Peace Building Program Manager - Kyrgyzstan

Department: Program
Position: Peace Building Program Manager Contract duration: 6 months Location: southern Kyrgyzstan Starting Date ASAP

I. Background on ACTED:

ACTED is an independent international, private, non-partisan and non-profit organization that operates according to principles of strict neutrality, political and religious impartiality, and non discrimination.

ACTED was created in 1993 to support populations affected by the conflict in Afghanistan. Based in Paris, France, ACTED now operates in 28 countries worldwide, with over 200 international and 3000 national staff. ACTED has a 80 million € budget for over 240 projects spanning 8 sectors of intervention; including emergency relief, food security, health promotion, economic development, education & training, microfinance, local governance & institutional support, and cultural promotion. For more information, please visit our website at www.acted.org

II. Program Information

Capital Office : Bishkek National Staff : 155 Areas : 3 On-going programmes : 20 Budget : 4.3 M

ACTED has been in Kyrgyzstan since 2000, and operates in the Jalalabat, Osh, Batken, and Naryn regions with a staff of over 150 people. ACTED in Kyrgyzstan contributes to poverty reduction by decreasing the impact of the world recession through adding value to labour migration, improving the food security of vulnerable people, supporting local initiatives for development, reducing the risks to natural disasters to decrease socio-economic damage and resolving cross border conflicts for stable socio-economic development. ACTED was one of the first NGOs to respond to the humanitarian crisis in 2010 in south Kyrgyzstan, and took on a leading role in addressing the consequences of the June emergency through the provision of mapping and coordination services, as well as the implementation of projects in the fields of shelter, education, water and sanitation, early recovery and livelihoods, non-food items, protection and food security. Meeting immediate humanitarian needs of crisis-affected populations remains one of ACTED’s focuses, as well as medium-term recovery of livelihoods in Osh and Jalalabad, particularly through support to youth and small and medium businesses. In parallel, ACTED and its partners are working on a long term strategy to support the peaceful development of vulnerable communities throughout rural areas in the south of Kyrgyzstan, with the aim of building confidence, promoting reconciliation and mitigating the risk of further conflicts. In addition, ACTED also aims at helping revitalize the economy of the Ferghana Valley and at enhancing inter-cultural dialogue and culture promotion in south Kyrgyzstan.

III. Responsibilities:

The Program Manager ensure the effective planning and implementation of this project by ACTED and its partner organisations, while contributing to the coordination with other implementing partners.

1. Ensure external representation of ACTED in relevant sectors
   • Representation vis-à-vis provincial authorities: Participate in technical and sectoral meetings to ensure visibility amongst local authorities Liaise closely with local authorities in the planning and implementation to ensure maximum cooperation with and involvement of them;
   • Representation vis-à-vis Donors: Participate in technical and sectoral Donor meetings and pass relevant information to the Country Director;
   • Representation vis-à-vis international organisations: Collaborate closely with all implementing partners of the consortium to ensure joint planning and implementation Participate in technical and sectoral meetings and working groups involving NGOs and all other inter-governmental institutions, notably in the peace building working groups/Cluster; Contribute to the creation of reports, ensuring the quality and accuracy of technical information provided as well as the confidentiality of internal information as required;

More generally, the program manager is expected to contribute to the creation of a positive image and overall credibility of the organisation, notably through the application of ACTED’s mandate, ethics, values and stand-point with regard to other actors.

1. Project Cycle Management

• Project implementation: Plan the various stages of project implementation; Guide the implementation of the project and the methods of follow-up bearing in mind that the overriding objective of the project is conflict resolution and peace building. More specifically;

Component 1: GIS Mapping as an Early Warning System With support of a GIS technical expert, Lead on the development of GIS mapping with the focus on further developing an existing Conflict Early Warning System Supervise the development of training methodology and training of local stakeholders on the GIS EWS Supervise the development of survey/data collection tools and conduct of survey in 60 target communities for GIS EWS Facilitate the application of GIS EWS by key stakeholders Lead GIS enabled technologies to pilot resource allocation issues where tensions in communities exists Coordinate the collection and mapping of relevant information from implementing partners

Component 2: Conflict mitigating infrastructures/projects Lead on the establishment of Initiative Groups in 40 communities Guide the facilitation of Initiative Groups to conduct participatory identification and prioritization of community projects aimed at reducing the risks to conflicts Pilot the use of the EWS in the initiative groups as a method for conflict mitigation projet planning Lead the selection and implementation of community projects

Component 3: Conflict Mitigating Livelihoods Supervise the development of the methodology for conducting market surveys to identify needs for development in the agriculture/processing field Lead the assessment of value chains that include potential sources of conflict to identify peace building activities related to social and economic considerations Lead the identification of small businesses and farms as well as methodology to support them through training and provision of resources Guid the development of mechanism to improve the acces of small businesses/farms to informaiton on finance, marketing, vocational training etc Supervise the support of development initiatives of the selected businesses and farms Facilitate the development of new businesses Manage project finances, logistics and materials; Liaise with all internal and external counterparts of the project; Assess the activities undertaken and ensure efficient use of resources; - Project reporting requirements: Set up a clear timeline of reports to be submitted to project Donors through the lead Agency; Contribute to the drafting of narrative reports and the development of financial reports through regular budgetary follow up; Ensure adherence to FLAT (Finance, Logistic and Administration) procedures. More generally, communicate systematically to the Country Director, Deputy Country Director or Area Coordinator on project progress and planning. 3. Provide Relevant Technical Expertise - Ensure that technical quality and standards are considered during project implementation: Collect technical information and analyse associated opportunities and risks; Identify relevant technical authorities and partners, and propose formal partnership and/or contracts. - Undertake quality control: Analyse technical added-value and project impact; Set up technical evaluation exercises during and following implementation. 4. Oversee Program Staff and Security - Guide and direct program staff: Organise and lead project coordination meetings; Prepare and follow work plans with each project member; Ensure a positive working environment and good team dynamics (solve out potential conflicts); Promote team working conditions in the limit of private life; Adapt the organigramme and ToRs of project personnel according to the project development; Undertake regular appraisals of directly supervised colleagues and pass appraisal forms to the Country or Area Administrator with recommendations (new position, changes to contract or salary etc.); Ensure a building of capacity amongst technical staff in the relevant sectors. - Contribute to the recruitment of expatriate staff: When requested by HQ, undertake interviews to assess technical abilities of expatriate candidates living in the country.

• Oversee staff security: In cooperation with the relevant Security Officer, monitor the local security situation and inform the Country Director or Area Coordinator and Country or Area Security Officer of developments through regular written reports; Contribute to the updating of the security guidelines in the project area of intervention; Ensure that security procedures are respected by each member of the project team.
  1. Identify Best Practices and Lessons Learned Collect information and tools employed for project implementation; Draft memos detailing lessons learned and best practices identified during the project; Share such memos with internal and external partners; Communicate such information to the Country Director or Area Coordinator, to Regional Support Offices and to HQ Reporting Department.

IV. Qualifications:

• Masters degree minimum in International Development or related area; • Demonstrated expertise in conflict management • Experience in large scale project management • Experience in coordination of international partners • Familiarity with the technical aspects of the project including GIS, infrastructure development, and business training. • Familiarity with the aid system, and understanding of donor and governmental requirements; • Prior knowledge of the region an asset; • Fluency in English required - ability to communicate in local languages an asset;

V. Conditions:

• Salary defined by the ACTED salary grid; educational level, expertise, hardship, security, and performance are considered for pay bonus • Additional monthly living allowance • Free food and lodging provided at the organisation’s guesthouse • Transportation in and out + luggage allowance • Provision of medical, life, and repatriation insurance + retirement package

VI. Submission of applications:

Please send, in English, your cover letter, CV, and three references to jobs@acted.org Ref : PMPB/KYR/RW