PROOFS - Profitable Opportunities for Food Security. PROOFS works with existing CBOs and private sector actors to ensure sustainable food and nutrition security. Following a unique approach, the project strategically integrates bottom up and top down business strategies, commercializes existing infrastructure and technologies serving the base of the pyramid, promotes rural TVET services and embeds nutrition messaging in sustainable services provision. The project is implemented by international consortium partners ICCO Cooperation, iDE, BoP Innovation Center and Edukans each bringing complementary fields of expertise to the project. At field level, PROOFS is also implemented in close cooperation with local partners. ICCO Cooperation is the consortium lead partner.

ICCO Cooperation has supported the development of CBOs in Bangladesh since 1972 and is a leading INGO in implementing innovative food and nutrition interventions in more than 42 countries since 1964. International Development Enterprises (iDE) is an international NGO that facilitates the provision of technologies, services, and capacity building to small rural farmers, while actively fostering their participation in agricultural markets, to increase their incomes and capabilities. BoPInc works with international companies to accelerate adoption of inclusive innovations to benefit people in low-income groups and societies. The incumbent will sign a contract with ICCO Cooperation.

The international consortium partners have formed a special project vehicle which coordinates among partners and implements the project on the basis of a matrix organisation model. This project coordination unit is directly managed by a team of key professionals consisting of a Team Leader (vacant position), two Deputy Team Leaders, a Technical Lead Nutrition, Senior TVET specialists (2), Finance Coordinator, Administrative Manager, Program Associate and Monitor and Evaluation Specialists (2). PROOFS is implemented in 7 districts in Bangladesh (4 in the Northwest, 3 in the Southeast). Its head office is located in Dhaka, while it has two district offices (Rangpur and Barisal) and 7 regional field offices. Total staff will be 120 by 2015.
PROOFS is funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (EKN) in Bangladesh, with a total budget of € 10 Million over 4 years. The project has a mandate to improve the food and nutrition security and WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) situation of 80,000 rural households (HHs) at the Base of the Pyramid1 (BoP).

Position and responsibility

The Team Leader is responsible for the well-functioning of the project coordination unit and provides overall strategic management, coordination and oversight. He/she ensures that activities and consortium partners are coordinating and working to achieve results. The team leader is the key liaison with EKN and all other external stakeholders, implementing partners and partners involved with the program. Her/his primary responsibilities are aimed at providing overall leadership management and general technical direction of the entire program, ensuring an integrated vision among different components and actors, and a focus on achieving the results defined in the contract. The incumbent is expected to identify issues and risks related to program implementation in a timely manner, and suggest appropriate program adjustments to the project’s steering committee.

The Team Leader is aided by two Deputy Team Leaders. These Deputy Team Leaders have been seconded by the two implementing partners (iDE and Edukans) and are reportable and accountable to the Team Leader. The Deputy Team Leaders supervise the Field Team Leaders (one in North, one in South), make operational decisions and manage the various technical components of the program, including subcontracts. They ensure that program components are results-oriented, ensure high quality deliverables, and relevant and timely reporting. The Team Leader and the two Deputy Team Leaders have a major focus on achieving results in all areas assuring that consortium partners and subcontractors (TVET) are poised to deliver services on schedule, ensuring synergies and cohesion between the various result areas.

Key Responsibilities

Coordination

  • Provide professional coordination of the 8 intervention strategies in the project.
  • With the thematic technical leads (WASH, PSE, TVET, etc.), ensure that monitoring tools are developed and standardized, and that data is regularly collected.
  • Ensure coordination for compiling and analysing monitoring data (with support from the functional leads on MRM, Nutrition, WASH, Private Sector Engagement, TVET, Finance), and produce monthly monitoring reports.
  • Ensure that thematic leads (TVET (Edukans), Nutrition (ICCO/BoP) and Market Development (iDE) develop sound mainstreaming strategies (such as ensuring protection of groups at risk and prioritizing gender throughout project implementation), and that these strategies are adopted by consortium partners.
  • Ensure that information and coordination is trickled down to field level.
  • Together with the functional and thematic leads , ensure that learning from the current response is captured and disseminated to all stakeholders (to enhance external application of learning) where relevant.

Advocacy and External Representation

  • Represent the project consortium before legal entities, individuals, government and local self-government authorities in Bangladesh;
  • Advocate to private sector, NGOs, public health sector, donors, media, government, and other stakeholders through bi-lateral meetings, press releases, and workshops, on topics relevant to the project.
  • Represent the project at the relevant external development partners’ clusters and working groups where there is a need for coherent response, coordinated assessment and timely sharing of information and reports.

Financial Management

  • Manage the overall grant budget for the assigned interventions and ensure all expenses are according to budget and meet the PROOFS standards with regard to financial management, including accountability and good governance.Negotiate on behalf of the project with third parties on matters relating to the activities of the project and sign required documents;

Staff Management

  • Provide coaching and direct supervision to the two Deputy Team Leaders and, indirectly via the Deputy Team Leaders, to two Field Team Leaders, in order to develop ownership and full responsibility for all 8 interventions.
  • Provide direct supervision to the Finance Coordinator, Administrative Manager and Nutrition Technical Lead.
  • Assess the training needs of the staff and ensure that appropriate training is conducted.
  • Ensure that management lines and instruments are in place for proper coaching and coordination of all project staff, both in Dhaka and in the field.

Quality Management

  • Foster a climate in which innovation, concept development and improvement can thrive and is results focused. Develop a dissemination strategy accordingly;
  • Ensure all 8 interventions are implemented in line with PROOFS proposals and requirements and in accordance with Consortium, donor, country and international standards i.e. Sphere, DCED and HAP standards.

Reporting Arrangements

The Team Leader directly reports to ICCO Cooperation’s Country Representative for Bangladesh.

The Project Management Team (Team Leader and two Deputy Team Leaders) is chaired by the Team Leader and is accountable to a Steering Committee, consisting of the country directors of the consortium partners.

Languages
Fluent in English, knowledge of Bangla and Dutch (spoken and written) preferable.

Conditions

Availability:    As soon as possible

Duty station:  Dhaka

Contract:        For the period of the project (2015-2017).

                        Employment contract or consultancy contract.

Qualification and competencies

  • Master’s Degree (or foreign equivalent) in education, public/business administration, international relations, other social sciences, or a similar relevant field;
  • Demonstrable experience in leading complex project management in the context of an alliance or consortium or matrix organisation.
  • Management experience of (market-based) food & nutrition projects in developing countries.
  • Team-player with good inter-personal skills; aptitude for community mobilisation and capacity-building.
  • Demonstrable experience in coordinating a range of stakeholders.
  • Experience in capturing and disseminating learning to different audiences for a range of purposes.
  • Diplomacy and excellent interpersonal skills, together with the capacity to remain calm under pressure.
  • Excellent communication skills (written and oral) in English.
  • Experience in working with back donor funded projects.
  • Medically fit and ability to adapt to isolated and potentially insecure environments.
  • Long-term relevant management, supervisory, technical experience working with programs that are of a similar scope and scale to this program;
  • Long-term development experience; experience in managing large scale activities, strategic planning and implementation of related activities;
  • Experience with rapidly changing project designs; and implementation of research programming;
  • At least 5 years of work experience in developing countries, experience in South Asia is preferred;
  • Experience with EU / EKN-funded programs preferred;
  • Demonstrated ability to work in complex, politically charged, unstable environments, work across different cultures, and manage diverse teams to deliver impact within agreed timelines across a broad geographic area.

Information and application

  • For further information, you can contact Heleen van der Beek, ICCO Country Representative Bangladesh: Heleen.van.der.Beek@icco-cooperation.org.
  • You can e-mail your application, including an up-to-date CV, to ICCO HR Department, before Monday 16 February 2015. The e-mail address is vacancies@icco-cooperation.org, for the attention of Mrs. Heleen van der Beek, ICCO Country Representative Bangladesh.
  • Please use “Vacancy 2015-001” in your e-mail title.
  Road 30, House 16 (3rd floor)
Gulshan 1, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh
www.proofsbangladesh.org