Job Profile
PROJECT MANAGER

Practical Action

ABOUT US

We are an international development organisation putting ingenious ideas to work so people in poverty can change their world.

We help people find solutions to some of the world’s toughest problems. Challenges made worse by catastrophic climate change and persistent gender inequality. We work with communities to develop ingenious, lasting and locally owned solutions for agriculture, water and waste management, climate resilience and clean energy. And we share what works with others, so answers that start small can grow big.

We’re a global change-making group. The group consists of a UK registered charity with community projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America, an independent development publishing company and a technical consulting service. We combine these specialisms to multiply our impact and help shape a world that works better for everyone.

OUR AIMS

We help people find solutions to some of the world’s toughest problems, made worse by catastrophic climate change and persistent gender inequality. Our aims are to:

  • Make agriculture work better for smallholder farmers, many of them women, so they can adapt to climate change and achieve a good standard of living
  • Help more people harness the transformational effects of clean affordable energy and reduce avoidable deaths caused by smoke from indoor stoves and fires.
  • Make cities in poorer countries cleaner, healthier places to live and work.
  • Build disaster resilience into the lives of people threatened by hazards – reducing the risk of hazards and minimising their impact on lives and livelihoods.

HOW WE WORK

We work on holistic solutions that change systems and have a framework to help us achieve our aims:

  • Analyse the root causes of a poverty and vulnerability
  • Define the change at scale we need to make
  • Develop activities along three complementary paths: Demonstrate, Learn and Inspire.
  • Demonstrate that our solutions are sustainable in the real world
  • Learn by capturing evidence and adapting our approach
  • Inspire wider support to multiply our impact.

OUR ORGANISATION

Practical Action is an unconventional, multi-disciplinary changemaking organisation

  • A highly innovative community development charity operating in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Practical Action community projects use ingenious ideas to design, test, refine and prove new ways to overcome poverty and disadvantage and then ‘open-source’ knowledge of what works so that it can be implemented at a greater scale by others.
  • A world-class consulting operation that helps socially responsible business, government policy makers and other development organisations. This draws on learnings from our own development work as well as the combined brainpower of a roster of over 2,000 expert consultants. Practical Action Consulting helps to extend the reach of our influence by providing the best advice to others, whose work can make a bigger difference.
  • A well respected specialist development publisher. Practical Action Publishing brings together development practitioners, researchers and thought leaders to create publications that stimulate discussion, strengthen peoples’ capabilities and inspire sustainable change.

Job Profile

Responsible to: Programme Delivery Lead       
Grade: E                             
Line Manages: None                     
Location: Khulna (Project Regional Office)                     
Nature of Contract: Fixed term until June 2024         
Financial Scope: £2M project activity budget over 4 years                  
Travel: Regular travel to Dhaka, Dacope, and field locations                            

Project Description

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has selected a CARE Bangladesh led consortium to implement the project titled ‘Nature Based Adaptation towards Prosperous and Adept Lives & Livelihoods in Bangladesh (NABAPALLAB)’ in two Ecologically Critical Areas (ECA) – Sundarbans and Hakaluki Haor.

The Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest in the world, and Hakaluki Haor, a complex wetland system of the Meghna-Surma River basin, play a crucial role in protecting lives and livelihoods in the southwest coast and northeast Bangladesh respectively. The Sundarbans' inhabitants are threatened by climate changes due to rising sea levels and frequent cyclones. Due to environmental sensitivity and high anthropogenic pressures such as overharvesting, overfishing, pollution and illegal logging, the Sundarbans mangrove and the Hakaluki Hoar wetland are at a vulnerable stage with climate change exacerbating the current situation.

FCDO’s NABAPALLAB aims to engage biodiversity and natural resource-dependent communities to strengthen the climate resilience of the ECAs, conserve biodiversity, and at the same time, diversify and improve people's livelihood through innovative nature-based (NBS) and locally led adaptation solutions. It will also enhance the capacity of the local government bodies to manage and conserve the ECAs effectively and create an enabling environment to implement relevant government plans and policies related to Eco-System based Adaptation (EBA).

About the Role

The Project Manager will be managing all field operations, liaising with and mobilize local community; coordination and collaboration with local government & stakeholders; budget monitoring and tracking in accordance with approved work plan throughout the project period.

Job Functions and Responsibilities

  • S/he will ensure timely and quality implementation of all components through regular monitoring and follow-ups including periodical report preparation for the donor and NGOAB, as well as support MEL and Knowledge Management team to produce learning and knowledge products.
  • Overall, s/he will ensure proper and timely implementation of the project work plan and accountable service mechanism to strengthen the adaptive capacity and climate resilience of vulnerable groups in the ecologically critical areas in Sundarbans according to the project Theory of Change.
  • The manager will be responsible for developing climate adaptive solutions to specific innovation challenges in order to support community with sustainable nature-based solutions (NBS) in livelihood (on-farm and off-farm), shelter and settlements, renewable energy, WASH supported by adequate climate information services models with a market-based approach (MBA).
  • Will be responsible for the timely and quality implementation of all deliverables on        behalf of the organization.
  • S/he will lead the process of beneficiary/participant selection, validation and distribution of packages and services as per the project plan and target.
  • S/he will supervise all field level activities to ensure that all staffs are working according to the project work plan.
  • Ensure quality and timely reports are written and submitted to the donor
  • Oversee the project budget ensuring expenditure is on-track. With donor permission, adjust the budget based on learnings for improved impact
  • Ensure gender, equity and social inclusion and climate risk assessments are carried out, generate and support evidence for learning. Discuss findings with the office and project team and adapt as needed.
  • Recruit and line manage consultants where planned
  • Support MEL team to establish a functioning accountability mechanism, and ensure closing the loop of all feedback, especially from ecology-based adaptation (EbA) and regenerative agriculture point of view.
  • Support MEL team to conduct baseline, mid-line and end line survey and evaluations, scoping study, process and periodical monitoring assessment tools and checklists from regenerative agriculture point of view.
  • Ensure real-time monitoring data inputs on natural resource management (NRM), EbA and regenerative agriculture so as to provide clear direction to reflect and improve consortium’s performance in these aspects.
  • Provide inputs to consortium’s learning and knowledge products from NRM, EbA and regenerative agriculture perspectives.
  • Recruit staff with the needed competencies and attitudes and build a culture of learning & adaptation with the project team and partners
  • Ensure security of the project office and assets and ensure staff follow compliance protocols especially safeguarding.

Person Profile
To be successful in the role, the ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate:

EXPERIENCE &
KNOWLEDGE
  • Minimum 8 years of working experience in community led innovation in the context of climate justice & adaptation/ resilience. At least 05 years’ experience in a similar position.
  • Skills in project cycle management – planning, budgeting, technical and financial oversight.
  • Good understanding on issues of climate change adaptation; gender equity, protection and multicultural intervention.
  • Familiar with bio-physical and socio-economic condition of in the ecologically critical areas in Sundarbans.
  • Experience in developing and implementing Market Based Approach (MBA) to address and mitigate climate change challenges.
  • Proficient in MS Office tools (Word, Excel, Power Point);
  • Good verbal and written communication skills in local language, English and Bengali;
  • Strong grasp of theory and practical experience of using participatory community engagement tools including for design, reflection, review and evaluation
  • Experience of market-based approaches to development and conversant with the PMSD framework, or similar tools.

BEHAVIOURS & MOTIVATIONS

  • Good communication, negotiation and problem-solving capacities.
  • Ability to manage stress, multi-task and take decisions.
  • Pro-active and participatory decision-making and problem-solving;
  • Leadership and results oriented.
  • Flexibility and good understanding on human centric innovation
  • Adaptive thinking and a strong, critical mindset.
  • Strong business acumen and presentation skills.
  • Forward-thinking and adaptable to dynamic situations.
  • Good interpersonal, leadership, and communication skills.
  • Passionate and with practical experience of building in gender and inclusion into all project activities and approaches.
  • Strong advocate for climate action, climate and social justice.

QUALIFICATION  

  • Post graduate degree in science or social sciences. Preferences will be given to candidates with undergraduate and/or postgraduate degree in Natural Resource Management; Disaster management, Environment/Climate Change, Development Studies, Civil and/ or Water Engineering, Agriculture, International Relations, Economics, Sociology, Statistics, Geography and Environment etc.

How to apply

Please apply online through uploading your CV by 01st August 2023.

We treat all applications for employment on their merits and do not take into consideration any factors that are not relevant to the job such as disability, race, age, religion, gender, gender reassignment or sexual orientation. Only shortlisted candidates will be called for interview.

Practical Action are committed to safeguarding and protecting children and vulnerable adults and as such candidates will be subject to pre-employment checks.