Project Coordinator – JISRA Project at Search for Common Ground (SFCG)

Search for Common Ground (SFCG) is an international non-profit organization that promotes the peaceful resolution of conflict. With headquarters in Washington, DC and Brussels, Belgium, Search’s mission is to transform how individuals, organizations, and governments deal with conflict – away from destructive approaches towards cooperative solutions. With more than 600 staff worldwide, Search implements projects in more than 30 countries across the globe.

We are recruiting to fill the position of:

Job Title: Project Coordinator – JISRA Project

Location: Abuja
Employment Type: Full Time

Position Summary

• The Project Coordinator will be responsible for the overall coordination and implementation of the five-year Joint Initiative for Strategic Religious Action project (JISRA) funded by Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• JISRA is an interfaith consortium, including Catholic, Islamic, protestant, interreligious and secular organizations for the promotion of religion or belief (FoRB).
• The project will partner with religious actors as agents of change within the broader civic space while acknowledging religious actors’ important role in promoting FoRB.
• The project’s goal is to strengthen the voice of religious actors in civil society and in nurturing civic spaces while leveraging religious actors’ role in advocacy and FoRB.
• The Project Coordinator will develop the project implementation plan and ensure that the activities are executed as planned and within the timeframe and are of the highest quality; coordinate with the project participants and ensure the logistics of all the events go smoothly; and prepare monthly progress and quarterly reports.
• S/he will also provide support to Search’s local partners in the implementation of their project activities, as and when necessary and appropriate.
• S/he will work under the direct supervision of the National Program Manager, providing oversight to this project.
• The position will be based in Abuja.

Major Duties and Responsibilities
As job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, the position holder may be required to undertake other duties that are broadly in line with the above key duties:

• Develop and implement a costed work plan for the project;
• Develop project methodology and approach, including identification and selection of project participants;
• Ensure all project targets are met and lead on project delivery of project phases, providing technical input in close collaboration with other teams members and stakeholders;
• Work closely with the Finance Manager to monitor the budget vs expenditure and ensure that the required burn rate is achieved while ensuring zero unallowable spendings;
• Work closely with the Design, Monitoring and Evaluation and Learning (DMEL) Manager to monitor and track project’s progress and draw out results, success stories and lessons learned;
• Work closely with the Communications unit to design success stories to easy to communicate modes that highlight the outcome and results of the project;
• Ensure that the project meets all its deliverables on time and the expected results are of high quality;
• Develop and nurture relations with relevant stakeholders, CSOs, religious bodies and other stakeholders at the national, regional and state level;
• Analyze the context within the scope of the project and provide inputs for regular context updates;
• Ensure that quality and timely project reports that meet donor specifications are produced and submitted. This includes but not limited to context updates, monthly reports, quarterly reports, success stories, and case studies;
• Provide support to SFCG’s other projects and programs where relevant and necessary;
• Lead on project closeout activities at the end of the project;
• Any other duties assigned by the line manager.

Qualification

• Bachelor’s Degree in social science, arts, development studies or related field;
• At least 5 years of professional experience in project cycle management, coordinating project activities, outreach, and/or advocacy;
• At least 3 years experience working in INGO, CSO, or recognized government agency involved in peacebuilding and conflict transformation field, preferably with experience in engaging with religious leaders and faith communities.
• Demonstrated competency in the use of ICT resources like emailing, Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint presentation.

Required Competencies:

• Experience in working with diverse faith-based organizations and places of worship; ability to articulate the value of interfaith work and to engage with interfaith collaborations; demonstrated effectiveness with policy and advocacy. Experience working on a gender /youth-focused project will be an added advantage.
• Action-Oriented – enjoys working hard and looking for challenges; ability to act and react as necessary, even if limited information is available; a high degree of independence, flexibility, initiative, and self-motivation.
• Partnership and Relationship Building – experience cultivating, engaging, and managing partnerships with multiple stakeholders to achieve outcomes; strong teamwork skills and track record working collaboratively with colleagues across departments and functions.
• Communication Ability – excellent writing and speaking skills; experience facilitating meetings and workshops; ability to work effectively with internal and external stakeholders;
• Results-Oriented – track record of accomplishing goals and a bottom-line orientation; evidence of the ability to consistently make good decisions through a combination of analysis, experience, judgment; and creative solution-oriented project management.
• Operational Management – experience and demonstrated success in setting goals and objectives, managing outcomes, and developing and using data to inform continuous improvement and decision making.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.